0
points
Potatoes have not emerged a month after planting

Potato   

I planted some seed potatoes about a month ago and so far nothing has emerged. I would have thought I should have seen something by now but I am new to vegetable growing so have no experience. Is it ok to dig a little to see what is going on with the plants or does that risk disturbing them unnecessarily? Is there any diseases potatoes are prone to that would cause this failure to emerge? Should I plant out some more? I'm in KY, zone 7 if that is any help. I did not sprout the potatoes before planting them out and I planted them in an area that gets sun all day. I water them every other day.


Posted by: Stan (1 point) Stan
Posted: May 13, 2013


deactivated commented,
It would help if you would give some background information on what exactly you have done. With respect to diseases, see https://www.plantvillage.com/topics/p...
almost 11 years ago.

Stan commented,
done!
almost 11 years ago.



Answers

2
points
Watering every other day could produce waterlogged soil that might have caused your seed potatoes to rot, especially if you have heavy soil and planted them deep.

Poke around a bit to see what's going on. If you find sprouts, just cover them back up. Watering once a week, deeply (down into the root zone), will provide enough water. If you have a good rainfall that week, don't water at all.

Once your potato foliage grows about 6 inches tall, mulching the bed with a few inches of leaves, straw, or hay will help prevent moisture from evaporating from the soil, suppress weeds, and help prevent early blight (the fungal spores can splash up onto lower leaves from bare soil.)


Posted by: Peg Boyles (4 points) Peg Boyles
Posted: May 14, 2013


Stan commented,
I dug down and it does seem that rotting has been the problem, I must have been overwatering them. I also think I may have planted too deep. I will have to try again. Thanks for your help
almost 11 years ago.



1
point
It is OK to scrape away a little soil with your finger to get a peek and see if they are sprouting. Potatoes should grow just fine in KY. I usually plant mine rather shallow, and as the plant starts to grow about 6 inches, I cover it most of the way, and do the same a few weeks later when the plant grows up a little. If you planted them too deeply, they may be fighting their way to the light.


Posted by: Bradley Cahill (1 point) Bradley Cahill
Posted: May 13, 2013


Stan commented,
Thank you for your help Bradley, doesn't look like I will have potatoes for a while
almost 11 years ago.



1
point
In commercial potato production here in my region, they do not irrigate during emergence. There are a number of diseases that can cause seed piece decay.


Posted by: Brenna Aegerter (2 points) Brenna Aegerter
Posted: May 16, 2013




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