Hutton Period.......BLIGHTWATCH...!!!

[geepee]

Recieved a notification this morning from Blightwatch for Hutton period Today and Tomorrow in HG1 and NG16....
Thats Harrogate and Mansfield area...ish.
Anyone else had Notification....???.
Gp

[bario1]

Yep, I got one. My spuds are barely up!

[Baldy]

Hurrah !
About bleddy time...

[Bren In Pots]

Had notifications for full Hutton period yesterday and today

[Penellype]

I haven't had a notification but I checked the blightwatch site last night and noted that today was orange. Looking again just now tomorrow is showing as red, so I should get a notification.

Looking more closely at the data, I remember last year (I think) they changed the criteria form Smith periods to Hutton periods , the difference being that a Smith period required 11 hours of 90% humidity, the Hutton period only 6. This means that you get far more alerts now. However, today and tomorrow both exceed the 11hr Smith period trigger.

That doesn't mean you will get blight, it just means that the conditions are favourable, if the spores are around.

[1Bee]

Good grief, seriously? I can't actually remember the last time it rained up here... the ground is cracking.

My tatties are flowering, main crop and second earlies. I wonder if I might actually miss blight this year.

*full on 'famous last words' claxon sounds*

[treepixie]

Me too, got one today and yesterday

[Penellype]

Good grief, seriously? I can't actually remember the last time it rained up here... the ground is cracking.

My tatties are flowering, main crop and second earlies. I wonder if I might actually miss blight this year.

*full on 'famous last words' claxon sounds*

It doesn't actually have to rain, just be very humid. We've had a few spots of rain here today but nothing much, but there is a damp feel to the air, which is enough.

[1Bee]

Yes, sorry, I did realise that, but wasn't very clear. In haste, I was using 'hasn't rained' to mean 'dry as a desert'. Mind you, maybe the humidity is up now, it hasn't felt humid, but I haven't looked at the figures.

[geepee]

I haven't had a notification but I checked the blightwatch site last night and noted that today was orange. Looking again just now tomorrow is showing as red, so I should get a notification.

Looking more closely at the data, I remember last year (I think) they changed the criteria form Smith periods to Hutton periods , the difference being that a Smith period required 11 hours of 90% humidity, the Hutton period only 6. This means that you get far more alerts now. However, today and tomorrow both exceed the 11hr Smith period trigger.

That doesn't mean you will get blight, it just means that the conditions are favourable, if the spores are around.

Absolutely 'Spot On' description Pen',You just beat me to it ....grateful you saved me typing

[geepee]

It doesn't actually have to rain, just be very humid. We've had a few spots of rain here today but nothing much, but there is a damp feel to the air, which is enough.

CRIKEY....!! Twice in a row ....beat me again Lol.
Wonder woman.....

[seasprout]

I’ve had an alert for today. In LE3.

[veggiechicken]

Forecast Full Hutton Period tomorrow in CF14.

[SarrissUK]

What do you do to prevent it? Shut greenhouses, cover outdoor plants?

With having read this thread, i reckon we're at high risk here in Grimsby - we've been covered in mist for the last three days, so it's humid, very humid.

[Penellype]

There isn't a great deal you can do - I think the alerts are designed to warn farmers to spray their fields with fungicide. Some people spray with epsom salts or aspirin, but as the foliage needs to be wet for the spores to germinate it seems silly to me to spray them at this point. I think the most useful aspect of the alerts is to make you aware that there is a possibility of blight and therefore to keep an eye out for signs of it.

If your plants are in a greenhouse the risk is less, and you can help keep it low by watering the soil and carefully avoiding wetting the leaves. Covering outdoor plants may actually increase humidity.