Chitting v yield

[johnjohn]

I was reading the Feb edition of the GYO mag and noticed a tiny article (not really an article, more of a mention) about chitting potatoes.

It states that early chitting hastens maturity but that it can also reduce yield as a result.

I've never heard of that one before, reduced yield? I was wondering what others thought?

I'm happily chitting away in the garage at the moment!

[Ja9]

Hello,mine all chitting away too.I wonder if it's something to do with the number of shoots you leave on the potatoes when they are planted? I have read that you should leave only 3 on so you get fewer but larger potatoes. Had to peel so many tiny ones from last harvest I will try that this year.

[Mikey]

Well some recommend not chitting at all as it makes little difference to the crop. Chitting is hard wired into my psyche though so breaking that tradition might prove difficult. If you want to improve yield you are better off earthing up more, or growing in pots/bins this way you can increase the yield as tubers will grow on the earthed up leaves. Potty creates good yields from his potato bins with little collateral damage.

[Fleurisa]

If you don't chit them what do you do to stop them sending out little shoots anyway?

[Potstubsdustbins]

Its an age old argument 'to chit or not to chit that is the question' as Bill S. said in one of his plays, well summat like that any road.

I am old fashioned and if things work for me I see very little point in changing my approach and like Mikey chitting is well embedded.

The best way to increase yield is to keep the crop well watered and fed.

Potty

[lottie dolly]

If you don't chit them what do you do to stop them sending out little shoots anyway?

if the chits are pale and long like a root,rub them off with a digit,when chited from a bold potato,the little shoots should be a color,green,redish pink,and as they develop,you see them ready to turn into leaves,the actuall roots only develop when under the ground,hope this helps,

[johnjohn]

If you don't chit them what do you do to stop them sending out little shoots anyway?

I don't know, I guess keep them in a cool dark environment rather than a cool light one? maybe???

[Mikey]

If that worked they wouldn't grow when in the ground johnjohn.

Temperature is key mind, if you pop them in the freezer you can trick them into thinking they've had winter.

[Kirk]

About 4 -5 years ago there was a program on the Jersey Royals, where they explained their approach to chitting.

What they said was:
Chit the seed JR, most developed 2 or 3 shoots.
The rub off these shoots.
The potato "panics" and throws out 4 or 5 new shoots to replace the lost 2 or 3.
You plant this seed JR with 4 or 5 shoots to get a bushier plant with more stems.

In effect saying that if you chitted the way it is talk of here or not you got a plant with 2 or 3 stems, by removing the initial sprouts you got a plant with 4 or 5 stems.

Mine just get planted.
But what was said made I suppose some sense, whether it made any actual difference I have no idea. It may work on the smaller cropped potato's as most do not grow a JR as a baking potato.

[Thelma Sanders]

if the chits are pale and long like a root,rub them off with a digit,when chited from a bold potato,the little shoots should be a color,green,redish pink,and as they develop,you see them ready to turn into leaves,the actuall roots only develop when under the ground,hope this helps,

Last year they had to chit for longer, because of the cold spring, and they did grow roots at the base of the shoots, before they got planted. They need to be chitting in a bright/light but cool environment to get short shoots

[Potstubsdustbins]

I think Mikey meant fridge, not freezer.

Potty

[johnjohn]

If that worked they wouldn't grow when in the ground johnjohn.

Nice one Mikey, very funny, I was thinking of the fridge

[Kristen]

If I had to rub off shoots, that were too long for example (or the Jersey Royal way) I would think I was wasting the energy that the plant had used up, in the tuber, to produce them.

Also that having half a dozen shoots, rather than 2 or 3 , would crowd the plant. For sure it will have more leaves, and photosynthesis ... but would that give me better spuds if crowded? Feels like that would give me more, smaller, spuds ... which may well be what Jersey want & get? ...

... now that's got me thinking Mrs K always complains that my New Potatoes are "not like the ones in the shops, I just want lots of little ones" and of course we get some little, some larger. Perhaps I should go for half a dozen shoots, instead of 2 or 3 after all?

Blimey! Normally its "Ask 2 gardeners and get 3 opinions" and now I'm confusing myself all by myself

[RaptorUK]

... now that's got me thinking Mrs K always complains that my New Potatoes are "not like the ones in the shops, I just want lots of little ones" and of course we get some little, some larger. Perhaps I should go for half a dozen shoots, instead of 2 or 3 after all?

It got me thinking too . . . I've not grown potatoes before and will be planting a few rows of International Kidney this year so will try the Jersey way and report back on what happens.

[Brom]

To chit or not to chit? Well...I'm no expert on the subject, however, my father, who was an avid gardener, always chitted his potatoes (sounds rude for some reason, I really do need to get out more). Larger seed potatoes were always cut in half and, depending on what kind of crop he wanted, he would leave 2 or 3 shoots on to crop larger potatoes, and lots for smaller ones.

I haven't tried his method but may give it a go this year just as an experiment.

Forgot to add, the old man always said that well prepared soil and earthing up properly was the secret to a good crop.