The old blight chestnut

[brooklynodog]

I know its early, but has anyone experienced any blight yet?
According the Blight watch website the earleist Smith period last year in my post code area was 9/10 May, and given a period of 7/10 days for the disease to show, about 16th May for first possible evidence of blight infection. Now my friend in West Somerset is sure her and her neighbours have potato blight. I am no expert, and havent seen the plants, but she is an experienced gardener, but this would mean that if the disease is showing, infection must have occured at least a week ago, ie 25th ish of April. What do folk think? Could it be something else?

[SarzWix]

I know it's possible to mistake a lot of things for blight... Frost damage can look like blight sometimes. I think, even in Somerset, that they're unlikely to have had the required number of days at the right temperature this early in the year, even if the humidity was right.

[brooklynodog]

I thought so too, I am registered with blight watch and have had no alerts yet. She is a different post code to me and is nearer to Devon, so I will have to check her post code.

[SarzWix]

Tattieman's site sells a blight-testing kit? Might be worth the investment

[FionaH]

Ive got some yellowing leaves on mine, just putting it down to the frosty nights we had

[SarzWix]

I've just been having a look at the maps, and there is an unconfirmed report from Cornwall. Could be worth getting that testing kit.

http://www.jbaseedpotatoes.co.uk/new...ker--p144.html

[brooklynodog]

Thanks guys

[snohare]

It can happen anytime the weather is right for it - ie., warmth and humidity. The spores don't care what time of year it is, and it is quite likely that infected volunteer tatties are being dug up around now, which would give a source of infection. Also, where infected plants have been grown in ground which has previously been blighted, without being cleaned of debris, there may be crossbreeding going on with the different strains of spores, leading to hybrid varieties; they might concievably pop up under different conditions.
I wouldn't normally know this much, but a fellow allotmenteer swore blind to me today that there was a cure for blighted tattie plants (other than removal of foliage). I didn't believe him for a moment, but I thought I would be openminded and check so I have been online looking hard for this miracle, so far without success !