[fekq]

some horrible little creature has been tunnelling into my spuds!! 
anyone know what it might be that's been attacking them, and what I could do to stop them next year? (pref organically)
thanks!

[Fisherman]

It looks to be either slugs or wireworms. It would be best to try and identify which specific pest it is though. Cutting a few more potatoes up should help you find the culprit. The ground can be treated with Nematodes to kill them off as long the temperature is + 12C. I don't think there is a specific Nematode for wireworms but I believe the one for chafer grubs will work. Wireworms are about 1 inch long and an orange / brown colour and are a common pest in potato crops especially if the ground has previously been grass i.e. lawn or field.

Wireworms can also be trapped by placing cut up potatoes under the soil on sticks. Leave them for a day or two then lift them up and if the wireworms have dug into them just destroy them. Continuous cultivation of the ground also reduces their numbers.

I have used Nematodes for slugs for the last 2 years with very good results.


Good luck

[Spana]

I have used Nematodes for slugs for the last 2 years with very good results.

Fisherman, how many times do you apply them?  Are you just putting them on main crop ?

If you apply them one year does it help the next season.

[azubah]

Some varieties of potatoes seem to be attacked more than others. I grew charlotte, axona and sarpo myra this year and hardly any have been damaged by bugs.

[Spana]

Some varieties of potatoes seem to be attacked more than others.

Yeh, thats true
I usually grow Foremost and even tho they are earlies and i try and get them out of the ground quickly they are terrible for slugs.
This year i tried Premiere another early but they had hardly any slug damage at all and they lasted well in the ground and made some lovely big bakers.  Only down side was they didn't have that lovely new potato flavour.
I was thinking of growing them next year to grow on for lifting later and another early with nematodes for new spuds.

[Fisherman]

Spana
I only grow first earlies so I apply Nematodes when the slugs become active in April / May. One application lasts 6 weeks but if you take into account that the slugs have to re-establish themselves before becoming a problem again its actually longer. I just apply Nematodes once per season and thats worked well. Before using them 50% of my first earlies were eaten.

My main problem now is leather jacket grubs that eat brassicas, lettuce etc. Just tried Nematodes on them this weekend, all 50 million of them.

[greenhead]

I have had slug/wireworm damage for the last four years devouring at least 70% of the crop.  This year tried something different - an old boy on the site said he used soil improver (the black stuff) available from most council recycling sites, dug well in to the potato bed at the rate of 5 barrow loads per 2m X 10m bed.  Tried it - it works!!!  No damage on my 1st earlies (Etona) and 2nd earlies (Charlotte).  I am still digging up the Charlotte's, they have been in since April.

I reckon these old boy's know a thing or two!!

[azubah]

You can't beat experience

[sunshineband]

From experience I would say the damage is down to wirewomrs rather than slugs.

There is no 'cure' for them unfortunately but good regular cultivation of the soil. coupled with handpicking every little one you see pays quick dividends.

Was your plot recently pastureland by any chnace?

[Jamie Butterworth]

The majority of my crop was ruined aswell, at least 70% of it. I was planning on saving them for Christmas but thats not going to happen now

Would it help if i grew them in bags or pots rather than raised beds like i did this year, the anything is that they took half of my growing space this year and did rubbish, so i might just not grow them at all next and focus on something else

[peterjf]

i think its wire worms ,

if it is , they the pupa of klick beetle ,  they stay in your soil for upto 4 years,

regular digging and turning soil over , let the birds get them ,

like a long white maggot with a browny . orange head ,

[potatogrower]

i had worms though not sure if they were wireworms. they are little baby things, slightly shiny and have some sort of very tiny red dots. i thought i wouldn't get them as i had grown nadines and they were supposed to be resistant to blight and pests, but never mind, i put them in the compost heap to help eat away at the bio rubbish.

[JayG]

Sounds like the Spotted snake millipede

Doesn't seem to do too much damage to potatoes on its own but will exploit and be found in holes made by other pests, including slugs and wireworms.