Potato. Planting, growing and care

Before you start planting your favorite vegetable, you need to take care of the soil. The yield will depend on its proper processing.

And in order for the harvest to be rich, the soil must be fertilized. For planting potatoes, the soil is suitable, which will retain moisture well, as well as allow air to pass through. In order for the tubers to develop well, it is necessary to dig up the garden so that the layer is deep and contributes to better development of the root system.

The highest yields are harvested from these types of soils:

1. floodplains.
2. Sod-podzolic.
3. Light loamy.
4. Sandy, having a neutral reaction.

It is desirable to plant a tuberous vegetable in unshaded southern and southwestern areas, which will be freed from snow earlier after winter.

If you add a layer of humus to the ground, the harvest will be even better. Also, if every year you replenish the soil with microelements, for example, wood ash (it is brought in for digging, in holes and used as top dressing), you will be happy with the potato harvest.

It is advisable to prepare the soil for planting in the fall. The area that is set aside for planting is cleaned of weeds and insects, the soil is dug up and fertilizers are added. For one square meter add:

• a bucket of compost;
• 30 grams of superphosphate;
• 15 grams of potassium salt.

With the advent of spring, the soil is fertilized with any nitrogen fertilizers.

Landing

It is necessary to prepare well for planting potatoes. The main requirements for are:

1. Plant a vegetable at a ground temperature of at least five degrees.
2. Healthy tubers that do not have rotten and damaged areas are selected for planting.
3. If you want to get a crop earlier, then you need to germinate the tubers in advance.
4. Before you start planting, mark the place of the hole with a thread.
5. The distance between rows should be no more than 60 centimeters.
6. The distance between the holes of one row is about 30 centimeters.
7. Planting depth - no more than 10 centimeters.

In order to harvest as early as possible, you need to start germinating tubers at the end of winter - you will get a crop of young potatoes. If you put the tubers for germination in early March, then the crop can be harvested in the last month of summer. Germinate tubers in a bright room, at a temperature not lower than 18 degrees. Permissible temperature - 14 degrees. Tubers can also be germinated in sawdust, the intensity of their growth will depend on the potato variety. So, if you have tubers of a medium-late variety, as well as late-ripening ones, then they must be warmed up two weeks before planting by putting them in plastic bags. Bags should be left outside when the temperature is no higher than 10-15 degrees. At night, it is advisable to cover them with old blankets or bring them indoors. The harvest of these varieties of potatoes allows you to stock up for the winter.

To plant seed potatoes, it is necessary to prepare furrows in advance, since autumn. And in the spring, put the tubers in the already prepared holes, pressing them into the ground a little. If after the winter the earth has not yet matured, then the tubers are covered with a layer of humus (no more than 3 centimeters). Early potatoes are covered with a film, and removed when the plant reaches 10-12 centimeters in height.

For tips on planting potatoes in your backyard, see the video:

Growing potatoes

In the spring, if the potatoes are planted early, you need to take care of them a lot. If it is not covered with a film, then after it rises, weed it with a rake to remove the crust and the first shoots of weeds. Next, you need to regularly loosen the soil.

Potato Growing Tips:

• spud potatoes only on those soils that are naturally moistened. For the first time, potatoes are spudded and watered when the plant grows to 12 centimeters. The next hilling is in three weeks;
• if the soil is dry, hilling it is not required;
• it is necessary to irrigate the potatoes. It is necessary to water abundantly every week so that the soil gets wet to a depth of half a meter. There are about 50 liters of water per square meter of land;
• it is advisable not to leave potatoes under rain watering, the likelihood of various diseases increases. If there is little water, then watering is carried out in several stages: after germination, when buds form and after the potatoes have faded;
• potatoes are processed with humus or bird droppings. There are 500 grams of humus per square meter of land, or half as much litter. They are soaked in urea (10 grams) and superphosphate (20 grams);
• if the plant produces a lot of tops, then it should be fed with fertilizer with phosphorus and potassium;
• if the soil is nitrogenous or a lot of this fertilizer is applied, then the potato will grow, but it will rot during storage, and if it is boiled, it will darken in hot water;
• to overcome the Colorado potato beetle in a natural way, without spraying, it is advisable to have ducklings. Kids almost completely eat beetle larvae.

These video tips will help you learn more about growing potatoes:

potato care

In addition to watering and fertilizing the tuber, it is necessary to protect the plant from diseases. The appearance of brown or gray spots on the tubers, and black spots on the leaves indicates the presence of late blight. The disease is treated with spraying drugs.

If the soil is calcareous, then the potato can become ill with scab, and if it is nitrogenous, rot will appear during storage of the crop. If brownish spots appear on the leaves, the plant is treated with a special solution.

To avoid eating the growing tubers by the wireworm, the ground is treated with lime mortar or a special pesticide. In addition, in the fall, before the first frost, the soil is dug up.

Photo of potatoes during flowering and harvesting: