do the haulms off my blighted potatoes and toms have to be burnt or could they be left to rot down in a compost bin and then go in the bottom of the bean trench next year ... don't want to do more damage but I also hate wasting anything
I don't know the amswer to this but I suggest you burn them. My reason for saying this is that I've read somewhere that you shouldn't plant the same crop on or near an area that was blighted the year before, so its my guess that you'll contaminate the compost bin if you put them in there. Isn't blight a fungus? If so, then the spores will just infect anything grown where they are.
Will be interesting to see some expert suggestions on this.
The question of composting blighted haulms and stalks omes up regularly.
Some say that it's best to burn, while others - like me - reckon it is OK to compost as long as it's a hot heap.
Most allotment holders where I am don't seem to be able to manage a compost heap as it requires turning and adding materials to ensure it gets really hot, so in their cases burnng makes sense.
It's your decision at the end of the day.
The most important thing is to get all the haulms cut off and away from your potato crop. If it remains on top of the soil with your potatoes beneath ,the spores will wash down and infect the crop but if you get it off at the first sign your crop should not suffer and will store well. I myself would never compost blighted haulm, you cannot be 100 % sure that the spores are killed in the best of compost heaps.
Quote from: bedrockdave on August 08, 2009, 21:22:43
do the haulms off my blighted potatoes and toms have to be burnt or could they be left to rot down in a compost bin and then go in the bottom of the bean trench next year ... don't want to do more damage but I also hate wasting anything
It doesn't normally survive in dead tissue, so you should be OK. I have to qualify this as we now have two strains of blight in Britain, where we had one before. If you getboth in a single infestion, then they can reproduce sexually, producing oospores which may be able to survive our winters. As far as I can make out, this happens rarely if at all in the UK. So you should be OK composting it. In order to be certain, bury your compost, and plant your spuds elsewhere.