Is this potato blight or just dying back?

[monkeyboy]

Planted RDOY and I think Desiree or King Edwards (I cannot actually remember!) and hadn't gotten round to harvesting because of other issues going on.

Dig up or throw away?

[RedRuth]

Looks like normal dying back to me. So far it hasn't been a blight year here (Bristol), not sure about the west Midlands, you could check on one of the websites that monitor environmental conditions https://blightwatch.co.uk/amateur

[Nicos]

I'm going with dying back too

[Can the Man]

I’m going with dying back also, dig away and see what their like. Share a photo please when you harvest them.

[ameno]

Looks like normal dying back to me. So far it hasn't been a blight year here (Bristol), not sure about the west Midlands, you could check on one of the websites that monitor environmental conditions https://blightwatch.co.uk/amateur

The problem with something like blight watch is that in this country, the temperature and humidity meets the Hutton criteria probably five days out of seven throughout the entire summer, which essentially means you are always at risk.
But just because the conditions are right, doesn't necessarily mean you will get blight. It doesn't just spontaneously arise, after all. There needs to be an infected plant nearby to give off the spores.

[Can the Man]

I always spray mine with dithane, I’ve been growing spuds outside for over 10 years, and only had 1 crop lost to blight because I was away travelling with the job, there was a blight warning and I got hit. Now I just spray every 3-4 weeks irrespective, even the spuds I’m growing in the poly tunnel have been sprayed

[RedRuth]

The problem with something like blight watch is that in this country, the temperature and humidity meets the Hutton criteria probably five days out of seven throughout the entire summer, which essentially means you are always at risk.
But just because the conditions are right, doesn't necessarily mean you will get blight. It doesn't just spontaneously arise, after all. There needs to be an infected plant nearby to give off the spores.

According to my postcode - BS2 - there's only been 1 day that meets the Hutton criteria in the past 14 days and that's been about the same throughout the summer, I can't believe that Bristol is significantly drier than the rest of the country though it's probably a bit warmer. I take your point about the spores having to be present but I'm growing on an allotment site so it's probably inevitable. As for spraying, personally I don't use fungicides or insecticides but that's a personal preference. I definitely use herbicides when the perennial weeds get too out of hand!

[lottie dolly]

LOok like normal die back,blight gets black on the stems as well,and fruit goes funny,like bruised as it rots,do not compost,bag and burn anything with it on,

[monkeyboy]

I’m going with dying back also, dig away and see what their like. Share a photo please when you harvest them.

I've posted the photos in another thread but just for you:

[Can the Man]

Thanks monkeyboy I’ve commented on the other thread, judging by these photos you did not have blight so it as your plants dying back. Did you land up extra soil to the plants as they were growing to improve the growing length of the plant ?

[monkeyboy]

No. Last year I earthed up the potatoes as they grew. This year I just filled the buckets from the start. A lazy approach.