Soybean Plant are a crop that flourishes in the right climate—one that has enough sunshine, soil moisture, and temperature. However, throughout their early growth stages, soybeans are vulnerable to cold, flooding, diseases, and pests.
Thankfully, newer soybean-growing technologies allow for remote, nearly real-time crop monitoring. Learning how to grow soybeans on your own will help you maintain a record!
Soybean Plant Overview
| Common Name | Edamame, soya bean |
| Scientific Name | Glycine max |
| Days to Harvest | 45-65 days |
| Light | Full sun |
| Water | 1 inch per week |
| Soil | Well-drained |
| Pests | Aphids |
| Diseases | Fungal and bacterial blight |
How to Grow Soybean
It is ideal to directly sow soybean seeds into the garden bed in the early spring, once the soil has warmed to sixty degrees Fahrenheit. Soybean seeds should be planted 4 inches apart and 1 to 1.5 inches deep. Plant your rows two feet apart to allow the bushy plants to spread out and thrive.
If room is limited, opt to cultivate the soybean seed in a container that is at least 12 inches deep. This will give it lots of room and robust roots. Watch the moisture content of pot soil since it dries up faster than garden soil.
How to Care for Soybean
To ensure that your soybean plants thrive from seed to harvest, let’s examine some specific gardening tips. Thankfully, as long as they have all the requirements for growth, soybean plants thrive.
Soil
Soils ranging in pH from 6.6 to 2.8 should be neutral to slightly acidic for soybean growth. Although they can withstand poor soil, plant them in well-draining loamy soil that has organic mulch applied to keep weeds away and prevent the soil from drying up for optimal results.
Sand, silt, and clay content are all uniform in loamy soil. It will retain just the proper quantity of moisture and drain easily.
Sun and Temperature
Soybeans will not mature, and their output will suffer if you grow them in areas with partial shade. Instead, plant soybeans in full sun (8 hours of sunlight per day). Soybeans grow in USDA growth zones 2 through 11, so choose a variety that will thrive in your climate.
The optimal temperature range for growth is between 70°F and 95°F. These legumes will not grow in extremely hot or cold temperatures. Because they are not resistant to frost, damage happens when the temperature falls below freezing.
Water and Humidity
Remember to water the soil sparingly after sowing the seeds, but keep it moist. Soybeans can withstand some degree of humidity as long as the temperature is below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the plants reach the larger vegetative stage, they should receive one inch of water every week.
To prevent the leaves and flowers from getting overly moist, water the plant base first thing in the morning. Once blossoms begin to appear, watering needs should be lowered to 1.5 inches per week and then to 1.75 inches per week once little pods begin to appear. Drip irrigation or soaker hoses work best for growing soybeans.
It is advisable to have a watering schedule in place for the growth season because these beans are not drought-tolerant. Once the pods have filled out and you see a few leaves and the pods turning yellow, stop the irrigation.
Fertilizing
You can wait until the soybeans start to grow before fertilizing the soil with nitrogen. Due to their legume nature, soybeans carry out a procedure called nitrogen fixation. They work in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that live in the soil to convert atmospheric nitrogen into useful nitrogen.
In response, the bacteria produce carbon. Since soybeans are not heavy feeders, a coating of aged compost applied in the middle of summer will supply enough nutrients to the plants until harvest time.
Pruning
Depending on the type of soybean you grow in your yard, you can get different plant heights and business levels. Soybeans grow to about two feet in home gardens and don’t require any kind of pruning. When the invasive plant becomes too large and begins to overshadow other plants in your yard, you can clip it back.
Propagation
As was previously discussed in the planting section, after soil temperatures reach 60 degrees, the easiest approach to propagating soybeans is to sow them directly into the garden, 1 to 1.5 inches deep.
Generally, if the air temperature is at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit in late April, Don’t soak the seeds before planting, and don’t give them too much water before they start to germinate.
Harvesting and Storing
The next section discusses how to harvest soybeans and store them, either fresh or dry. We’ll look at several different storage techniques so you can choose the one that works best for you.
Harvesting
Whether you want to dry or make Edamame from your soybeans will determine when to harvest them. Usually, the pods will mature simultaneously, allowing you to harvest them all at once. When the pods are plump, brightly coloured, and 2 to 3 inches in length, Edamame is ready.
Mature pods can take up to 100 days to reach maturity; beyond that, they are not fit for harvesting for another two or three months. Leaves turn yellow and pods turn brown on a plant that is ready for harvest.
After the plant has dried, harvest the shells and extract the beans from their pods. After harvesting, dispose of any leftover plants in the compost.
Storing
Store fresh beans in the refrigerator for at least seven to 10 days. Fill an airtight jar with the soybeans, both shelled and unshelled. Shell and then cook in water for seven minutes.
When chilled, toss them with a little olive oil and salt. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for six hours at 200 degrees. In an airtight container, store dried Edamame for two to three months.
Shell and store the ripe, dry soybeans in an airtight container. For a year or two, they preserve well in a cold, dry atmosphere. If you regularly maintain their temperature between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, they will live longer.
Troubleshooting
If you regularly maintain their temperature between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, they will live longer.
Growing Problems
Getting your soybeans to germinate is the largest developing concern. Most gardeners will overwater the seeds, which will lead to excessive moisture-induced rot. After planting, give the soil just enough water to make it moist, but avoid letting it get too wet.
It’s not a problem if a few pods fall off now and then, but you must step in if several do. Usually, it has to do with either too much or too little irrigation, as well as either too much or too little temperature.
Pests
Aphids and bean beetles are common pests of soybeans.
Mexican bean beetles are a type of insect that feeds on legumes. They resemble ladybirds despite being bigger and having a paler golden hue. They will consume the pods, leaves, and stems if left on the plants.
Gather up the beetles from the plants and remove the yellow egg clusters from under the leaves. Spreading diatomaceous earth around the soybean plant’s base could aid in preventing infection.
Aphids are a frequent pest that enjoys preying on different kinds of plants. They might be bright green, tan, yellow, or dark brown, and they have an oval form. Your plant may die as a result of damage from these pests, and you may notice stunted growth and leaves that are curled or mottled.
Spray them off the plants with water or apply naturally insecticidal soap. To reduce the number of aphids in your yard, attract lady beetles.
Diseases
Soybeans are susceptible to a variety of fungal diseases, such as root rot, powdery mildew, and Cercosporin leaf blight. A particular type of root rot can result in SDS, which is a major problem for soybean crops. The best defence against them damaging your plants is prevention.
Airflow is necessary; hence, soybean plants require a lot of room. Make sure the soil in your garden is well-drained and water it from the ground up.
Maintain little pest damage and rotate your crops. To stop the disease from spreading further in the early stages, use clean tools to trim off any damaged leaves and stems and apply fungicide.
If there is substantial damage, it is best to remove the entire plant to prevent it from spreading to other plants. The best use case for organic fungicides is prevention rather than treatment.
FAQ
Is growing soybeans an easy task?
Yes, as long as there are at least 45 days with temperatures over 70 °F, they are easy to grow. They require moderate hydration, warmth, and sunlight after planting. Since they are nitrogen fixers, they don’t need a lot of nutrients.
What is the duration required to cultivate a soybean?
Soybeans will mature in 45 to 65 days if they are grown for their fresh pods. If you want dry beans, though, they will require a minimum of one hundred days.