Unhealthy Looking Potatoes

[Chloe]

My Kestrel potatoes have been looking fine until I went down to the plot today and I thought 'they don't look too good' and on closer inspection the leaves, all of them, have tiny brown spots on them just like rust.  Can anyone tell me what it is, please?

Thinking about it they could also be a bit stunted as my maincrop seem far sturdier and taller than the Kestrel.

Many thanks if anyone can help.

[Chloe]

[Tee Gee]

Is it anything like this?

http://tinyurl.com/2kgt2t

[Chloe]

Hi Tee Gee,

No not at all.  They are tiny rust coloured spots.

I have searched online but couldn't see anything like them.

As I said they are just like rust spots but the leaf is covered in them and the plants look really unhealthy.

[Lauren S]

Chloe could it be Chocolate Spot?  :(

http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/chocolate.htm

[Chloe]

Hi Elle Ess. 

Yes it looks like that, thank you for finding it:) But the link said Broad Beans so would it be on my potatoes too?  My broad beans are fine.

If it's not raining in the morning I think I will go and dig one up and see what's going on and take some photo's of the leaf.

[Marymary]

Chloe, I've got exactly what you describe on my Swift which are growing in large pots too.  Had it last year as well - I had a grope around & there are some nice potatoes there so I will leave them as long as possible - don't think it's fatal light blight but a bit of a shame when a week ago they were all green & healthy.

[saddad]

If the tubers are fine why worry... you were going to bin them anyway!
:-\

[BAK]

We have them on our early potatoes, Rocket .. main crop potatoes do not have them.

Other plot holders on our site in Berks have it in varying degrees.

Chatting to a neighbouring plot holder (the one who wins first prize for best plot most years), he thinks that it is simply due to the bad weather that we have had recently  - high winds, cold days (only 6C here on Monday and it felt lower in the wind and rain) and cold nights. Earlies are of course not hardy.

I am tempted to agree with him, as I have had similar on exposed outdoor tomatoes during cold snaps around this time in previous years. They have always recovered.

On closer inspection of my earlies I noticed that there has been some new growth which is unaffected. So he is probably right. Anyway, time will tell.

[Chloe]

Many thanks for all the replies, I'll try to leave well alone then and just keep my eye on them.

So glad it's not a major thing so early in the season especially as I hadn't grown anything on this ground for years.

[Lauren S]

I have Swift potatoes growing too Chloe and I had my first meal from them on Saturday. They were beautiful. So nothing to worry about.
Lauren  :)

[Chloe]

Thanks, Lauren :)

[watkin girl]

im growing rocket potoatoes  in a barrel and they were growing fine with nice healthy  leaves and i also have seen these little  brown rust spots on them i had a poke about and found one very small potato they dont seen to be growing very well , unlike my edzell blues (second early are flowering and quite big potatoes already) i dont think will grow rocket again next year,  not very impressed i hope im proved wrong and they catch up groth wise.

[Marymary]

Noticed some potatoes in pots at Barnsdale [don't know the variety] & they had the brown spots quite badly - so it happens in the best gardens too.  :)

[timf]

if it looks like this its magnesium deficiency
see http://www.hbci.com/~wenonah/min-def/potato.htm

for more

[Marymary]

Mine is much more sort of like measles - sort of small brown spots all over the leaves. 

PS just upended one of my pots & had loads of really good potatoes - not a mark on them - all eaten now & tasted lovely.

[pye]

I've got it too, it looks like this:

[sarah]

yes my earlies have it too. i wonder why the maincrops havent. glad its not blight though. phew.

[Norfolk n Proud]

Hi all, i was starting to panic a bit, coz my Rocket, and Estima to a lesser degree look just like you described. My parents and the Outlaws tasted them, and reckon they were delicious though!! Phew  :)

[barkingdog]

Hi my earlies have it too. I had put it down to cold weather and rain!

barkingdog