Delicious early ripe potatoes "Colomba" (Colombo) from Dutch breeders

Colombo potatoes are an ultra-early Dutch tabletop hybrid. Despite its recent appearance on the Russian market, the culture managed to get high marks from farmers and consumers for its simplicity in care, excellent taste, the ability to get two harvests per season.

In this article, we will talk about the nuances of potato agricultural technology, its advantages and disadvantages, we will share the reviews of real summer residents who have already managed to grow it.

Origin history and variety description

Colomba potatoes (second name - Colombo) - a product of the selection work of biologists of a Dutch company HZPC HOLLAND B.V. The hybrid was bred by crossing Carrera and Agata varieties.

In the photo - Colombo potatoes.

The table shows the distinctive characteristics of the Colombo hybrid.

Potato agricultural technology

The culture does not require special skills and knowledge of cultivation... The main conditions for obtaining a high-quality harvest are compliance with the rules of watering, loosening, weeding, hilling bushes, preventive treatments for fungal infections.

Timing, scheme and landing rules

Colombo Seed Potatoes shows high productivity when grown on sandy loam, loamy soil, black soil... Dry peat bogs with a pH of 5 to 7 are suitable for cultivation. Acidic soil is deacidified 2-3 months before planting using dolomite flour, lime or chalk.

The beds for planting tubers are chosen from the south, observing the rules of crop rotation... Potatoes cannot be grown for several years in a row in the same place. This leads to reduced yields and fungal infection.

The best predecessors of potatoes - beans, peas, cabbage, pumpkin. Planting next to tomatoes is a bad idea as these crops belong to the same family and suffer from the same diseases.

The selection of tubers for planting begins in the fall... In the spring, they are sorted again, leaving specimens no larger than a chicken egg, without damage.

They are taken out of the cellar 25-35 days before planting and laid out on the floor in a bright room. The optimum temperature is + 15 ° С. In a hotter room, tubers shrivel due to the rapid loss of moisture.

For an early harvest, potatoes are placed whole in the ground... To increase yields, cut in half. To do this, use a sharp knife and treat the blade with alcohol after each tuber. The cut is sprinkled with ash and left for another 5-6 days until a protective crust appears, which prevents potatoes from rotting in the soil.

Tubers are laid in the ground heated to + 7 ... + 10 ° С. A sure sign of the onset of planting is the appearance of leaves on birches and dandelion flowering.

Interesting facts about potatoes:

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For fast germination and formation of strong bushes on sprouted tubers, apical shoots break off (appear at the top), blocking the growth of other buds.

The pits are formed at intervals of 35 cm from each other. The distance between the rows is 8 cm. 200 g of ash are poured into holes 10 cm deep.

Planting density depends on the diameter of the tuber:

• 28-35 mm - 25 cm;
• 35-45 mm - 30 cm;
• 45-50 mm - 35 cm.

Care

Crop care rules are:

1. Potatoes prefer moderate watering - once every 7 days in hot weather. Particular attention should be paid to bushes during the flowering period. In conditions of increased rainfall, the bushes are watered as needed, after the soil dries.
2. Loosening is carried out after each watering - to prevent the formation of a dense earth crust and stimulate air exchange.
3. The bushes are spud up for the first time after reaching a height of 15 cm. Then the procedure is repeated twice. This stimulates the formation of more tubers. At the same time, weeding is carried out.
4. For feeding, organic and mineral (magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, boron, molybdenum) fertilizers are used.

The scheme of root dressings for potatoes is presented in the table.

The main feature of the culture is the assimilation of fertilizers applied at the root only half.... Therefore, most gardeners prefer to use foliar dressing.

Their options are presented in the table.

Council. When choosing ready-made mineral fertilizers, pay attention to the composition. The drug should contain surfactants that facilitate the penetration of active components into the plant.

The nuances of growing and possible difficulties

When growing potatoes in small areas, the method of planting in a box is used.

Advantages of the method:

• there is no need to dig up the soil annually;
• the cost of feeding is reduced;
• the amount of work on planting maintenance is reduced;
• the beds look well-groomed;
• it is convenient to use when growing elite varieties of potatoes.

Landing technology:

• the boards are impregnated with an antiseptic and knock together high boxes without a bottom;
• install them on the site and fill them with nutritious soil;
• form holes and embed tubers to a depth of 10 cm.

Planting Care - Standard (watering, loosening, weeding). The only difference is the frequent watering of the plants (2-3 times a week).

Features of growing Colombo:

1. The culture does not tolerate planting in cold soil, so they start work when the threat of night frosts has passed.
2. To stimulate fruiting in dry weather, the number of waterings is increased.
3. Damage to tubers during harvest increases the risk of premature germination and shrinkage.

Diseases and pests

Colombo is immune to potato cancer, golden potato nematode... It has an average resistance to late blight of tubers and tops, increased resistance to common scab, darkening of tubers from mechanical damage.

Signs of late blight:

• darkening and curling of leaves;
• white bloom on the back of the leaves;
• dark spots on tubers.

Prevention measures:

• compliance with crop rotation and distance between bushes;
• selection of a site with sufficient lighting and ventilation;
• treatment of tubers with "Immunocytofit" preparation before planting;
• harvesting in sunny weather;
• application of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers;
• control of nitrogen levels in the soil;
• spraying with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate (20 g / 10 l), preparations "Silk", "Krezatsin".

For treatment use:

• before flowering, they are sprayed with Ridomil Gold MC, Oxyhom - twice every 10 days;
• after flowering, treated with "Bravo" every 10 days;
• before harvesting - the drug "Alufit" once.

Another problem to face everyone who grows potatoes - the Colorado potato beetle. In order to carry out processing in a timely manner, the bushes are regularly inspected. With a slight infestation of pests, they are collected by hand.

To scare off beetles, lupine and mustard are sown on the site... For the treatment of bushes, fungicides "Prestige", "Tabu", "Aktara", "Corado", "Killer", "Fitoverm", "Colorado potato beetle NO!" Are used.

Folk remedies:

• the beds are sprinkled with birch and pine sawdust once every 14 days before flowering, once every 30 days after (the smell of beetles scares off the beetles);
• 500 g of sunflower flowers are poured into 10 liters of water and insisted for 3 days;
• 100 ml of birch tar is diluted in 10 liters of water and the plantings are treated three times a week;
• 1.5 kg of fresh celandine is poured with boiling water and insisted for 3 hours, 1 liter of a 1.5% solution of calcium chloride is added;
• 300 g of freshly cut bitter wormwood are mixed with 200 g of ash, pour 10 liters of boiling water, insist for 3 hours.

Processing rules:

1. Pollination is carried out in the presence of moisture on the green (after rain or dew).
2. Spraying is carried out in dry, warm weather in complete calm.
3. Treatment with herbal decoctions is carried out in the evening, since the funds lose their properties in the sun.
4. For better adhesion to the leaves, soap crumbs are added to the solutions.
5. Treatment means are alternated to avoid beetle resistance.
6. After spraying, hands must be washed with soap.

Collection, storage and use of the crop

The first digging is carried out 40-45 days after full shoots (during the flowering period)... When planting tubers in the last decade of May, the first crop is harvested in the second decade of July.

Potatoes are dug in dry sunny weather, sorted and dried in a dark room for 3-4 days. Then the crop is laid out in wooden boxes or linen bags and put into the cellar. Since the potatoes are early ripe, they can only be preserved until November. Then the tubers start to deteriorate.

Store the potatoes with the beets, laying them on top... Root crops absorb excess moisture, preventing tubers from rotting.

To store potatoes on the balcony, homemade double boxes are used, inserted into each other according to the principle of a children's pyramid. One of them should be larger in diameter. The voids are filled with polystyrene or dry wood sawdust.

Periodically, the tubers are sorted out. Rotten, green and damaged are disposed of.

In cooking, potatoes are used to prepare a variety of hot and cold dishes.... Colombo hybrid fruits are suitable for boiling, frying and baking. During heat treatment, they retain their structure, do not fall apart. Young potatoes are especially tasty with butter and herbs.

The low starch content, only 11–15%, does not allow making lush mashed potatoes from potatoes, but a crisp crust is provided when frying and baking.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of the Colombo hybrid:

• early maturity;
• high productivity;
• disease resistance;
• great taste;
• attractive presentation;
• the ability to harvest two crops per season when grown in the southern regions;
• unpretentious care;
• drought resistance.

disadvantages:

• because of early maturity, potatoes are stored only until November;
• does not like waterlogging.

About other crops from the nightshade family:

What are the benefits and harms of eggplant

The benefits and harms of bell pepper

Green tomatoes: benefits and harms, fresh and salted

Growing regions

Potatoes are grown in the North-West, Central, Volgo-Vyatka, Central Black Earth, North Caucasian, Middle Volga, West Siberian regions.

Farmers reviews

Colombo potatoes have recently appeared on the Russian market. But those who have already tried to grow a hybrid on their site were satisfied.

Evgeniya, Moscow: “The tubers of the new Dutch hybrid were shared with me by a neighbor in the country. He praised these potatoes painfully, so I decided to try. I was pleased with the result. The yield was impressive, and this provided a fairly cool summer. The potatoes are tasty, do not boil, the peel does not crack, it is easy to clean ".

Ivan, Voronezh: “Last season I planted 2 kg of tubers, and in the summer I dug more than 40 kg of selected potatoes. The fruits are all even, oval in shape, the skin is thin, the pulp after cooking is dense, aromatic, slightly sweetish. I planted potatoes in a box using a new method. I will continue to practice it. This reduces the labor costs for care and feeding. You need to water more often than usual, but these are trifles. Culture rarely gets sick, and I deal with the Colorado potato beetle with celandine and collect it by hand. ".

Conclusion

Colombo potatoes ripen early and show the best results when cultivated in regions with warm climates. The culture needs sufficient watering, but does not tolerate waterlogging, responds well to mineral and organic fertilizing, especially foliar. Preventive treatments will help protect plants from diseases and the Colorado potato beetle.

Potatoes are suitable for preparing various dishes, do not fall apart when boiled, and when fried in oil and baked, they give a crisp crust.