Yellowing pea plants

[Marb67]

i have had a wonderful crop of peas, not fully mature yet, but some of the ants are suddenly Turing yellowy pale. The pea pods also. Gutted as I thought it was going to be a success but as usual it has to end. I water when try and fed the soil with a light sprinkling of Q4 after planting out. Perhaps give them chicken manure pellets?

[Andraste]

Are you sure the ailing ones are mature - could they just be coming to the natural end of their time?

Only trouble I find with chicken manure pellets is that unless they get 'rained in', it can take a while to see any difference in the plant/leaf health. I'd go for a liquid feed like tomato food (generally good for anything that flowers/fruits) or maybe some comfrey tea as we're having a bit of a dry weather spell & then throw some chicken manure pellets on for good measure/benefits in the coming weeks.

[Jungle Jane]

Those peas look really good & growing really well,the single pea plant in the second photo,maybe it’s roots were damaged,or watered on & leaf burn,I’d cut that burnt looking plant out. One year it was so hot & all my pea plants in a pot dried out in the sun & went straw colour like that. The first photo,it’s strange when just one plant looks nutrient deficient but all other plants are ok,I wonder if it’s the seed when it’s just happening to one plant out of thirty? I’d water occasionally with seaweed or nettle liquid feed that’s for every plant I say that,it’s good feed

[ameno]

It's foot rot. Quite common in some soils.

[Andraste]

I've never heard of pea foot rot!

Are there any key indicators? Is there anything to be done to prevent/stop it spreading?

Sorry to hijack your thread with my questions Marb but I'm keen to pick ameno's brain for new knowledge

[Marb67]

It's spreading 😭

[ameno]

I've never heard of pea foot rot!

Are there any key indicators? Is there anything to be done to prevent/stop it spreading?

Sorry to hijack your thread with my questions Marb but I'm keen to pick ameno's brain for new knowledge

Yellowing plants, which soon decline and die. The base of the plant at soil level will be dark brown or black.
It's caused by one of a couple different fungi in the soil. Some soils seem to have more than others, so some people will get it a lot, others not at all.
Not a lot you can do to outright prevent it if your soil has it, but there are some measures you can take. Be very careful when transplanting and weeding so as not to damage the plants, as a small nick can easily let the fungus in. Only grow dwarf varieties (under 90cm. Most modern ones are dwarf), as they mature more quickly and you'll get a decent crop before the disease sets in. And play the numbers game: plant lots and lots of plants. I grow them in 6 foot rows of about 60 plants.

[Andraste]

Thanks ameno I hope it's something I never encounter but always good to learn new things. x

[Marb67]

Yet another folly to add to my already long list of pests and diseases I haven't the luxury of growing in 6 foot rows unfortunately.

[ameno]

You need to grow a lot of pea plants in order to get a worthwhile crop, anyway. They don't produce many per plant. If you can't grow at least 30 plants then it's probably not worth bothering at all.

[Marb67]

I've dug out the offending plant if that gives anymore clues to what happened.

[Marb67]

This is ridiculous, it's going through the whole crop 😞 the ground isn't wet or anything. It's soul destroying after such good plants and crop that will now ruin.

[ameno]

The ground doesn't need to be wet. If anything, it's more of a problem in warm, dry weather.

[Jungle Jane]

Have you harvested everything ready so it’s easier for the plants water wise…I wonder if the heat is an issue because it doesn’t look very rotten but I could be wrong if that is rot? I’m just remembering my pea plants in the heatwave. Its worth trying to shade them,protect the growth. I’d peg some net up to those sticks,even if some are shaded & some not,see what happens. I never used to have to use shade nets outside,it’s become hotter here the last few years. Pea plants are very delicate to the heat of the sun,it’s hotter here than some areas. I wonder the plants might be hardier if sown in the autumn…

[ameno]

Have you harvested everything ready so it’s easier for the plants water wise…I wonder if the heat is an issue because it doesn’t look very rotten but I could be wrong if that is rot? I’m just remembering my pea plants in the heatwave. Its worth trying to shade them,protect the growth. I’d peg some net up to those sticks,even if some are shaded & some not,see what happens. I never used to have to use shade nets outside,it’s become hotter here the last few years. Pea plants are very delicate to the heat of the sun,it’s hotter here than some areas. I wonder the plants might be hardier if sown in the autumn…

Pea foot rot is a dry rot. That's what it usually looks like. The roots just shrivel.