The best ways to weed potatoes
Weeding is one of the most essential procedures for harvesting. Removing weeds is an essential pest control measure and disease prevention. In the article we will talk about why weeding potatoes is needed, as well as about the methods and tools that facilitate this hard work.
The content of the article
Do I need to weed potatoes and why
Planting potatoes takes up significant areas, and it takes a lot of time and effort to process them. But you need to weed the potatoes. Potato tubers germinate for a long time (3 weeks or more), and during this time a large number of weeds appear on the site.
If they are not removed in a timely manner, they will take nutrients from the potato and lead to a decrease in yield..
Besides, removing weeds will prevent the spread diseases and the appearance of insect pests.
Attention! Weeding a potato field creates favorable conditions for the formation and development of tubers. This measure ensures the access of air and nutrients to the roots.
Weeding is carried out simultaneously with loosening the soil and hilling the beds... This saturates the soil with oxygen and reduces moisture evaporation. Loosening and weeding is sometimes referred to as dry irrigation.
Description and timing of the procedure
Weeding time is determined taking into account weather conditions and soil structure... Too often you don't need to weed, the main thing is to make sure that the grass does not drown out the potato bushes.
How often weed
On average, a plot with potatoes is processed 2-3 times per season.... They flood for the first time 3-4 weeks after sowing, removing the first weeds. At this time, young shoots reach a height of 2-4 cm.
The second time the field is cultivated when the bushes reach a height of 20-30 cm, before flowering... Weeding is combined with hilling and loosening the soil.
Council. If weather conditions have delayed the emergence of seedlings, and the weeds have already grown, then carefully remove them with a flat cutter, without waiting for the appearance of potato sprouts.
During and after flowering bushes it becomes difficult to process the site.
When you can't weed
The appearance of flowers on the bushes indicates the beginning of the formation of tubers.... During this period, weeding and loosening is not recommended, since it is easy to damage small potatoes with sharp tools.
If you still have to cultivate a potato field during this period, then do it carefully, acting only on the surface of the soil.
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Weeding attachments
Mechanical and hand tools will help to facilitate work... Let's tell you more about them.
Motoblock and its attachments
It is advisable to cultivate large potato fields with mechanized devices - for example, a walk-behind tractor with attachments. Specialty stores have simple, affordable models and more expensive, reliable potato weeding tools.
Cultivator
Cultivators are hand-held, electric and gasoline-powered... The plants are removed along with the root system. Most often, cultivators are used, equipped with a pair of knives located at an angle of 45 ° to each other.
Hand tools
Assorted glans and hoes - simple and reliable assistants for processing small areas.
Regular glanders
A rectangular or trapezoidal piece of metal, sharpened on one side and fixed on a long handle. But this tool is more suitable for row spacings than for beds. With this glanders, it is easy to chop up fragile potato stems and damage the roots.
Sickle glanders
Crescent-shaped tool... This tool looks like a hoe, in which not only the ends of the "horns" are sharpened, but also the arc connecting them.
Flat cutter
Another tool for removing weeds. Notable for the fact that working with it requires less physical effort... Fokin's plane cutter is popular: it is good because the gardener himself can change the angle of inclination of the knife as it suits him.
Trimmer
Another option for getting rid of grass quickly is to use a trimmer. it the device resembles a scythe equipped with a motor... A special nozzle is provided for removing weeds.
Weeding rules
Weeding begins with the appearance of the first shoots... Weeds develop faster than many crops, particularly potatoes. Therefore, if not removed, they will prevent young plants from developing.
Remove grass in dry hot weather... In this case, the roots will dry out quickly and will not germinate again. During work, they move with their backs forward, so as not to trample the cut weeds.
It is interesting... Wood louse is the only weed that is useful for cultivated plants. She is short, with weak roots. Wood lice slows down the evaporation of moisture, shades seedlings and protects the soil from drying out.
In order for weed control to be successful, follow these rules:
- weeding is started the next day after rain or watering - it is easier to remove the weed from the soft soil along with the roots;
- weeds with roots are left on the site only in hot weather so that they have time to dry out;
- remove grass in a timely manner - do not allow its growth above 5 cm, as well as flowering and ripening of seeds - this will lead to their rapid spread throughout the site;
- to reduce the number of weeding, the soil surface is mulched with sawdust, straw, cut weeds or a special film;
- fertilizing with mineral fertilizers inhibits the growth of weeds, and fertilizing with organic matter, on the contrary, stimulates, therefore, these two types of fertilizers alternate.
DIY weeding tools
Experienced gardeners often independently make interesting devices and devices that facilitate the care of potato plantings. In terms of efficiency, they are not inferior to the factory ones, and sometimes even surpass them in characteristics.
The advantages of self-made tools include their low cost., because improvised means and materials are used.
To make homemade hedgehogs, they take a hollow tube to which the teeth are welded from metal rods or fittings. The structure is attached to a metal frame and a wooden handle is added. The principle of operation of such a tool is simple and consists in pressing and simultaneously moving the device forward and downward.
There are also more sophisticated and effective homemade devices.... For example, a device based on a frame and a bicycle wheel, to which various replaceable nozzles are attached to destroy weeds.
Weeding during flowering
The formation of tubers begins at the beginning of the flowering period.... At the tips of the stolons, buds are formed, from which tubers subsequently grow. This stage lasts about two weeks and occurs in early-late June, depending on the region and crop variety.
Rinse and loosen the potatoes before flowering., since in the future there is a high risk of damage to stolons, and, consequently, a decrease in yield.
If weeding is carried out during the flowering period, then they do it carefully, trying not to damage the bushes and not hurt the roots.
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Growing potatoes according to the Chinese method
Is it possible to do without weeding
If the potato field is large, and it is not possible to purchase mechanical devices, then you can not weed at all. But the harvest will not please either. Without air and nutrients, tubers will grow small and sick.
Planting potatoes under straw
This landing method interesting in that it allows you not to weed and loosen... It is based on the method of mulching the beds.
The landing technology is: spread the seed on even warmed-up soil and sprinkle it with a little earth. Then the plot is covered with a layer of straw 30-50 cm thick. Under such a blanket, the earth retains moisture, weeds do not grow, and the soil remains loose. Digging up potatoes is easy, even a shovel is not useful. The tubers grow large and even.
Important! Another advantage of this type of cultivation is the improvement of the soil structure. It is useful for heavy clay soils.
Reviews of experienced gardeners
Here are a few reviews of experienced gardeners on the methods of weeding potatoes.
Lyudmila, Kemerovo: “I use Fokin's flat cutter and am very happy, it works better than a regular hoe. I process flowering potato bushes only with my hands. Less risk of damaging bushes. A plane cutter in this case is the most useful tool. ".
Andrey, P. Kochki: “I use homemade hedgehogs. They do not require much investment, and the result is excellent. I made them myself from a hollow tube. He welded on it with teeth from metal rods and fixed it on a metal frame. The final touch is a wooden handle ".
Tatyana, Krasnodar region: “This summer I planted potatoes under straw. Our soil is the bank of a mountain river (stones, sand and clay). The harvest pleased! The only disadvantage of the technology is that a large volume of straw is needed. Especially if the area for potatoes is large ".
Conclusion
Timely weed removal is an important condition for large and healthy tubers. The first weeding of potatoes is carried out a month after planting, the second before flowering.
When choosing tools for processing a site, proceed from its size and own capabilities. Various mechanical devices greatly facilitate the work of the gardener.