It seems all my potato crop has succumbed to blight as have the tomatoes.
Apparently everyone in the area has had the same problem. Someone advised
pulling / cutting off all the tops and lifting the potatoes pronto. Most of
the tops have either lost their leaves or gone mushy, some mushy right down
to ground level.

How urgent is this? I ask because I've just spent a couple of hours lifting
one row of potatoes (which are nice and clean) but my back has had enough.
There are another 20 rows for me to lift yet so it is likely to take a
number of days or even weeks to lift them all.

Should I pull the tops off the other rows despite the fact I won't be able
to lift them for a while? The tops are handy to see where the rows are as
all the rain has flattened the mounds, and also if I start trampling all
over the rows it will make lifting harder.

Suggestions? Anyone have experience with blight? Is there a "need for
speed"?

David.

"David (Normandy)" wrote ...
It seems all my potato crop has succumbed to blight as have the tomatoes.
Apparently everyone in the area has had the same problem. Someone advised
pulling / cutting off all the tops and lifting the potatoes pronto. Most
of the tops have either lost their leaves or gone mushy, some mushy right
down to ground level.

How urgent is this? I ask because I've just spent a couple of hours
lifting one row of potatoes (which are nice and clean) but my back has had
enough. There are another 20 rows for me to lift yet so it is likely to
take a number of days or even weeks to lift them all.

Should I pull the tops off the other rows despite the fact I won't be able
to lift them for a while? The tops are handy to see where the rows are as
all the rain has flattened the mounds, and also if I start trampling all
over the rows it will make lifting harder.

Suggestions? Anyone have experience with blight? Is there a "need for
speed"?

My understanding is that you need to get the blighted tops off asap before
it's carried down to the tubers. You can then leave the tubers in the ground
for a couple of weeks.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

On Jun 28, 6:34 pm, "Bob Hobden" wrote:

My understanding is that you need to get the blighted tops off asap before
it's carried down to the tubers. You can then leave the tubers in the ground
for a couple of weeks.

Bob, is there something else that can be sprayed on which will stop it
developing? I'm sure my Dad used to spray his with something???

Judith

" wrote in message
oups.com...
: On Jun 28, 6:34 pm, "Bob Hobden" wrote:
:
: My understanding is that you need to get the blighted tops off asap
before
: it's carried down to the tubers. You can then leave the tubers in the
ground
: for a couple of weeks.
:
: Bob, is there something else that can be sprayed on which will stop it
: developing? I'm sure my Dad used to spray his with something???
:
: Judith

What Bob says about removing the tops is of course correct and that stops
the blight getting to the tubers. Preferably you want to dig the remaining
tubers on a hot dry day, yes well !!

You can spray with dithane or apply Bordeaux mixture as a preventative
measure but I have never found it to be successful. I have stopped growing
outdoor tomatoes and am growing Thompson and Morgan blight resistant potato
varieties and hoping that they stand up to this summer's weather, which must
be the ultimate test.

On Jun 28, 7:17 pm, "Robert \(Plymouth\)" beachcom...@ultimate-
anonymity.com wrote:
You can spray with dithane or apply Bordeaux mixture as a preventative
measure but I have never found it to be successful. I have stopped growing
outdoor tomatoes and am growing Thompson and Morgan blight resistant potato
varieties and hoping that they stand up to this summer's weather, which must
be the ultimate test.

We have a big problem in France with potatoes, Colorado Beetle, all
the potatoes have to be sprayed, it is a great problem in the area
where our house is.

Judith

" wrote in message
ups.com...
: On Jun 28, 7:17 pm, "Robert \(Plymouth\)" beachcom...@ultimate-
: anonymity.com wrote:
: You can spray with dithane or apply Bordeaux mixture as a preventative
: measure but I have never found it to be successful. I have stopped
growing
: outdoor tomatoes and am growing Thompson and Morgan blight resistant
potato
: varieties and hoping that they stand up to this summer's weather, which
must
: be the ultimate test.
:
: We have a big problem in France with potatoes, Colorado Beetle, all
: the potatoes have to be sprayed, it is a great problem in the area
: where our house is.
:
: Judith
:
Yikes, that sound s bad. I didn't realise you were in France

"judith.lea wrote after
"Bob Hobden" wrote:

My understanding is that you need to get the blighted tops off asap
before
it's carried down to the tubers. You can then leave the tubers in the
ground
for a couple of weeks.

Bob, is there something else that can be sprayed on which will stop it
developing? I'm sure my Dad used to spray his with something???

Once the plant is infected I don't know of anything that cures it. There are
a couple of preventative sprays, Dithane and the old favourite Bordeaux
Mixture which I use on my Toms but they need to be reapplied after heavy
rain (joke!). No sign of any blight on our potatoes or our Tomatoes so far
but I don't hold out much hope for an outside tomato crop this year even
with growing some "Ferline" (blight resistant). Perhaps I'll cover the row
with bubble wrap, like a tent, to keep the rain off. I'll have to cost it
out.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

On Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:50:22 +0200
"David \(Normandy\)" wrote:

It seems all my potato crop has succumbed to blight as have the tomatoes.
Apparently everyone in the area has had the same problem. Someone advised
pulling / cutting off all the tops and lifting the potatoes pronto. Most of
the tops have either lost their leaves or gone mushy, some mushy right down
to ground level.

How urgent is this? I ask because I've just spent a couple of hours lifting
one row of potatoes (which are nice and clean) but my back has had enough..
There are another 20 rows for me to lift yet so it is likely to take a
number of days or even weeks to lift them all.

Should I pull the tops off the other rows despite the fact I won't be able
to lift them for a while? The tops are handy to see where the rows are as
all the rain has flattened the mounds, and also if I start trampling all
over the rows it will make lifting harder.

Suggestions? Anyone have experience with blight? Is there a "need for
speed"?


Just discussed this yesterday with a local gardener. (Don't do taters myself.)
She's just south of Argentan. She did a large crop this year, all blighted.
She has sprayed with Bordeaux mix (immediately rained on, of course) to
try and see what can be saved -- tomatoes all mouldy too -- and will
be pulling off tops asap.

Our toms are pretty borderline, too. Bloody*miserable weather. I notice
a lot of maples putting on fall colours, just because it's so cold. Dogwoods, too.

-E

--
Emery Davis
You can reply to ecom
by removing the well known companies
Questions about wine? Visit http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

"David (Normandy)" wrote ...
It seems all my potato crop has succumbed to blight as have the tomatoes.
Apparently everyone in the area has had the same problem. Someone advised
pulling / cutting off all the tops and lifting the potatoes pronto. Most
of the tops have either lost their leaves or gone mushy, some mushy right
down to ground level.

How urgent is this? I ask because I've just spent a couple of hours
lifting one row of potatoes (which are nice and clean) but my back has
had enough. There are another 20 rows for me to lift yet so it is likely
to take a number of days or even weeks to lift them all.

Should I pull the tops off the other rows despite the fact I won't be
able to lift them for a while? The tops are handy to see where the rows
are as all the rain has flattened the mounds, and also if I start
trampling all over the rows it will make lifting harder.

Suggestions? Anyone have experience with blight? Is there a "need for
speed"?

My understanding is that you need to get the blighted tops off asap before
it's carried down to the tubers. You can then leave the tubers in the
ground for a couple of weeks.

That would be my understanding as well get the tops off as close to the
ground as you can before the spores work their way down through them. As for
how long you can leave the tubers I would not be sure but in dry ground
longer than in wet would be my only thought.


--
Chris, West Cork, Ireland.

Emery Davis wrote:
On Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:50:22 +0200
"David \(Normandy\)" wrote:

It seems all my potato crop has succumbed to blight as have the tomatoes.
Apparently everyone in the area has had the same problem. Someone advised
pulling / cutting off all the tops and lifting the potatoes pronto. Most of
the tops have either lost their leaves or gone mushy, some mushy right down
to ground level.

How urgent is this? I ask because I've just spent a couple of hours lifting
one row of potatoes (which are nice and clean) but my back has had enough.
There are another 20 rows for me to lift yet so it is likely to take a
number of days or even weeks to lift them all.

Should I pull the tops off the other rows despite the fact I won't be able
to lift them for a while? The tops are handy to see where the rows are as
all the rain has flattened the mounds, and also if I start trampling all
over the rows it will make lifting harder.

Suggestions? Anyone have experience with blight? Is there a "need for
speed"?


Just discussed this yesterday with a local gardener. (Don't do taters myself.)
She's just south of Argentan. She did a large crop this year, all blighted.
She has sprayed with Bordeaux mix (immediately rained on, of course) to
try and see what can be saved -- tomatoes all mouldy too -- and will
be pulling off tops asap.

Our toms are pretty borderline, too. Bloody miserable weather. I notice
a lot of maples putting on fall colours, just because it's so cold. Dogwoods, too.

-E

Hm, so no one has told the maples about global warming then!

Blight is such a rampant fungus that you need to respray every 10 days when the weather is damp, warm & humid like this
TopVeg

On Jun 28, 10:37 pm, "Robert \(Plymouth\)" beachcom...@ultimate-
anonymity.com wrote:
: We have a big problem in France with potatoes, Colorado Beetle, all
: the potatoes have to be sprayed, it is a great problem in the area
: where our house is.
:
: Judith
:
Yikes, that sound s bad. I didn't realise you were in France

In both France and England, one foot in each! This year we move there
permanently and just keep a small flat in London.

Judith

" wrote in message
ups.com...
: On Jun 28, 10:37 pm, "Robert \(Plymouth\)" beachcom...@ultimate-
: anonymity.com wrote:
: : We have a big problem in France with potatoes, Colorado Beetle, all
: : the potatoes have to be sprayed, it is a great problem in the area
: : where our house is.
: :
: : Judith
: :
: Yikes, that sound s bad. I didn't realise you were in France
:
: In both France and England, one foot in each! This year we move there
: permanently and just keep a small flat in London.
:
: Judith
:
Bonne Chance!

"Robert (Plymouth)" wrote in message
...

" wrote in message
oups.com...
: On Jun 28, 6:34 pm, "Bob Hobden" wrote:
:
: My understanding is that you need to get the blighted tops off asap
before
: it's carried down to the tubers. You can then leave the tubers in the
ground
: for a couple of weeks.
:
: Bob, is there something else that can be sprayed on which will stop it
: developing? I'm sure my Dad used to spray his with something???
:
: Judith

What Bob says about removing the tops is of course correct and that stops
the blight getting to the tubers. Preferably you want to dig the remaining
tubers on a hot dry day, yes well !!

You can spray with dithane or apply Bordeaux mixture as a preventative
measure but I have never found it to be successful. I have stopped growing
outdoor tomatoes and am growing Thompson and Morgan blight resistant
potato
varieties and hoping that they stand up to this summer's weather, which
must
be the ultimate test.


After reading the posts in this thread and after googling images I went to
the allotment today. We have Rocket 1st earlies(not many left anyway), then
Kestrel, then Romano.

All blighted :-((

I took off the foliage of all of them, and dug up the remaining Rocket and
the Romano, since they looked the worst affected, and got about 10% of
normal yield. Plenty spuds, but small.

I'll have the Kestrel up tomorrow, weather permitting, which it probably
won't.

So how long do the spores stick around, do I now have to refrain from
growing spuds for X No of years?

Steve

"shazzbat" wrote in message
...
:
: "Robert (Plymouth)" wrote in message
: ...
:
: " wrote in
message
: oups.com...
: : On Jun 28, 6:34 pm, "Bob Hobden" wrote:
: :
: : My understanding is that you need to get the blighted tops off asap
: before
: : it's carried down to the tubers. You can then leave the tubers in
the
: ground
: : for a couple of weeks.
: :
: : Bob, is there something else that can be sprayed on which will stop it
: : developing? I'm sure my Dad used to spray his with something???
: :
: : Judith
:
: What Bob says about removing the tops is of course correct and that
stops
: the blight getting to the tubers. Preferably you want to dig the
remaining
: tubers on a hot dry day, yes well !!
:
: You can spray with dithane or apply Bordeaux mixture as a preventative
: measure but I have never found it to be successful. I have stopped
growing
: outdoor tomatoes and am growing Thompson and Morgan blight resistant
: potato
: varieties and hoping that they stand up to this summer's weather, which
: must
: be the ultimate test.
:
:
: After reading the posts in this thread and after googling images I went to
: the allotment today. We have Rocket 1st earlies(not many left anyway),
then
: Kestrel, then Romano.
:
: All blighted :-((
:
: I took off the foliage of all of them, and dug up the remaining Rocket and
: the Romano, since they looked the worst affected, and got about 10% of
: normal yield. Plenty spuds, but small.
:
: I'll have the Kestrel up tomorrow, weather permitting, which it probably
: won't.
:
: So how long do the spores stick around, do I now have to refrain from
: growing spuds for X No of years?
:
: Steve
:
As long as you remove all debris the blight is unlikely to persist into next
year as it is airborne