On 30 Jun 2003 22:39:16 GMT, (Jack1000) wrote:


I hilled up several potato plants with not mature
compost , still in very rough form. -- basically leaves and
clippings clomped together.

The plants began to die back, and didn't produce a lot of (red)
potatoes.

Did I do wrong by using that material to hill up?



I had a similar problem I haven't lost my plants yet.
What happened to me was this; I used compost from my pile and I noticed the
leaves looked like they were wilting. On closer inspection I found that baby
slugs (tiny little snotty things) that were hiding my pile were now having
lunch out on the potato verandah. I got out the old spray bottle and gave them
an ammonia cool aid desert.

Uh, oh! Wish I'd been as observant as you.

Maybe that was the problem, maybe not.

In any case, it's moot now, as I have pulled up most of the vines
and harveted the not-huge amount of red potatoes.

Next time, if there is one, I will use something more neutral than
semi-rotted compost.

I HATE SLUGS!

Er...yeah, not Nature's most appealing creation g

--

Persephone