Problem with potato plant

[dj_backq]

I'm having some problems with one of my varieties of potatoes, Norland. It supposed to be an early potato but looks like the plant has stopped growing. It's only about 1 foot high, 1 1/2 feet wide and sitll no flowers. Some of the lowest leaves are showing a very flashy yellow color. I dug for the potatoes and could only find small 1/2 inch ones.

Any idea? Is it a disease and should I remove this variety to prevent contamination with the other plants? Thanks

[Mervyn]

Could be a lack of proper nutrients in the soil.

This site has some pics of potatoes with various Mineral Deficiencies and their effects on potato plants.. might give you a better idea of the problem

http://www.hbci.com/~wenonah/min-def/potato.htm

opps, fixed link

[dj_backq]

Looks pretty much like a Nitrogen deficiency, I added alot of composted manure in that area of the garden in the spring which should have yield plenty of nitrogen... sounds weird.

I would like to try fish emulsion but last time I tried it putside in my garden... a cat or other creature dug up my cucumbers!! I think tomorrow before it starts to rain I will try it on the potatoes, the smell will have time to disapear a little during the rain.

[netjunky]

manure is not what they need or so i read, they like acidic soil pine needles and coffee grounds are good for mine

did you hill them

the sprouts will begin to emerge in about 2 weeks. At this time add another 3-4 inches of soil.
Your crop of potatoes will form between the seed piece and the surface of the soil. For this reason, when the stems are about 8 inches high, you once again add enough soil to bring the level half way up the stem of the plant. Another hilling will be needed 2-3 weeks later, at which time you again add soil half way up the stem of the plant. After these initial hillings, it is only necessary to add an inch or two of soil to the hill each week or so, to ensure there is enough soil above the forming potatoes that they don't push out of the hill and get exposed to light

whole article http://www.thegardenhelper.com/potato.html


worked for me, the flowering cycle is almost done

[butterfly]

looks great

I am new at potatoe growing

BBQ is teaching me

I have to hill in few min. A lot of hilling I am afraid. I have all green far to much

Tis so hot out to shovel soil but I must if I want tarters, lol,lol

I think they do not like rich soil so I have been told

[netjunky]

put cedar mulch on if you run out of soil

[butterfly]

put cedar mulch on if you run out of soil

Really

Don't think but thanks for the tip

Cedar does not grow here wild unless we pay a fortune for them very pricey tree to buy we buy only for ornamentals and we cant get cedar mulch that I ever heard of.

Pine grows here

All clay soil and its acid enough. My soil if too acid for certain flowers.

I don't think my taters need anything more than my muscle power to hill. lol,lol

[netjunky]

Was talking about dj_backq's soil

[butterfly]

Was talking about dj_backq's soil

Oops sorry thought you were referring to me

sorry about that truely

[Durgan]

Potatoes My experience.

Chitting http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?RNJJN General Overview from an Internet site.

Seed tubers are best 'chitted' or sprouted. Look closely at the potatoes and you should see more eyes at the crown - often there are three or four, sometimes five, in a cluster. On some tubers, particularly the roundish shaped types, they may be placed off centre. If these are allowed to grow they will produce mainly small tubers. Using a potato peeler or a small pointed knife remove all the eyes in the cluster by scooping approximately one eighth of an inch (3mm) deep, which should eliminate any regrowth. Without the crown cluster eyes, the tuber's food reserves will be directed to shoulder and side eyes. Reject all tubers showing the slightest sign of disease. Cutting out the diseased part, such as dry rot or gangrene, is no answer because if it is planted the diseased tubers will infect the soil.

Set treated tubers, crown up, on egg trays, thus allowing space for the sprouts to develop. They do not require high temperatures, but should be kept in full light and free from extreme cold or frost.This will encourage sturdy sprouts. Sprouts will form within a few weeks, dark blue or green, or deep pink or red, depending upon the cultivar, by planting time. By chitting we may select the eyes and encourage good sturdy sprouts before planting to produce earlier, improved crops.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?QOGGE Chitting Picture indicating procedure. 16 March 2008 My Chitting method.

Seed potatoes were purchased 16 March 2008. Some were already sprouted, so it was easy to remove the clustered sprouts. This is my method. I use a potato peeler and remove a plug consisting of the clustered sprouts. This is probaly only feasible in a home garden, due to the labour and expense involved.

The types of potatoes are Kennebec, Superior, Chieftain.

Although unsprouted tubers can be planted, the chitted ones benefit from their flying start, and vigorous sprouts. Early cultivars will crop sooner and more heavily if chitted, so I am told.

Chitting later season cultivars results in earlier foliage before blight or drought strike and they mature earlier and can be gathered before slugs damage the tubers, if these conditions are prevelant in your area.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?IQVHT 6 April 2008. Chitting after 21 days. The sprouts take the colour of the particular potato. The potatoes will be planted in about two weeks time.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?FOIUV 23 May 2008 Potato Growth. Potatoes are planted 12 inches apart, and row spacing is 18 inches.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?ZLQXU 31 May 2008 Potatoes hilled. It rained last night and the potatoes were hilled, and compost was placed in the valleys formed to trap the moisture and to add additional nutrients.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?HOMUR Potatoe 16 June 2008 Doing Well

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?QAWRI 1 July 2008 Potato Seed Pod

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?ADDQJ 15 July 2008 First harvest of potatoes. The ground is dry. The tubers probably wont grow much more. Most of the crop will be left until the tops die off completely.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?CCZOA 18 July 2008 How Potatoes grow.
The tubers are formed in a circle, at about the same level around the seed potato. There are no shoots emanating from the stalk. Hilling is necessary, since the tubers push through the soil, and when exposed to light they turn green indicating an alkaloid called solanine, which is harmful to ingest. The eyes of potatoes also have solanine, which indicates that they should be removed prior to cooking.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?DMKNV 18 July 2008 Superior Potatoes. Comparing chitted to Not Chitted Plants.
Two plants were compared as to the production of the potatoes produced, one seed potato was chitted, and the other was not. At first look, visual inspection indicates that the chitted plant produced larger tubers. I have 18 more plants to compare, so will have a better idea as to the merits of chitting potatoes.

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?FOAWC 18 July 2008 Effect on a potato that is exposed to light