Soft potatoes

[imthedude]

Dug up a couple of potato plants from two different varieties a couple of nights ago. Decent amount of spuds from both varieties, but I noticed that the potatoes are a bit soft while still in the ground. What could cause this? Being dry? I've not been watering them for about 10 days to 2 weeks to encourage the plants to die back (they were still thriving after 5 months in the ground), and we haven't had any rain in 6 weeks; hence, the ground is fairly dry.

I'm guessing this will probably shorten storage life. Safe assumption? Any chance that they might harden up during curing? For what it's worth, the two varieties are German Butterball and Yellow Finn.

[Paquebot]

Soft potatoes do not sound right. What do they look like inside when compared to a solid tuber? In storage, they'll go soft from dehydrating but should be firm through all phases of growth. I would not think that they would have begun to lose rigidity this early, especially while still in the ground. We're probably drier here and I tilled up some Yukon Golds last night which were missed from early July digging. Soil is bone-dry but the tubers were solid.

Martin

[praieri winds]

sounds like they need to be watered IMO

[geo in mi]

Can't be too definite, but from what you have mentioned, there are two possibilities that will cause tubers to get spongy from within the hill and soil. You might want to take a look at pink rot. By cutting through a section of the tuber, the flesh will turn pink within a few minutes. The tuber can be soft on the inside but not show too much symptoms in the early stages.Potato Pink Rot, Pythium Leak and Seed-Piece Decay, HYG-3104-95

Another possibility is ring rot...... Again you can cut the tuber and squeeze; the vascular ring around the outside will exude a cheesey liquid. Ring rot can come from infected tools, or volunteer plants, but the usual source is inside infected seed tubers that have survived through storage, and then spread to other good tubers from your cutting knife as you cut up seed pieces. Again, no noticable symptoms on the outside in the early stages except a few infected plants may turn yellowish on the bottom leaves and wither...... http://www.umaine.edu/umext/potatopr...Ring%20Rot.pdf

You can read and study this info from some of the experts to see, first, if indeed you may have one of these conditions, then you can take any necessary action. Not trying to throw a wet blanket here, just making "guesses" from what you have described.

Hope this will help.

geo