Blight Alerts

[Penellype]

With regard to the blight alerts, I haven't had any this year either. I used to find the Smith criteria alerts useful, but when they changed to Hutton criteria I was getting so many alerts that I might as well have assumed every day was a risk for blight.

In general if it feels warm and muggy those are ideal conditions for blight. If blight is present in your area it will spread well in those conditions, but if it isn't around the weather won't make any difference.

[Nicos]

We’ve had blight conditions for weeks so I’m surprised we hadn’t been affected - as you say Pen, it clearly wasn’t in our area.
But…having said we didn’t have blight a week ago , we seem to be getting more typical very early signs of it yesterday. Will check on it later today and if so they’ll all be coming up.

[annie8]

What do you reckon The start of blight on my potatoes?

[ameno]

No, that's not blight.
Well, it might be early blight, actually, but that's a completely different disease and far less harmful (nothing to really worry about, to be honest). Late blight is the devastating one, and that isn't it.

[annie8]

Oh good. Think it’s early blight I have had before and as you say it wasn’t so devastating. Was checking back and I put my maincrop in on 2 April so they have been in 18 weeks. Starting to see early signs of yellowing so would be cutting the plants back soon anyway. Thanks for the advice.

[Nicos]

We’ve come to the conclusion ours is early blight too so we’ve taken up about half the crop and left the rest in for now.
Keeping a close eye on them still though!

[ameno]

Oh good. Think it’s early blight I have had before and as you say it wasn’t so devastating. Was checking back and I put my maincrop in on 2 April so they have been in 18 weeks. Starting to see early signs of yellowing so would be cutting the plants back soon anyway. Thanks for the advice.

Early blight isn't much of a problem in this country, as it prefers hot, dry conditions.
Even in a worst case scenario, all early blight can cause is complete defoliation. It will never affect the tubers (although obviously a defoliated plant will end up with a smaller crop). And in this country it very, vary rarely ever gets that bad, as the conditions just don't suit it.

[annie8]

Thanks. Think I might just have a wee fumble around and see what crop is under the surface. Am growing kerrs pinks which I have never grown before.