Rot in chitting potato

[DrJohnH]

All,

So I put my seed potatoes to chit in a frost free place two weeks ago (a pretty constant 10 degrees C with good light). 

One of the larger Sarpo Miras had a dent in the side when I emptied the net out, but was still firm and looked OK (apart from the dent), so i put it in the egg trays with the rest of the seed potatoes to chit- now it has gone soft in the dented patch and is developing a bad smell- should I cut out the bad part or just throw the spud away?

Thanks.

Dr John

[DrJohnH]

[plotstoeat]

Hi Dr John
I would cut a large piece away to be sure no disease has spread. Some gardeners always cut seed potatoes in half.

[picman]

Sort of related ,  If I cut some of my larger seed pots in half should I coat the cut with something ? , My Dad {nearly 70years ago}  I think would use soot ? 

[Tee Gee]

Cut them a few days before you plant them this will allow the flesh to dry...I think they call this cauterising!

[galina]

By all means cut the tuber open and see what the soft spot is.  But if it is blight, I would keep it far away from the good ones and not plant it but sling it.  Unfortunately seed potatoes occasionally do have blighted tubers.    

[laurieuk]

The experts on the radio said the other week to cut potatoes then to allow them to dry, I cut if needed just as I plant ad have done this for 60 plus years but as we always say we all have different ideas. I as always told that you keep lime away from potatoes as it causes  scab. An old gardener who I knew well would not plant any potato without cutting a piece out as he said he wanted it to rot  away. You take your choice !!!!

[johhnyco15]

if you can get chalk dust put this onto the cut tuber this will dry it out so the rot doesn't  enter hope this helps

[woodypecks]

It's worth a try isn't it ? :)   Debbie 

[pumkinlover]

There has been a problem with Sarpo Mira, I think I tried to warn you in the thread you started about mail order potatoes.

My advice would be to put it in the black bin with you saying it smells. Not worth risking spreading the problem and if it smells the infection is well established. (IMHO that is!)

[johhnyco15]

There has been a problem with Sarpo Mira, I think I tried to warn you in the thread you started about mail oryder potatoes.

My advice would be to put it in the black bin with you saying it smells. Not worth risking spreading the problem and if it smells the infection is well established. (IMHO that is!)

indeed i remember your post i think id bin it didnt read the first post properly sorry  however if you cut yourseedspuds to make more the chalk does help

[DrJohnH]

I didn't get my seed potatoes from mail order, but from a potato day in the end (supplier http://www.brighterblooms.co.uk/). 

I just investigated the problem spud and it wasn't mushy at all on the bad spot, but surprisingly dry inside the bad area.  Out of 30 seed potatoes, I guess one bad one is not a big deal.

However, I chucked the bad spud in the black bin as i did have more than I needed anyway and will not be back for a few weeks after tomorrow to follow progress on the remainers.

Thanks for all your input.

Dr John

[Paulh]

Chuck it - better safe (29 healthy spuds) than sorry (none).

[squeezyjohn]

There's something definitely wrong with Sarpo Mira ... the seed potatoes are really rare this year.  I managed to get some and two of the tubers in the bag had the same problem you describe at the time I bought them - liquid and smelly rot in the middle of the tuber.  I threw those away immediately, and I've been checking the rest of them often - no further problems so far.

This is worrying because Sarpo Mira is supposed to be blight resistant - especially the tubers.  These symptoms really look like tuber blight to me.  I wonder if the blight fungus has mutated, allowing it to infect this variety, or maybe it is another type of problem - but I don't know what that could be.

[pumkinlover]

I feel sad for the people who developed the potatoes, they are not my favorite for taste but they are good roasted and it was useful in the wet summers of a few years ago to have something which survived.
A lot of expense and time in the development which I hope is not going to be wasted.

[ACE]

I have done the same thing, every year. Put my spuds in the cool but not freezing conservatory for chitting.  In banana boxes, that stack so plenty of air circulating. My wife asked me if they were alright as she had noticed some white furry mould on a couple. Some of the Winston first earlys have gone mouldy and started to rot. Now apart from using Winston for the first time nothing has changed from my usual procedure. All the others are OK.