Experienced gardeners know: if you want to get a rich healthy potato harvest, it is not enough to just throw the tubers into the soil in the spring - they should be prepared in advance. With the help of simple manipulations, you can really speed up the growth of potato bushes and increase their yield.
The best option for planting material would be high-quality seed annual potatoes free from the most dangerous diseases, pests and viruses, which can be purchased from a trusted supplier in a specialized store or grown yourself.
Ideally, you should prepare for planting potatoes in the fall - sorting the ripe potatoes by size, and also rejecting diseased and damaged tubers before storing them.
Spring pre-planting preparation of tubers begins about a month before the expected planting date (approximately in April), and if you do not know how to carry it out correctly, we will tell you the optimal algorithm.
Step 1
Take the seed potatoes out of the cellar, sort them if necessary, selecting healthy, even tubers of medium size (weight 50-80 g), without damage, dents and signs of rot, typical for the variety shape and color.
Large tubers can also be used (especially if you do not have enough planting material), but immediately before planting they will need to be cut into several parts so that each has at least one or two eyes (buds). If you use very small potatoes, then the harvest will be small.
If you cannot collect a sufficient number of identical tubers to achieve simultaneous and uniform germination, do not worry, the main thing is that they are obtained from a healthy, productive plant.
Step 2
Transfer the planting material to a warm and well-lit place, such as a greenhouse. It is desirable that the daytime temperature there be 14-18°C, the nighttime temperature - 6-12°C, and the humidity - 85-90%.
Keeping the tubers in the light until the greenery appears promotes the awakening of the buds and the subsequent rapid growth of potato seedlings, as well as preventing the development of diseases (in the light, the toxic substance solanine accumulates in the tubers).
Step 3
Place the tubers in 1-2 layers on shelves or in lattice wooden/plastic boxes so that they are all well lit. It is desirable to lay the potatoes with the apical buds up (the upper part of the potato is where there are more eyes).
To ensure that the tubers germinate evenly, turn them over from time to time or move the boxes.
Step 4
In 3-4 weeks, small, strong sprouts 1-1.5 cm long with tiny leaves and root tubercles (root rudiments) form in the tubers sprouted in the light, from which the root system will begin to develop immediately after planting.
You should not keep the tubers for too long, since long sprouts break off very easily. If by this time the soil has not warmed up enough or your beds are not ready, move the boxes to a cooler room (with a temperature no higher than 10°C), this will slow down further germination.
Step 5
A few days before planting, it is also recommended to disinfect the tubers - this is an important step in preventing the occurrence of all kinds of diseases or pest attacks.
How and with what can you pickle potatoes to rid the planting material of pathogens? There are several options:
- keep the tubers for 20 minutes in a solution of boric acid (50 g per 10 l of water), potassium permanganate (1 g per 10 l) or zinc sulfate (10 g per 10 l);
- spray them with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture;
- place the tubers for 20 minutes in hot water (40-45 ° C);
- spray the potatoes laid out in one layer on the film with a fungicide solution (Maxim, Fitosporin-M);
- in the same way, using a sprayer, treat the planting material with insecticidal dressings (Komandor);
- you can use mixed-action insectofungicidal preparations - Maxim, Prestige, they have a combined effect, simultaneously protecting the tubers from diseases and insects);
- use growth stimulants for processing (Epin-Extra, Zircon, Obereg, Poteytin, Emistim, etc.).
Step 6
This stage is not mandatory, but desirable - a few days after dressing, the tubers can also be treated with solutions of complex mineral fertilizers. This is an additional source of nutrients, as well as a guarantee of increased immunity, activation of root system growth and improved potato germination.
Let us remind you that potatoes are planted in a well-lit, level area with loose, nutritious soil with a close to neutral acidity level. Green manure, greens, cabbage, cucumbers, beets, and pumpkins are good predecessors for the crop.
Planting is carried out in soil warmed up to 5-7°C. The distance between rows should be 60-70 cm, and between tubers - 20-30 cm. At the same time, the planting depth should be about 10 cm. Experienced gardeners advise generously sprinkling the tubers with ash when planting (it is also a potassium polymicrofertilizer and, at the same time, a pest control agent).