Tater Question

[asprince]

I plant potatoes (red) in my garden every year but this year I got different results. The plants looked healthy, bloomed, and matured but when It came time to dig, most plants had no potatoes on them. None. I usually get buckets full. The only thing different was that I planted them about two weeks later due to the excessive spring rain. Any ideas what may have happened?


Steve 

[G3farms]

sounds like the fertilizer you used was too high in nitrogen, it causes all plant growth and no roots.

G3

[Brian D. Bray]

sounds like the fertilizer you used was too high in nitrogen, it causes all plant growth and no roots.

G3

Potatoes, like peanuts and other legumes (clover, trefoil, vetch) put nitrogen into the soil.  If you use a high nitrogen fertilizer on such plants they will not develop the root nodes (potatoes, peanuts, etc) that the plant uses to put the nitrogen into the soil.

[asprince]

Should I not use fertilizer when I plant potatoes?

Steve

[G3farms]

use something like a 6-12-12, or even lower nitrogen. A soil test will tell just exactly what you need, spuds need a certain ph also (can't remember exactly what)

G3

[Little John_NC]

Steve
I been trying to figure this out .  I planted 4 rows of red taters . I planted the first two rows earlier than the last two rows by 3 weeks and like you it was due to a lot of rain. The first two row made buckets of taters and the last two rows made vines. The last two rows I dug 4 weeks after I dug the first two rows. I got 15 golf ball size taters from the last two rows.  Got 4 -5 gal bucket of taters off the first two rows.  All four rows planted side by side.........go figure.......John