Everybody knows that potatoes are propagated with "seed potatoes". However, seed potatoes are not actually seeds and yet the potato plant does actually produce seed. That is why potato plants grow flowers.
If you left your potato plants in the ground long enough then the flowers would give way to seeds. However, we grow potato plants for their tasty tubers, which can also be used to grow next years potato plants.
Every year, when I crop my potatoes, I keep an eye out for suitable seed potatoes. Usually, potatoes that are smaller than the the size of an egg are kept to one side. These potatoes are stored in a cool dark place, just like the potatoes that will be eaten. Unlike the potatoes that will be eaten, these small potatoes are kept and chitted in December for planting during the following year.
So what of the flowers, the potato plants produce? Well, they are a waste of energy for the potato plant. It is far better to redirect that energy to tuber production. Whenever I see a flower bud on a potato plant, I nip it off.
Nipping potatoes in the bud
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9 comments:
Was does chitted mean? We planted our potatoes in February so we have already dug them up and do have some small one like you mentioned. I would love to "chit" them if possible and use next winter to plant...
Chitting is when you leave seed potatoes on a window sill to develop green shoots.
For now, put the seeds somewhere cold and dark. The fridge is fine.
In December leave them on a tray or on an old egg box on a sunny window sill.
This will give the potatoes a head start afore you plant them.
Lovely flowers on those taters. I am always on the lookout for sprouts on sweet potatoes as I love the tender young leaves. Sweet potatoes make beautiful houseplants, too, but as I've only grown ones from the market, I've never had one bloom. That may also be because we eat them up every year before we go on vacation.
I've never grown sweet potatoes. Must give it a try sometime.
Very interesting, I've never actually seen a potato's flower until now.
I've been growing potatoes for a long time but never thought to nip the flowers but yet it work well on other plants to redirect energy. Thanks for the idea I will give it a try.
We used to start digging them as soon as they flowered. I daresay they would have grown more if left, but there's nothing better than new potatoes.
What I do is dig around the roots with my hands and pull out the size of potato I require.
In that way I let the plant live on and grow more and bigger potatoes.
I will nip off my potato flowers now..Thankyou!
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