Cover cloth plan for potatoes - Ask Extension
In an extension article on Colorado Potato Beetles it stated “ You should remove row covers when temperatures and humidity increase, as it will prom...
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Cover cloth plan for potatoes #894353
Asked March 13, 2025, 5:58 PM EDT
In an extension article on Colorado Potato Beetles it stated “ You should remove row covers when temperatures and humidity increase, as it will promote plant disease.” This may seem obvious, but 1) increased humidity and temps relative to what? Is there a certain heat index to judge it by? 2) if and when those levels drop, I presume you can add the covers again?
Thank you!!
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
Row covers are most effective when placed early in the growing season before the insects hatch. They prevent insect infestation. When the temperature warms up heat can build up under the row covers and harm the plants. Diseases such as early blight can thrive in warm humid environments. Row covers are primarily for preventing early season pests. Once they are removed—usually after the plants flower—they are not reused later in the season. The following website gives an example.
https://www.mofga.org/resources/pest-disease/pest-control/floating-row-cover-foils-potato-pests/
https://www.mofga.org/resources/pest-disease/pest-control/floating-row-cover-foils-potato-pests/
