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Worm riddled poptatoes

• Message 1. 

  Posted by mickbrown (U14557357) on Monday, 10th October 2011

  Just taken our first crop of potatoes from the garden. Always grew in pot's before.
  Nice crop of different sizes BUT, most of them badly infested with snail's and riddled with blood red worms.
  
  Any tips appreciated, did we do some thing wrong and can we prevent this re-occuring next year ?
  
  MickB

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by farmerSteve (U2644680) on Monday, 10th October 2011

  it is rare for snails to infest pootatoes as they do not usually burrow
  I would think the damage was caused by slugs
  the worms I would guess are wireworm which only usually attack after you have converted grass to allotment
  they can be a real problem in the first three years for potatoes after grass then thye disappear
  

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by mickbrown (U14557357) on Monday, 10th October 2011

  Spot on and spot on, I meant to put slugs!, and yes, it was a lawn last year. can we do any preventative treatment ? Thanks MickB.

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by Engineer (U3135859) on Monday, 10th October 2011

  Spot on and spot on, I meant to put slugs!, and yes, it was a lawn last year. can we do any preventative treatment ? Thanks MickB.  You could try turning the soil over several times with a few days in between before planting - this will expose the wireworms to birds and other predators. Another idea is to use 'traps' made of pieces of potato which you partially bury in the area and leave for a few days. With luck, the wireworms will burrow into these and you can dispose of them in the dustbin (don't put them in your compost heap!)
  Finally, you could try nematodes, but these are expensive, not guaranteed to work and have to be watered on to the ground in the spring, when the soil is warm.

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by farmerSteve (U2644680) on Tuesday, 11th October 2011

  Wireworm damage tends to get worse in the second and third year so I would not be growing potatoes.
  The adult lays its eggs in grass and they take up to three years to mature in the soil.
  In the first year they tend to live off the rotting remains of the turf but after this they only have what you plant
  Apart from the suggestion put up by the OP I am afraid there is nothing available to the gardener today.
  Slugs only tend to be a problem on heavier soils in a wet time it is worth putting traps out for them, a slate left covering some pellets between the rows of potatoes
  if you get get any slugs show up, use pelletts scattered about the crop
  the slugs that do the damage are the grey keel slugs which only ever appear at night

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• Message 6

  , in reply to message 5.

  Posted by Tee Gee (U10012255) on Tuesday, 11th October 2011

  I agree with Steve!
  
  If you still want to grow potatoes buy / grow resistant varieties!

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• Message 7

  , in reply to message 6.

  Posted by mickbrown (U14557357) on Tuesday, 11th October 2011

  Thanks for all your advise guuys. 2 points.
  
  1 Our compost is riddled with wire worm, are we aiding the problem by adding the compost to the plot ?
  2 What is a 'resistant' type variety ?.
  
  Appreciate all your help Mick B.

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• Message 8

  , in reply to message 7.

  Posted by Tee Gee (U10012255) on Wednesday, 12th October 2011

  1 Our compost is riddled with wire worm, are we aiding the problem by adding the compost to the plot ? 
  
  You could spread your compost out thinly on a plastic sheet for a couple of days and allow birds to forage about in it.
  
  This should take care of quite a few of the pests.
  
  2 What is a 'resistant' type variety ?. 
  
  Most good quality catalogues/seed merchants offer some advice on what varieties are 'resistant' to what.
  
  For example you could look at the top ten varieties here and it will give you lots of information on the attributes of each variety.
  
  ?

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