Re: Presprouting Potatoes
- To: v*@eskimo.com
- Subject: Re: Presprouting Potatoes
- From: S* G* <s*@dial.pipex.com>
- Date: Thu, 03 Dec 1998 22:08:39 +0000
- Resent-Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 14:38:37 -0800
- Resent-From: veggie-list@eskimo.com
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Olin wrote:-
>I am trying to presprout potatoes in preparation for planting by placing
>them eyes-up in a tray in "bright" shade during daylight hours at 70 deg. F
>as recommended in Ronniger's 1998 catalog. I kept them in the refrigerator
>for 6 weeks prior to placing them in the tray. The brown skinned potatoes
>are greening up and have very small sprouts but the redskins look just like
>they did a month ago. We usually plant in January or February and if we have
>a cool, wet spring (as with the 1998 El Nino rains) the seed potatoes often
>rot in the ground which is why I decided to try presprouting. Does anybody
>have any experience or advice on how I can force the redskins to break their
>dormancy?
Hi Olin
I think we need more information.
You don't say if the potatoes you are using are "seed" potatoes or just
store bought.
What potato varieties are you trying to grow? Are they earlies, second
earlies, main crop?
Also if you are using store bought potatoes and just trying to get some to
sprout you may be out of luck as they are often sprayed with a chemical to
inhibit sprouting in order to lengthen shelf life.
If they are proper "seed" potatoes the reason may quite simply be that the
red skin potatoes are a late maincrop type which start later and therefore
won't sprout at the same time as the brown skins.
Not all potatoes are the same.
One of the varieties I grow called Pink Fir Apple is very late to start
sprouting. But it gets there in the end.
But it is a late main crop and doesn't finish growing until mid September.
On the other hand first early potatoes such as Home Guard are begining to
sprout in store already, but they are ready to dig by late June or early July.
Regards
Stephen
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Stephen Griffiths
Fernwood Crescent
London, N20 0RN.
UK
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e-mail:-stephen.griffiths@dial.pipex.com
URL:- http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/stephen.griffiths
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