Desiree or Charlotte? And are they normal??

[bario1]

Hi All,

I planted Desiree and Charlotte spuds, but forgot which ones I planted where... can anyone identify these?

Also, they don't look like any potatoes I've ever grown before, they're really.... i don't know, ugly? All other spuds I've grown have lovely robust green foliage from the outset, these look kind of prehistoric, and they're taking ages to get going... do they look ok?

[Scarlet]

No, they don't look right. Have they got frosted? The photo isn't brilliant - can you put a couple more up?

[bario1]

I'll put some more up when I can. Pretty sure they never got frosted, as they are planted in the same spot as the others which look totally normal. I think they are the Desiree, and they all look like this, totally different from the others 50/50. Diseased seed? They were from a very reputable company.

[rustylady]

New compost, or re-used?

[Nicos]

More piccies would be good please.

[bario1]

They are in a mix of re-used commercial compost, my own compost, new commercial compost, well rotted manure, and potato fertiliser pellets, in bags and barrels. Again, the same mix was used for whatever the other variety is (pretty sure they are the Charlottes), and they are thriving.

[marchogaeth]

Something majorly wrong, sorry. Are those funny lumpy things flowers stalks or leaves?

[bario1]

They are the growing tips... but they are all curled in on themselves like claws. I knew they looked all wrong as soon as they broke the surface, they were like bald white nodules rather than the usual green hairy, leafy shoots. I''m tempted to contact the seed company, but they'll at best refund me my £5 or whatever it was. If these fail, I'll have no maincrop potatoes for storing over winter! Grrr...

[sparrow100]

They really don't look right. Personally i'd whip them out and bin them in case they have something that might spread. If they haven't been frosted, then it's either something in the soil (though your others are unaffected you say) or in the seed spud.

I'd contact the seed company for a refund - perhaps you can get some good winter brassicas out of them as a swap in kind?

[Snow]

Not right. Suggest contact company and ask what it is.

[bario1]

I'd contact the seed company for a refund - perhaps you can get some good winter brassicas out of them as a swap in kind?

They are a dedicated seed potato company, they won't have anything else to offer me... unless it's more maincrop seed potatoes, but surely it's too late to start more off now?

[sparrow100]

i guess you could start more now, but it depends on how lucky you feel about blight...or you could save the refund till next year.

Sorry about that though, I'd be really disappointed too.

[bario1]

Has anyone seen ANYTHING like this before? I'm seriously worried now. Would they do this if the shoots got frosted just before they broke the surface? I'm pretty sure they didn't. Wouldn't they recover eventually though?

[sparrow100]

I haven't. My friend's frosted spuds a couple of years ago didn't look like that either.

[Martin H]

I've never seen potatoes do this before. The distorted growth puts me in mind of weedkiller damage, as if you've been feeding them with glyphosate, which I'm sure you haven't. Like others, I'd send a picture to the supplier and ask what they think has happened. I don't think these particular ones are going to recover though.