2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 15:51
© Brent HOfacker / Rusmediabank.ru |
Latin name: Solanum tuberosum Family: Nightshade Categories: Vegetable crops |
Potatoes (Latin Solanum tuberosum) - popular vegetable culture; perennial tuberous herb.
Description
Potatoes are considered perennial crops, but in the Russian Federation it is cultivated as an annual, since low temperatures are extremely detrimental to the tubers. The stem of the potato is ribbed, erect, branched, light green, no more than 150 cm high. The root system of the culture under consideration is branched, most of the roots go 60 cm deep.
The leaves of the culture are pinnate, dissected, whole-edged, dark green, equipped with petioles. The inflorescences are presented in the form of complex curls, they can be white-yellow, pure yellow, purple or violet-red, depending on the variety. Fruits are polyspermous spherical or oval berries. The potato tuber is a thickened and short stem shoot, many eyes are formed on it. Tubers are round, oval or elongated; color - yellowish, brown, violet-blue or pale pink.
The subtleties of growing
Potatoes are a light-loving culture, they do not tolerate shaded areas, as a result, the plants develop slowly, and the tubers are prone to rotting. Lack of sunlight leads to stretching of the stems and limited flowering, which threatens a small crop of tubers. The normal temperature for growing a crop is 20-22C. Temperatures above this limit will slow down tuber development.
The potato also has a positive attitude towards moisture, although it does not tolerate dampness and waterlogging. With a lack of moisture, the foliage quickly withers and dries up as a result. Soils for the culture in question are preferable loose, permeable, rich in potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. An excess of minerals is also detrimental to the tops. The second builds up the green mass. Negatively potatoes refer to heavy clayey, moist, strongly acidic and dense soils. The best predecessors of the crop are vegetable crops. Many gardeners advise not to grow potatoes on the same plot for several years, although in practice no one uses this rule.
Soil preparation
The soil for potatoes is plowed to a depth of at least thirty centimeters, large lumps are broken and organic fertilizers are applied. The introduction of fresh manure should be abandoned, since it promotes the development of pathogenic bacteria, plants are subject to various diseases. In addition to organic fertilizers, the soil is also fed with mineral fertilizers, it can be superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and potassium salt.
Landing
Potatoes are planted in late April - early May. For planting, I use pre-germinated tubers weighing 50-80 g with thick sprouts 1-1.5 cm long. Tubers of unknown origin are treated in a 1% boric acid solution for at least 20 minutes. The culture is planted in the soil warmed up to 6-8C, according to the 30 * 80 scheme to a depth of 6-12 cm, in this case the heating and germination of tubers is best ensured.
Care
Until the emergence of potato sprouts, the soil is loosened at least twice every seven days. This procedure will prevent the appearance of weeds and fully aerate the soil. Plants, which have gained a height of about 10-12 cm, are spud with a hoe. The second time is spud about a month later.
Watering crops is carried out in dry summer, for this you can use automated watering cans, operating under the action of water pressure. Mineral fertilizers are applied when the first signs of potato wilting appear. In the phase of flower formation, plants are sprayed with organo-mineral fertilizers with a stimulating effect.
Harvesting and storage
The harvest of potatoes is carried out in mid-September, it is possible later, but in dry and sunny weather, otherwise the crop will be poorly stored. A week before digging, the tops of the plants are cut with a trimmer and raked.
The tubers obtained by digging are sorted, left in the sun to dry and scattered under a canopy. After drying, the potato crop is placed in wooden containers or special bags. The potato crop is stored in the cellar, the optimum storage temperature is 2-3C.
Recommended:
Sweet Potato
Batat (lat.Ipomoea batatas) ranked among the most valuable forage and food crops; it is a tuber plant belonging to the Bindweed family. It is often called sweet potato. South America is considered to be the homeland of sweet potato. Today, the plant is actively cultivated in the tropics and subtropics, less often in areas with a temperate climate.
Colorado Potato Beetle In The Garden
Black-eyed, with antennae, ten black stripes on the elytra set off the pleasant yellow color of the beetle. Such good looks and very small size (seven to twelve millimeters) inspire neither fear nor disgust. If you do not know his name, you can safely walk by without touching the beetle. And the name of this cutie is the Colorado potato beetle
Potato Peelings Are The Perfect Fertilizer
In order to properly fertilize the soil, gardeners and gardeners sometimes have to put a lot of effort. And a lot of money is also invested in growing a good harvest, because from year to year the prices for fertilizers are growing along with inflation, and I really don't want to get a meager harvest. To save both energy and money, it will not hurt to pay attention to a very unusual fertilizer - potato peelings, of which during the off-season you can collect not just a lot, but a lot
Potato Cancer
Potato cancer is an incredibly harmful disease that attacks all parts of growing crops, with the exception of the roots. This ailment came to Russia during the Great Patriotic War, when the German army imported nourishing tubers for its own consumption, and at the moment, potato cancer is noted in twenty-three constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The harvest from infected areas is extremely low, therefore, in order not to completely lose it, it is urgent to take appropriate measures
The Enemy Of The Potato Is The Fight Against The Colorado Potato Beetle
The Colorado potato beetle was first seen in the US state of Colorado in the nineteenth century. At that time, it was not yet classified as a pest. But now it is the worst enemy of potatoes and other nightshade plants in the garden
