Planting potatoes

Plant potatoes better in furrows directed from the south to the north, for better illumination of bushes. The distance between the grooves is 70-75 cm, between the tubers is 30-35 cm.

If the groundwater is lying close to the soil surface or the potato field is in a region with high humidity, then it is better to plant the potatoes on the ridges;in zones with arid climate or on sandy soils - in trenches. Crests and trenches are also made in the direction from south to north.

Sand should be added to the dense soil. The easiest way is to pour it( roughly a glass) along with ash or mineral fertilizers when planting under each tuber. Potatoes will be clean, and it will less damage the wireworm.

For the emergence of early shoots on sands, potatoes are recommended to be planted at a depth of 10 cm, on sandy loamy and loamy soils - to a depth of 6-7 cm, and on clays - all 4-5 cm.

Autumn digging trenches in the direction from south to north ondepth 40-60 cm and fill them with weed-weed or any green mass. In the spring, when the soil excavated in autumn from the trenches and warmed along them, it is warmed, it is poured into trenches over the weeds settled over the winter for a layer of 15-20 cm. Fertilizers are spread and the potato tubers are placed at a distance of 30 cm from each other. Then sprinkle the top soil.

When the potato grows to a height of 15-20 cm, it is hilled and after 2 weeks the hilling is repeated. The rest of the care is carried out, as with the usual planting of the

under the shovel. One person can cope with this work. But this method is not suitable for clay soils.

For them, amateur gardeners have developed a different method: in the clay dig a shallow( about 10-15 cm) fovea wide with a shovel. Pits are located throughout the field at a distance of about 1 x 1 m. Spread the pitted potatoes in the holes and cover the entire field with a layer of hay. When the potatoes have risen, the whole field is again covered with a layer of hay. Then hay is brought only under potatoes in place of the second hilling. Weeds in this field die, and potatoes feel great.

Where the soil warms up quickly and quickly to the planting of potatoes , it can be planted in the usual way under a shovel or with a plow, if the potatoes cover an area of ​​more than one hundred.

There is also a way to grow potatoes from the peel. Potato purification in spring is collected, slightly podvyamivayut and folded into open paper bags. As soon as the temperature is close to zero, the peel should be taken to the site, poured a corner in the greenhouse with hot water, spread the potatoes on warmed soil, sprinkle the soil with soil( if there is no thawed soil, cover several layers of newspapers) and cast snow. When the soil temperature warms up to 12 degrees, sprouts will appear from the cleanings. They are put instead of tubers for a handful of each hole. Further care is the same as usual. I remember perfectly well that my family planted potatoes from the peel during the war, although at that time there were no film greenhouses.

Top dressing and watering

For presowing fertilizer application, it is best to use azofosca, but the addition of potassium, which does not contain chlorine, is required. Spreading fertilizer throughout the area is irrational. It is better to make it under each tuber when planted in a hole, mixed with the soil. It will take about 1 tbsp.spoon( incomplete) under the tuber of azofosca plus 1 teaspoon( incomplete) of potassium fertilizer( potassium sulfate, potassium carbonate, potassium salt, calimagnesium).

If you do not have mineral fertilizers at your fingertips, use ash - 2-Zet.spoons under a tuber. Fertilizer must be mixed with the soil and only then put a tuber into the well.

It is not recommended to pollute the tuber with ashes - it causes chemical shock in shoots and delay their development for about a week. This is easy to verify by planting two tubers nearby, pollinated and not pollinated, by marking one of them with a stick. Seedlings of the pollinated tuber will linger for a few days.

Instead of azofoski, you can use AVA fertilizer, placing it directly under the tuber, as it does not cause a chemical shock or a burn. It is enough 3-4 granules for each tuber for the whole season. You need one 600-gram fertilizer bank per one hundred square meters, but this fertilizer is applied once every 2-3 years, which, naturally, is more profitable for the

than to annually make 7.5 kg of Azofosca and about 2 kg of potassium for the same area. AVA does not contain nitrogen, but when it is introduced into the soil, microorganisms begin to develop rapidly - nitrogen fixers, which will saturate the soil with nitrogen from the air.

Should I feed potatoes during the growing season? No, if you planted mineral fertilizers at the specified rate. If the potato develops slowly, the foliage is shallow and light, then feed it with infusion of weeds, but not manure, pouring out the fertilization per liter per plant.

Potato is relatively drought-resistant, therefore, generally speaking, does not need watering, especially at an early age: the mother tuber has enough moisture and nutrients. The need for moisture in it increases at the time of the formation of buds. Simultaneously with the appearance of buds on the lower part of the stems, horizontal layers begin to grow in the soil - stolons, on which tubers are laid. Here it is they who need moisture. At this critical moment in dry weather, one, but abundant watering is required. It is better not to pour water on top of the crowns, but pour it under the root or in the aisle.

In addition, a couple of times a season you need to do a loosening of the rows. Loosening is called dry watering, as it prevents evaporation of moisture from the soil and enhances the flow of air to the roots. For regions with wet summer loosening is better than watering. Rowing of rows between rows helps to easily control weeds, this is especially important in the initial period of plant growth, besides, the wireworm does not like loosening and in the 4-5-day loosening in the initial period leaves the potato field.

Hoeing of potatoes

As the crop is formed in the soil, the higher the potato is brewed, the greater the yield. Potatoes usually hibernate twice, and in zones with spring frosts three times: the first time shoots only appear, the second time - when they grow to a height of 15-20 cm, the third - 10-15 days after the second.

In the first hilling the shoots completely fall asleep to protect them from frost. In the second and third - to as much as possible to close the soil stems. As soon as the bushes close in the furrows, no longer should be hilled, because this can lead to breakage of the stems.

On the note

Generally speaking, nothing terrible will happen if the tops of the potatoes freeze. From the axils of the leaves again grow new stems, but, of course, this will delay the harvest for 10-12 days. The above-ground part of the potato perishes at -1 degrees, and the tubers themselves can tolerate a temperature drop of -2 and even up to -5 degrees. Frozen potatoes must be defrosted quickly in hot( 40 degrees) water, then it will not have a sweet taste. But stored frosted potatoes are bad.

The potatoes are usually planted, picking up the soil to the plants, which moves the stems all together. In this case, stolons only grow outward. If you plant the potatoes in the fall, that is, pushing the stems, the stolons grow not only outward, but also inside, which gives 2-4 additional tubers in each bush.

Peculiarities of growing

To grow two potato crops per season, in early March, after processing, cut off the apical part from the planting tubers, put them on the greenery for 20 days and then plant on the sprouts. Keep the remaining parts of the tuber in a cool place( 4 degrees of heat) so that they do not germinate in advance. At the end of April, place them in the light for greenery. After 20-25 days cut each tuber into 3 parts so that each part had approximately the same number of sprouts. Drop it in boxes for germination.

In the first days of May, plant the seedlings, grown from the tops, on prepared beds with warmed soil under a double lutrasil and mow it with "head".Begin to dig up large tubers in the middle of June.

At the beginning of June, after passing the night frosts, seed the adulterated potatoes from the main tubers according to the usual scheme of 30 x 70 cm, soak well. When planting seedlings, you need to make holes of such depth that 3 to 4 leaves remain above the surface of the soil, and cover the rest of the stem with soil. The planted seedlings must be poured. The harvest for winter storage will be removed from this bed in early September.

The seedbed with early potatoes from the apical part of the tubers will be released in early July. It can be used for spinach, radishes, planted seedlings of late beet or sow an early variety of carrots - it will still grow until the end of October.

Often asked if it is necessary to break off buds? If the potato field is small, then it is necessary, because it is not so difficult, but gives 2-3 more tubers from the bush. By cutting off buds, you do not allow the potatoes to multiply by seeds, and it increases the vegetative reproduction of tubers. Without spending power on the formation of buds, flowering and growing seeds, potatoes all the nutritious juices directs to the stools. Buds should be cut off along with the top of the plants( that is, to make them piercing).This technique stops the growth of potatoes, which is also important, as it gives potatoes an additional opportunity to spend all their energy on growing tubers.