Lugovskoy potatoes are familiar to most summer residents firsthand. The popularity of potatoes is steadily increasing due to their delicate taste, good preservation, and smooth tubers that have a delicate pink color. The homeland of the variety is Ukraine. It was bred in 1987 from Sineglazka, which is no less popular among gardeners.
Description of the variety
The Lugovskoy potato variety is suitable for growing in garden plots. It is also popular on an industrial scale. Buyers are attracted by the excellent taste and beautiful shape. This is a mid-season vegetable, the first fruits appear 75 days after germination.
Characteristics of the variety:
- white flesh;
- skin smooth to the touch;
- small eyes (from 50 to 130 g);
- high productivity;
- starch concentration - up to 19%.
It would be useful to note the good preservation of the variety. Potatoes retain their presentation until the next harvest.
The bush is characterized by erect stems with medium branching. The color of the leaves is dark green, matte, with moderate fluff on top.
Potatoes fade very quickly, but ovaries do not form. The berries fall off quickly.
The properties of potatoes contribute to the popularity of the variety. It is unpretentious to the soil and responds well to feeding and regular loosening of the soil.
Growing
A characteristic feature of the species is its unpretentiousness to the soil. Proper agricultural technology and care will allow you to get the highest possible yield. As a rule, root crops for planting are selected during harvest.
If it is not possible to change the planting site every year, then in the fall, when the harvest is harvested, the soil is sown with green manure. These include:
- legumes;
- grass;
- winter crops;
- cucumbers
In regions with cold climates, it is better to sow with grass or winter crops. The cucumbers will not have time to ripen. Even if you simply fertilize the soil with manure in the fall, as practice shows, this will not reduce the yield.
The description of the variety clearly suggests that potatoes love light. Therefore, it is necessary to plant in a well-lit area. Planting in the ground is permissible only after the ground has warmed to 8 degrees, usually mid-May.
Note! For planting, it is recommended to take medium-sized root crops with thick sprouts.
Before planting, it is necessary to carry out germination, this will speed up the ripening period. You should also select planting material, first of all, select all rot.
Germination can occur using various methods, for example, germination in a bag. To do this, the root vegetables are placed in a bag in which small holes are made to allow air to enter. Otherwise the potatoes will rot.
After 1.5–2 weeks, sprouts will appear. When they reach 3–4 centimeters in length, you can begin planting. There is no need to wait for long sprouts, the main thing is that they are powerful.
Before planting, it is better to dip the root crops in a manganese solution and then dry them. If you cover the planted area after planting, the sprouts will hatch faster.
About a month before planting, it is important to re-plow the soil and then add superphosphates or organic matter. The optimal distance between holes is 40 cm. The greater the distance, the larger the tubers will be. As for the distance between rows, the optimal distance is 70 cm.
During the planting process, it is necessary to feed the potatoes. The most commonly used is chicken manure or ash.
Features of care
To obtain a good harvest, regular cultivation is necessary. It is carried out after “strong” shoots appear. The soil between the rows should be thoroughly loosened and weeds should be eliminated. Under humid conditions, the soil is cultivated as deep as possible (more than 10 cm). Cultivation is carried out at intervals of 15 days, at least three times. After heavy rain, it is necessary to loosen the soil.
The peculiarities of the variety are such that residents of the middle zone may not water it at all. But in arid regions, gardeners should not allow the soil to dry out.
Hilling is not practiced in the southern regions. Adding soil provokes intense loss of moisture in hot weather, which negatively affects the harvest.
The middle zone and northern regions sow potatoes 2 times.The first procedure is necessary when the sprouts reach 15 cm in height, the second - after 20 days. Fertilizer is produced three times: during planting and budding, and also after flowering.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of the variety include the following properties:
- high productivity;
- endurance to any climatic conditions;
- ease of care;
- long-term storage, until the new harvest;
- good taste and presentation;
- resistance to diseases.
But the main advantage of the variety is that it has no tendency to degenerate. Other varieties require replacement after 2–4 years, while the Lugovskoy variety is bred only using seed material obtained by self-cultivation. That is why the culture is especially popular among landowners and owners of large farms.
Disadvantages include sensitivity to soil nutrition.
Pests and diseases
The properties of potatoes ensure their resistance to pests and diseases. However, if not properly cared for, potatoes can be affected by fungal diseases, in particular late blight. To prevent this from happening, seed material should be disinfected before planting. Alternatively, you can spray with fungicides before the rainy season.
To prevent late blight, the following means are used:
- Kuproskat.
- Copper sulfate.
- Arcedil.
- Fitosporin.
Lugovskoy potatoes are characterized by resistance to scab, potato cancer and other bacterial infections. To prevent the Colorado potato beetle, the variety is treated with the following means:
- Tanrek.
- Commander.
- Actellik.
When potato moth appears, use Confidor maxi or Zolon.
Harvest and storage
The time to harvest potatoes is signaled by yellowed and withered tops. It is not recommended to postpone harvesting tubers to a later date; this will worsen the taste of the potatoes. Before harvesting, the tops can be mowed, but it is not at all necessary. Rather, this is necessary for the convenience of gardeners.
The dug up root crops are laid out in the sun for a couple of hours, this helps to ventilate them and make it easy to clean them from adhering soil. They are then sorted and put into boxes. It is recommended to leave the seed fruits in the sun for 1–2 days. Green root vegetables are less susceptible to rodents and last longer.
Only those tubers that do not have damage or softened areas can be stored. To do this, it is important to carefully sort, otherwise there is a risk of losing a significant part of the harvest. It is best to store potatoes in a dry basement. Its ventilation plays a key role in the safety of the crop. This process is necessary to remove moisture, which causes premature spoilage of root crops. It is recommended to ventilate the basement at least twice a week.
Potatoes are best stored in wooden boxes (can be replaced with wicker baskets). In very severe frosts, the potatoes must be covered with hay or straw, and burlap or warm cloth placed on top. This will protect the root vegetables from condensation that forms on the ceiling and walls of the room in such weather. This is one of the main reasons for potato spoilage. To eliminate this process, it is recommended to install a suspended film ceiling in the basement.
