What's the matter with my potatoes?

[Gardening with Rabbits]

At first it was just one plant on the end and then the one next to it, but now it is here and there on other rows, several different varieties of potatoes. The plants looked good and then it seems the top leaves are curling and turning brown or gray. I do not see any bugs or holes in leaves. I am worried about some kind of weed killer from manure brought in or straw

. The manure spread on the garden was picked up last spring and used in the compost bin and spread on the garden last October and tilled in this spring and straw for rabbit beds was composted. The hay the rabbits eat is so called organic Timothy. Should I pull these plants? Should i cut off the bad leaves?

 

[ducks4you]

Could the plants just need some watering and hilling?

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

Could the plants just need some watering and hilling?

I have been watering and it has been raining. They can use some hilling.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

It really reminds me of what aphids do to my plum trees, but I do not see any bugs. Leaves were healthy and then this happens and other leaves are fine. Looking at pictures on line it kind of looks like calcium deficiency.

 

[w_r_ranch]

You have 'white mold'.

Management Guidelines for White Mold on Potato

 

[Collector]

You have 'white mold'.

Management Guidelines for White Mold on Potato

You nailed it.

 

[journey11]

Since you mention having added manure, compare with this link here. Her potato plants have those curly, fern-like tips as well. And read more here about the herbicide Aminopyralid. It's used to treat hay pastures, then the hay is fed to cattle and horses. They say it persists in manure for awhile. Maybe your manure was contaminated with it.
I should probably be more wary of bringing in steer manure from the fairgrounds.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I see nothing white on the stems. The stems look okay. I think they look like what journey's link looks like. I got the manure last spring and used it in the garden and spread it and it says the most sensitive crops affected are: Potatoes,Tomatoes,Peas,Beans,Carrots,Lettuce. My beans last year did great and I have lettuce growing just fine right now. I have not planted beans yet. My tomatoes look okay so far, but the potatoes started out fine too. I hope it is this white mold. I just just dig them up if it is the white mold? I did a soil sample, just little cheap one, but shows the area where the potatoes are is very alkaline and pH almost 8, so not good for potatoes anyway. But also journey's link shows sunflowers sensitive to it and I have a lot of sunflowers popping up and look fine. I had cabbage and kale in this spot last year.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

And I am wondering if it came from straw instead of manure. I get straw from different places and I used it in the hutch and I used it for mulch in the garden.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I sat out by the potatoes and watched and see little flies landing on the leaves. I decided to put some soapy water on the plants and do the cabbage before the worms start on them and when I was done, I went in the house and DS said go outside, you have a giant bug on your back, so went out and he brushed it off and I said it is a moth, but it looked weird and checked on line and it is a tuber moth. I don't have time for this. I am going to just dig up the potatoes that, have damage, leave the ones that, still look good and hill them, and put soapy water again and then put cayenne pepper, and I am going to plant something else like squash or cucumbers were the potatoes were. I have another area close to this where I am going to put beans, and if the beans do not grow or look odd, then it is from the hay or manure, which I read people had their gardens ruined from manure where horses ate Purina Horse Chow. My rabbits do not eat Purina, but it is not organic, so who knows. If you bring hay, feed to chickens, cows, horses, rabbits, goats, etc, then your own manure for your garden could be contaminated. I am just going to plant and not worry about it, but I may stop bringing in hay or see if I can find some organic or at least local and know if it has been sprayed.