Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi
I'm finding that my bigger potatoes (and I've forgotten the variety, possibly Verity) have got a hollow, brown area at the centre. I'm not sure if I had potato blight got confused by natural dieing back and what blight looks like, did get it in tomatoes so probably did. However all the foliage was removed and they are still in compost in pots.
It's making eating baked potatoes rather like Russian roulette.... so is it blight or something else?
Sue

It's a physiological disorder caused by insufficient calcium and is called Hollow Heart and is more prone in a large potato.

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Thanks Peter
What was I doing wrong then? anything I can do next year to get rid of the problem.
I grew them all in pots in compost with a good helping of rotted horse manure and they got feeds of worm wee and seaweed.
best wishes
Sue

Not sure, saw the answer on another forum and it refered to Alan Romans book, I guess a gentle application of lime.

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I would try and get a hold of a cheap soil testing kit to check the soils Ph? If you do have to add lime to the spud bed, be aware that potato scab is linked to lime in the soil so 'Gan canny!'

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So do potatoes prefer limey soil then? Mine is ever so slightly acidic everywhere according to my old tester ... do I need to add lime? And do you really mean just lime? (Sorry, dumb question of the day!).

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No, potatoes don't like limey soil - you would only add lime if the soil is particularly acidic. The addition of lime in this case relates to a particular mineral deficiency which causes the holes in the tubers.

Neutral to slight acid (pH 7 to 6) is good.

Oh okay, that's just what mine is, around the 6 mark. I'll leave well alone then - thanks Cutec!

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Sue,
Hollow heart is influenced almost always by the prevailing growing conditions when the small tubers are forming, rather than to any specific nutrient deficiency, like Calcium (lime) mentioned previously. However calcium, magnesium and potassium are all implicated in this condition. Potassium would be the most important deficient nutrient.

Cool wet soils when the tubers are forming combined subsequently with rapid growth is a high risk situation. Almost always found in large rapidly growing tubers.

I wouldn't be too concerned about applying lime unless your soil was severely deficient.

Hope this helps

Jondanie
Thanks for that, it sounds like all that rain has done for them, the containers got too wet at times I think.
Sue

You're welcome Sue