Yes, as in the thing that caused the famine.
It has been a busy few days for the Met Éireann office, it must be said.
On top of letting us know about the hottest counties in the country this week, as well as giving us the bad news that there will potentially be some spot flooding due to sudden and heavy rainfall before the weekend kicks in properly, they’ve dropped another little doozy.
A new warning was released first thing on Friday morning, under the banner of Environment Warning, which was a new one on us, and so we had to have a look see:
Status Yellow – Blight Warning
“Weather conditions conducive to the spread of Potato Blight are likely to occur in coastal areas.”
Oh, that can’t be good.
Basically, the wet and warm conditions are perfect for a particular fungus to grow that will kick off the spread of the blight.
If you are concerned that your fields may be affected, keep an eye out for:
– Brown freckles of patches on the leaves
– Yellowish border spreading from the brown patches
– Dark patches on tubers
– Inside of the tuber is brown and rotting from the skin down
– The potatoes will eventually turn into soggy, foul-smelling masses
According to gardening experts Horkans, these are the tips to follow if you wish to protect your crop from the blight:
– The best way to prevent potato blight is to plant a good blight-resistant variety
– Make sure potatoes are well earthed up to prevent spores getting into the tubers
– Spray leaves and stems with a preventative treatment
– Be aware of weather warnings
– Check regularly for signs of infection
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