Rules for growing potatoes using Dutch technology

In pursuit of productivity, summer residents invent various methods of growing crops. The Dutch technology for growing seed potatoes is considered one of the most popular among gardeners. Having studied all the nuances of the Dutch technique for growing potatoes and applying it in practice in the fall, you will be able to grow a good harvest without much effort.

Dutch technology: general principles of methodology and features of cultivation

The basis of the Dutch cultivation method is to comply with the following points:

• Compliance with a certain scheme for planting root crops.
• Fertile crops need to be rotated.
• Mandatory use of fertilizers and chemicals.
• Seed potatoes for future plantings must be collected in advance.
• Before planting root crops, the soil is fertilized with special solutions.

The Dutch method of growing seed potatoes begins with sprouting them. It is not necessary to germinate potato tubers before planting, and many summer residents do not do this, getting a good harvest in the fall. But to increase productivity, sprouting root crops is considered a necessary measure.

Germinating seed potatoes has a number of features that are important to consider before starting the process.

Seed potatoes can be planted without prior preparation, but in this case no one can guarantee that all the seeds will sprout. Even shoots will appear, they are weak and thin and die quickly. Pre-germination of planting material will reduce the growing time of the crop to two weeks. Different varieties grow at different rates. But on average it takes 4-6 weeks.

If there is less than a month left before planting, the tubers are placed in a room with a temperature above +25 degrees. Under these storage conditions, sprouts will appear 20 days earlier.

Benefits of technology

Among the advantages of this method are high potato yield. By following all the recommendations, the yield can be increased to 30–45 tons per hectare of land.

The speed of plant growth and development of root crops, their size and quantity in one bush is another advantage of using this particular method.

Flaws

No significant disadvantages were found in the Dutch growing method. The only downside is that you will have to spend a lot of time on cultivation. Preparation of root crops, germinating sprouts and drawing up a planting scheme in open ground. Otherwise, there are no downsides and the method has proven itself to be excellent.

Selection and preparation of planting material

Potato planting material should be prepared immediately after harvesting. The harvested crop is sorted, gnawed and damaged roots are thrown away. Then the healthiest tubers are selected. It is not advisable to use large potatoes for planting.

The optimal size for sowing potatoes is medium-sized root crops of regular shape. Their average weight is 40–90 g. If you take large potatoes, the above-ground part will develop much faster than the underground part. And if you use small fruits for planting, the harvest will be meager. The selected tubers are stored separately from the entire crop and left for the winter.

The second stage of preparation begins with the onset of spring, 30–40 days before planting in open ground. First, they sort through the seeds and throw out any damaged or moldy ones.

You can prepare seeds for planting in various ways:

• Germination.
• Greening.
• Spraying with mineral growth stimulants and disinfectants.

Before sprouting potatoes, they need to be disinfected. For this, a solution of vitriol mixed with potassium permanganate is used. To prepare the solution you will need 10 liters of water, 3 g of copper sulfate and 11 g of potassium permanganate.All ingredients are mixed and the tubers are immersed in liquid for 25 minutes. After the procedure, it is dried until dry.

Soil preparation

The Dutch method of planting potatoes in open ground involves preliminary soil preparation. The main goal of this method is to create an optimal loose soil structure for planting. Therefore, land preparation consists of autumn and spring cultivation.

Autumn processing

Preparing the substrate with the onset of autumn is the basis of the Dutch scheme for cultivating potato root crops. Immediately after harvesting, the site is dug up, all weeds are removed and mineral fertilizers are applied. The soil is dug up to a depth of 20 to 36 cm.

Special plows that dig up the top layer of soil and swap it with the bottom layer are best suited for plowing. This is necessary in order to prevent the appearance of insects in the fall. Most crop pests prefer to overwinter in the soil and spoil the crop in the spring.

Nitrogen-containing fertilizers have won particular love among the Dutch. In autumn, the soil is fertilized with ammonium nitrate. The soil is also disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate or iodine.

Spring training

In spring, the soil is not dug up, but simply loosened using a cultivator. Loosening the soil needs to be to a depth of 12–15 cm. This should be done after the ground has warmed up by +10 degrees. Soil preparation in spring is of two types and depends on the type of soil:

• Deep loosening (used if the soil is fertile and well-drained). For loosening, it is preferable to use a fork and dig only the top layer with it.
• Digging the soil (used on soil that is rough and prone to acidification).It consists of cultivating the soil to a depth less than in autumn, but subject to the removal of weeds on the site.

Another factor that must be observed when planting potatoes - This is the observance of crop rotation. In areas where potatoes have grown for several years in a row, it is not recommended to plant them again. The best predecessors for potatoes are legumes, pumpkin or cabbage.

It is also effective to plant green manure plants before planting potatoes. Most often, as green manures use peas, alfalfa, mustard, sweet clover or clover.

After loosening the soil, the second stage of soil preparation is the application of fertilizers. Before planting root crops, phosphorus is added to the soil in the form of Superphosphate, and potassium in the form of potassium sulfate. 20 days after the emergence of seedlings, ammonium nitrate is added to the beds.

Dates for planting potatoes using Dutch technology

Most summer residents prefer to plant root crops immediately after warm weather sets in at night. The main criterion is the soil; if the soil comes away from the shovel well, then it’s time to plant the planting material. But this method of determining planting dates is not the most effective and in some cases reduces yields.

According to the Dutch cultivation scheme, the timing of planting potatoes is determined by the readiness of the soil for planting. Root crops need to be planted after the substrate has “ripened”. To determine readiness, you need to take a small amount of earth into your fist and throw it down from waist height. If the lump of earth crumbles, then you can start planting. If not, then you need to wait until the substrate dries a little more.

It is also worth focusing on climatic conditions.If the weather is warm during the day and frost occurs at night, then planting should be postponed for some time. Most often, potatoes begin to be planted in late April - early May.

Planting scheme using Dutch technology

To a person who decides to grow potatoes for the first time using the Dutch method, at first it seems that a huge amount of empty space is being wasted. For 1 sq. m, only 5–9 root crops are planted. But in fact, the large distance between the bushes allows more tubers to be formed in each bush.

The Dutch growing method gives potatoes the following conditions:

• Sufficient amount of heat.
• The soil is always saturated with oxygen.
• Regular feeding.

Planting potato beds occurs according to a certain algorithm. The soil is loosened using a pitchfork or a cultivator. Remove all weeds. The distance between each row is approximately 70–85 cm, between each bush - up to 30 cm. The holes are dug to a depth of 7–9 cm.

The second stage of the scheme is the application of fertilizing. Throw them in so that the fertilizer is under the root crops. Then pour in a small amount of ash and crushed shells. To prevent the appearance of wireworms and slugs, use onion peels.

Root crops are placed sprouts up and covered with soil. A week after planting potatoes, you may notice the appearance of weeds on the site. They need to be weeded out as quickly as possible before they begin to grow. After the sprouts begin to appear, they are earthed up. The height of the ridges should be 10 cm. If there is a risk of frost at night, the sprouts are sprinkled with soil, and when warm weather sets in at night, the stems are straightened and carefully placed straight.

12 days after planting, the potatoes are hilled again. This time the height of the ridges is 25 cm.The width at the base is approximately 75 cm, and the width at the top is 30 cm. When the Colorado potato beetle appears on the plantings, they are treated with anti-insect chemicals as necessary.

Plant care

A characteristic feature of this growing scheme is the care of seedlings and adult plants. Care includes treatment of plantings from weeds and pests, prevention of crop diseases, application of fertilizers to the substrate and hilling. If the potato plantings are small, then additional watering is possible.

Weed treatments

Spraying a plantation against weeds is a mandatory procedure, especially at the growth stage, when sprouts have just begun to appear. In addition to the fact that they fill the area and prevent potatoes from growing, they also contribute to the appearance of harmful insects.

There are two ways to get rid of weeds. Using herbicides and manual methods. The use of chemicals is advisable if the area is large or overgrown with weeds. In dacha conditions, it is better to use the manual method and get rid of weeds using a hoe.

Popular chemicals are the drugs Shogun, Alpha Maize and Tornado 500. These products contain phosphites, which are responsible for the destruction of weeds from the site.

Treatment against pests and diseases

In most cases, chemicals are used to kill harmful insects. They are quite effective and help get rid of insects in a short time. You need to spray the bushes on a sunny, windless day. It is also advisable to check the weather forecast before the procedure. If rain is expected in the near future, it is better to postpone spraying.

The following drugs are used to control pests:

• Before planting potatoes, the chemical Tabu is added to the soil.
• After the bushes appear, they are treated with Fitoverm or Beetle Eater.

To prevent diseases, bushes are sprayed twice a month. For this purpose, the chemicals Ordan or Revus are used. If there are insects and diseases on potatoes, then you should not mix different types of herbicides. It is necessary to use complex drugs with different spectrum of action. For example, the drug Potato Rescuer. The drug contains three ampoules:

• Insectoacaricide.
• Broad-spectrum fungicide.
• Stem and root growth activators.

The drug acts for a short period of time and helps save the crop.

Fertilizers

It is believed that applying fertilizer directly into the hole is much more effective than spraying the soil. Before planting potatoes, a mixture of manure, wood ash and humus is added to the soil. Then they begin planting.

Before the first hilling procedure, the bushes are watered with urea. For fertilizer take 1 tbsp. l. urea and diluted in 9 liters of warm water. Water the bushes at the root. The row spacing is watered with mullein solution. Herbal infusions are also used. To do this, weeds are collected from the site, filled with water and infused. The resulting solution is watered into the wells in the evening.

Hilling

Hill up the potatoes using a regular hoe. There are two methods of hilling:

• Rake the soil around the plant to the center.
• Pour soil into the center of the bushes, spreading the stems to the sides.

The ridge of the earth as a result of hilling should not exceed 25 cm. During the process, one should not forget that the potato root system grows laterally in length by 30–40 cm. Therefore, during hilling, you should try not to damage them.

A manual hiller is also used. With its help, the process should be simplified and time reduced. For A walk-behind tractor is suitable for hilling. But if the area is small, then there is no need to use it.

Watering

Potatoes do not tolerate stagnation of liquid at the base of the rhizome. It is not advisable to water the bushes frequently, but in accordance with the periods of sprout growth. The first watering is carried out after planting the potatoes, when the crop is laid. The bushes need to be watered a second time after the flowering period begins. It is aimed at moisturizing the rhizomes and tubers.

In accordance with the Dutch scheme, drip irrigation is used. Drip irrigation ensures uniform distribution of moisture throughout the area and does not allow the formed beds to be destroyed.

Harvesting

Potato harvesting time from the site depend on the purpose of growing the crop. Seed potatoes begin to be dug up in early August. At this time, the tubers reach the sizes that are considered optimal for future plantings. The main part of the harvest begins to be harvested in the second half of August - early September.

Behind 14 days before digging up potatoes, the bushes are sprayed with special solutions that dry the tops. Also, after using them, the peel thickens and the shelf life of root vegetables is extended.

How to adapt Dutch technology to dacha conditions?

Adaptation of the Dutch planting scheme to the conditions of the dacha consists only of adapting the options for preparing the substrate, but not fulfilling all the preparation points. The cultivator for loosening is replaced with a fork or a Fokina flat cutter.

When growing potatoes at home, it is not necessary to use chemicals to remove weeds. This method is necessary when cultivating potatoes on an industrial scale. And in dacha conditions, it is enough to walk around the area with your hands or a hoe to remove all the weeds.