[Lulu]

Hi  2 questions
a colleague of mine seems to think you should not water spuds or at least water as little as possible - is this right?

my second question ( as I was watering my spuds today  ) is what is the best way to water them if they are earthed up - from the top or around the bottom.  Surely it seems to me if you water from the top the earth will get washed downwards, but if you water at the bottom is it both sides or one side??

Well it beats worrying about work stuff 

[woodavon]

I've next to no experience but did read that it's best to water by flooding the trench.  At least that's what I've been doing and it seems to be working!

[DD.]

Commercial growers water - so it must be worthwhile!

[Gandan57]

Idaho is the US potato State, non stop irrigation over there, as I witnessed last year.

[Lulu]

Well I did think not watering was a bit daft   How would the potatoes survive - funny how these things get around though innit!

Any chance of that irrigation spreading from Idaho to Oxford - sure is dry here! Then I could flood my trenchs 

[Sharonx]

Gave mine a good watering tonight even though i have been told not to bother by others. At the end of the day we have had no significant rain since mid March & they should have naturally had some rain on them. I also read somewhere that if they are dry, plants takes the moisture from the tubers leaving soft potatoes. Never too sure what is right or wrong so going to water every few days anyway.

[Paul Plots]

I've watered some of my 6 rows of spuds by pouring bucketfuls in-between rows. So far just the earlies have had "the treatment" in the hope that we might have another rain shower before the main crop are lifted.  :blink: 

After their good watering I plastered them in a hefty layer of grass mowings to help prevent evaporation. All (watered and un-watered) have equally healthy looking top growth.

(We've had just one decent down pour since the beginning of March and February wasn't wet either.)

[Salmo]

Usual advice is not to water until tubers are setting except for first earlies which should be watered regularly.

That is in a normal season. In the drought conditions of the south I am sure they need some water.

I think the important thing is to give them a good soak if you do water and not more than about once a week.

A little bit of water every day will only encourage shallow roots.

[fatcat1955]

A good soaking fortnightly when the flowers are on the plants.

[potatogrower]

2 weeks ago i use the hose and turn it to spray small rain like droplets. they have nice dense foliage. i hose the top of the plant and let the water drop like droplets of water off the leaves onto the soil. this way i am hoping it won't wash away the soil but the droplets will sink into the soil. after a dry spell i watered them for at least 10 mins like this. will water again next weekend

as i am growing in garden i can't water the trenches because it would run down the sides onto the slabs and little water will go into the soil.