Why potatoes are small, or too few
Why potato plants set few tubers or produce small, uneven tubers, and the stages when growers can prevent it.
The number of potato tubers is decided at tuber initiation, around six to eight weeks after planting; their size is decided during bulking. Stress at either stage, from water, heat, weak roots or nutrient shortage, means fewer or smaller potatoes.
Fewer tubers
- Stress at tuber initiation.
- Poor or old seed tubers.
- Weak root systems in hard or salty soil.
Small tubers
- Dry spells or heat during bulking.
- Too many tubers on a weak plant.
- Shortage of potash and other nutrients late in the crop.
- Early leaf loss from blight or other disease.
What growers can do
- Use healthy seed of the right size.
- Test soil before planting and correct problems.
- Keep water steady at tuber initiation and bulking.
- Protect leaves; they feed the tubers.
See the full potato guide and Immunity Potato Special.
Written by Gafar Laiya, founder of Gujarat Bio Organics, working with farmers since 2006. Results differ from farm to farm with soil, weather, crop and management. Farmer experiences on this site are their own reports, not a promise of results.
Questions
Does more urea give bigger potatoes?
Too much nitrogen gives a big leafy plant and can delay tubers. Balanced nutrition works better than more of one fertilizer.
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