We reveal the secrets of record yields: how to grow a bucket of potatoes from one bush
The secrets of increasing potato yields from experienced farmers will allow you to harvest a bucket of tubers and more from one bush. Use the recommendations from our article, and the neighbors in the country will watch you with envy through a crack in the fence.
The content of the article
Is it possible to grow a bucket of potatoes from a bush
They also grow two buckets from a bush, depending on which bucket. Seriously, increasing the yield from a potato bush is a completely doable task.
Read our recommendations carefully, you will harvest a record harvest even from a small plot.
What determines the yield
The yield of any crop depends on caring for it - this is the gardener's golden rule. Even the most prolific potato varieties can be ruined if these rules are not followed.
Culture care consists of:
- in the selection of seed;
- in preparing potatoes for planting;
- in the correct planting, watering, weeding and correctly selected fertilizers.
Sizes of potatoes grown
The size of the tubers depends on the variety. Fertile varieties have potatoes weighing from 180 to 500-600 g. The greater the weight of the tuber, the less of them on the bush. For example, potatoes of the Udacha variety have an average weight of 180 g, they are harvested from one bush 20-25 pieces, about 10 kg per 1 sq. m.
Number of potatoes
From 5 to 40 potatoes are formed on the bush, depending on the variety. It is difficult to increase the varietal number of tubers on the bush. But there is one dependence: the lighter, looser the soil, the easier it is for the tubers to tie. On clay soil, it is more difficult for roots to break through, and for potatoes to develop.
There is a sure sign: the more eyes on the potato, the more trunks in the bush. The more trunks in the bush, the more lush the vegetation. The lush the vegetation, the better the photosynthesis. The better the photosynthesis, the more nutrients will be delivered to the tubers. And this gives them maximum growth.
Varieties with which such yields can be achieved
There are several varieties of potatoes with the highest yield. They differ in shape and in the number of tubers on the bush, and the tubers themselves differ in weight. Collecting a bucket of potatoes from a bush with these varieties is quite realistic.
- Bellarosa - a variety bred in Slovakia, large, high-starchy with white, crumbly, rapidly boiling pulp. Bellarose has a brownish rind. The variety requires regular watering, only in this way the potatoes reach a weight of 500-600 g. From 1 sq. m get 5.5 kg of potatoes.
- Idaho - it is ordered by all fast food chains. Large tubers of this variety are perfectly even and elongated. Idaho has an unusual taste, nutritious and starchy potatoes. The variety is resistant to diseases, refers to early ripening. From 1 sq. m receive 6 kg.
- Gala - an early variety, a bush only 50 cm high, but the weight of 5-6 tubers from a bush reaches 400 g, the rest are half as small. From 1 sq. m receive 7 kg.
- Rosara - variety with multiple tubers - up to 30 pieces, weighing 150 g. The variety is resistant to diseases and starchy. However, it is very fond of the Colorado potato beetle. From 1 sq. m receive 4-4.5 kg.
- Luck - a fruitful, large-fruited variety. Average weight - 180 g, on a bush - about 25 tubers. Harvest from 1 sq. m - about 10 kg.
- Slav - a variety from Ukraine.Large tubers weighing up to 1 kg. Unpretentious to the soil, not starchy, but has an inexpressive taste. Used as stern. Harvest from 1 sq. m - 3-3.5 kg.
Reference. Seed material of elite varieties, which in the first seven years will only produce large, tasty potatoes, is created in special laboratories of agricultural firms. Sold as mini sprouted tubers. With this material, you can collect a bucket from a bush.
How to grow a bucket of potatoes from a bush
Answer: take into account the climatic conditions of the area, the peculiarities of the soil, properly prepare the seeds, take care of the plants, fertilize the beds. Over time, each gardener develops his own secrets of high potato productivity, which he actively uses from year to year.
Important! Rarely, only large tubers of the same weight are formed on the bush: there will be both medium and small potatoes, which will be used for seed for the next sowing year.
Landing rules
Potatoes are planted when two ruble-sized leaves appear on the birch branches... It is believed that by this time the soil warms up to the desired temperature, and the potatoes will grow faster.
Potatoes do not like dense soil, so they dig it up in the fall so that in the spring it is loose. If the soil is dense in spring, it is loosened, not dug up. The ridges are formed in the direction from north to south. This will provide them with maximum warmth and light, so needed by plants.
Choose the planting method that suits you best.
Method number 1
Before planting, potato tubers are cut into pieces so that each of them has three eyes with a sprouted sprout. One sprout - one strong shoot. These are planted in the hole in 3-4 pieces.
Sprouted tubers are planted sprouts down in the holes. Be careful not to break the sprouts. On heavy soils, the planting depth is 5-8 cm, on light soils - 8-12 cm. The first sprout that appears on the surface is the strongest, from it there will be a maximum of tubers, from the rest - "peas".
The ridges are mulching. This is especially true for regions with heavy loamy soils. For potatoes, straw or mowed grass, humus, peat, sawdust, last year's foliage, bark of any trees, cardboard, agrofibre or dark film are used as mulch.
Method number 2
Cut the potato so that there are 2-3 eyes on each part. A mixture is prepared for processing planting material: for 10 liters of water, take a glass of ash, 1 tsp. boric acid and 1 tbsp. l. bordeaux liquid. Seed material is soaked in this solution for 15 minutes. Dig holes at a distance of 40-50 cm, throw in 1 tsp. "Amofoski". Potatoes are planted and slightly dripped.
After the sprouts appear, they are carefully bred to the sides and each sprinkled with earth in a circle. When the stems grow up, sprinkle again. The meaning of such a planting: the bush is divided into several parts, where each grows apart, does not shade the other, nutrients are supplied to the tubers faster, the potatoes are large, the harvest is large.
Care secrets
With method # 1, the ridges are not spud, weeded and watered... Mulch retains moisture, where there is little of it, does not allow weeds to break through and retains the shape of the ridges, without exposing the tubers, until the very harvest. Method # 2 uses watering and weeding as care.
If potatoes were planted in the usual way, in ridges, then in order to collect a bucket from a bush, the next care is needed for the potatoes.
Watering in the evening. During the growing period, potatoes are watered twice: during budding and after flowering, when the active growth of tubers begins. When watering, moisture should reach a depth of 40 cm: this is about one watering can for 2-3 bushes. Only in this way will the water reach the tubers.
Important! Watering will be superfluous if the soil is already wet, for example, after rain. An excess of moisture will lead to rotting and diseases of the tubers.
Loosening the soil. Two loosening is carried out after watering. The first loosening during budding is carried out to a depth of 2-3 cm, so the roots will receive the required amount of oxygen and begin to develop faster.When loosening, the maximum amount of weeds is destroyed. The second loosening to a depth of 8 cm is carried out after flowering: the aisles are loosened, removing weeds. This loosening will not damage the tubers and will protect against pests.
They spud the plant when the height of the trunk becomes 15-18 cm. Hoe pull the earth from all sides to each bush until a mound is obtained. Hilling is carried out only on wet soil. A second hilling may be needed if the mounds near the potatoes have parted and bare the roots and potatoes.
The best fertilizers
Best feeding for potatoes it is organic. In the fall, rotted manure is introduced into the soil 4-5 kg per sq. m. If there is no manure, add potash and phosphate fertilizers in a 1: 1 ratio.
The nutritious menu for potatoes after planting is three fertilization times per season:
- The first feeding during the growing season, especially for thin and weak stems: 15 tbsp. humus is mixed with 10 tsp. urea. This amount goes for 10 m of beds.
- The second top dressing to stimulate flowering, with budding: 30 tbsp. l. ash is mixed with 10 tsp. potassium sulfate. Again, enough for 10 m.
- The third feeding accelerates the formation of tubers: by 2 tbsp. l. superphosphate add 1 tbsp. l. nitrophosphate and all this for 10 liters of water. Pour 0.5 liters under a bush.
Organics are not fed during the flowering period. This provokes disease and stimulates the growth of weeds.
Life hacks of experienced farmers that will help increase yields
Simple and clear advice for those who want to collect a bucket or two from a potato bush every year. When applying this or that method, the rules of rationality are observed. If it is clear that a life hack will not suit your situation, do not use it so as not to be left without potatoes in winter.
Crop rotation
The golden rule of annual potato yield: it is returned to the same place after 4-6 years. Good predecessors: lettuce, cucumber, onion, pumpkin, legumes, radish. Do not plant after sunflowers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants.
How to "expel" sprouts
1.5 months before landingpotatoes are placed for germination in jars or boxes, sprayed with a stimulant to awaken the kidneys. They are placed in a bright place. Cover with a dark cloth 10 days before planting. The sprouts will break through in 5-7 days.
How to cut a tuber into eyes
Divide with a sharp knife, after dipping it in brilliant green: this is how the tuber is protected from diseases and decay. After that, they are dried for 3-4 days in the open air.
Important! If you cut the tubers before planting, you can anoint them with ash or dip them in cement (in the ground, a thin crust simply disappears). These are also good ways to protect yourself from various misfortunes.
Pest control
Potatoes are protected from pests by planting beans along the perimeter of the ridges. Legumes give off a smell during flowering, which the Colorado potato beetle fears. The invasion of beetles will be minimal.
How to get a double crop
Early potatoes are dug in early June, large tubers are selected, small ones are left on the roots and immediately added to their place. At the same time, a bucket of water is poured into the planting hole and spud. The bushes take root in a week, and a second crop is harvested in the fall.
Tricky break
20 days after flowering, the potato stalks are broken at a height of 10-15 cm from the soil. In this case, the stem should not lose integrity. After such a break, the nutrients that tried to "unfold" to the top and go to the tubers. The tops do not wither, which means that there is photosynthesis, the vital activity of the bush is not disturbed.
Conclusion
Growing potatoes is not an easy task: the culture does not seem to be too whimsical, but it often frustrates gardeners by not bringing the expected harvest. Using the rules of planting, care and fertilization, which are described in the article, you will save space for planting and at the same time collect a bucket of harvest from each bush. Don't neglect life hacks either. Have a nice harvest!