Potato Scab

KMA

Member
Location
Dumfriesshire
Express, Record, Charlotte and Nicola have been within acceptable limits, Pilot and Blue Bell have been truly awful.

As you say the constant rain and cold temperatures haven't helped anything this year except mould and mildew(n)
 

david 73

Member
I have grown some potato's in my garden this year and watered them about 3-4 times weekly. I now find they are covered with scabs so it likely that I watered them too often?
 

david 73

Member
Probably, but much depends on how much water you used

Due to my dementia, I am unable to recall how many litres of water I poured onto my growing spuds between March this year and the end of July. Furthermore, I failed to measure the extent that climate change had caused my spuds to remain wet.
Irrespective of the scabs, I still dig the spuds up and pretend to peel them in my sink. I then place them into a pressure cooker that kills the scabs stone dead. Thereafter, I am fed with spuds all mashed into Irish farm produced butter along with the yellow wet fish that got smoked out of their homes in Grimsby.
 

KMA

Member
Location
Dumfriesshire
Mine only got water on the odd occasion it was dry for a few days and then it was 10 seconds with the hose seconds per plant. Has been yet another a very wet 'summer' though(n)
 

david 73

Member
Mine only got water on the odd occasion it was dry for a few days and then it was 10 seconds with the hose seconds per plant. Has been yet another a very wet 'summer' though(n)

Just noticed you are in Scotland where it seems to rain most days. I cant imagine potatoes needing any additional watering up there.
 

7610 super q

Never Forgotten
Honorary Member
Powdery scab is a symptom of cold, wet conditions. Common scab on the other hand is caused by lack of water at tuber initiation IIRC.
 

KMA

Member
Location
Dumfriesshire
Aye, we've had 24 months of persistently wet, chilly weather, lambs will start being born with webbed feet if this keeps up.

This is the first year I've planned to be pretty much self sufficient in tatties but I reckon we'll be out by around December unless the 'xmas tatties' experiment works.

At least I should have the greenhous fully functioning by next spring but could do with a good big polytunnel.
 

david 73

Member
Aye, we've had 24 months of persistently wet, chilly weather, lambs will start being born with webbed feet if this keeps up.

This is the first year I've planned to be pretty much self sufficient in tatties but I reckon we'll be out by around December unless the 'xmas tatties' experiment works.

At least I should have the greenhous fully functioning by next spring but could do with a good big polytunnel.

I would sleep in a greenhouse if I had one for the oxygen benefits.
 

KMA

Member
Location
Dumfriesshire
Already started growing my more delicate herbs (Basil, Oregano and Tarragon) in the house, still got a couple of window sills I can appropriate :sneaky:) their oxygen 'recycling' and pleasant aroma are a side benefit.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I thought too much lime, high pH could increase common I scab.

Plenty of cattle manure or other organic matter helps keep it away for us. And don't let them dry out.

We have had nematode damage in the past which looks like scab but if you look closely you can see what look like tiny millipedes coming away from areas they have gnawed.

We haven't done anything about the nematodes as we don't like the chemicals. Some years we have no damage, other years we get a bit but nothing serious. 10 year rotation keeps them down.
 

KMA

Member
Location
Dumfriesshire
Still very much experimenting to optimise things.

One of the things about growing them in planters (25kg mineral tubs with 10mm holes drilled in for drainage) is I mix up a fresh 'soil' (mix of compost FYM and sand) as I fill them, will pay more attention to the pH next year and probably put a higher proportion of sand into the mix to help with drainage which I suspect didn't help this year.

What bugged me was that the Charlotte and Nicola were fairly clean whereas the Pilot which is supposed to be 'resistant' were pretty much a write off :mad:
 
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DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
The sand can scratch the tuber surface at tuber intiation and let the scab in, especially if it's dry at that time, I think. We get more scab problems on sand than on clay or loam. Is there anything other than sand that you could mix with the FYM. Something bulky and organic like peat?
 

david 73

Member
The sand can scratch the tuber surface at tuber intiation and let the scab in, especially if it's dry at that time, I think. We get more scab problems on sand than on clay or loam. Is there anything other than sand that you could mix with the FYM. Something bulky and organic like peat?

Micronized cardboard/newspaper/straw?
 

KMA

Member
Location
Dumfriesshire
Called in at Jamieson brothers yesterday, mainly to see where they were as I was passing the area anyway. Incredibly helpful, reckons it was probably lime as DrWazzock suggested, so will start making the 'soil' up from scratch and do some pH testing. Apparently there's a chap down in Egremont that makes up 'soils' for different veg so may have a think about that, though I think I'd prefer to make up my own as it means I'd have full control and have to gain more in depth knowledge about what I was trying to grow.

Learned some of the finer points of tatties and came away with a very helpful little booklet. Varieties for next year I'm thinking.

Early
Lady Christl
Sharpes Express

2nd Early
Balmoral
Nicola

Maincrop
Cara
Orla
Setanta
 

KMA

Member
Location
Dumfriesshire
Did consider Stemster but was trying to go for better common scab resistance and the maincrop varieties I've chosen all have different appearance just in case I lose track of what is where :whistle: and/or the cats remove the markers:mad:
 

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