Chitting or Sprouting Potatoes

Without chitting some tubers may fail to grow, causing gaps in the rows, others may send up as many as seven or eight stems which, being overcrowded become tall and spindly. This weakened growth will yield only a poor crop of tubers, most of them small.

Although most potatoes are grown commercially relatively cheaply they are still a worthwhile crop for amateur gardeners.

Potatoes are grown from tubers known as "seed potatoes" and to avoid virus disease problems should be grown from certified stock. To produce certified seed potatoes growers have to inform the Ministry of Agriculture of their intention to do so as the crops must be inspected at intervals during their growth.

A certificate will only be issued for seed potatoes produced from healthy crops.

Seed potatoes cost much more to produce than other potatoes and, inevitably, therefore, the extra cost is passed on to the purchaser. Chitting, or sprouting prior to planting, is not only an aid to producing early crops but is also an economical way of increasing the stock available for planting.

Seed tubers may be planted without chitting-and many amateurs do just that. Without chitting some tubers may fail to grow, causing gaps in the rows, others may send up as many as seven or eight stems which, being overcrowded become tall and spindly. This weakened growth will yield only a poor crop of tubers, most of them small.

Chitting of seed tubers is one of the vital factors in successful potato cultivation. As potatoes are half hardy in Britain, to have good sturdy sprouts before planting will get the crop off to an excellent start. Early cultivars will mature up to two weeks earlier from properly chitted seed than from unchitted seed.

Over the years a great deal has been spoken and written about the chitting of potatoes - and much of the advice is so brief that it is of little value. One example is that you should rub out all but two or three sprouts, but with no reference as to which should remain. To allow all a potato's eyes to sprout and then rub some out at planting time is a sheer waste of the tuber's reserves, reserves that could be better utilised producing improved, selected sprouts. It also creates the problem of regrowth of shoots which will be immature at harvest time producing only small, marble sized tubers. Any of these small tubers which are overlooked and left in the soil will become a nuisance, growing among other crops, in the following year.

Some writers recommend leaving two or three crown (rose end) shoots, but these will yield many small, useless tubers.

Having cultivated potatoes successfully as a hobby for nearly forty years I feel that chitting should, within reason, be done as much as pruning of bushes and trees, the stopping, thinning and disbudding of plants: So as to select and control growth and so produce better crops.

Order your seed potatoes early and aim to get them in shallow trays by mid February. Tomato trays with four corner posts are ideal as, when stacked, they will allow air and light to the tubers.

should see more eyes at the crown - often there are three or four, sometimes five, in a cluster. On some tubers, particularly the roundish shaped types, they may be placed off centre. If these are allowed to grow they will produce mainly small tubers. Using a potato peeler or a small pointed knife remove all the eyes in the cluster by scooping approximately one eighth of an inch (3mm) deep, which should eliminate any regrowth. Without the crown cluster eyes the tuber's food reserves will be directed to shoulder and side eyes. Set treated tubers, crown up, on egg trays, thus allowing space for the sprouts to develop. They do not require high temperatures, but should be kept in full tight and free from extreme cold or frost.

Allow seven to ten days for the wounds caused by removing the crown eyes to heal, then spray on alternate days with a weak solution of Maxicrop-two teaspoons to five litres (1 gallon). This will encourage sturdy sprouts, dark blue or green, or deep pink or red, depending upon the cultivar, by planting time.

Reject all tubers showing the slightest sign of disease. Cutting out the diseased part, such as dry rot or gangrene, is no answer because if it is planted the diseased tubers will infect the soil,

For various reasons, such as sprays used to deter early sprouting or storage at extreme low temperatures, some tubers will remain dormant producing no sprouts. Any tubers failing to sprout in the trays should be rejected as they will not grow if planted.

Growing in south west Essex, I plant in the last week of March or the first week of April, weather permitting. There is nothing to be gained by unprotected earlier planting in cold soil, If weather or soil conditions are unsuitable and planting must be delayed the tubers should suffer no harm from some extra days in the trays. In fact for the past fifteen years sprouted tubers have been kept in excellent . condition for planting following the harvest of Japanese onions at the end of June.

Early cultivars mature for lifting as required in ten to twelve weeks. With this short growing period and closer spacing of plants, two sprouts per tuber, or part tuber, is ideal. With late cultivars, requiring up to twenty or twenty four weeks depending upon the cultivar, and with almost 50% extra space for planting it is best to have three or four sprouts.

With the continual increase in the price of seed potatoes it is well worth while to cut sprouted tubers as seed costs can be almost halved. Three kilos of sturdily sprouted tubers, when cut, should give a yield equivalent to that of approximately five and a half kilos of uncut tubers.

Site Map | Home | About NVS | Grow & Show | Web Links | News & Events | NVS Shop | Contact | Access | Privacy

Copyright © National Vegetable Society 2006-2007 Design WebOneUK Problems with this site - email
Registered Charity No. 1088979