The time-honored and adored by farmers legendary potato variety "American"

Potatoes are a vegetable that most people cannot imagine their diet without. It is an important part of many second and first courses. The taste of the dish largely depends on the quality of the root vegetables.

The American potato has been a favorite of domestic gardeners for decades. Its taste is recognized as a reference. What are the disadvantages and advantages of this variety and how to grow it on your site, read on.

What kind of potato is this

American is an old potato variety bred in 1861. Its creator is American breeder Albert Brezi.

In 1931, the variety was entered into the Russian State Register. At that time, it was actively cultivated on collective and state farms in Moscow, Ukraine and all countries of the USSR.

The American is also known by the names: Early rose, Latvian, Dovzhik, Olkhovka, Skorospelka, Yanovka, Turk, Monthly.

Distinctive features

Feature American - excellent taste characteristics... It is this variety that is recognized as the standard of taste for potatoes. It has a tender, slightly sweet and crumbly pulp. It does not fall apart during cooking, but at the same time it turns out delicious and airy puree.

Despite the fact that this variety is about 150 years old, its yield exceeds that of many others. One plant forms up to 15 large tubers.

The appearance of the root crop is also attractive. Potato has an oblong, flattened shape, thin light pink skin. The variety is early maturing. The first potatoes are ready for harvest in July.

Low immunity is considered a negative feature of the American woman. This variety is resistant to many nightshade diseases, but susceptible to late blight and bacterial cancer.

General characteristics of the plant

American still remains the most popular potato variety... Due to its high taste characteristics and excellent yield indicators, many gardeners prefer it to many more modern options.

The description of the variety is presented in the table:

Agricultural technology American

Potatoes are grown in a seedless way... The tubers are planted immediately in open ground. In cool regions, at first, the culture is grown under a film.

In the southern regions, potatoes are sown in the ground in early April. In cities with a temperate climate - in the second half.

Advice! Planting material is prepared a month before it is placed in the ground.

Preparation of planting material

To accelerate the emergence of seedlings, to protect plants from diseases and negative environmental factors, planting material is prepared in advance.

This procedure consists of several stages.:

1. For planting, tubers are chosen without damage. They should be about the size of a chicken egg. Selected root vegetables are left at room temperature for 3 days.
2. After that, they are disinfected. Wash with a solution prepared from 1 tsp. copper sulfate and 3 liters of water. Then the planting material is dried for 5 days.
3. The potatoes are washed in a solution prepared from 3 liters of water and half a teaspoon of boric acid. The tubers are left to dry for 5 days.
4. To stimulate growth, the planting material is washed in "Solution" or "Superagro". For its preparation 1 tsp. the drug is added to 3 liters of water. The tubers are dried again for 5 days.

Other varieties of potatoes:

Consistently productive Impala potato

Potatoes "Crimean rose" for a hot climate

Early table potato "Tiras"

Then the potatoes are stored for a month at a temperature of + 17 ° C... Every day the room is ventilated, and the tubers are sprayed with water at room temperature from a spray bottle.

When many sprouts are formed on the tubers (after a month), they are folded for 2 days in a room with a temperature of + 10 ° C. They are then ready to disembark.

Advice! Some gardeners cut the sprouted tubers into several parts to save planting material. If you do this, make sure that there are sprouts on each piece.

Soil preparation and planting potatoes

Potato beds begin to be prepared in the fall. Choose a garden site that is out in the sun. Other nightshade crops should not grow on it for the past 2 years. Do not plant them near potato beds.

In autumn, the soil is dug to a depth of at least 20 cm... Then they are leveled with a rake and all larvae are removed from it.

Fertilizers are applied to the beds. On each square meter, 6 kg of cow dung or humus are scattered. If the acidity of the soil is increased, scatter 1 tbsp. dry lime per 1 m². Fertilizers are thoroughly mixed with soil.

Advice! After harvesting in August or September, it is recommended to plant in the area where potatoes, legumes, oats or rye will be grown. This will increase the nutrient content of the soil.

In the spring, the beds are dug again... They are cleared of weeds and watered with copper sulfate. For 1 m², add 3 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate.

Digging holes 10 cm deep in rows in a checkerboard pattern.The distance between the rows should be 35 cm, and between the recesses - 60 cm.

A handful of ash and onion husks are poured into each hole. Many gardeners also send long-acting complex mineral fertilizers there.

1 tuber is placed in each well. They are covered with earth without compacting it. The beds are watered with warm water.

Basic rules of care

Before the first shoots appear, the potato beds are loosened 2 timesremoving all weeds. As a result, the earthen crust is destroyed, which prevents tubers from rotting.

Potato beds watered as the soil dries... Settled warm water is used. After each watering and precipitation, the soil is loosened.This is done carefully so as not to damage the tubers, thereby increasing the risk of infection with infections. In the process of loosening, the beds are cleared of weeds.

Potatoes are spud twice per season... The first time, when the bushes reach a height of 20 cm, and repeat after 2-3 weeks. This promotes the formation of new roots and an increase in the number of tubers.

Advice! Additional loosening is required after heavy rains.

For the entire period of growing potatoes, fed three times according to the following scheme:

1. The first feeding is applied 2 weeks after germination. To do this, use a product prepared from 10 liters of water and 1 kg of chicken manure or rotted cow dung.
2. After the formation of the first bud, fertilizers are applied a second time. To do this, prepare a remedy from 1 tbsp. wood ash and 1 bucket of water.
3. The last time the plants are fed during the period of mass flowering. To do this, under each bush pour 0.5 liters of solution prepared from 10 liters of water, 2 tbsp. mullein and 2 tbsp. l superphosphate.

Important! Before each fertilization, the beds are watered with clean warm water.

Advice from gardeners

To avoid problems when growing potatoes, use the advice of experienced gardeners:

1. Agree with your neighbors to process and collect the Colorado potato beetle on the same day from all nightshade plants. In this case, the repeated "invasion" of insects will not happen.
2. Potatoes are watered and fed early in the morning or at sunset. If this is done when the sun is active, the tubers will simply "cook" in the soil.
3. American bushes grow strongly, which increases the risk of plant infection with late blight. Remove a few sheets at the bottom of the bush.
4. To get the largest tubers possible, it is recommended to apply foliar dressing 10 days before harvesting. To do this, the bushes are simply sprayed with superphosphate.
5. Mulch potato beds and soil between rows. This will protect plants from diseases, pests and negative environmental factors.
6. To provide the potatoes with optimal moisture, they are watered not by hand, but by an automatic drip method.
7. Mark the healthiest and most beautiful bushes with ribbons. It is from them that it is better to collect seed material.

Diseases and pests

Potatoes American resistant to most nightshade diseases, but some infections are dangerous for him:

1. Late blight. Stems and leaves are covered with brown spots, which eventually turn black and lead to wilting of plants. The disease spreads to the tubers, leading to their rotting. For prevention, potato bushes are sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate 2-3 times over the entire growing period. The disease cannot be treated, the affected plants are removed and burned, the soil is disinfected.
2. Bacterial cancer... Dark formations that resemble cauliflower grow from the eyes of potato roots. Such tubers are inedible. The disease cannot be treated. Affected plants are removed, the soil on which they grew is disinfected.

Prevention will help prevent infection with these dangerous diseases.... It consists in disinfecting gardening tools, soil and tubers, observing the rules for watering, hilling, and crop rotation.

Often potatoes the Colorado potato beetle attacks... The pests are simply picked from the plants by hand. If there are many of them, then chemical agents are used, for example, "Barrier"

Wireworm infects tubers potatoes. It will not be possible to notice and neutralize it in time. In this case, prevention is important. It consists in mulching, using slightly acidic soils and planting onions between rows of potatoes.

Collection, storage and use of the crop

American potatoes are harvested in July... The fact that the roots have reached their maximum size and are ready for harvesting will be indicated by the withered and yellowed ground part of the bush:

1. It is recommended to dig up potato tubers not with a shovel, but with a pitchfork. This will reduce the amount of damage.Harvested only in dry weather.
2. To separate the tops from the root crops, just shake it.
3. The harvested potatoes are laid out on a newspaper and dried for 2-3 days. After that, the soil is easily removed with a dry cloth.
4. The tubers are sorted out and carefully examined. Damaged copies cannot be stored. Eat them first.
5. Potato storage boxes are wiped with copper sulfate or a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate. The room is fumigated with sulfur.
6. The American is stored in a room with a humidity of no higher than 80% and a temperature of up to + 5 ° C.
7. During storage, the tubers are periodically sorted out. Damaged copies must be removed.

American is a universal variety... It is suitable for cooking and frying. Some housewives say that such root vegetables are tastier in boiled and baked forms.

Read also:

Mid-early table potato "Romano"

Unique looking and great tasting Picasso potatoes

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Benefits of American potatoes:

• high productivity;
• great taste;
• resistance to many diseases;
• unpretentious care;
• high keeping quality and transportability;
• tubers do not degenerate for 20 years;
• early maturity.

Among the disadvantages:

• lack of immunity to late blight and bacterial cancer;
• abundant green mass that attracts pests.

Farmers reviews

Reviews of gardeners talk about the high quality of American fruit... Many of them grow this variety from year to year.

Alisa, Moscow: “My mother also raised the American woman. I have not changed this variety for many years either. Of course, he is not particularly resistant to disease. We have to regularly process it with copper sulfate. I grow it because of its great taste. Any dish with it turns out to be just great. I really like the flattened long fruits, just like in the photo. Convenient for stuffing in halves ".

Gleb, Voronezh: “I remember the taste of the American woman since childhood. This is perhaps the most delicious and beautiful pink potato. I would like to grow it at home, but planting material is not easy to find. Found in the grocery market this year. Planted, let's see what happens ".

Conclusion

Potato America is a variety that has been cultivated around the world for over 100 years. It is distinguished by its versatility and excellent taste.

The American woman also has disadvantages. The variety is picky about the composition of the soil and is susceptible to diseases of nightshade crops. To get a rich harvest, the gardener will have to regularly take care of the plants.