No Flowers
 

Out of 80' of potatoes planted (40' Red LaSoda and 40' Kennebec) - only two flowers. I'm thinking this is due to the almost every day heavy rains in May. (30+ inches of rain here in May.) The soil is well organically adjusted sandy loam on the top of a hill that drains beyond well. If there was ever a water puddle in this garden - I would have already built a really large boat with two of each animals on board.

We plant in Early February and always have lots of flowers in late April and early May. Flowers on the Red LaSoda have always meant that small new potatoes were ready to be harvested. Missed that this year.

Tomorrow or this weekend, is time to dig up our potatoes because the plants are showing all the signs of being ready. The plants are looking miserable like they always do by mid June. Yesterday (Wednesday), we got three-and-six-tenths inches of rain. I have no idea what to expect this year, but I'm guessing that since there was no flowering - might mean a poor crop?

Over the previous 4 years, we got very good returns, but they always flowered. Not this year. I'll take pictures even if there is nothing.

I thought I had potato growing...understood - not quite "down pat" but this year...

I think its all the excess rain too, Salt. I hope you find a good crop when you dig. Keep us informed.We got 2" Wednesday here. It rained heavy Thursday, have to check the rain gauge when I get up. Good luck to ya!

Are you plannng on saving potato seeds from the fruits?
I'm not familiar with those varieties, but over here there are some newer potato cultivars that don't even put out flowers - the old fashioned ones always had lovely blossoms.

NarnianGarden,

I'm not sure about Kennebec. This is my first time growing them. What I have read about them is that they are used to make potato chips and frozen French fries.

Red LaSoda (also called Red La Soda) This link is informative [URL]http://potatoassociation.org/industry/varieties/red-rounds-potato-varieties/red-la-soda-solanum-tuberosum[/URL]
Every potato gardener I know around where we live in Texas grows them.

They are perennial - if you leave a potato in ground - there will be a new plant next year. They store well for months. We plant from cuttings. The cuttings do not have to have eyes on them to produce a plant and potatoes. I have never saved potato seeds because of the ease of planting cuttings.

Yes, here it is also the most usual method of planting - from seed tubers. Only in recent years (Thanks, Tomatoville et al!) have I begun to learn about the benefits of true potato seeds. I might get some for my mom as a Christmas present - she, as most Finns of older generations, loves potatoes and would eat them every day ... (Low carb dieting never has a chance with her, not that she needs to lose any weight with the active lifestyle and gardening!)

Our varieties this year: Van Gogh (an oldie goldie) [url]http://www.europotato.org/display_description.php?variety_name=VAN%20GOGH[/url]
and Annabelle (a newer variety, popular for its earliness) : [url]http://annabellepotatoes.com/[/url]

Some potato varieties frequently flower, others flower infrequently, some not at all. It is very variety dependent, and many are very picky with the conditions they want before they flower. Heat/cold, drought/water, amount of sunlight, short/long daylength, shade, etc. Lots of factors involved.

I have grown Kennebec, but not Red Lasoda. Kennebec flowers infrequently for me, and sets occasional berries. I have not grown out the true seed from Kennebec. I seem to recall that they flower more frequently later in the summer.

Nathan, I know you're right. I am growing potatoes in an area of the garden that gets more shade than the other areas I have planted them before. May produced rain 21 days. One week had four days of 2.5+ inch rains. I think that is why the potatoes did not flower as usual.

For the first year we do not have many potatoes blooming either. Same here- rain. Not sure if that is the issue. Planted May 1 I usually get first dug end of July. Planted Red Norland and some fingerlings. Plants look great though. Not sure what to think or what we get.

Linda and everyone,

We dug up 14 plants today and got more potatoes than I expected. The Red LaSoda are a lot like Red Norland and Pontiac. Thin skinned red potatoes that are very good for boiling/soups/etc. They produced normally. Our Kennebec potatoes are small, but the plants are dying off - so it's time to dig them up. We have 70 more feet of potatoes still to dig up. I'll take pictures after they are all out of the ground.

Linda, I think your Red Norlands will make you a nice sized crop. Even with all the rain.

[QUOTE=AlittleSalt;482570]Linda and everyone,

We dug up 14 plants today and got more potatoes than I expected. The Red LaSoda are a lot like Red Norland and Pontiac. Thin skinned red potatoes that are very good for boiling/soups/etc. They produced normally. Our Kennebec potatoes are small, but the plants are dying off - so it's time to dig them up. We have 70 more feet of potatoes still to dig up. I'll take pictures after they are all out of the ground.

Linda, I think your Red Norlands will make you a nice sized crop. Even with all the rain.[/QUOTE]


Good to hear that Salt. I was hoping that you made a good crop and the rain didn't mess you up.:)

Thanks for letting us know. I was hoping you say that!

If you are looking for varieties that flower more frequently, I would advise steering clear of commercial varieties, and either growing potatoes from true seed (TPS) yourself, or trying varieties from hobby breeders.

There are two factors that lead the majority of commercial varieties to not flower. One is virus buildup - this may result in affecting the plants, preventing flowers.

The second is a genetic bottleneck having to do with the "T" cytoplasm. Nearly all commercial potatoes are the result of inbreeding for the past 150+ years, predominantly from one potato. This document is one that Tom Wagner has referred to.

[URL]http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/vc221/potato/potsum1rd.html[/URL]

The image below is one attempt at describing the history of potato cultivation and relationship between different wild and domesticated species.

[IMG]http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/vc221/potato/cpDNApot.JPG[/IMG]