Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: chrissie B on June 12, 2020, 13:27
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Some of my potatoes are getting signs of flowers should I let them go or pinch them out some plants about a foot high from ground level
Chrissie b
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Unless you have small children who might eat them (they're poisonous) you may as well leave them on, it makes no difference to the crop.
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Thanks thought they might sap the strength :D.
It's a bit weird realy how you can have one end of a plant that's poisonous and the other you can eat .
Chrissie b
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Noticed my main crop, Sante, had flowers on, took them all off today!
They especially are under stress as we have had no rain for three months, so hence the flowers!
Watched a programme some time ago about the Scottish seed potato growers and they mentioned flowers and stress, in that the plants started flowering so that they would set seed as a means of reproducing and that it hindered tubers swelling.
They had men walking the furrows rouging any plants looking different or with flowers on.
If it's good enough for the professionals it is good enough for me.
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To de-flower or not appears not to be a straightforward choice
Reports of fruit and seed production inhibiting vegetative growth have been published on tomato (Murneek 1 932), cotton (Eaton 19'31), llarcissas (Kalin 1954) and potato (Proudfoot 1965). However, some reports on potato suggest there is no consistent relationship between fruit production and tuber yield (Kidane-Mariam and Peloquin 1974). (taken from https://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.4141/cjps90-151 (https://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.4141/cjps90-151) )
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JimB 2020, says get them off!
:D
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:lol: ask some gardener's a question, and how many answers do you get :lol:
Nobody bothers on our allotment site, some of them have really pretty pink and purple coloured flowers, but each to their own ;)
Can't see commercial ware potato growers going round picking off flowers from all their fields, somehow - the 'seed-potato' farms could do it, as the rows have to be checked and rouged, to keep the varieties pure.
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:lol: ask some gardener's a question, and how many answers do you get :lol:
Nobody bothers on our allotment site, some of them have really pretty pink and purple coloured flowers, but each to their own ;)
Can't see commercial ware potato growers going round picking off flowers from all their fileld, somehow - the 'seed-potato' farms could do it, as the rows have to be checked and rouged, to keep the varieties pure.
True - ask 2 gardeners the same question and you'll get at least 3 different answers!
Like you, I don't know anyone who removes the flowers, not even some of the more eccentric OBs on my site. If flowers are a sign of stress, my plants must suffer every year ;)
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I couldn't bear to remove these beautiful vivid violet blue flowers on my Sarpo Blue Danube potatoes.
So pretty.
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well last year I got just over 14 lbs of potatoes from one seed potato and I didn't remove the flowers. It was for a heaviest crop competition so planting in about 75% cow muck and lots of water may have helped.
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Well this is a surprise. When I started growing potatoes my experienced gardener friend made me understand that I didn't need to touch the flowers and so I never have. I have always (touch wood) had a lovely crop of spuds.
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I have no idea what season pot they are all I know is the plants are growing since hubby said them potatoes are sprouting think I will plant them and he did and then another 8 plant popped up musy be leftover ones from last year
So far they are green and getting bigger so.e with flowers
Last year we got a bag from homebase and they were lovley were eating for ages .
Chrissie b
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I’ve never removed flowers, never thought there was a need, in fact never heard of doing it. But I do now remove or pick up the resulting fruits as I don’t want potatoes growing from the seeds inside & as I have little grandchildren I’m a bit more careful as they see them as tomatoes
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Hello I have been chatting to a man digging potatoes today he's from Walkers crisps I asked him about removing the flowers and whether it increased yields his answer is not repeatable on here the only reason that flowers are removed in Scotland is because the potatoes are certified as seed potatoes flower pollination could affect the potatoes and certification jezza
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I thought that when the flowers die, that's a sign that the potatoes are ready to dig up. So how would you know when they are ready to dig up if you have removed the flowers?
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I thought that when the flowers die, that's a sign that the potatoes are ready to dig up. So how would you know when they are ready to dig up if you have removed the flowers?
Ideally, you should have noted when you planted the seed tubers, then leave it an appropriate length of time from then depending on the type of potato (I heard on Gardeners World last week that it's 90 days for first early varieties, 100 days for second early varieties, and 120 days for maincrops - but have heard different timescales from other sources, although this gives you an idea). Then you stick a fork or hand in and have a rummage :D
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I remove potato flowers for two reasons: 1 the plant requires energy to turn the flowers into tomato-like seeds. 2. I do not need to remove the seeds after they form.
I am happy to concede that it possibly has little effect on overall yields.
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Ideally, you should have noted when you planted the seed tubers, then leave it an appropriate length of time from then depending on the type of potato (I heard on Gardeners World last week that it's 90 days for first early varieties, 100 days for second early varieties, and 120 days for maincrops - but have heard different timescales from other sources, although this gives you an idea). Then you stick a fork or hand in and have a rummage :D
If you do a little research on the varieties you plant you should have an idea of when to start harvesting. The flowers indicate tuber initiation, so you know they starting to form.
With first early varieties, some can be ready to start harvesting after as little as 70 days but 90 is a fair estimate.