Forum home› Fruit & veg

Potato problem

Jason CookJason Cook Posts: 139
in Fruit & veg
Hello, I noticed my potato plants have developed some yellowing on the leaves. A few seem to have gone a bit black and withered. They have been growing really well up to now so I’m hoping they will pull through. Does anyone have any ideas what might be wrong? These are Desiree main crops from Marshall’s. Pics attached. Thanks in advance. 
«1

Posts

  • NollieNollie Posts: 6,759
    When I looked at the first pic or two, I thought it might be damage due to temperature swings, has it been sunny and warm one minute then cold and wet, maybe even ground frost cold? Sunburn after rain or frost burn can turn leaves yellow then crispy. I had that last year (late frost then v sunny) but the plants recovered and I got a perfectly good crop.

    Then I looked at the following ones with those brown spots and thought, oh no, its potato blight! If it is you will know pretty quickly as the brown fungal spots spread like wildfire and the plants wilt and keel over. If it is blight, its curtains for potatoes and you need to dig them out and dispose of in the rubbish collection or burn them pdq.

    I’m really not sure either way, maybe someone else can confirm if its the dreaded blight or anything else fatal before you take drastic action?


    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 16,527
    I thought cold and frost at first. Then the black bits do look like blight.  If it's frost it will outgrow it. If it's blight it will collapse and die.  Have you grown them in fresh soil, Or were there potatoes there in the last couple of years?
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 6,440
    probably frost. Not sure where you are but mine look much worse than that because we had two quite hard frosts this week after warm wet weather the previous 2 weeks. I'm hoping they'll recover if the weather stops mucking about.
    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first” 
  • Jason CookJason Cook Posts: 139
    Thanks everyone, the weather has been a bit up and down lately. Really hope it’s not blight! Fingers crossed it’s just frost damage and they recover. I suppose I’ll keep an eye on them and if it’s blight they’ll be done with pretty quickly. Keeping everything crossed....
  • NollieNollie Posts: 6,759
    🤞 🤞 lets hope its just the weather then, sounds like it might be...
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 5,991
    I agree with @raisingirl it's almost certainly the cold/ frost it is far too early in the season for blight to be a problem. 
    AB Still learning

  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 4,691
    I'm not sure how much fruit I will get from my plum as the cold came at just the wrong time. The cherry doesn't seem to have faired as badly which is odd as it's a new plant. So the cold is a better cause I think for alot of damage being seen now.
  • Jason CookJason Cook Posts: 139
    Encouraging comments, thanks all. Here’s hoping everyone’s plants recover soon 😀
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 6,440
    edited May 2019
    Keep an eye on them. It's not likely to be blight but it's not impossible. It would be more likely if there were potatoes or tomatoes in the same place last year. If they start showing more definite signs (brown spots on more leaves, and especially if the stems start to go soft) then get them out asap before they affect everything else in your garden that's susceptible.
    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first” 
  • derbyduckderbyduck Posts: 137
    it coud be Early Blight ! but lets hope it's just frost burn .
Sign In or Register to comment.