Wormy tubers!

[79dpw]

Hello,

I had a bad year with worms in my potatoes last year, and buying my seed tubers today has made me determined it doesn't happen again.

I think that I lost about two thirds of my crop to worms, so, the question is - is there a spray which can be applied at an appropriate time of maincrop growth which prevents this from happening?

Explanation of what I did last year - Chitted and then planted in April, and intermixed two varieties, one white, and one red, in the same bed (working on advice from a fellow allotmenteer that the devils go for the whites and leave the reds alone - no such luck!). Lifted the potatoes on the last week of August when they had died down slightly, sadly the week before was beset with a lot of rain (they came out to play then?). The planting site had a liberal amount of manure worked into it which had been purchased the previous October.

So, had I left them in too long? Was the manure to blame? Varieties of potato? Its funny, the year before I had really good success!

Any suggestions on a chemical I can apply for ease would be great.

thanks

[veggiechicken]

Hi and welcome!
When you say "worms", what sort do you mean?
Was it wireworms or even slugs?

[Guest]

If wireworms, what was in the ground previous to you planting spuds? If it was grass or a root crop then there is a build up and cultivating over time should remedy. Forking/ digging ground over in winter months will open it up to birds and weather. Also crop rotation will help. Sorry I can't help with a spray suggestion.

Welcome to the vine

[79dpw]

Thanks to you both. I think actually they are more likely to be slugs. when lifting the tubers, and cutting some open, inside were effectively 'mini-slugs'. I think wireworms look slightly different?

A different fellow allotmenteer sprays his, but he couldn't recall the name of what he sprays it with, but he said he had six weeks from spraying, to having to lift the tubers. I thought this was rather a short time, as he sprays them just as they come through.

The laziness in me is interested in spraying, but the good thing in the rotation of my beds is that the potato beds for this year are uncovered (covered the others to prevent weeds), so at least the birds etc can have what they find!!

I was gutted, because the yeild was massive, with really decent large tubers, but 2/3rds ruined! Many beyond use, and having to cut the others around well when peeling - hate waste!

Any further tips gratefully received!

[Guest]

You could brew your own nemotodes The war on slugs starts at home - Telegraph or use beer traps.

I am actually becoming pro-slug (ish). Yes I know - that can't be right, but not all slugs are destructive like many gardening sources will have you believe and there are plenty of birds and animals that will munch them.

[79dpw]

Thanks indeed for this - I'll take a look at the choices. Being a home Brewer, I resent using good beer on slugs! I suspect they aren't fussy though! I think possibly even spreading slug pellets periodically too will help.

Our allotments are quite full of wildlife, deer, foxes, hedgehogs, mice, and many species of birds, so there is plenty wanting a feast!

You could brew your own nemotodes The war on slugs starts at home - Telegraph or use beer traps.

I am actually becoming pro-slug (ish). Yes I know - that can't be right, but not all slugs are destructive like many gardening sources will have you believe and there are plenty of birds and animals that will munch them.

[Snadger]

Sounds like keel slugs. Some varieties are resistant.........one that i grow with some success is Kestrel but there are others too

Another solution is to grow earlies only as they aren't in the soil long enough to be attacked too badly.

[79dpw]

Thanks, I generally look out for resistant varieties, but I think limits choice on what I can grow, however, I grow an early and a main crop, so I have some for storage until after Xmas.

Mixing red and white variety in the past has worked well for me, but not this year just gone sadly! They usually head for the whites, and leave the Reds. Any whites that survive are a bonus.

Referring to the previous comment above, I think my allotment neighbour means 'nemaslug' which he sprays on his, which does the trick for him.

Sounds like keel slugs. Some varieties are resistant.........one that i grow with some success is Kestrel but there are others too

Another solution is to grow earlies only as they aren't in the soil long enough to be attacked too badly.

[Alison]

Nemoslug is good stuff but expensive. You basically mix it up and water in. It does last 6 week on the blurb but my understanding is that the nematodes can breed and last longer so long as the conditions are right. I find my slug population is kept reasonably under control by natural predators, I have a wildlife pond and loads of frogs and toads which do a sterling job.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Nematodes are effective and nature friendly except to slugs of course. Pellets are not effective with keeled slugs which live underground. I use nematodes. Expensive but worth it

[Ger-annie-um]

Don't know whether it will help you but an old (er) allotmenteer told me to put some slug pellets in beside the tuber when I planted my spuds. I tried it last year and had a pretty good crop - still some slug damage but not nearly as much as previous years. Good luck

[79dpw]

Slug pellets next to the tubers doesn't sound like a bad idea, but I think given the comments, Nemaslug, or making my own nematode brew is the solution here. That's right it is expensive, and totting this up against what a couple of 25kg bags of potatoes cost means it's perhaps a false economy, but buying bags of potatoes from a supermarket doesn't give the joy of growing, exercise, fresh air and the feeling when one lifts superb potatoes out of the soil!

[Aberdeenplotter]

or the same taste even

[Penellype]

Big fan of nemaslug here, although it won't get rid of all of the slugs. I find the slug problem is hugely reduced by growing potatoes in 30 litre buckets, although you do need to be able to water them more than if they were in the ground.

[Martin H]

The slugs definitely prefer some varieties to others. I find that Charlotte are mostly untouched, even the ones I leave in the ground until the end of the season. Cara, however, are quite badly affected; over 50% of tubers have at least one slug hole.

Of course slugs in different areas / soils may have different tastes. I suggest you keep experimenting with different varieties until you find one that works for you.