Excessive Potato Foliage

[Kimbo]

I have a large problem, all my potatoes are being grown in pots in a relatively good sized area but I have no more room to move any of them and they have a lot of top growth on all of them and I cant see the pots to water them.

I was wondering if I would be able to do a bit of pruning?

I was thinking of taking a bit off the stems just above a side shoot so that they still have some top growth growing? Do you think this might work or will the plant/potatoes just die?

[Two_Sheds]

Sorry, I don't understand. You can't see the pots? Or you can't see the potatoes? (is 'pots' an abbreviation of potatoes, is what I mean)

The plants need the leaves to feed the tubers. You don't want to be cutting them off. As to watering, ideally you'd be standing the containers in trays of water, not hosing them (you should water the roots not the leaves. Watering leaves incidentally increases the incidence of blight, because you wash the spores down through the plant).

[Kimbo]

Sorry, I don't understand. You can't see the pots? Or you can't see the potatoes? (is 'pots' an abbreviation of potatoes, is what I mean)

The plants need the leaves to feed the tubers. You don't want to be cutting them off. As to watering, ideally you'd be standing the containers in trays of water, not hosing them (you should water the roots not the leaves. Watering leaves incidentally increases the incidence of blight, because you wash the spores down through the plant).

I cant see the pots to water them, standing them in trays is not an option so i will have to do a mass move around so that I can water the soil and not the leaves

[JO,JO]

you could put a cane in and tie the folaige together then you could see where you are watering.all my pots are in flwer and the foliage ahs got too heavy and drooped so i tied them together gunna leave it a week and then pull a few at a time, as i have already had a few baby ones which were delish

[Norm]

If they're in containers, shove the spout of the watering can into the stems and pour until water comes out of the bottom. Then you know they've been watered!

[Kimbo]

I have just given myself a hernia moving some of the polypots to make some space so now I can actually see where the water needs to go. Going to give them all a good watering tonight. (Also moving the pots disturbed some of the slugs/snails - now bird food)

[rustylady]

How do you do your watering? Watering can, hose? As Norm said, use a can, take the rose off and put the spout into the pot - you can simply hold the foliage out of the way with your other hand. As TwoSheds said you should be watering the compost anyway, not the foliage. BTW why are you growing in pots, don't you have any open ground?

[Kimbo]

No open ground - everything is in raised beds. I have put my name down for a lottie but it could be a couple of years before I get one

[Norm]

Have to say, I have two and a half plots and still grow spuds in halved water butts. No slugs and double the yield.

[Stacey Steve]

My son (23) said to me some time ago "Dad, did you know that you can grow potatoes in bags"
"Of course you can boy, how do you think Tescos get them in bags"

Still he borrowed a couple of bags of compost that I had ready for a new raised bed I was going to build. Started off 4 large bags with a couple of spuds in each in our front garden. He's been adding more compost as the plants grow (borrowed some more of my compost).

Now he has run out of room and the foliage has gone berserk. The heavy rain we had a couple of weeks ago made the foliage roll over but is increasing like mad.

OH is not very impressed with the addition to the front garden, she doesn't think it adds to her show of flowers she has out there and is getting a bit ticked off with people saying "are they pototoes you're growing".

Even had a passing copper (Honest there was one walking a beat) knock and asked her about them "I heard that you could do that, do you mind if I call back occassionally and see how they are doing? Let me know when you are going to lift them as I would like to see what they are like"

[Cloud]

WOW a copper walking the beat.Hang on you sure he wern't a CSPO?LOL

[Stacey Steve]

It was a she actually and no evidentially it was a proper copper.

Probably lost! Or doing it for a dare