How to properly care for potatoes for a good harvest

To please the potato harvest with quantity and quality, it is not enough to plant it in the ground. Potatoes need regular care, in addition to hilling, they need watering, weeding, pest control and other measures to guarantee a 100% harvest that will be stored for a long time and well.

Rules for caring for potatoes

Planting is not the most time-consuming procedure in the scheme growing potatoes.

Physical effort will be needed during:

• weeding;
• hilling;
• loosening;
• cleaning

High-quality and sharp tools make routine physical work much easier. There are many devices for caring for potatoes. There are manual devices and mechanized equipment. For a good harvest, balanced fertilizers and timely watering are needed. Fertilizing and irrigation should be carried out based on the recommendations that the manufacturer gives in the description of the variety.

Watering potatoes

In regions where it rains with enviable regularity, the soil is always moist and the potatoes do not need to be watered. But not all vegetable growers are lucky. In many regions of the Russian Federation, rain is rare in summer, so watering is necessary.

They are needed during flowering. When potato bushes bloom, they begin to form tubers and the lack of moisture in the soil reduces their number. There are potato varieties bred for dry regions, but most varieties require moisture.

In the south, potato fields are watered once a week; in northern latitudes, it is enough to irrigate once every 2 weeks.

Approximate scheme for watering potatoes:

• 3 weeks have passed since planting, the tops have grown by 10 cm - time for the first watering;
• buds have appeared - it’s time to water the potatoes a second time;
• The root crops have begun to grow actively, which means you need to water the potatoes a third time.

How to water?

Several irrigation systems have been developed and are used in practice; each vegetable grower chooses the most practical and effective for himself:

• sprinkling;
• into the furrows;
• using a drip irrigation system.

The most common and cheapest method of irrigation is sprinkling. Watering is carried out manually with a watering can or hose.

The method has disadvantages:

• irrational use of water;
• moisture on leaves and stems, which can stimulate the development of late blight;
• reduction in the effectiveness of insecticides due to their washing off during watering.

Watering into the furrow leaves the tops dry, moisture goes directly to the root part of the plant.

Important disadvantages of the method:

• water consumption is not justifiably high;
• the top layer of soil is compressed, which reduces the amount of oxygen supplied to the tubers.

Drip irrigation system

The drip irrigation system deserves special attention; its popularity is growing. It can be effectively used when growing any type of vegetables and ornamental crops in the garden. With the right irrigation scheme and high-quality equipment, each plant receives moisture directly at the root, and exactly as much water is consumed as the plant requires at this stage of development.

Advantages of the method:

• water consumption is reduced;
• potatoes get sick less often;
• the amount of physical labor is reduced;
• You can add fertilizers to the water for irrigation in the required concentration;
• there is no need to loosen the row spacing, since crust formation does not occur during drip irrigation.

Loosening

Tubers develop only in loose soil. The first loosening procedure is carried out after the first shoots appear and is repeated until the tops close. The soil is loosened both between the rows and around the bushes.

Loosening depth is 3 cm, frequency depends on the soil structure. For loose, light soils, several treatments per season are sufficient. Clay and loamy soils need to be loosened after each rain (watering).

Harrowing potatoes

Harrowing is also loosening, but it is carried out using special mechanisms.

Harrowing is carried out when growing potatoes on an industrial scale.

The procedure is carried out several times a season.In addition to loosening the soil, weeds are removed when harrowing.

Weeding potatoes

Without weeding, potatoes will become overgrown with weeds and there will not be a good harvest. Weeds are removed by hand, pulling them out of the bushes. Most of the weeds are destroyed during loosening, hilling, and harrowing.

Hilling up potatoes

This is one of the main points in caring for potatoes. Without hilling, there will be no full formation of tubers. By raking the soil towards the potato stems, they improve oxygen access to the roots and create conditions for the formation of tubers from stolons. There are several methods of hilling.

Classic hilling

In classic hilling, soil is raked onto potato rows from both sides. The tops of each bush are sprinkled with earth. A groove (furrow) is formed between the rows, into which water is then released for irrigation.

Fan hilling

Using a fan Hilling increases potato yields. The earth is raked into the center of the bush, spreading the tops apart and improving its illumination. Some gardeners prefer not to cover the bushes with soil, but rather place dry grass or straw in the center. It has been proven that this method of hilling increases productivity by 2 times.

High hilling of potatoes

It makes sense to use this type of hilling when growing late varieties of potatoes. Thanks to the high ridges, the number of tubers in the nest and their size increase. For early and ultra-early varieties this method is unacceptable; they need to be hilled low.

Potato fertilizers

During potato planting You can add a special mineral fertilizer for potatoes to the hole; there are a lot of them on sale now.

Almost all fertilizers are produced in the form of granules, which contain the necessary set of nutrients.

The granules must be mixed with soil, after which the tuber must be placed in the hole with the sprouts facing up. If you have wood ash, you can pour either a handful or 1-2 tablespoons of it directly onto the potatoes.

When planting potatoes for many years in one field, the soil is depleted, so organic (humus, compost) and mineral fertilizers must be applied annually. In autumn, sow green manure. In autumn, sow green manure - vetch, rye.

In summer, do not forget about fertilizing. You can follow the standard scheme:

• Feed with ammonium nitrate when the tops grow to 10–15 cm;
• when the first inflorescences appear on the bushes, feed it a second time, use an infusion of ash (a glass in a bucket of water) and add potassium sulfate (1 tbsp.);
• When tubers are actively forming, water each bush with a solution of slurry with the addition of 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate.

Caring for potatoes during the growth period

We have considered all the activities that potatoes need during growth. In July, the bushes close, so there is no need to hill them up. It is easier to care for potatoes at this time. It is necessary to ensure that no pests or signs of late blight appear on the bushes, and to follow the watering and fertilizing schedule.

Growth regulators for potatoes

Increase potato yields possible with the help of growth regulators. Agronomists recommend using:

• Epin-Extra.
• Zircon.
• Siliplant.

Protection from pests and diseases

The most dangerous potato pest is the Colorado potato beetle and its larvae. If the number of pests is moderate, they are collected by hand, and the bushes are treated with infusions of wormwood or celandine. In case of severe infection, insecticides are used to treat late and mid-late varieties. Early ripening varieties are not treated with chemicals.

Potato diseases (late blight, rot) are treated with biological products:

• Guapsin.
• Agat-25K.
• Immunocytophyte.

A description of potato care methods will help you grow a good potato harvest.