| Pole Beans Iowa: Professional Farmers of America  A season with Blue Lake pole beans in northeast Iowa Don Wilshe sprayed two vines of pole beans with Adjuvant July 29, 2008, alternating with two unsprayed vines. However, the growth became so profuse into August that the vines on this fence overlapped each other and made it impossible to determine production from unsprayed and sprayed vines. Therefore, he sprayed a 128:1 solution of Adjuvant every other week on all four vines through August and September. Picking was necessary every other day, with all four vines yielding about a half-bushel at each picking. The average brix level of green beans was about 9 in August, holding that level of sugar content through October. The family froze green beans, ate green beans, gave away green beans every day. North Carolina: Randy Jenkins And finally, this comment from another gardener, Randy Jenkins, East Bend, North Carolina: I've been gardening for 55 years, and I have never seen anything like my green bush beans this year. After I saw my neighbor's soybeans growing so well in a drought early this year, I asked him what he had done. He said "Adjuvant," and gave me one old 16-ounce Pepsi bottle of it, with instructions. I had planted four 100-foot rows of Tenderet bush beans, thinking I would have enough for my own family. I sprayed my beans twice with the very diluted solution of Adjuvant in water. They kept blooming and yielding all summer. I gave away bushels and bushels and bushels to anybody who would pick them. Members of my church volunteered to pick for the elderly and needy in our community. They picked until they were sick of beans. I finally got tired of watching them produce, and in early September, bushhogged them down. There was probably 25 bushels of beans on them, and more blooms, when I shredded them. Also - I had the best, sweetest late sweetcorn ever; I had sprayed it twice with Adjuvant. Two ears on every stalk. The best part of both corn and beans was that I didn't spray any insecticide, and had no beetles or corn worms. I'll buy a gallon of Adjuvant next year, and it will probably last me a lifetime. You can print my name, too... I have lots of church members here who can confirm what I'm saying! I have seen several of my fellow North Carolina's using the Adjuvant on Pole Beans with same results!  July-30-2008: Two of the four vines as they looked a day after the first spraying.  Aug-28-2008: All four vines almost a month later (only part of the vine on the right is in this image). The vines had thickened and overlapped. Leaves are much larger. By this stage, all vines were being treated.  10-12-2008: From the other side of the fence which is only about a week before average first frost in Iowa. Nighttime temperatures are in the 40s. The vines had grown through the fence and were thickly intertwined. Pickers had to lift the vines and leaves to find caches of mature green beans underneath. A few of the top leaves -- new growth -- were attacked by Japanese beetles, but damage was barely noticeable.  10-12-2008: This closeup photo below shows that the vines are still generating new blossoms and more beans. The family hopes for an early frost... tired of picking beans! |