Potato question

[Mr and Mrs luvpie]

Just been e-mailed by a mate, who wants to know why the flowers on her potatoes have dropped off, before actually opening, they just get the buds then fall, I've never seen this happen to any of mine so haven't got a clue, so I bow to your knowledge ishers, come on give me the answers and the solution so that I can look good!

Sarahx

[Millymollymandy]

Haven't got a clue either! Pecked off by birds? Slugs? er....... await knowledgeable reply.

[Mr and Mrs luvpie]

Come on Ishers, I'm relying on one of you stopping me from looking stupid!

[jenko]

i had that problem two years running, my firdt encounter stopped when i decided to water them every night, thus stopping the problem, i then did this in my second year to stop it from happening again, but it happened, so i read one of my veg growing books, and aparently it happens when there is to much or to little water, but on asking around, not many peaple suffer with it.

jenko

[MKG]

A bit of googling tells me that it depends a lot upon the variety. Some don't flower at all, some drop their buds before they open, some flower fully but go no further, and some go whole hog right up to producing seed pods (which are poisonous, by the way). Basically, then, it looks like its par for the course and nothing to worry over.

Mike

[Mr and Mrs luvpie]

Thank you guys, I've actually been honest and pointed her to this thread, rather than claiming it was all my hard work and investigatory (?) skills.

Sarahx

[Millymollymandy]

I've not had that problem and often have too little water, or I've used a seep hose in the past along the top of the ridge and possibly it had too much water. One of my varieties has quite big fruit on where the flowers were. I suppose the drawback to not having the flowers is no indication of when the spuds will be ready (after flowering seems to be about the right time).

[Odsox]

Actually not necessarily a problem.
Some old timers used to pick all the flower heads off as they appeared because they thought that the plants energies are better spent in making tubers rather than seeds.
Not sure if that is the case, but I know that daffodil and tulip growers do the same thing, so there is probably some truth in it.