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They are stronger & more healthy than ever before, but the lower leaves on some are changing.............

Quote from: tim on July 15, 2011, 16:13:27
They are stronger & more healthy than ever before, but the lower leaves on some are changing.............

old age.... they're running out of steam

Oh, dear - I must choose my foundation cream carefully!!

That is definately the early signs of potato blight.

And Blight always spreads like wildfire?

Yes it will spread but  but not a quickly as something like Downey Mildew on Onions.

The potatoes will be fine at the moment.Its when you see the whole haulm becoming infected that the chance of it getting to your tubers is a problem.

I believe it's early blight (Alternaria solani), not late blight (Phytophthora infestans).  It's more a nusance than a worry.

I was hoping that someone would volunteer that!

It's sometime since we had true blight conditions.

But - it occurs to me that, in using a seep hose for some hours at a time, I may have created blight conditions??

Quote from: tim on July 15, 2011, 18:01:46
I was hoping that someone would volunteer that!

:)

It may be that the they have just run out of growth if they are are earlies and been in for more than 14 weeks they wont be growing any more, on the other hand it may well be the start of early blight although the lesions are a bit small and do not look like " target spots" IE rings arround the inner lesions.

Catch 22

Quote from: tim on July 15, 2011, 18:01:46
I was hoping that someone would volunteer that!

It's sometime since we had true blight conditions.

But - it occurs to me that, in using a seep hose for some hours at a time, I may have created blight conditions??

Funny...could have sworn I said it was early blight?

Quote from: davyw1 on July 15, 2011, 20:44:44
It may be that the they have just run out of growth if they are are earlies and been in for more than 14 weeks they wont be growing any more, on the other hand it may well be the start of early blight although the lesions are a bit small and do not look like " target spots" IE rings arround the inner lesions.

Catch 22

Give them chance...those in the pictures are in the early stages.

Quote from: Fork on July 15, 2011, 20:49:57
Funny...could have sworn I said it was early blight?

Sorry if I've misunderstood, but they're two different different diseases - blight is caused by Phytophthora infestans and it's the nasty disease that caused the Irish potato famine and will destroy the foliage and rot the tubers, early blight is caused by Alternaria solani and typically doesn't do much more than damage the foliage a bit.

Otherwise just lovely -

[attachment=1]

I have just cut the tops off my spuds because I guessed it was blight, but mine are in a more advance stage than yours. a couple of days ago they were not that bad but 2day well I'm taking no chances. My Irish neighbour doesn't seem to concerned about his. he's are all dying back and are lates. I have never seen blight so don't really know what to look for.

Quote from: willsy on July 17, 2011, 21:33:51
I have just cut the tops off my spuds because I guessed it was blight, but mine are in a more advance stage than yours. a couple of days ago they were not that bad but 2day well I'm taking no chances. My Irish neighbour doesn't seem to concerned about his. he's are all dying back and are lates. I have never seen blight so don't really know what to look for.

Honestly, once you've seen late blight you'll never mistake anythign else for it again, if nothing else the speed it goes through the haulms is frightening..... I still reckon all that yellowing is the sign that the potato has hit it's natural end-stop. Most all spring-planted earlies will be doing it by now, though I accept that there might be some early blight spots on those leaves, they'll only be small brown spots, not the major yellowing....

We survive so far!

As Chris says you will not be in any doubt about late blight there will be nasty black spots on the leaves but also the stems and more of less the next morning the entire lot will be looking very miserable indeed.  They do not have a yellow leaf phase they go straight to dead dead dead. 

I have removed a few yellow leaves and a few with spots on but at the mo they are looking ok.   Some are looking rather dry. 

I like to water my toms in the mornings so there is plenty of time for them to dry out during the day.   

How did your potatoes turn out Tim? Well, I hope!

As everyone has said it really looked nothing like Blight (the late version).

I know little of early blight - may have had it in the past but it's no huge problem as far as I know.

I was wondering if your potato plants my have been suffering from capsid bugs. They cause small brown spots which later often turn into holes. This doesn't usually harm the potato crop unless it is a severe attack.