Can anyone tell me what these are?
Mel Mcbride
Posts: 112
I had one these grow last year on the stem above ground, people suggested its a spud that got exposed to the sun. But see... I'm not convinced. This year I left them on a little longer and they are sprouting leaves.. something that spuds do not do until you put them underground.
They are growing off a plant that is essentially dead, barely attached to its own root ball. They are growing out of the nodes (?) where the leaves were growing out from the stem, before they died and fell off.
The plant has been 'stressed' because I've been taking out spuds here and there from the soil - you know how you can stress a female to get feminised seeds from other plants -- or maybe you don't.. but you can do that trust me! I'm wondering if this is a reaction to stress. (??)
They are NOT true potato seed, I have those already, these are nothing like that. I just can't fully believe they are spuds. Any ideas?
Posts
What you have is quite normal if you haven't planted the seed potatoes deep enough or earthed up enough.
If you planted that little potato it would develop into a plant.
It is obviously not correct to say potatoes don't sprout leaves until they are put in the soil, or there would be no point chitting them.
What you have is nothing to do with feminization!!
@Welshonion I cannot see your reply in this post. I saw it via your profile.
These are not from seeds, they grew from tubers. (which are NOT seeds! I have tps, they grow inside tomato looking things)
I've never chitted potatoes and grown them above ground. I chop them up and throw them in the soil. Previously to that, all my spuds I kept in the cupboard grew shoots only, some as long as my arm, because I forgot about them! So I have never seen leaves on spuds above ground, after growing them for about 5 years now.
I just find it hard to believe that potatoes would grow above ground on the stem, and produce leaves while still on the stem and these are tiny as well. You can see that against the thickness of the stem. Ordinarily any tubers showing through the soil go green and that's it. Never seen the green spuds produce leaves
Also, they are growing where the leaf nodes (?) were. The leave stems/nodes/whatever had dried up, died and fallen off a few weeks back. There are 3 of them, they aren't all near the soil either.
Sorry. there's 5, some nearly as high up as the flowers were
I just found out, they 'may' be Ariel potatoes. They grow this colour, they don't turn green or brown. They grow purple from the get go. Had to find a potato expert to find this out.. but there you go. There are not normal tubers that have been exposed to the sun.
I wouldn't want to eat them, aren't potato leaves poisonous?. That's all I have to say.