Forum home› Fruit & veg
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Spud problem?

HeartinthedirtHeartinthedirt Posts: 300
in Fruit & veg
Flowers have dropped or been munched off 2 of my spuds. Others in the same bed are fine and still others have no flowers at all. Perplexed!


It's knowing what to do with things that counts - Robert Frost

Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Are you watering well? The little sprinkling of rain we have had isn't even penetrating the canopy.
  • HeartinthedirtHeartinthedirt Posts: 300
    Actually, now that you mention it I have been a bit slack... 😬
    It's knowing what to do with things that counts - Robert Frost
  • HeartinthedirtHeartinthedirt Posts: 300
    @fidgetbones, thanks for that, pretty basic gardening really! 😂 Will the spuds still be viable if the plants don't flower? 
    It's knowing what to do with things that counts - Robert Frost
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Yes … some varieties hardly flower if at all. But they must have plenty of water for the spuds to form.  💦 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • pinutpinut Posts: 194
    OP, the slugs/snails did you a favour in eating the flowers off if your intention was to grow fat tubers (aka the potato). Left to pollinate, small tomato-like, mildly toxic fruit would have formed as a result, and would have diverted energy away from tuber production.

    I did once sow the seeds taken from the said fruit. I did get potato plants and a potato crop but, sadly, I never got a unique genetic variation...


  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Last year I didn't water, got a tiny crop.  I didn't dig them all up either. When I got round to weeding I found lots coming up on their own, so I fed them, mulched them and put a leaky hose round them.   Coming along nicely now, I have high hopes for later on in the year.
  • war garden 572war garden 572 Posts: 664
    flower and spud production are not related. 
Sign In or Register to comment.