My site is a clayey grassland area. I laid out cardboard over the grass with some rotting logs and compost, then i threw down these pinto beans and mulched. They sprouted quickly and looked healthy for a while but now all have these same symptoms.... can anyone help identify what is wrong?
Looks like bug attack to me. I'ld be looking really closely for bugs day and night. Can be tiny. I had a real problem with red legged earth mite eating my spinach. I thought it was frost damage until a friend got down and really inspected the leaves and found the little buggers. A spray of prythreium (can't spell) and now my spinach is going gang busters. I know some people would not agree with spraying but when you are trying to grow spinach in what amounts to fields of lucerne then you are going to have red legged earth mite. The lucerne copes with it but the spinach was not
in addition to bug damage, it could also be partially a nitrogen lack as when you first smother an area all the rotting materials will take up any available nitrogen until after the fungi/bacteria have digested things and release it. and also, mulching soil may encourage fungal diseases/blights or the soil itself may be super saturated and what you are seeing are plants that are too wet. then you get combinations... how is the area for drainage? is the soil heavy/clay? you may need to perch gardens in raised areas if you have too wet a climate and/or improve drainage.