potato grubs

[weed reaper]

Hi my Dad had lots of problems last year with this and most his spuds had the grub? can anyone offer advice to help stop it please.

[Snadger]

Hi my Dad had lots of problems last year with this and most his spuds had the grub? can anyone offer advice to help stop it please.

I would hazzard a guess the 'grub' will probably be wireworm or keel slugs. Wireworm is usually found on an area that has recently been grassland and will depreciate the more the soil is worked.

Keel slugs are the little blighters that live below ground and tunnel into the potato.

Early potatoes aren't usually affected too badly as they are in the ground for a shorter time.
Planting in pockets of well rotted manure, peat or coir can help or even use sand around seed spud as slugs don't like the courseness on their bodies.
Rotate crops and don't grow in land that has recently grown tatties.

A final solution could be to grow spuds in pots in sterilised loam if all else fails!

[Two_Sheds]

Yep, keel slugs

They live underground, you'll never see any

[weed reaper]

I would hazzard a guess the 'grub' will probably be wireworm or keel slugs. Wireworm is usually found on an area that has recently been grassland and will depreciate the more the soil is worked.

Keel slugs are the little blighters that live below ground and tunnel into the potato.

Early potatoes aren't usually affected too badly as they are in the ground for a shorter time.
Planting in pockets of well rotted manure, peat or coir can help or even use sand around seed spud as slugs don't like the courseness on their bodies.
Rotate crops and don't grow in land that has recently grown tatties.

A final solution could be to grow spuds in pots in sterilised loam if all else fails!

Keel slugs are the little blighters that live below ground and tunnel into the potato.

so by using sharpe sand around the spuds when planting may help is that right?

[Snadger]

Keel slugs are the little blighters that live below ground and tunnel into the potato.

so by using sharpe sand around the spuds when planting may help is that right?

Theoretically yes...........but no guarantees I'm afraid.

It would be interesting to find out if keel slugs were a problem to gardeners who garden on sandy soil?

My dear old dad was plagued with keel slugs all his life and never really conquered them! He even tried moth balls and watering rows with ***** Fluid to no avail!

From memory I think his main problem was the proximity of a weed infested patch close to where he was trying to grow the spuds.

I forgot mention that using nematodes to kill slugs is another possibility in my original reply.

For me I take the easy path and just grow earlies in areas I know I will have problems with keel slugs!

[Eyren]

I've heard people say that some red potatoes, including Desiree and Rooster, are less popular with slugs. Haven't grow any yet (got a couple of Rooster to try), so I can't corroborate that!

[moann]

Ihave grown rooster spuds this year, and they are full of holes "pesky little things"
I am almost giving up growing pots as this is now my 4th year and they have failed miserably every year.

moann