Using weed killers

[lottie dolly]

I am not a fan of using the above,but,i have a patch of ground that is infested with twitch,at the moment it also has my purple majesty spuds under ground,as i now have to be careful what i get upto,i was wondering if spraying said land,before the spuds emerge,do you think it would render the spuds no good,the area is planed for squashes around the outside up framework,with just the odd few inside said framework/new net cage,any spuds that come up can then can be left to get on with it,am thinking yes,if it only weakens it,it would be great,it has got out of hand due to my stupid limb last year,your opinions please,as i not want to poison us,thanks

[Bigmallly]

Hi lottie, when did you plant the tatties?

[fishpond]

Personally, I wouldn't bother using w/killer at this time of the year as the weed has to be actively growing for the w/killer to be effective.

[WendyC]

Just what I was going to ask. Slightly confused as my potatoes won't be going into the ground for at least another six weeks or more. Also don't weeds have to be growing strongly to be effective so that they take up the chemical?

[lottie dolly]

they are still in from last year,the annoying thing is,i was not able to ridge them up,so only a rough idea from the row markers where they are,i know the main growth of the twitch has yet to grow,but do not want to loose the bulk of the spudz,as i went to great lengths to get the seeds last year,looks like i may well have to have stabs in the dark to find some,to use as seed this year,assuming there are any left in suitable condition,i am just clutching at straws and loud thinking here,all marbles in place and counted for,

[WendyC]

I think you need to lift the potatoes first, and yes perhaps use some as seed potatoes for this year. Whilst digging up the spuds you could pull out and roots that you can, but I think you will have to wait for growth to begin in earnest before weed killers will be any use.

[Bigmallly]

I'm 100% with Wendy...........dig 'em up, save some for seed then store the rest. Remove the twitch while your at it.

[Penellype]

Same here. Dig them up, then you can see what you have got.

[lottie dolly]

Thanks all i WAS trying to avoid the digging up of the whole area,as it's what am trying to avoid to much of,what i will do then is,see what i CAN find for replanting,you see last year it was obviously a potato patch,some of which needs more cultivating,we have moved a wooden cage onto the area from the 1/2 plot i gave up,on top of the spuds,as i do not need the space for a netted cage this year,i will be planting my squash around the outer edge to hopefully climb up and over the top frame,when DH has finished it off,make better use of the space,have already got some other spuds up,very slowly,at the mo,the ground is very squidgy,thanks all for your replies,i guess what i really need to know is,providing the spuds are not showing the greenery yet,would the killer affect the ones still under ground,i will do what i can,and work around the rest,ti's not a bit of good DH doing the digging,as A he's tuned into ridding the ground of horse and white roots,plus i end up with the ground looking more like a mine field with holes all over,bless him

[Snadger]

I wouldn't like to eat tatties that have glyphosate residue on them anyway! (And before anyone jumps on the bandwagon I know that Monsanto asure us that glyphosate is the best thing since sliced bread and miraculously becomes inert when hitting soil............but I just don't believe them!)

[Alison]

I'm with Snadger on this one, I'd not want them either. Also, wouldn't have thought it would work at this time of year as nothing much us growing so you're probably wasting your time.

Don't understand though why you don't dig up your spuds though as they'll have to be dug up soon to be eaten or replanted so why not now (apologies if I've missed why but couldn't see it)

[Scarlet]

Don't understand though why you don't dig up your spuds though as they'll have to be dug up soon to be eaten or replanted so why not now (apologies if I've missed why but couldn't see it)

Shoulder problems....On Docs orders. No digging.

Lottie, can you get someone else to dig it for you?

[Bigmallly]

i guess what i really need to know is,providing the spuds are not showing the greenery yet,would the killer affect the ones still under ground,

I'm confused Lottie, the tatties should have lost their foliage a long time ago leaving dead haulms & the new tatties.

[veggiechicken]

Could you have a trial dig where you expect there to be some spuds - to check that they're in good condition. I hope its not the case but they could have rotted or be slug damaged and you're worrying about saving something that isn't worth saving.
Having said that, I still wouldn't use weedkiller - not where I intended to grow something to eat.

[marchogaeth]

Could you cover the whole area with cardboard or black plastic? That would really weaken the grass. You must have a month before the spuds grow, surely. Then you could lift it up once a week and see if the spuds were growing. Once they were, you could take the covering off and pull the, much weakened, grass up from around the growing points and maybe even the rest of the bed or you could put the cover back on the areas you knew weren't spuds.