Potato plants laying over - Advice?

6 years ago

Greetings everyone.
So, I planted some German Butterball seed potatoes on May 26th... they have been doing really great. Got a good amount of strong foliage on the tops, no holes or discolored leaves, etc. I have about 3-4 chitted and cut up seed potatoes in each of the four 10 gallon grow bags that I'm using. I put in some bone meal when I first planted the seeds in, and last week I sprayed the leaves with some Neem oil as a bit of preventative pest control. I Planted the seeds, and added soil over the foliage as it grew up- repeated that, then added a layer of wood chips/mulch on top of the soil around the stalks when the soil eventually reached the top of the grow bag.
Everything seemed to be going really well.
The other day I discovered the foliage on one of the plants has fallen over and is laying down.
We didn't have a lot of wind or rain that day and the stalks and leaves don't seem to be very discolored or show any rot. (that I can see) Today- we DID get some rain, and now ALL of the greens on my potato plants are laying down. The grow bags are off the ground, and don't sit in water. The stalks are about 15-20 inches tall and don't seem leggy at all... Since this is my first year growing potatoes- I've exhausted both my personal knowledge of this and my internet research, which eventually brought me here.
I appreciate any help or advice. Thanks in advance.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

outpaientzero
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Normal for indeterminate potato plants and nothing to worry about. I grow potatoes every year with between 350 and 400 in the ground right now, and last night with the rain they are started to fall as usual. I use two varieties which are both indeterminate, Red Pontiac and Russet Burbank.

Early potatoes are determinate faster growing plants which stop growing after they flower and are ready to harvest after 70 to 90 days.

Most mid season and late potatoes are slower growing indeterminate plants and will keep growing until they are almost ready to harvest, between 80 and 120 days.

List of the most popular determinate and indeterminate plants, Your german butterball seems to be on both lists but rbrt said it's a intermediate late potato.

Copied from "Garden dreams - the ultimate list of determinate and indeterminate Potatoes") https://www.gardeningdream.com/the-ultimate-list-of-determinate-and-indeterminate-potatoes/

Determinate.
- Strawberry Paw Potatoes
- Green Mountain Potatoes
- Canela Russet Potatoes
- Bintje Potatoes
- Red Pontiac Potatoes
- Maris Piper Potatoes
- Lehigh Potatoes
- German Butterball Potatoes
- Red Maria Potatoes
- Butte Potatoes
- Elba Potatoes
- Red Cloud Potatoes
- Katahdin Potatoes
- Desiree Potatoe
Indeterminate.
- Russet Burbank
- Ranger Russet
- Alturas
- Century Russet
- Russet Nugget
- German Butterball
- Strawberry Paw
- Green Mountain
- Canela Russet
- Bintje
- Red Pontiac
- Maris Piper
- Lehigh
- German Butterball
- Red Maria
- Butte
- Elba
- Red Cloud
- Katahdin
- Desiree
My potatoes Jun 25th. they are tall but the angle doesn't show it.

Tonight after the 2 plus inches of rain we had last night.
Ben Sanderson thanked outpaientzero
robert567
6 years ago
Kevin, your list seems confused. German Butterball would be considered a "late" or indeterminate.

It is normal for potato plants to start looking crappy in the heat. I'm always disappointed when my lush looking plants in my grow bags start leaning over, but they always do. Keep them watered on hot dry days.

Ben, you should also probably start them earlier. I start my grow bags in April in Ohio. Potatoes grow in cooler weather. If I have a late frost I just move the bags under cover.
Ben Sanderson thanked robert567
Related Professionals
Muskogee Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · McAllen Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Fort Wayne Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Manchester Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Cape Coral Landscape Contractors · Concord Landscape Contractors · Green Bay Landscape Contractors · Aberdeen Accessory Dwelling Units · Concord Accessory Dwelling Units · Oklahoma City Accessory Dwelling Units · Newburyport Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Syracuse Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · New York City Landscape Contractors · Champaign Home Builders · La Grande Home Builders
outpaientzero
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
rbrt, German Butterball appears to be under both from the list I ripped off from the web site I posted a link to.
Ben Sanderson
Original Author
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Thanks for the help and advice, guys. It's very much appreciated. I'm glad to hear that they still should be okay.

I agree, rbrt... they should have been started earlier. But things got crazy in the world with Covid, etc... and I totally lost track of my garden schedule.