Have I killed my potatoes or not enough light?

[tweacle]

Hi there I have potatoes in a large tub and had black fly. I sprayed them all with a anti pest stuff and most seem ok. Ive noticed that a lot of my main crop have gone yellow and wilted.

I noticed the soil was dry.

Is it the bug killer or not enough water or even not enough light cos the roots around the outside of the tub are about 3 foot tall and still green and flowering.

Is there anyway I can save them .


Thanks

[vegetable-gardener]

could be potato blight.

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Tweacle, yellow wilted plants in bone dry soil has to be lack of water. Potatoes need watering really well and when growing veggies in containers the wind does dry the containers out. One thing though - it is NOT potato blight. With aphids a really very diluted drop of washing up liquid (not anti-bacterial) sprayed on the plants stops the aphids. Hollie has had great success using this on her pumpkin plants.

Can you post a photo of your potato plants?

[Sueh]

Leslie,
On the subject of potatoes. I have about 10 bags with spuds in them. Some of them started to form flowers weeks back but they have not actually flowered and do not look like they will. There is only one bag that is definately going to flower any day and this was planted later. They possibly may have either just died or been eaten by I presume butterflies or something. They look healthy and are about 2.5 ft high at least, other than that and have been in nearly 12 weeks. They were planted at different times. We are not sure what to do about the first ones where the flowers are gone completely, do you think they will be okay as the frost did get to them in late April.

I do seem to have something in the garden that loves Mange Toute, Runner bean leaves, lettuces and even mint and some of the potatoes leaves. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks Sue

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Sue, don't worry about the flowers as not all varieties of potato flower and some people do believe that they get a better crop if they remove any flowers from the plants. So the plants where the flowers have disappeared should be fine. First early and second early varieties want about 13 weeks growing time and main crop about 20 weeks. What varieties are you growing?

Have you taken a look underneath the leaves that are being eaten to see if there are any insects or eggs?

[Sueh]

Thanks Leslie. One variety is Foremost but I can't re
Ember the other two.
Have not looked under leaves but I have noticed these minute White specs that are actually minute insects. I noticed them around the lettuce, courgettes although it's only certain lettuce that's being eaten.
Sue

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Sue, Foremost is a first early variety so they will be ready after about 13 weeks growing - have a rummage with your hand in the bags to feel the size of the potatoes.

The little white specks on the leaves will be aphids. You need to squash them between your thumb and finger - they bred live young! Then you could keep on top by spraying the plants with a very diluted solution of washing up liquid and water, but not anti-bacterial stuff - it has worked for Hollie on her pumpkin plants!

[Ace]

Originally Posted by Sueh

I do seem to have something in the garden that loves Mange Toute, Runner bean leaves, lettuces and even mint and some of the potatoes leaves. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks Sue

Hi Sue

Lot's of possibilities but my first guess is this pesky fella :



Little blighters muched through my dwarf french beans when they just started producing baby beans. The giveaway was the bird droppings on the odd leaf.

Pigeons will eat beans, peas, mange tout and other stuff unless you net them off.