It’s all happening in the patch here this week….. mites, whitefly, virus, herbicide damage and sunburn (from last weeks unexpected 37 degree day and me forgetting to move a seedling pot out of the sun…..oops). I thought this was a great opportunity to show some photos for comparison of the damage caused by each of these, as I get a lot of questions about virus vs pest damage….hopefully these help.
We have planted 240 tubers this season, almost all of which are happily growing, with a few odd ones still spouting. Managing pests & disease is a normal part of the growing season. Two plants went to bin heaven this week due to virus, both of which were new tubers brought in this year, so I don’t risk spreading it to the rest of the patch. I’ve also had a little bit of mite damage and an influx of whitefly, photos attached as a comparison of how these pests can impact the plant. Management has been a little impacted this week with 80mm of rain so far, and a another 20 – 60mm expected over the coming days meaning my usual spraying regime is a bit tricky. The photo displaying herbicide damage if from a single pot I filled at the last minute with store bought pre-mix, vs the rest of my soil which I have prepared over winter and is showing nil herbicide impact.
A note for new growers…. pests and virus can be scary, especially when it sometimes feels like they are specifically targeting our most beloved varieties…….but losing a few plants here and there is normal, sometimes it just can’t be helped. Don’t feel defeated, use it as a learning experience and remember…there is aways next year….. HAPPY GROWING EVERYONE.
