Watering potatos?

[sunflower]

This has probaly been asked before, but i shall ask again. Should i water my potatoes havn`t had any decent rain for a couple of weeks now they have been earthed up & are not wilting but wasn`t sure if i should give em a drink or not?

[sunflower]

[tim]

If you think about it, how much water could you get to the roots - by what method?? Spraying, in my opinion, is worse than useless.

If you've only got one or two, then yes - but give them ?? at least 2 gallons each. = Tim

[gilgamesh]

In my opinion (probably wrong), most people do more harm than good by watering. They sprinkle a few drops on the surface to tempt the plant to send its roots up into the surface soil, where they dry out and die. Unless you intend to give things a proper soaking, you will do more good by hoeing, to reduce capilliary action bringing moisture to the surface, on hot dry days (better still in the sun to dry out any weed seedlings) and only water when the surface is moist but the soil beneath is dry, the sky overcast. Mulching to reduce water loss is also a better bet than sprinkling crops in the open soil, IMO. None of this, of course, applies to containers, where you can get a useful amount of water to the roots.

[derbex]

The other thing is how dry is your soil underneath? The Clayey/loaney stuff we have is still damp quite close to the surface -the only conventional stuff that I'm watering are the the stuff that's newley planted and trying to establish itself.

I am watering the 'no-dig' spuds, but these are sitting on top of the soil, albeit under a thick mulch, and I can get water to the base of them.

Jeremy

[kenkew]

I have never, ever, watered spuds. My guess is that in this part of the world there is water enough in the soil for them to find. And wouldn't it just encourage top growth?

[tim]

Me too - I was, of course, assuming that they were known to be bone dry down to the roots. = Tim

[cleo]

I live in `tate` land where they water even when it is pouring-it gives a huge yield of tasteless spuds >:(

Stephan.

[gilgamesh]

Tasteless spuds? I can see them now, all "kiss me quick" hats, sandals with socks, beer bellies hanging out over jogging bottoms, sat in front of some Reality TV programme....

[derbex]

Ideal for the 'chip-eaters' with pie & Mash & jellied eels on Clacton seafront.  ;D

'I love the smell of vinegar in the morning'

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