Chitting Potatoes

[Ard]

Found the below info at http://www.nvsuk.org.uk/growing_show...g-potatoes.php
Would anyone have any other words on ways to prime seed potatoes before planting?

"By chitting we may select the eyes and encourage good sturdy sprouts before planting to produce earlier, improved crops. Look closely at the potatoes and you
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. "

I just received the most killer assortment of seed potatoes in the mail and would like to get a suitably killer harvest.
5 gal. too small for pot culture? I seem to have read somewhere that pot grown taters will set fewer if any seeds but would be a good way to increase a variety.
Thanks,
Brian

[Tom Wagner]

Would anyone have any other words on ways to prime seed potatoes before planting?

Interesting that this topic came up. Yesterday I spent 12 straight hours without more than a bathroom break or two talking about potatoes with a noted plant breeder. Since we both are plant breeders, you have no idea how much two people can share about potato breeding and culture.

Among the things we talked about was sun greening potatoes prior to planting. I don't like to use the term 'chitting potatoes' since I have never been able to hear ar say my ch's. If I ever use the term it is for comedic purposes!

The day before, I was in a workshop on growing organic seed potatoes and the term was brought up only as sun greening. One grower feels he has to green all of his potatoes before planting because he is in a very short season cropping area. By warming up the whole tubers before planting and with the sprouts short and durable, he has a uniform emergence and no seed piece decay.

I use this principle as much as I can, but since I plant over a 4 month duration, I do with what is thrown at me. Warmer weather after storage without planting usually leads to rapid sprout growth and in the dark this is unacceptable! So I try to allow outside or window presence to force the greening to keep the sprouts short.

Greening is also my way of eliminating diseased tubers. I have a whole chapter to write about that coming up.

Tom Wagner

[happydog]

this is good info to know, for those of us getting our seed potatoes about now. Thanks!