If you plant chitted potatoes going into summer (Nov-Dec) when temperatures have reached 26 C (South Africa). Will they shrivel up and die? All 3 varieties of mine disappeared?
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Did you take pictures before they disappeared? – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx Aug 29 '22 at 19:09
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One of mine (out of two) shriveled up and died as soon at it got hot out this year. A lot of gardening is experimentation, you just have to try it and see how the cultivar will react to your particular climate.
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If the soil has been dry too, then yes you probably chose the wrong season
From this source:
Grow potatoes through the summer in cool northern regions. Grow potatoes in fall, winter, and spring in hot summer southern regions.
and
The ideal temperature for growing potatoes is 60° to 70°F (16-21°C); temperatures greater than 80°F (26°C) are usually too warm for potatoes.
Gyrfalcon
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I don't live in South Africa, but I've never known any amount of heat (even much hotter than your stated temperature) in and of itself to shrivel up a potato plant (nor to make it disappear). Yes, heat can potentially make it less ideal to grow potatoes, though, but usually they still have nice green leaves unless there's something else along with the heat causing issues.
Other issues (such as diseases, pests, and nutrient imbalances) can make that happen, however, and they can potentially be worse when it's hot. Some diseases even get worse when there's more sun (especially if the roots are damaged, or the nutrient flow is obstructed).
As for the plants disappearing, that's probably unrelated to the shriveling; that sounds like a pest ate the plants.
Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
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