Growing potatoes
Potatoes are a vegetable crop, without which the life of a Russian person cannot be imagined. Root crops of this plant contain many nutrients (starch, protein ...), which is why they are also called “second bread”. In horticulture, this crop is a favorite; as a rule, most of the garden is allocated for it. Many people believe that to get a good harvest, you do not need to make absolutely any effort - potatoes grow by themselves and practically do not need care. This is far from the case. This culture, like many others, needs attention at certain stages of development. Which one - this article will tell.
Read: when to spud potatoes for the first time!
Planting potatoes: determining the timing
- Southern regions of Russia (for example, Krasnodar Territory). Here, potatoes can be planted in the last decade of March. True, this applies only to early varieties. Mid-season planting occurs a little later - around the beginning of April.
- Middle zone of Russia (for example, Moscow region). The potato planting date for this area is the end of April.
- Ural and Siberia. The heat reaches these regions the last, so potatoes are planted only at the beginning of May.
It is necessary to plant potatoes within the time limits strictly allotted for this. If ahead of time and plant potatoes in cold ground, there is a high probability that the tubers will develop poorly - germinate slowly. You also need to pay attention to soil moisture. If the indicator is quite high, the root crop can rot and hurt for a long time..
How to plant potatoes: scheme, planting time
Landing scheme. The potatoes are planted in rows. The distance between them should be approximately 70 cm, and 50 cm is the indicator that should be between the bushes. If the roots are closer to each other, then the potatoes will not have enough room for development, and they will grow too small.
Landing time. You can plant potatoes at any time. There is no single correct option. Usually gardeners plant in the morning. However, this can be done in the evening.
The main stages of caring for potatoes: feeding, hilling, watering
Top dressing of potatoes occurs in three stages:
The first falls around mid-May (when the bushes grow 15 cm above the ground). Nitrogen additives are used as fertilizer, for example, urea... The granules of the agent are diluted in water (1 tablespoon per 10 liters) and watered with the resulting planting solution. Such feeding allows to accelerate the development of tops, which is why it is used at the initial stage.- The second feeding should be done during the flowering period. To do this, you can use potash fertilizers: potassium sulfate (1 tbsp. L.) And wood ash (3 tbsp. L.). These components must be diluted in a 10-liter bucket and watered. Such feeding is necessary to accelerate the rate of flowering of potatoes.
- It is customary to carry out the last, third feeding during the period of the beginning of the formation of root crops (after flowering). For this, use superphosphate (2 tbsp. L.) And a glass of chicken droppings. All ingredients are diluted in 10 liters of water and used for watering. Pour half a liter of the prepared solution under one potato bush.
Hilling potatoes is perhaps the most important step in growing this crop.The essence of the process is to rake the earth to the potato bush. Hilling is recommended twice a season. The first treatment occurs when the plant reaches 5-10 cm in height. This procedure can be carried out both in the evening and in the morning. However, many gardeners have noticed that it is best to spud potatoes after rain. The second stage occurs during the formation of buds. This period usually falls at the end of May (depending on the region). Hilling can increase the yield by at least 30 percent. This happens because the stems of the bush, due to the addition of earth, start up new shoots, which later form additional tubers.
We must not forget about watering potatoes. Without it, this agricultural crop is sometimes very difficult to grow. In particular, the most difficult is the southern regions of Russia (for example, Crimea). Here, due to the hot climate, potatoes need to be watered at least once a week. If we talk about the central and northern regions of the Russian Federation, then, as a rule, atmospheric precipitation is enough for root crops. However, this does not mean that you should completely abandon watering. Still, during the season, plants will need water three times: when shoots appear, buds and flowering begins.
How to deal with the Colorado potato beetle
Sometimes pests interfere with getting a good harvest of potatoes. The main enemy is the Colorado potato beetle. This insect lives in the ground and infects root crops from the inside. If you do not take any measures, then, according to researchers, it can destroy up to 2 hectares of plantings per season. There are several methods that gardeners use to combat this pest:
- Chemical. The name implies the use of special chemicals. Among the most common: "Decis", "Fastak", "Ratibor", "Arrivo", "Bankol". All of these drugs show good results. However, it is not worth using them often, despite all the assurances of the manufacturers.
- Traditional methods. They are not as effective, but they are 100% safe. Lingonberry leaves (dried) are widespread among gardeners. Sprinkle them (the leaves must be ground) on top of the whole potato bush. It is believed that this method has a deterrent effect. True, it is effective against young individuals (larvae).
The last chemical treatment of potatoes must be carried out at least 20 days before harvest. Otherwise, you can easily get poisoned.
Growing potatoes in your country house or garden plot is not at all difficult. The main thing is to know in what time frame to carry out hilling and do not forget to water the plant bushes from time to time.
The film shows the first step in getting a good harvest, vernalizing potatoes. There are several clarifications on the article. Not all potatoes sit 50 cm apart in strokes. So, late varieties require a lot of space for filling. In addition, new varieties, of which there are now a lot of selection, are trying to create a compact bush for machine harvesting. Therefore, the distance between tubers during planting depends on the varietal characteristics and ripening period. For early-maturing potatoes, nests should be done more often, since their growing season is short, and the nutrition is intense.
Planting dates depend on the heated ground. You can determine with a thermometer at a depth of 10 cm, you can look at the neighboring birch. As soon as her leaves bloom, it means that the earth has warmed up. But that's not all. Sometimes gardeners plant potatoes, orienting themselves so that the seedlings do not fall under return frosts. Top dressing should be done only if the plants do not develop well. But treatments against phytophthora twice in July and August are necessary. It is advisable to water along the furrows, without wetting the leaf blades.