Potato Blight

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John obrien

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Potato Blight
« on: August 14, 2017, 21:15 »
Only had my allotment 2 months so after much clearing and digging I was very late putting some Potatoes in.
At the moment they have grown to about 18" high and hav'nt flowered yet.
Lady night I thought they looked a bit disheveled but just put it down to a few dry unwatered days.
However tonight they are looking worse for wear, brown dead leaves starting to appear at the bottom and some of the stems are going a horrible blacky brown colour.
Have I got the dreaded blight and if so what should I do. Dig up and burn??   :(
image1.JPG
« Last Edit: August 14, 2017, 21:57 by John obrien »
Chopsticks are the main reason the Chinese never invented Custard.

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mumofstig

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Re: Potato Blight
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2017, 22:02 »
Are they all looking like that or just a few?

Black stems at earth level, moving upwards, with the top leaves curling and going crispy brown,  on just a few then it could be blackleg. Just dig up and dispose of the infected plants to stop it spreading through the soil, to the next plant in the row.

If it is most of them and the plants start rotting/collapsing then it is blight. Cut off the tops and either burn or bag them up and dispose of them. Advice is to leave any potatoes under the soil for 2 weeks before lifting to avoid live blight spores on the surface.

A photo always helps to ID problems.

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John obrien

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Re: Potato Blight
« Reply #2 on: August 15, 2017, 07:21 »
Thanks for the reply.
All the plants are now affected, I'll cut them down toy and burn.
See photo on original post.
Regards

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greenjay

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Re: Potato Blight
« Reply #3 on: August 15, 2017, 20:27 »
I would cut down tops. the crop might be small but better than nothing.
good luck trying to burn the tops, easier to bag and bin imo

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Salmo

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Re: Potato Blight
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2017, 08:15 »
I would cut down tops. the crop might be small but better than nothing.
good luck trying to burn the tops, easier to bag and bin imo

If you put the tops in a black bag and seal it, i.e. tie the top, they will within a few days go to mush. Leave them there for a few weeks and in theory you can put them on your compost heap because blight spores cannot live on dead material. By then there will be no potato or tomato plants to infect anyway. They certainly will not overwinter.
« Last Edit: August 16, 2017, 11:20 by Salmo »

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trunk monkey

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Re: Potato Blight
« Reply #5 on: August 17, 2017, 07:18 »
John, If your plot is prone to blight try the following approach. Plant first earlies (I like "Casablanca"), chit them to get them off to a flying start. In this way if the blight strikes you should still have a crop. Cut off the haulms and take them to the local "dump-it" site they will be taken away for hot composting. Two weeks later lift your crop. First earlies will keep through winter otherwise we would not have any seed potatoes of these varieties. Alternatively, plant blight-resistant varieties, I was given some Sarpo mira this year, although I have heard the flavour is not too good. We can not beat blight but we can work round it.

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New shoot

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Re: Potato Blight
« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2017, 07:59 »
Sarpo mira make good baked potatoes.  They have thick skins which crisp up in the oven. 

I've got Sarpo axona and Kifli this year, which are both blight resistant.  I haven't eaten any yet, but they have lush green top growth and are looking promising  :)

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trunk monkey

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Re: Potato Blight
« Reply #7 on: August 17, 2017, 13:08 »
Thanks New Shoot my partner loves jacket potatoes.

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John obrien

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Re: Potato Blight
« Reply #8 on: August 18, 2017, 21:46 »
Thanks for all the advice everyone.
I think my biggest problem was that I put them in very late, we've also had warm wet / humid weather down here for a while which I believe is perfect for bight?



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