Stunted Charlottes...

Please can anyone tell me why my Charlottes are stunted? the International Kidneys are fine but the Charlotte plants are small and take note of the leaves...it's not the dreaded 'B' is it?
I jumped the gun and was thinking it may be a magnesium deficiency so have given a dose of Epsom salts but now I'm talking myself into something worse

 

Hi Loli

That looks like "flea beetle damage" have a look for little orange eggs in a cluster

 

Blight would give you black stems, might what you have be Chocolate Spot? Unlikely you would have caught Blight yet ... hot & wet weather from now on would be a concern though ... are you signed up to Blight Watch? that will send you an email when there is a Full Smiths Period in your area (so that you can have sleepless nights about it!! or spray with something prophylactic)

 

I got the same problem after leaving a few little potatoes in last years grow pots. They came up quite weak looking and same leaf condition as the pic. They are still going but have not seen fertiliser all year. I thought the soil was spent. Was going to bang some fbb and minerals in there and aee what happened.

 

Has that been substituted by the naughty word filter?

 

I signed up to blight watch last night...

Today I spotted this on my International Kidneys...there wasn't a blemish on them yesterday,I'm becoming obsessed now...I've maybe been lucky but never had any problems like this before on my potatoes,I aint happy

 

Could be Kidney failure.

 

A couple of years ago those alerts had me out spraying all the flipping time [1] (and it didn't make any difference as those I didn't spray didn't get blight) and then, after weeks of no alerts whatsoever, everything got blighted.

[1] And they wait until it's pouring with rain for the next 24 hrs before advising you via email at 9:00 pm to immediately go out and spray all your spuds & toms!

 

Do you think I should get my 'prophylactic' spay out just incase?

 

Come again?

 

oooeeeer Loli. You still got those CCTV cameras around the place? Turn 'em off first....
Jenny

 

Well the Epsom salts didn't work then...I'd say it was curtains for my Charlottes,but why...
OK it's only a small patch but it was dug and better dug,plenty of manure added in the Autumn,the tubers were nice and firm,I just don't know what's happened..no potatoes have been grown on the same patch for three years either..I dug up 2 plants for what it's worth...although it's disappointing not to get a decent crop it's the fact of all the hard work I put into preparing the bed that's soul destroying...

 

Looks like they got a virus Loli

I've got leaf roll virus on my Manx Marvels Spread by Aphids

 

Don't suppose they have been in the ground long enough that they are naturally dying down now? (Charlotte being a second-early, and all that ...)