How long do you have to wait to plant after you cut a seed potato?
What is the minimum amount of time?
What is the maximum?
I was going to cut them today...can I plant them today? But I don't know when I will have time after today again.
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rainbowgardener
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That's a really good question and I have seen a million different answers, from people that swear they just cut them and plant them and it works out ok, to let it heal overnight, Clemson.edu often an authoritative site for gardening issues says 3-5 days, U Nebraska- Lincoln says a couple days, NDSU says 10 days, bettervegetablegardening.com says 10 - 14 days. You pays yer penny and you takes yer choice.
Personally I have always let mine callus for a couple days. If you must plant immediately, I would dip the cut side in hydrogen peroxide, which would help keep pests and fungal diseases away.
Personally I have always let mine callus for a couple days. If you must plant immediately, I would dip the cut side in hydrogen peroxide, which would help keep pests and fungal diseases away.
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jal_ut
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Beats me. I know if let to be open to the air, they will callous over and perhaps be more resistant to the microbes, however, that said, forever I have just cut them and plant them. Take some spuds from the storage pit for seed. Works for me. Sometimes when there is organic matter from the kitchen to go out, I just toss it out on the garden. Did you know potato peelings may grow too? Hey if you want to eat the spuds just cut the eyes out deep enough to get the whole eye and go plant it and eat the spuds.
There is something to be said for certified seed if your potatoes have had disease. Plant certified seed in a spot where you have not had potatoes and it helps with avoiding disease.
There is something to be said for certified seed if your potatoes have had disease. Plant certified seed in a spot where you have not had potatoes and it helps with avoiding disease.
First time I planted (a couple years ago) I waited 2-3 days. Last year I cut, dipped in cinnamon then planted later that day. This year, after reading the Ohio State University Extension's instructions, I planted them immediately and put nothing on them. So far so good - about a foot tall, healthy and ready for their first hilling.
I would say go with whatever makes you comfortable.
I would say go with whatever makes you comfortable.
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Gary350
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My grandfather use to cut his potatoes then leave them lay on a table under a shade trees for about 2 days. He would look and feel the cut places when they scabbed over to suit him then he planted them. That was Fairfield Illinois not extremely humid or rainy there.
When I lived in Tennessee I did the same thing and 20% of my potatoes would rot in the ground. I learned to leave the cut potatoes to dry for 4 days they seems to do better. I learned to watch the weather report before planting my potatoes 5 days of rain was very bad for the potato crop 50% would rot in the ground. Later I learned not to plant potatoes until last week of June when the rainy season was over.
Now I live in Arizona soil is very dry and it only rains about 3 times a year. I cut my potatoes let them dry 1 day then plant them. So far so good.
I think rain, humidity, temperature, and planting at the correct time is important for good potatoes. I was in Idaho last summer where they grow potatoes, I was surprised to learn Idaho is desert, sandy soil, and they have what they call their rainy season that is basically 2 weeks of rain in the spring then very little rain all summer until fall. What the people in Idaho call not much rain means, summer thunder storms 10 minutes of rain about once a week.
When I lived in Tennessee I did the same thing and 20% of my potatoes would rot in the ground. I learned to leave the cut potatoes to dry for 4 days they seems to do better. I learned to watch the weather report before planting my potatoes 5 days of rain was very bad for the potato crop 50% would rot in the ground. Later I learned not to plant potatoes until last week of June when the rainy season was over.
Now I live in Arizona soil is very dry and it only rains about 3 times a year. I cut my potatoes let them dry 1 day then plant them. So far so good.
I think rain, humidity, temperature, and planting at the correct time is important for good potatoes. I was in Idaho last summer where they grow potatoes, I was surprised to learn Idaho is desert, sandy soil, and they have what they call their rainy season that is basically 2 weeks of rain in the spring then very little rain all summer until fall. What the people in Idaho call not much rain means, summer thunder storms 10 minutes of rain about once a week.