[Dopey113]

Duz anyone cut their spuds into 2, 3 or 4 ?? dry them out and then plant? I have been told theirs no difference in yield or size when doing this

[Nobbie]

Yes,

I've done this and they've been fine.

[Salmo]

Sometimes you get the odd seed potato that is more eating size than planting size and you can cut it in two with chits on both bits. This is useful if you are a few seed short to make a row. After you cut them bring them in the warm for a day or two to dry off and heal the wound.

[Tenhens]

Have been into my previous posts and located the following. ( Jan 2014)  I admit that I have not tried it.


 In 'Grow your own Garden' by Carol Klein she refers to a practice in the United States of cutting the tubers.

The text , from page 149 , is

  "On this side of the Atlantic we plant out whole seed potatoes for our new crop, but in the United States the practice is to cut them up and plant the pieces. As long as each one has a short sprout (two eyes are usually recommended) and a chunk of tuber about 4-5cm each way ,this should work perfectly. It is sometimes recommended that the sections are allowed to dry for several days before planting as a precaution against infection, but they can be planted immediately if everything is clean"

   
   
   

[3759allen]

if you can pick out small seed potato's i don't really see the point to be honest, after all they're cheap enough to buy really.

as said maybe if you're a few seeds short then worth doing. or if you've been given a few surplus from someone else it may be worth stretching out to make a decent row. or if you've left it late to buy and only the bigger seeds are left you would save some money as they're usually sold in weight, so if the seeds are 4 times the size of normal seeds them it would cost 4 times the amount to get the same crop.

personally i've never tried it but i have heard people do it, a popular method i've read about involves drying the cut with wood ash to stop any rot.

[surbie100]

Duz anyone cut their spuds into 2, 3 or 4 ?? dry them out and then plant? I have been told theirs no difference in yield or size when doing this

Am going to do it for the Charlottes I was sent. There are only 17 (large) spuds in the 2kg bag, whereas the same weight of Dunluce gave me 30. They have a fair amount of chits on so should be easy enough to split in a couple of weeks.

[Dopey113]

I think I will give it a go on the bigger spuds, thanks guys

[sunshineband]

I shall be giving this a go this year, as a lot of the seed potatoes (bought by weight) that I have been sent this year are really quite big. I have been told that although the total yield may be similar overall, the potatoes themselves may be larger as the shoots grow further apart.

It remains to be seen.

[Eblana]

My father in law who is from the West of Ireland (Potatos and fish were all they eat when he was young) keeps telling me to cut my large seed potatoes in two (some of the ones I got this year are quite large and my average per 2 kg is only 24 per bag v's 30 last year).  But he says that they always dipped the cut side in lime to dry it out and stop the pieces rotting off.  Might give this a try and see how it goes.

[mjg000]

I think maybe we have a theme starting here.... I also bought from a large Scottish company, always excellent potatoes delivered to my door in February but they do seem on the large side this year, particularly the Charlottes.

[sunshineband]

My father in law who is from the West of Ireland (Potatos and fish were all they eat when he was young) keeps telling me to cut my large seed potatoes in two (some of the ones I got this year are quite large and my average per 2 kg is only 24 per bag v's 30 last year).  But he says that they always dipped the cut side in lime to dry it out and stop the pieces rotting off.  Might give this a try and see how it goes.

I try to avoid planting potatoes in limy soil as it seems to encourage scab, so I shall just let the surfaces dry naturally. (My Dad used flowers of sulphur on his potatoes, which is acidic)

[Salmo]

My father in law who is from the West of Ireland (Potatos and fish were all they eat when he was young) keeps telling me to cut my large seed potatoes in two (some of the ones I got this year are quite large and my average per 2 kg is only 24 per bag v's 30 last year).  But he says that they always dipped the cut side in lime to dry it out and stop the pieces rotting off.  Might give this a try and see how it goes.

With modern central heating they dry off quickly and the risk of rot is diminished.

[Salmo]

I think maybe we have a theme starting here.... I also bought from a large Scottish company, always excellent potatoes delivered to my door in February but they do seem on the large side this year, particularly the Charlottes.

Seed potato regulations say that they should be riddled so that they pass through a 60mm mesh but not through a 35mm mesh. The big ones are usually long and thin so passed through the 60mm mesh thin ways on.