Hi,
This forum was recommended to me as being very knowlegdable.
Just wondering what other vegtables or plants does potato blight effect, I'm aware that it can effect tomatoes?
How long can the spores survive in the soil?
I have a load of compost from my container spuds, not sure what do with it.
The genral consensus so far is to keep it away from a veggie plot, but should I keep it away from the garden in general
Cheers
-
opabinia51
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 4659
- Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:58 pm
- Location: Victoria, BC
Hi Gasdoctor,
I was given a heads up that you might be joining us. Welcome to the forum.
Potatoe blight is the fungus Phytophthera infestans and I've not heard about it affecting other plants.
Spores can survive in soils for very long periods of time. (In some cases thousands of years). There are potatoes that are resistant to blight from Phythphera. I believe was the all red variety. (I think that I might have told NEWT to tell you that it was the all blue variety but, in retrospect, I'm pretty sure that it was all red)
However, certain nematodes can wreak havoc on potatoe and other crops as well. There is a quarentine in an area near my home on the soil because of the nematodes.
You could hot compost the compost, the high temperatures reached should denature the proteins contained in the spores. However, some spores can resist temperatures up to a thousand degrees.
If you don't hot compost the compost I would definately burn the compost and then deposit it in a hole somewhere in the backyard that is out of the way.
I was given a heads up that you might be joining us. Welcome to the forum.
Potatoe blight is the fungus Phytophthera infestans and I've not heard about it affecting other plants.
Spores can survive in soils for very long periods of time. (In some cases thousands of years). There are potatoes that are resistant to blight from Phythphera. I believe was the all red variety. (I think that I might have told NEWT to tell you that it was the all blue variety but, in retrospect, I'm pretty sure that it was all red)
However, certain nematodes can wreak havoc on potatoe and other crops as well. There is a quarentine in an area near my home on the soil because of the nematodes.
You could hot compost the compost, the high temperatures reached should denature the proteins contained in the spores. However, some spores can resist temperatures up to a thousand degrees.
If you don't hot compost the compost I would definately burn the compost and then deposit it in a hole somewhere in the backyard that is out of the way.