Kitchen Garden Forum

Some of my potatoes have just started showing early signs of blight - a brown, papery patch on occasional leaves of two varieties. I'm prepared to spray them if it's worth it. My question really is - is it too late to spray now that it's here, and if it is too late, what should I do? Hope for the best? Dig them all up? We're going on holiday for a week starting this Saturday. Bad timing!
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Granny

I live in Norfolk, blight is all over our allotments,my neighbour sprayed his 4 times, first one early May, I done mine twice,we both have it bad. We have cut tops off all 1st & 2cd earlys. I personally think spraying is a waste of time & money, but the farmers seem to control it.One allotment holder puts carpet strips between his rows to keep the weeds down,his rows are over 3ft apart, he has no blight. It is when the air can't cirtulate & its hot & humid that makes it ideal for blight.Ireland had terrible blight in the 1860s, 1 million died of starvation & 2 million fled to America.England had plenty of food but looked the other way.

Ireland had plenty of other food and carried on exporting it.

Some evidence please, Peter. I'm sure you're right, but I'd like to be sure.

Alan

The trick with spraying against blight is to realise that the spray acts by preventing the blight spores from germinating on the leaves. Once blight has started the spray will not 'cure' it. You need to spray as soon as temperature and moisture conditions are predicted to be ideal for the blight spores to germinate. In this way it can be controlled.
I expect farmers are able to access blight predictions for crops in their areas from maybe DEFRA or the NFU and so can work out exactly the best time to spray. They are also able to use far more effective chemicals than us mere backyard growers.

Some varieties are less susceptible to blight than others so you might want to look at this when you're choosing what to grow next year. Last year I grew some 'Verity' which held up well against blight when my other rows were affected. The trouble with it though was that it has a very lax habit and spread everywhere!

John

The british Potato Council operates a "Fight Against Blight" warning service with a website showing the incidence of infections (commercially.

I quote from a registration e-mail "Visit www.potato.org.uk/blight to see blight maps and downloadable Growers’ Advice detailing best practice on all aspects of potato late blight control – open to everyone.

Visit www.blightwatch.co.uk for information about Smith Periods, and links to weather and other useful information. (Note: Your Blightwatch registration will not be active until the day after you submit it. You will then be able to see 14-day Smith Period charts for your selected areas.)"

alan refail wrote:Some evidence please, Peter. I'm sure you're right, but I'd like to be sure.
Alan

A recent BBC TV program, citing documented exports of barley by landowners during the time whilst poor peasants who could not afford the grain starved. Whether there was enough to have fed the whole population could be questionable.

What is without doubt is that Britain was guilty of LACK of action addressing famine on this occassion. The government of the day could have supplied food but left it to free market forces and those without money were stuffed.

In these more enlightened times we should learn from history the lessons that allow us to improve our behavior, rather than wallowing in the sins or ommissions of fellow citizens forefathers.

Hi Alan,
I have been wracking my brain to think which account of the Irish Potato Famine I read but what is patently clear is that food that could have assisted the poor in Ireland at that time was taken from there under guard from the British Army to England. This ran into thousands of tons of grain. Those affected by the famine that lived by the sea mainly survived by living on fish and other sea foods and seaweed.
I believe there were riots in Cork and other seaports used to ship the ill gotten gains.
JB.

Thanks John and Peter for your help. We've dug everything up and the tubers are completely clear and in fact we've got a better harvest than last year when it was so dry! Your advice will be particularly useful next year!
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Granny