Blight galore

[KMARKSnr]

Hi all,
Every plotholder on our sight has cut back all potato plants to 6" above ground level,as signs of blight appear.
Obviously all the wet weather has not helped,- how is everyone else getting on ?

Regards,
Mark.

[Colin_M]

Yes, similar on our allotment.

I lost my toms a week ago. A week before that, many people's spuds were going brown. Strangely, my Cara seemed unaffected then, but are showing some signs now.

Since they've all either flowered or have open flowers on them now, I'm hoping that they've done much of their tuber development & can be "lopped at the knees".


Finally, one point has been raised on several other threads about disposing of blighted crops. Most people's advice has been to burn them.

I usually try to put all green waste that I'm not composting (eg. persistent weeds) into my green bin. However I guess that's not a very neighbourly thing to do if these will end up getting composted?


Colin

[GIULIA]

interestingly my organic seed potato plantings are bearing up but all else is keeling over. The survival of the fittest perhaps? Virgo have done well this year but most plotholders on our site got decent sized tubers before the blight hit, so not as bad as it seems down under. My maincrop have been particularly hard hit - is it true that blight affected spuds don't store?

[vivienz]

I only planted a few pink fir apple spuds this year, but have got 2 rows of toms, mix of red alert, sungold & marmande. I have lost 1 plant so far, but all the others are fine, but I have been spraying with dithane. They got their second dose yesterday afternoon (1st was 2 weeks earlier) and it does seem to be working. I took a gamble on the weather earlier in the year & planted them out at the end of April, but it paid off and I'm getting lovely crops off them. Even the marmande are ripening now.
It's a relief that something's doing well, really, as it's been a real struggle getting on top of weeds & slugs, or rather, eating my crops before they do!
That said, I'm proud as anything as my bumblebee nest is thriving and lots of little gingery bees are buzzing around pollinating my raspberries & the rest!

[Compo]

Blight rife on our plot, and my Cara and desiree were the last to be hit but they are struggling and I will chop them tomorrow and leave them for a break in the weather before digging and storing but I would normally dig lates in August and September. I store in small 12.5kg paper sacks and every few weeks transfer into a fresh sack and weed out any spuds that are rotting at that point, but I fear I will be buying spuds in from autumn on.

[FatB]

The tops of our 1st and 2nd earlies died off abruptly two or three weeks ago and as soon as we spotted it we cut them off and burnt them. The bed of Desiree had an 18" path between them and the salad Charlotte and yet they've been fine ever since until today when I noticed them starting to die off. We are half a mile from any other gardens and our patch has a 6' windbreak netting fence round it. We've never had blight before and not having experienced it, and with all the talk of it this year, have I mistaken natural die-ing off for blight? It seems a long time between the die-ing off of the Charlotte and the Desiree.

[richard p]

with natural die off the leaves go brown pretty much all over, with blight you get a more patchy effect and brown/black patches on the stems with clearly defined edges as soon as the patches start on the leaves

[lizzie]

One plot member has lost the lot to blight this week.

I had a good look at mine yesterday and some of the leaves were going patchy so decided to lift them before it got too far.

Outdoor toms are starting to split with all the rain and courgettes have had it. Have tried to spray Dithane and Derris but it's difficult finding a dry spell.

Oh, the joys of gardening......only mad people would indulge

[helixdesign]

I lost my crop of pink fir apple potatoes virtually overnight to blight.

I'm trying to fight it off my toms. It's the first year I've tried growing them outdoors and I can't say they've been too successful.

Can anyone recommend blight resistant spud varieties for me to grow next year. I prefer waxy potatoes.

[Chantal]

I believe that the Sarpo range are the only officially blight resistant spuds on the market, but it seems they're not doing too well this year either.

Outdoor tomatoes are usually very successful for me, this year is exceptional.

[FatB]

Thanks Richard P. Read your comment last night at midnight, too late to look then, looked this morning, and glory be, it's die back and not the other blighter!
Doh! What a dolt I am.
If I ever give any advice on this forum DON'T TAKE IT!
Thanks again.

[WigBag]

I had a partially dry day that coincided with my not being at work so was able to inspect my lottie - and I'm hit too!!

I have had die back in previous years but this time it had the 'halo' on the back of the leaf just like the good Dr H. shows in his expert guide.

I had sprayed with Bordeaux but the rains must have limited the effect, my Sante look very sorry so were lopped, the Cara are holding on but will be lopped probably in the next week or so
Fortunately my Charlotte were in early and so have been prolific this season.

Outdoor toms have all succumbed so have been dispatched but more worryingly, there are spots on some of the greenhouse toms. It looks like a few greenhouses on the site are suffering. I wonder wether the spores have blown through the window, as I have tried to keep things clean physically.

Amillatox is definately on my shopping list for the autumn clean!

[richard p]

ive pulled all my outdoor toms yesterday, indoor (poly tunnel)are ok and yielding well, ive taken a few cuttings from the indoor plants and potted them up, will keep them separate in the conservatory for the moment, maybe they will produce some late fruit, even if its green for chutney...

[Colin Miles]

Alan Romans tells me that the Sarpo varieties have lasted 2 weeks longer than Lady Balfour (the most resistant UK variety) in areas of high blight pressure. I think I shall try either them or Lady Balfour next year.