Most Common Diseases of Potatoes

This article is a follow up from our earlier article about Potato growing. So if you have not read our earlier article please read that before continuing. In this article we will inform you about some of the most common diseases which potato plants suffer.

Wart:

Wart in Potato tuber

It is one of the most dreaded diseases of potatoes. In this case potatoes grow swelling or tumors.
One or more tumors can be seen in the tubers. Most of the time tubers turned into warty mass and turn black with age.
The best way to control this is to use immune varieties.  

Common scab:

Scab in potato tuber

These are bacterial infections. It makes the tissue corky to the surface. These form patches. The infections are mostly superficial and you can eat the tubers.
Scab is much more destroying if the soil is alkaline (Know more about soil pH by clicking here). Do not add lime to the soil. For better results, use resistant varieties of the plant. Keep the moisture level in the soil by watering frequently.

Blight in potato leaf

Early and Late blight: This is caused by fungal infection. It causes brown spots in the leaves. In case of late blight the leaves of the plant wilt and turn brown within weeks. These conditions also deteriorate in case of humid or moist
weather.
To prevent this from happening use disease free variety of seed potato. Use thick layer of mulch to prevent tuber infection.

Slugs and snails: Several snails and slugs love to chew the leaves and tubers of the potato plant. They create holes in the tubers. The attack is especially severe in the rainy season. Click here to see our article on gardening in rainy season.
Don’t water in the evening. Check for visible pests and remove them manually.

Canker stem:

Canker in a tuber

The most common symptoms are irregular lumps of tubers. The infection can also spread to the roots.

One of the solution suggested is to use crop rotation.

Dry rot in potato

Dry rot: This is a situation where the potato skin becomes brown or
even darker and develops wrinkles. It is more or less to do with the storage problem. You need to be more careful while harvesting and storing.



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How to Plant Potatoes Growing Potatoes made Easy

Today’s article is about how to grow Potatoes. For most of us it is our favourite vegetable. This simple article will teach you about planting potatoes, taking care of the plant, and also harvesting. This will  definitely increase your confidence in growing potatoes.

Biological name: Solanum tuberosum

It is very hard to find a person these days who don’t like potatoes. This is probably one of the favourite vegetables of all time. It definitely increase the liking if you can grow them too.

Growing potatoes is not that difficult; and probably everybody should give it a try. To start with, soil quality is not a hindrance in growing potatoes and you can plant them in almost any type of soil.

How to Plant Potatoes?

Unlike most of the other vegetables discussed earlier (which are mostly grown from the seed), potatoes are grown from the tuber itself. To prepare a seedling, cut a whole potato with into small pieces keeping in mind that each piece should contain at least two eyes.

If you have very small size potatoes, instead of cutting, use them as whole. You can now use them in place of seeds to grow potatoes.

After making those suitable cuts leave these pieces in direct sun light for a day. This will help the exposed area of the potato to dry up and will prevent rotting once you plant them.

For getting good quality tubers you need to make the soil loose. So it is generally a practice to loosen the soil before planting potatoes. Use a tiller to do the job. once the soil is loosen up plant these potato-cuttings keeping the eye side upwards. Keep 1 feet space between two plants. Cover the potato seeds with 3-4 inches of soil. It is best to grow potatoes in rows. Keep each row at a gap of 3 feet.

Potatoes require moderate watering. 2-3 inches of water weekly is enough for the plant. Make sure the soil has proper drainage. Water logged condition is not ideal for the tubers. It causes them to rot. The requirement of water is most when the plant starts flowering. You need to continue watering the plants till the foliage turns yellowish. This is the most important time of potato growing because during this period the tubers are formed. So lack of water can hamper the yield.

Harvesting and Storing:

Once the vine starts to die, you can harvest your potatoes.  As the soil is loose, it will not be much of a problem to dig. Just be careful otherwise you could damage some of the tubers. After taking out the tubers, lay them above the soil for 2 to 3 days if the weather is dry and no water is expected. It will help the outer jacket of the potato to become thick and will help in storage.  In case the weather is wet please keep them in dry area. After that you can brush off the soil from the tubers and store them in a cool and dry place. For more details on how to store vegetables read our article titled Storing Your Vegetables: You Must Know the Basics.

Dont forget to read:
Most Common Diseases of Potatoes
FAQs About Tomato Growing

Sounds simple? Why don’t you try this in your own garden? Let us know your experience.

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