Blight Warning in effect 20 June-21 June

Zuiderzee

Issued at 21:00 on 18-Jun-2011
Conditions favouring the spread of potato blight will develop over south Munster and south Leinster later Monday and continue through Tuesday.
There will be some opportunities for spraying on Sunday.

geordief

just wondering as to how best to spray.

Is it important to spray the underside of the leaves?

Also ,if you miss some of the plant is that curtains?

I wonder that since I have noticed that if a single leaf gets infected then it is only a (short) time before the whole plant as well as the rest of the patch is lost. (so that I generally just cut all the haulms off at that stage )

On the other hand ,if I have patches that are separated to a degree one of the patches may succumb whilst others may not.

Lastly does any one have any other lines of defence in addition to spraying?
(the only one I know is to spray with a weak aspirin solution when the plants are very young . This did work for me but it involved repeated applications and my laziness won out eventually)

Zuiderzee

Spray with a fine mist setting, soak the folliage well -top and bottom - and the base around the plants.
Diethene or Bordeaux/Burgandy mixes are the most popular anti blight sprays.

Some people make a horse tail (a wild weed) tea to spray as well

geordief

Zuiderzee wrote: »

and the base around the plants.

you don't mean to spray the soil as well ,do you?

pneireland

just wondering (and showing my ignorance !), but what are these haulm things youre mentioning?
also have been away from the 18th until today 20th, so is it too late to do anything?...and i dont have a napsack sprayer so am i done for?......i could use a windowlene sprayer my wife is finished with but it wouldnt be a very fine mist so would probably only get the stuff onto the tops of the leaves.

Zuiderzee

geordief wrote: »

you don't mean to spray the soil as well ,do you?

I do, spores from blight fall on ground and attack the tubers as far as I know

Zuiderzee

pneireland wrote: »

just wondering (and showing my ignorance !), but what are these haulm things youre mentioning?
also have been away from the 18th until today 20th, so is it too late to do anything?...and i dont have a napsack sprayer so am i done for?......i could use a windowlene sprayer my wife is finished with but it wouldnt be a very fine mist so would probably only get the stuff onto the tops of the leaves.

Haulms are the foliage of the potato plant, leaves, stalks and stems.
If you have main crop spuds, and are in an area with a blight warning, I'd spray - depending on how many plants you have the sprayer might do the trick.

Lidl and Aldi a bit back had 5L garden sprayers on offer for a tenner, so might be worth a look - its what I use. They also has a smaller 2 or 3 litre sprayer

pneireland

Thanks for that Zuiderzee......ive only about 15 spuds i planted during the week after paddie's day in a very small area of 8ft x 3ft down here in Longford.
They were british queens 2nd earlies and someone gave me them saying they should be ready for planting before the blight strikes (hopefully !)

pneireland

.....and of course that last message should have said.... "ready for HARVESTING before the blight strikes !!

Clare man

I have cicra 100 plants, all earlies and second earlies, have decided not to spray, as personally do not see the point, no problems with blight so far, when I see it will cut off infected leaves etc and if contines to spread will cut off foliage completely. i will pull crop in ground as needed and dig up remainder by October

I am hoping that blight will not hit here until July.. we will wait and see

I do not bother with main crop, as blight is guaranteed to hit them

sponge_bob

i havw main crop planted with about 8 weeks and have been spraying every 10days regardless. i just give them a really good soaking:D

geordief

Clare man wrote: »

I have cicra 100 plants, all earlies and second earlies, have decided not to spray, as personally do not see the point, no problems with blight so far, when I see it will cut off infected leaves etc and if contines to spread will cut off foliage completely.

I have tried the leaf pulling thing and I don't think it is worth it - in my opinion there is zero chance that the plant will survive and I don't think the potatoes will make any extra growth between the first sign of blight and the inevitable decapitation of the plant. I just cut it all down to the ground straightaway (with a heavy heart) .If I have areas that are separate there is a chance that the blight may not affect them also at that stage .
By the way someone said to me that copper based products (which I use to make up a Bordeaux Mixture) are going to be phased out.
Is there any truth in that?