[chili]

when planting spuds does it matter which way the chit bits are pointing? reason i ask my neighboour just chucks his in the ground any old how.

thanks

[JohnB47]

Well, I suspect that it doesn't really matter but why not take a few seconds to set them so that the chits are pointing upwards?

After all, you've probably dug/weeded/raked/fed the ground, so why then dig a hole or trench and just chuck them in any old way? It's a sort of 'pride in a job well done' thing I think.

[Pompey Spud]

As the chits are the foilage it would help for them to be pointing up. lol

[Ice]

Read my signature.

[cawdor2001]

does not matter, commercial farm scale automatic planters do not 'arrange' them chits up.

Cawdor

[Ice]

It's called geotropism.

[solway cropper]

I would have thought phototropism. The shoots struggle upwards to reach the light. If they start off upside down they have further to go. They'd get there eventually but why make life more difficult for them.

[Yabba]

Phototropism is probably a smidge of a useless ability when you're below the soil

¥

[JayG]

Geotropism is what happens underground (positive for the roots, negative for the shoots)

Phototropism is what happens to shoots above ground (they grow towards the light, especially when the light is coming from one direction as in when growing on windowsills, hence DD's advice about aluminium foil on "the dark side"  )

[sunshineband]

Urrgghhh  - don't mention the dark side, please  -- it makes me shiver 

[Yabba]

Ignore the dark side and use the farce luke ... urm .. sunshine ... ack, sounds much better in a hoarse voice

¥

[flimbin]

It's geotropism as there isnt much light and it doesnt matter which way up they are planted. What do you do if the spud has 2 shoots on different sides? Just chuck em in!

[Pompey Spud]

Urrgghhh  - don't mention the dark side, please  -- it makes me shiver 

Da Da Da Da DeDa Da DeDa etc etc

[Ice]

So are we settled on geotropism then?

[JayG]

So are we settled on geotropism then?

I'm hoping that most people are now appreciating the gravity of the situation!