[JohnB47]

Just digging my Kestrels now and some have sort of v shaped valleys in them. A bit like if you cut them when they were small and the cut mark healed and grew wider with growth.

I've grown them through ground cover this year as an experiment and wonder if this could be slug damage while the taties were small. Otherwise no slug damage evident. Reasonable crop too and none gone green so far.

Any ideas? I could manage a photo if necessary.

Edit: Reminds me of that old Sound of Music song "Cut marks on Kestrels and whiskers on kittens ..." Sorry 

[JayG]

I'll help you out, though I don't think I oughta'
Think it is caused by varying water.

La La La 

[JohnB47]

Oh no. What have I started. 

[Yorkie]

 

[Snoop]

I've had a few the same. I think it occurred where the potato couldn't develop normally due to a lump of clay and has grown around the hard edge.

[JayG]

Inclined to agree with Snoop - I've seen it from time to time despite having no lumps of clay (plenty of stones though!)

Don't think it's anything to worry about unless it's affected more than a few, although I suppose that the odd nibble by a keel slug on a small spud might result in the same thing. 

(Also, don't think I'm even going to try to get this particular post to rhyme or scan with any musical song title!  )

[RaptorUK]

Just digging my Kestrels now and some have sort of v shaped valleys in them. A bit like if you cut them when they were small and the cut mark healed and grew wider with growth.

Do you have a problem with Horsetail in your plot ?

[JohnB47]

Thanks all. No, thankfully I don't have any horsetail on the plot. It's not really a problem, potatoes just have this odd shape but are perfectly ok to eat.

Not sure about the clay idea. I've grown kestrel about four years now and never seen this before. About one in 8 taties have at least one mark like this.

I'll try to remember to take a photo when I next lift some. Just a curiosity.

[Goosegirl]

(Also, don't think I'm even going to try to get this particular post to rhyme or scan with any musical song title!  )

GG loves a challenge - back in a mo' or several! 

[Ivor Backache]

I have lifted 3 plants and I have this problem too. Noticed it on some early potatoes as well. I think it called splitting due to varying moisture. Nothing to worry about. Typing this with  a torrential downpour, so that may add to the problem.

[JohnB47]

I have lifted 3 plants and I have this problem too. Noticed it on some early potatoes as well. I think it called splitting due to varying moisture. Nothing to worry about. Typing this with  a torrential downpour, so that may add to the problem.

I searched for 'potatoes splitting' and sure enough, there are photos showing exactly what I've got. Curious that it should be variable moisture levels. One reason I tried growing through ground cover fabric this year was to try to maintain even moisture levels. Ironic or what?

[JayG]

Lots of root veg don't cope very well with varying moisture levels (many humans and orang-utans don't either, but it's usually for different reasons!)

[Snoop]

I've learnt something new today, then. Thanks for that.

[Rexmundi]

I have harvested 2 plants and thought the marks were caused by slugs! As a result the missus did not want to use them, and they ended up in the compost bin.

Luckily I still have the majority to harvest, and now that I know what causes this, I won't be too hasty to throw the next damaged ones away.

[Snoop]

I have harvested 2 plants and thought the marks were caused by slugs! As a result the missus did not want to use them, and they ended up in the compost bin.

Luckily I still have the majority to harvest, and now that I know what causes this, I won't be too hasty to throw the next damaged ones away.

Crumbs, Rexmundi (love the name by the way), your wife is very strict. If I threw out everything with a bit of pest damage, there'd not be much we could eat some days. I picked a head of broccoli yesterday with 20 small snails tucked away inside it. I managed to get them all out, so there was no gritty crunching of teeth as we ate it...