Rust fungus on green beans and possibly lettuce

[Shelia Hoyt]

I am having problems with rust on my green beans in my 600 gallon aquaponic system. Last year when I had a 150 gallon I did not have any of these type of problems.  This system cycled around the end of May. How should I correct this problem?

[George]

you might want to google it - some interesting reading

for fungicide, try spraying with a baking soda solution.

humidity control is recommended

[Shelia Hoyt]

Thanks George,

   I keep the temperature around 83 and the humidity is between 58-60 through the day. I am a little disappointed this year because I thought disease was supposed to be rare in aquaponics because of the beneficial bacteria. Last year  and the  year before with a small system 150 gallons I had very little trouble with a disease other than a tomato virus and I pulled them out and replanted and that took care of the problem.

 

[George]

You win some, you lose some.  Many of us are finding out what works and what doesn't, I think.  Your system looks very nice.

Forgot to mention spraying worm castings - couldn't hurt.

You might try a different bean next time.  I've tried a lot of them.  The one we're the most fond of is a fall bean called NT Half Runner.  We just got one in called Rattlesnake.  We're still trying to find the best summer bean.  Thus far, it's Blue Lake.

Mccaslin, Purple Podded Pole and Pole Lima - none of them did well for us this year - great looking plants, plenty of flowers but low yield.  I'll save seeds from all and try them again sometime.

[Shelia Hoyt]

Thanks, I did not even think about the worm castings I will try that and experiment with a few different varieties and actually I have a nickel bean that does not have any rust on it I had just assumed it was because it was planted later.

 

[Rob Nash]

Shelia, here is an avenue to explore... last year a friend kept getting spots on his lettuce and other greens..

after lots of research we learned about the ill effects of having lots of tomatoes in a greenhouse with other plants last year...  it turns out they will gas off too much ethylene and can damage other plants (and themselves) in the green house.

here is a link showing how some plants are effected.. http://www.coolerking.com/_files/How%20Ethylene%20Gas%20Affects%20Y...

when we keep our greenhouse closed in the winter and aren't exchanging the air often enough, the gas builds up and effects the other plants.. my friend had to pull out the tomatoes and the problem stopped.

if you go with a fungicide, I love and recommend... Actinovate  but remember, these type of bio controls are to be used as a preventative, and need to be applied before the problem starts.. so don't be disappointed if it doesn't seem to clear up.

PS - the whole "AP is supposed to be less prone to disease" thing is still true... they are talking about root and water born issues.. unfortunately.. no matter how you do it, growing in greenhouses has its own issues... almost all of them require more air movement, more heat(or cool) and cost more $... just try to keep the fish alive, and let the plants do what they will.. spring will be here before you know it and that little greenhouse will be full of happy plants.. and gardener.  :-)

[Shelia Hoyt]

Thanks Rob,

  This is an older post, so I was surprised anyone replied to it again. Anyway the tomato plant issue makes a lot of sense. My green house is a sort of hybrid with almost half of it in aquaponics and the rest in in soil. 1/4 of my green house was in tomatoes, and a large part in peppers.  I had spot issues in the aquaponic system until a huge problem arose with my compost. This fall I added composted manure and hay a neighbor gave me, in  my green house and unfortunately he had sprayed with Grazon and it killed my tomato plants, I had to pull up my pepper plants and everything else in the soil. Most pepper plants had 30-40 mature peppers on them, not counting the jalapeno peppers. Then I had to take all the soil out down  to the hard pan and  put all new soil.

   About the same time the aquaponics system took off and I did not have to deal with the fungus issue on the new greenbeans and lettuce. I had assumed part of  it was because the system was mature, since the system had just cycled in early summer if I remember correctly. That is very interesting. now I only have 3 or 4 tomato plants and everything is doing well in the system.
 
Rob Nash said:

Shelia, here is an avenue to explore... last year a friend kept getting spots on his lettuce and other greens..

after lots of research we learned about the ill effects of having lots of tomatoes in a greenhouse with other plants last year...  it turns out they will gas off too much ethylene and can damage other plants (and themselves) in the green house.

here is a link showing how some plants are effected.. http://www.coolerking.com/_files/How%20Ethylene%20Gas%20Affects%20Y...

when we keep our greenhouse closed in the winter and aren't exchanging the air often enough, the gas builds up and effects the other plants.. my friend had to pull out the tomatoes and the problem stopped.

if you go with a fungicide, I love and recommend... Actinovate  but remember, these type of bio controls are to be used as a preventative, and need to be applied before the problem starts.. so don't be disappointed if it doesn't seem to clear up.

PS - the whole "AP is supposed to be less prone to disease" thing is still true... they are talking about root and water born issues.. unfortunately.. no matter how you do it, growing in greenhouses has its own issues... almost all of them require more air movement, more heat(or cool) and cost more $... just try to keep the fish alive, and let the plants do what they will.. spring will be here before you know it and that little greenhouse will be full of happy plants.. and gardener.  :-)

[FriendlyAquaponics]

Aloha Shelia and friends

Can't make a diagnosis without a photo; a lot of stuff looks alike, and it would be a bad guess. But here is a resource you can use, if you can identify the active rust or fungus:

I've attached a 17-page document on USDA organically certified aquaponics pest control techniques that my wife Susanne researched and wrote. We've been using all these successfully for at least 2-1/2 years on our USDA organically certified aquaponics systems; there is no conjecture or guessing about whether these treatments are safe for use with fish and plants.

I've also attached a copy of our "Planting Trials", that may also be useful.

Aloha, Tim Mann, Friendly Aquaponics in Hawaii

Aloha Shelia and friends

Can't make a diagnosis without a photo; a lot of stuff looks alike, and it would be a bad guess. But here is a resource you can use, if you can identify the active rust or fungus:

I've attached a 17-page document on USDA organically certified aquaponics pest control techniques that my wife Susanne researched and wrote. We've been using all these successfully for at least 2-1/2 years on our USDA organically certified aquaponics systems; there is no conjecture or guessing about whether these treatments are safe for use with fish and plants.

I've also attached a copy of our "Planting Trials", that may also be useful.

Aloha, Tim Mann, Friendly Aquaponics in Hawaii