The Snegir potato variety appeared relatively recently, but is already included in the State Register. Domestic breeders named the potato for its beautiful, reddish skin and resistance to frost. The variety quickly gained recognition not only among Russian gardeners and farms, but also among residents of neighboring countries due to its excellent keeping quality, excellent taste and marketable appearance. The early crop is suitable for cultivation in the North-Western region, the Urals and Siberia.
Description of the variety
Young tubers of Snegir are dug up 45–50 days after planting; the variety reaches full readiness at 55–60 days.The variety is distinguished by its friendly ripening.
Erect, densely leafy bushes grow to medium height. Large fleshy leaves lack any specific waviness. Bright lilac flowers decorate the area during potato flowering.
Smooth oval tubers with small eyes on a reddish skin weigh 90 g. Creamy-white pulp with a high starch content (16%) crumbles when cooked. Suitable for preparing many dishes. Baked potatoes and potato chips are especially good.
The yield of Bullfinch reaches 450 centners per hectare. The first dig yields 50–110 quintals. Such indicators of an early ripening vegetable determine the economic benefits of cultivation.
Growing
The Bullfinch potato is picky about soil. Heavy, clayey, infertile lands filled with weeds will not allow you to get a high and high-quality harvest.
You need to prepare the area for planting potatoes in the fall: destroy weeds, plow, apply organic fertilizers and superphosphate. Leave the wood ash until spring.
It is important to observe crop rotation and return potatoes to their original place after four years. Soil improvement is carried out by sowing green manure in the autumn. In the spring, the area is dug up and fertilized again. If there is not enough ash or organic matter, they are added directly to the wells. The introduction of granules with a high potassium content, OMU “Potato”, and the drug Kemira is effective.
The best predecessors for the Bullfinch potato variety are considered to be corn, cucumbers and legumes. Planting after nightshade is not recommended.
Due to susceptibility to nematode infection, Bullfinch seed material needs to be treated before planting in the ground. For this purpose, drugs such as Aktara, Maxim, Fitosporin, Mikon, copper sulfate, and ash are purchased.
It is equally important to germinate the tubers, which speeds up the emergence of seedlings. This procedure is carried out in the light, at a temperature of +12 ºC, a month before planting.
An early ripening variety is planted in May. The exact date depends on weather conditions. The soil temperature should warm up to +8 ºC. The distance between holes or furrows is maintained within 30–35 cm. The interval between rows is 70 cm.
Planting of Snegir potatoes is carried out no deeper than 6–7 cm, in order to avoid delayed germination. For successful formation of the root system, watering is not indicated in the first week after planting.
Features of care
With the appearance of the first shoots, 8–10 days after planting, the ridges are harrowed to remove surface crust and weeds. Watering the Bullfinch potatoes is required as needed, only during periods of prolonged drought. In the absence of rain, watering is organized two weeks after emergence, then during budding, and at the peak of flowering. Early potatoes need moisture at the beginning of summer.
Water the potatoes early in the morning, trying not to get them on the leaves, which is convenient to do between the rows. In the heat, it is recommended to mulch the plantings with mowed grass, peat, humus, this will retain moisture and destroy most weeds.
Hilling up of potatoes begins when the sprouts reach 10–12 cm in height. Residents of the northern regions prefer to cover the seedlings completely. Other gardeners do the same in case of June coolness.
An important hilling is at the beginning of flowering, when the Bullfinch forms tubers, which requires loose soil, free penetration of air and the formation of a compact bush.
It is necessary to hill up potatoes; this increases productivity by creating comfortable conditions for growth.
The characteristics of the variety make it possible to do without summer fertilizing if fertilizers were applied in the fall. Occasionally, plants require replenishment, which is added before the first hilling in the form of organic matter - bird droppings or mullein. Nitrophoska, complex fertilizers and nettle infusion are considered a good option. With the appearance of buds, potassium, phosphorus fertilizers or ash are used. Spraying plants with compounds containing humates and boric acid, which accelerate the formation and ripening of fruits, is effective.
Advantages and disadvantages
Description of the Snegir potato variety includes a number of advantages:
- Excellent taste.
- Friendly maturation.
- Good yield indicators.
- Keeping quality - up to 95%.
The disadvantage of this variety is its susceptibility to nematodes.
Pests and diseases
Potatoes of the Snegir variety are classified as moderately resistant to diseases and pests:
- Golden potato cyst nematode.
- The causative agent of cancer.
- Alternaria.
- Common scab.
- Fusarium.
- Verticillium.
Bullfinch is only slightly affected by ring rot and rhizoctonia. Late blight only affects the tops; it practically does not threaten the tubers.
For preventive purposes, potatoes are dusted with wood ash, infusions of celandine or tansy, which is quite effective and non-toxic. In the event of insects appearing -pests on potato plantings varieties Bullfinch, you have to use special chemicals.
Harvest and storage
Harvesting begins on the 45th day after emergence. Full maturity occurs at 55–60 days. The dates shift depending on the climatic conditions of the region.They start digging up Snegir potatoes in dry, sunny weather so that the tubers have time to dry on the ridges before moving under the canopy. After drying, the fruits are sorted and stored in a cellar, basement, balcony or loggia in wooden containers or nets.
The early-ripening variety is suitable for repeated planting and obtaining a double harvest in one season, which is suitable for farmers growing vegetables for commercial use.
Bullfinch is tolerant of temperature changes and precipitation, therefore it is recommended for cultivation in the northern regions of Russia.
