Short of dressing the soil in spring with Growmore and a good bit of home made compost I do not feed my potatoes again, Should I?
I have never fed my spuds once planted and most of the time have had decent crops. You can give them a sprinkle of potato fertilizer. I have purchased some to try this year to see if it makes a difference.
A good dose of Growmore when they go in and nothing more after apart from water if the weather is dry.
Of course there has been no need for extra water this year! ;)
They love a few comfrey leaves in the planting hole (when it's potato planting time, the comfrey starts growing, always a good reminder to get these spuds in pronto). Later a mulch with comfrey and/or nettles. A few chicken pellets or nothing at all if the soil is reasonable. I also mulch with cut grass in thin layers.
As has been said, water at the right time when the plants are growing fast is more important and we had plenty of that this year. :)
Quote from: ktlawson on June 01, 2012, 22:29:04
I have never fed my spuds once planted and most of the time have had decent crops. You can give them a sprinkle of potato fertilizer. I have purchased some to try this year to see if it makes a difference.
I tried potato fertilizer for the first time last year. I put two rows each of earlies and mains and one of each got the fertilizer. Noticeable difference in size and vigour of the top growth with the fertilized ones. Better yields too.
All my spuds got it this year
I don't give any additional feed after planting neither..they get all the 'help' when planted and other than added mulches they will have to do with that..and usually it is enough.
It is the providing enough water that is the biggest issue.. ::)
BTW...first flowers on few plants!!.. ;D ;D ;D
Each row (20 spuds) gets a Poundland box of Growmore in the trench at planting time and whatever else has overwintered in the shed (a tub of chicken pellets this year). As someone else has said, it does improve the yield. But after that, they just get water.
I set 25 kg swift over a period of 4 weeks, started march 15th, later than normal due to weather conditions. I always trench out using the machine, line with well rotted cow manure, back fill slightly, set the potato, spread pototo fertilizer over tubers, fill the trench (using the machine again). Now eating new pots twice and sometimes three time a day.
On my new allotment I planted Casablanca (1st early), Foremost, Charlotte, Gemson and Mozart all around the same time. The Foremost have been in flower for almost a week. No flowers elsewhere though, not even the few Casablanca tubers I had in a pot in the greenhouse though those have a few buds now
As my soil is well manured in the winter, I don't add anything to spuds. They must have had plenty of water at the right time as I have never had such huge plants.
I have been earthing up with grass cutings only (potatoes are in pots), and wondered if this will harm them?
Should I be adding soil??
I'm asking because the foliage on one plant looks sickly & limp & watering has not improved it
Debs
So long as you haven't been using any selective weedkillers on the grass, it won't do them any harm.
Have you had a look at the roots to see what state they're in?