Watering potatoes

johnington

Hi all,

Novice gardener here after planting a few raised beds with potatoes so apologies if this is a stupid question. Am I right that humid conditions cause blight?

My beds need watering because the soil is getting dry. However if I do, am I creating humid conditions amongst the leaves that may bring on blight?

Trying to keep it organic so am avoiding spraying.

Appreciate any wisdom.

macraignil

johnington wrote: »

Hi all,

Novice gardener here after planting a few raised beds with potatoes so apologies if this is a stupid question. Am I right that humid conditions cause blight?

My beds need watering because the soil is getting dry. However if I do, am I creating humid conditions amongst the leaves that may bring on blight?

Trying to keep it organic so am avoiding spraying.

Appreciate any wisdom.

Humid conditions help with the transmission of the disease spores that spread the blight disease. If you have no disease then some humidity should be no problem. If your plants are wilting from lack of water then you wont get much of a crop anyway so some watering might be necessary. If you do need to water try to apply the water direct to the soil rather than getting the leaves wet as this will be less of a risk. Also a good soaking infrequently is better than a regular light sprinkle in terms of generating humidity. Potato plants here look to be doing fine with no watering so far.

johnington

Thanks for the advice. The plants look healthy so I'll give the soil a good drenching this evening.