Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Kirpi on April 22, 2012, 23:53

Title: Yellowing potato leaves
Post by: Kirpi on April 22, 2012, 23:53

My potatoes are just showing through. Have had reasonable amount of rain and not frosted, but a lot of the leaves are showing yellowing. They are growing in a lasagne bed of straw with rotted rabbit manure and homegrown compost.

It cant be nutrient deficiency or lack of water - any ideas?

Some neighbouring plots showing the same, so could be climatic? We have been away up north for a week so there could have been a frost while we were away (Cornwall).

Title: Re: Yellowing potato leaves
Post by: Paul Plots on April 23, 2012, 02:20

I would earth them up and wait and see... you will need to protect them from the frost so waiting a little longer to see how they do wont hurt.

Good luck.

Title: Re: Yellowing potato leaves
Post by: Trillium on April 23, 2012, 02:20

Stick your finger down deep into the soil and see if its actually moist way down. Sometimes rain can penetrate only the top inch or two.

If it's damp way down, then have a furtle (careful dig) and see if any potato buds are forming below. Often with yellowing leaves, there'll be nothing there at all.

Title: Re: Yellowing potato leaves
Post by: Paul Plots on April 23, 2012, 02:26

Quote from: Trillium on April 23, 2012, 02:20

Stick your finger down deep into the soil and see if its actually moist way down. Sometimes rain can penetrate only the top inch or two.

If it's damp way down, then have a furtle (careful dig) and see if any potato buds are forming below. Often with yellowing leaves, there'll be nothing there at all.

Would there be no chance of them developing if they are left to grow? It seems a bit early to be expecting very much at this time of year.  :unsure:

I'd be inclined to suspect cold weather was to blame.

Title: Re: Yellowing potato leaves
Post by: goodtogrow on April 23, 2012, 06:42

Gotta agree that the weather is most likely to be causing the chlorosis, along with some imbalance in all that organic matter.  Is the bed sodden?  That can cause weak growth too, but I think the best option is to just leave them and let them rally as the weather improves.

Title: Re: Yellowing potato leaves
Post by: fatcat1955 on April 23, 2012, 08:12

Yellowing of leaves can be caused by lack of nitrogen, are you sure the manure was well rotted as this would rob the nitrogen although it will replace it later on. Try a liquid nitrogen feed by watering on the leaves and around the base.

Title: Re: Yellowing potato leaves
Post by: Paul Plots on April 24, 2012, 00:29

Quote from: fatcat1955 on April 23, 2012, 08:12

Yellowing of leaves can be caused by lack of nitrogen, are you sure the manure was well rotted as this would rob the nitrogen although it will replace it later on. Try a liquid nitrogen feed by watering on the leaves and around the base.

If there are a lot of them and it keeps raining I'd leave this for a while... I'd just earth them up and wait and see.

If the yellow is still there when they reappear and the weather is warmer then a foliar feed might do the trick.