Halving seed potatoes for better crop?

[mormor]

Some gardening books suggest halving seed potatoes with many shoots before planting, thus getting more and bigger potatoes.
I would like to know if anyone does this. It would certainly be more economic

[mormor]

[kt.]

My neighbour does but I do not know what his results are like.

[goodlife]

Yes, you can do halving if you seed potatoes are very big...BUT..you also have bigger chance of things going wrong as the cut surface is 'open' invitation for pest and diseases. In olden days they dipped the cut surface into wood ash to give it protective layer that its lacking from missing its skin. I would also recommend doing 'cutting up' with main crops only...earlier planting in colder soil is slower to start growing and may result potato to rot before it has a chance to take off into good growth.
With small potatoes it is false economy and will result less and even smaller potatoes.
If you have too many sprouts coming from you potatoes..you can always snap the extra ones carefully off from the skin and pot them up into 3" pots..they soon root up and you'll be planting those once the roots have filled the pots.. ;) Potato sprouts grow very quickly so keep eye on them and what's best doing this way is that you don't leave open surfaced potato to rot down... ;)

[laurieuk]

Some people will not plant any seed potatoes without cutting a piece out in the belief that it helps the seed too rot and put all the goodness into new growth. Myself I cannot see this but I will cut seed potatoes if I need to have more to complete a row. I chit all my seed potatoes and plant later than some as I like the let the soil warm up but we all have our own ways and reasons for doing things. I have never noticed any great difference in all the different ways so I would say do what you feel best.

[Kleftiwallah]

Dad used to dip the cut surface in Flowers of Sulpher.    Cheers,     Tony.

[elhuerto]

Everyone here cuts their seed potatoes. I tried it last year and there seemed to be no difference at all between those that were cut and those that weren't in production, disease etc. The main reason given here I believe is to make the seed potatoes go further.

[mormor]

Thanks for all your comments. I have planted them without cutting them. But I would have done so if I had needed to fill a row.  Good idea.