Description of the Red Scarlet potato variety, its characteristics and yield

A detailed description of the Red Scarlet potato variety is the best advertisement when choosing seed material for the new planting season. Potatoes of Dutch selection - this already says a lot. Dutch selection means yield, disease resistance, marketability and good taste.

Advantages

The main advantages of Red Scarlett potatoes over other varieties can be considered their early ripeness combined with high yield.Tubers dug up at the right time (75–80 days from the date of planting) retain their presentation for a long time, withstand transportation well over long distances, and do not lose their taste during storage. For summer consumption, young potatoes can be dug up after 45 days.

The appearance of the tubers is not satisfactory; they have a marketable appearance and rarely suffer from mechanical damage. The pulp does not darken when cut and during cooking; it is characterized by excellent taste.

Potatoes do not boil over and can serve as a raw material for making chips and preparing any dishes; they can be used fried, boiled and stewed as:

• side dish;
• salad component;
• dressings for soup and roast.

The state of the immune system of Red Scarlett potatoes will please vegetable growers; it is satisfactory. With proper care, the plant copes with most infections and is rarely attacked by pests.

Flaws

When growing Red Scarlet potatoes, gardeners note a direct dependence of the yield on the soil structure. This can be considered a serious disadvantage, since the yield on heavy clay soils without additional costs will be below normal. In order for the formation of tubers to proceed normally, the soil will have to be loosened after each watering.

Alternatively, in heavy soils you can plant Red Scarlet under straw. This method is practiced by many gardeners in different climatic zones; with this method of planting, the yield will not suffer. On loose soils, it takes no more time to care for Red Scarlet than for other varieties.

Description of the plant

The bushes are low, erect, covered with medium-sized leaves. The color of the tops and leaves is rich green. The thickness of the stems is average. The edge of the leaf blade is slightly wavy.Flowers can be of different shades:

• light pink;
• lilac;
• red-violet.

The tops grow actively, from 15 to 20 potatoes are formed on one bush. It is convenient to care for plantings, since the bushes are compact and, if hilled in a timely manner, do not grow in width. The probability of growing a good crop of Red Scarlett is high. By purchasing high-quality seed material, a gardener can fully count on receiving commercial tubers in the required quantity in the fall.

Description of the tuber

True potato lovers are interested in all the main characteristics of the Scarlet potato. First of all, a description of the tubers of the Red Scarlet potato variety. All important parameters that are guaranteed by the description given by the manufacturer for this variety are shown in the summary table.

Seed preparation

Plan to start harvesting Red Scarlett seed material in the summer. Select the healthiest bushes and mark them with tags. The tops should be free of signs of disease and pests. In the fall, by digging up these bushes, you can evaluate the harvest visually and decide whether the tubers are suitable as seed material.

This approach may take more time, but the quality of the planting material will be higher. Requirements for Red Scarlett seed potatoes:

• the peel is an even red color without spots;
• the surface of the peel is without mechanical damage, smooth;
• the bulk of root crops in the nest is from 50 to 100 g.

Scarlet seed potatoes selected for these characteristics must be dried. The average drying time is 10 days. Potatoes need to be scattered under a canopy in one layer; after drying, they should turn green. The tubers should not be dried in direct sunlight.

Important! Red Scarlet seeds do not degenerate, their seed potatoes can be used for many years.

Before storing Red Scarlet seed potatoes, they must be cooled, placed in boxes, lowered into a cellar (basement) or other storage place, where the temperature is maintained within the range of 2 to 4 °C throughout the entire storage period.

In spring, large potatoes can be put to seed. To do this, cut it into pieces and dry the sections. There should be several eyes on one segment.

Landing specifics

It is recommended to plant Red Scarlet potatoes in ridges. Reviews from summer residents about the variety, descriptions of this method and the resulting harvest speak in favor of using this planting method. Before planting, the soil must be fertilized, following proven planting rules:

1. Dig a hole no deeper than 8 cm.
2. Apply nitrogen fertilizers, such as urea. It will stimulate the growth of the above-ground part of the bush.
3. Be sure to add about 1 cup of ash to the bottom of the planting hole. Place the tuber on the ash so that the sprouts face up.
4. Form high ridges (12 cm) over the holes.

To make it convenient to care for the plantation and have enough land to hill each bush, it is recommended to adhere to a planting pattern of 35x75 cm. In a row, the distance between holes is 35 cm, between adjacent rows - 75 cm.

Secrets of care

There are no special secrets to caring for Red Scarlett. Before the bushes close, you need to loosen the soil between the rows, simultaneously removing weeds. For the whole period before potatoes ripen Each bush must be hilled at least 2 times. You can loosen the soil between the bushes with a flat cutter or a regular hoe.

According to the description of the variety, the drought resistance of Red Scarlet potatoes is rated at 6.5 points. If the summer is dry, then the potatoes need to be watered. The main features of caring for Scarlet:

• watering;
• mandatory hilling;
• prevention of pests and diseases using insecticides;
• When planting, it is necessary to add fertilizers to the soil;
• Before digging potatoes, trim the tops at least 10 days before harvesting.

During the season, Scarlet bushes need to be watered at least 3 times. The first full watering is carried out before the potatoes have gained color. The second time - during mass flowering. The third time potatoes need watering is 7–10 days after flowering ends.

Over the entire season, Red Scarlet is fed at least 3 times:

• complex nitrogen-potassium fertilizer is applied a month after planting;
• the second time fertilizer is applied during flowering;
• The third time, fertilizing is also combined with the main watering.

Many gardeners practice cutting the tops; thanks to this technique, the skin on the potatoes becomes durable and suffers less from mechanical damage during digging.

Diseases and pests

Thanks to Dutch scientists, Red Scarlett has high immunity to potato cancer, but often suffers from scab and Alternaria blight.The above-ground part of the plant (stems, leaves) is susceptible to late blight; the tubers practically do not suffer from it.

In plants affected by scab, ulcers form on the tubers. Sick potatoes are poorly stored and quickly lose their commercial properties. Symptoms of Alternaria blight are brown spots on leaves and stems, dry in structure. The disease rarely affects tubers.

The advantage of the Scarlett variety is its resistance to the golden nematode. This pest is not found in fields where the Red Scarlet potato variety is grown. It can be noted that the variety is resistant to viruses A and Yn. Until the time of flowering comes, preventive treatment is carried out with insecticides against the Colorado potato beetle - the main potato pest. The most popular products:

• Aktara.
• Colorado.
• Corado.
• Actellik.

After treatment with chemicals, tubers should be eaten only after the toxic substance has been removed from the fruit. The decay period is indicated in the instructions. Opponents of chemistry should use traditional methods of protection against pests: ammonia, ash, laundry soap.

We must not forget about the prevention and treatment of diseases. For late blight on the tops use: Celeste Stop and Maxim, the effect of their use lasts 2 weeks.

Advice from an experienced gardener

Beginning gardeners can benefit from advice from those who have been seriously involved in growing potatoes for a long time.

Yulia, Novokuznetsk:

“Red Scarlet purchased her first potato seeds six years ago. Since then it has been my favorite variety. In the spring I’m not in a hurry to plant; potatoes are early in terms of ripening, so we plant them in early June. Growing does not require much effort: weeding, hilling, loosening and watering if there is no rain.With normal care, we dig up to 40 buckets of even, smooth, tasty tubers. We get this yield from one bucket of seed potatoes.”

Vladimir, Tula:

“We are not very good vegetable growers. We inherited a dacha from my grandmother and decided that we could start growing our own potatoes. Red Scarlet seeds were recommended by the store manager. They planted it in the last days of May, at the end of June the tops were already sticking out with all their might, and in July they lay down on the ground. Later, late blight attacked the bushes, but the tubers were not damaged. There was a harvest in the fall. We didn’t apply fertilizers, our land is good, fertile.”

Anna, Omsk:

“We started growing Red Scarlet three years ago. The seeds were bought at a specialized store. The first year we planted 10 kg of seed potatoes. There was no rush to plant, since the variety is early and we need it for winter consumption. Planted Red Scarlet in June. At the end of July, the tops grew good and strong. The yield of the variety was pleasing. 10 kg of seed potatoes produced 38 buckets of high-quality tubers of the same size, smooth, without flaws.”

Alena, Tomsk:

“Red Scarlet is my favorite variety. I like everything about it: the taste, shape, color of the peel and pulp. Peeling tubers is a pleasure, the puree from it turns out delicious, my son devours it on both cheeks. We no longer buy seeds; we select them from our own potatoes. We take care of the plantings as standard; if there is little rain, we water them 2–3 times during the summer. We hill up the bushes at least 2 times during the summer. The first time is when the tops grow to 25 cm, and the second time just before they close. We store the potatoes in the cellar, they stay well, they don’t spoil much, we put the seeds in plastic boxes, and in April we take them out for germination.”