BLIGHT aaarrrggghhhhh

Rainy · Post: # 62463Post **Rainy** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:47 pm

This is the first time Ive ever had blight - well not me personally you understand - my king edwards and kestrels. It was shocking how fast it went. Ive cut all the haulms off completely and will burn tomorrow. Ive four other types of spud growing and all seem fine so far. Reading my books they all seem to say to leave the spuds in the ground for 2 - 3 weeks after cutting off infected haulms. Has anyone any experience of this and did they get a crop?

Tigerhair · Post: # 62474Post **Tigerhair** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 9:55 pm

Rainy, that's awful.

Millymollymandy · Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:54 am

It's not surprising with the wet weather this spring. I got blight last year but dug up all the spuds straight away to be on the safe side, so I don't know whether they stay OK in the soil.

ohareward · Post: # 62635Post **ohareward** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 9:43 am

The time of the first outbreaks, and the subsequent progress of blight are dependent on the weather - warm, moist conditions are needed for the disease to spread. A hot, dry spell may slow disease spread, but the fungus is likely to survive on infected plants, and the progress of the disease will continue when weather conditions are again more favourable.

Tuber infection can be limited by earthing up or drawing the soil up around the stem. Prompt removal of infected foliage before the disease spreads to the tubers may save the crop. Ensure that the tops of plants are removed and destroyed before lifting the tubers. Most importantly, ensure that any diseased tubers are destroyed - do not leave them in the soil or at the edge of the plot. Remove any diseased tubers before planting.

Robin

chadspad · Post: # 62646Post **chadspad** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:48 am

It appears I have blight too - Im gutted. Its my older pots and my tomatoes. Someone said that it can spread to any of that particular family - toms, pots, gape gooseberries - is this right? And what other veg/fruit would be in that family?

Millymollymandy · Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:53 am

Aubergines I think, although I don't know if they get blight. I know they get the dreaded colorado beetle.

Wendy - everyone round here has blight, except me.

That's cos I didn't grow spuds or toms, because of it!

chadspad · Post: # 62649Post **chadspad** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:05 pm

Yes seems most people here have it too! Reckon the prices in the supermarkets are going to go up because of it.

Rainy · Post: # 62698Post **Rainy** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:29 pm

millymollymandy - when you dug up your spuds did you store any?
Ive got so many I think I'll just bag em up and sell them outside with the eggs. I dont want to risk storing them only for them to rot.

Millymollymandy · Tue Jun 26, 2007 5:19 am

They stored fine and maybe it is because I dug them up straight away? Of course they were small and didn't last as long as they should have done, but at least we got about 3 months worth.

red · Post: # 62914Post **red** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 12:37 pm

sorry to hear this - give us details of the signs?

Millymollymandy · Wed Jun 27, 2007 5:33 am

Millymollymandy wrote:They stored fine and maybe it is because I dug them up straight away? Of course they were small and didn't last as long as they should have done, but at least we got about 3 months worth.

I've just reread that and think it is a bit ambigious!

What I meant by not lasting as long - is that we didn't get as many/as big spuds as we'd expected, so they were eaten up sooner. They did last in terms of not rotting!

Millymollymandy · Wed Jun 27, 2007 5:35 am

red wrote:sorry to hear this - give us details of the signs?

Red I suggest you google blight - I bet there are loads of photos. It does seem to happen very fast so if your spud plants start looking a bit floppy, then blackish, then just collapse it is a good sign that you have got blight!

red · Post: # 63067Post **red** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 12:44 pm

Millymollymandy wrote:Red I suggest you google blight - I bet there are loads of photos.

oh I've done that and looked in books - my spuds got frosted by that last frost and it looked a bit the same.. but turned out just to be frost damage...

just thought personal experiences would be interesting. theres two different kinds as well... top blight.. and er.. the other one...

the.fee.fairy · Wed Jun 27, 2007 2:43 pm

Mine have all been fine.

My potatoes are raised though, and the tomatoes haven't all been planted out yet - keep forgetting, then it rains...

I hope you manage to salvage a few potatoes for dinner!

Annpan · Post: # 63086Post **Annpan** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 2:54 pm

Another post just reminded me to ask this. If you grow potatoes above a certain height you don't get blight... is there a chance that if you are almost at this height there is limited danger???

And... when do you earthup your potatoes? is it when they flower or just when there is lots of greenery???