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Blight has started to arrive at the blot 2 Separate potato plant on 1 leaf had a brown spot pulled the leaf off, pulled up one plant which had 15 potatoes on it some were small , if they last another 2 weeks it should be fine, how long does it take for plant to spot and then go to the stem.

Thanks


Marion

Get some bordeaux mixture and treat them - you might be able to keep the blight at bay until the spuds have a chance to develop fully. It takes a while for the stems to start to go and when they do, you can cut them off and the spuds continue to form for a while (not long though obviously)

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Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Make sure it is blight. Blight tends to be black not brown, and the leaves will have a "wet" appearance.

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I'm pretty sure I have blight on my allotment too. One potato plant was looking exceedingly wilty and when I pulled it up, the stem right at root level was soft and gooey. The other potatoes are looking fine so far, which is a smal comfort as the first tomato plant I transplanted to my allotment was looking decidedly wilty as well last night. I have to double check today, but I'm pretty sure it is - the conditions have been right. Not very happy.

Growem,

I too have 1 plant with the symptoms that you describe, and I think another two are looking dodgy. Now this is my first year as an allotmenteer so I am relying heavily on books and advice from others, but i do not think these are the symptoms of blight.

Having consulted the Hessayson book, the symptoms (at least for me - yellowing leaves that then wilt and eventually the whole thing collapses) were those of Blackleg. The tell-tale sign is, apparently, the stem going black and slimy at its base. I lifted the plant once I realised I did have a problem, and the seed-potato was rotten and very soft - all, i think, concurrent with Blackleg.

I'm growing through a straw mulch which apparently (wish I'd known this earlier) causes the plants to be particularly susceptible to this particular bacteria-caused problem.

If I've got it wrong, then I'm sure that a more experienced hand will be along in a mo, but I'm pretty sure blight starts with spots.

Seniab, that's interesting what you write. I didn't look that closely at the potato plant, but I'll take another look at the tomato plant. I didn't have the heart to rip it out right there and then, so maybe I can tell.

Growem - that does sound like blackleg to me, too, not blight.

Kittykat - there are many conditions and diseases that cause brown spots on the leaves, so don't react too quickly. It is still early for blight so you may not have it.

Blight usually comes in August, however with todays climate changes the norm doesn't always apply. I think most people would agree that in blight areas you can usually reckon to harvest the first earlies before it hits.

Ian

Sorry to shout, but YOU DON'T HAVE BLIGHT !

check this website for confirmed cases (there has been one in TR12 - Helston) http://www.potato.org.uk/department/...04&ed=06&em=06

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It is definatly blight more spots are appearing 6 leaves yesterday, I have been geting blight warnings for weeks, so picking off the odd leaf at present, we have been getting the right weather conditions for it, a few older gardeners have spayed their potatoes with bordeaux mixture last week. the colour is browny-black, We get blight early in cornwall last year it hit the allotments in May we are a few weeks later, our allotment is split into two halfs, it seems to me that our side gets it first.

The tomatoes are looking healthly in the tunnel i was advised to use bordeaux mixture before it strikes in there.


Marion

I pulled up some potatos yesterday. They were small but lovely. The seed potato has gone soft and a bit slimy. Could that be Blackleg or is that what seed potatos are expected to look like after they've done their job?

Tracey

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Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Michael Pollan

Yes, Tracey, the seed potato will rot. Perfectly normal.

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

I've just come in from the greenhouse and I think I have blight on a tomato next to the door

I didn't want to risk it, so I've just pulled up the whole plant, gives me more room to put my melon in anyway, trying to keep upbeat about it

Ahhh don't really believe it! This early........ in the damn greenhouse, good job I've got a couple of Ferline and Legend in there at least I stand a chance.

All my potatoes outside are fine

I noticed my charlotte potatoes in tubs had black marks on all the leaves. I tipped them out and the potatos look fine except for white powdery spots on them. Is it ok to eat them?

The other potatoes in my garden are on the opposite side and they look fine.

Tracey

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Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Michael Pollan

too early for blight - panic not kids

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Suzie

Not according to the blightwatch map.

And I don't see what else it could be, I know what blight looks like.

For goodness sake, why are you pulling your potatoes up?????? Even if you do have blight it will only affect the leaves. Leave them alone till the leaves are dead, then carefully clear the foliage and burn or put in the bin (don't compost). You will then probably have useable potatoes in the soil.

Does anyone else think this Blightwatch thing has given people the colley wobbles and we're being a bit hyper sensitive to blight?
I think people are rushing to pull up their tatties too soon, at the sight of a black spot on a leaf in some cases!

Blight

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I am not pulling mine up just picking off the leaves, as long as the misty weather stays away before we have some more rain it will be ok.

Marion

Baggy, I agree totally. People aren't even looking at the Blightwatch map to see where the actual cases are being reported: perhaps Blight is the new black, and it's fashionable ?
this photo is blight: http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to...light/main.jpg
and it ain't a brown crispy leaf, it's a black soggy one. The infections starts at the EDGE of a leaf, not the centre.Potato blight | Problem solving | How to | BBC Gardeners' World
As RustyLady says, even if you do get a bit of it, you don't need to dig out your whole crop ~ just cut off and bin any infected leaves to stop it spreading to the tubers.

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

Good links Two_Sheds! I think it's worth pointing out too, that with Early potatoes the tops do start dying back a bit when they're about ready to harvest, usually from the bottom up in my experience, which causes the leaves to go yellow etc.

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