RED MUNG BEAN ,( BUSH BEAN) Grow Sprouting or Cooking, Asian Vegetable ! CARIBBEAN GARDEN SEED

Mung bean (Vigna radiata or Phaseolus aureus), a legume likely native to India, is widely grown and consumed as sprouts or dry beans. Adequate site selection and soil preparation, timing to maximize temperature and rainfall and other considerations help to ensure bean plant growth and productivity. Mung bean sprouts benefit from different conditions than their field-grown counterparts.

Sunlight and Temperature

Mung beans are warm-season, deep-rooted plants whose specific hardiness and day-length requirements varies by cultivar, though most require 90 to 120 frost-free days annually. If the mung bean is planted so it blooms during the hottest, driest part of the year, yield may be disappointing. Mung bean plants require full sunlight or at least eight to 10 hours of sunlight daily.

Soil and Fertilization

Mung bean performs best in fertile, well-drained sandy loam soil with a pH between 6.2 and 7.2 and will suffer in poorly-drained, heavy soils. Plants in alkaline soils will display symptoms of nutrient deficiencies. Nitrogen fertilizer is unnecessary, though it may encourage early growth and faster establishment. Mung bean has the same nutrient requirements as other legumes. A soil test is the best way to determine phosphorus and potassium requirements. In fields or gardens where mung beans are planted for the first time, a nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium bacteria specifically for mung beans should be applied to the seeds or planting area.

Planting and Spacing

Mung bean planting should occur early enough that harvest will occur before the rainy season and bloom or pod fill will occur before the hottest, driest part of summer and late enough that all danger of frost has passed and soil temperatures are above about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Two plantings annually, one in spring and another in fall, are often possible in warmer regions. Tilling or cultivating the top several inches of soil breaks up the ground and controls weeds. Mung bean seeds germinate best when planted 1 to 2 inches deep in moist soil. One seed every 3 inches in rows 18 to 24 inches apart provides an adequate yield.

Irrigation

The deep-rooted mung beans are adapted to warm, dry climates and grow best with only three to five deep waterings during the growing season. If the soil is adequately moist at the time of planting, the first watering is not needed until about 20 days after planting. Irrigation timing and frequency needs vary depending on humidity, rainfall and winds. A regimen with only a few, deep waterings limits vegetative growth and encourages seed production. The mung bean requires adequate water between blooming and pod fill.

Sprout Production

Mung bean seeds cultivated for sprouts benefit from different treatment than seeds planted in the ground as a garden plant or field crop. Seeds for sprouts are washed, then soaked in water at 90 degrees Fahrenheit for two to four hours or in water at room temperature overnight before being rinsed and placed in a sprouting container. A porous cushioning pad placed on top of the seeds with a light weight on it encourages thick yet tender sprouts. A sprouting temperature between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit ensures the best quality sprouts within four to five days. When temperatures are between 80 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, sprouts grow slightly faster but are thinner. Sprinkling water over the sprouts every four to six hours for the first four days, then increasing intervals between watering to eight hours is ideal.