When planting potatoes, it is very important not only to choose the right area with fertile soil, but also to prepare the seed. This procedure is responsible, it requires a lot of attention and dedication. Nevertheless, it is the prepared material and the correctly chosen planting dates that play almost a key role in the subsequent harvest of a rich harvest. In the article, we will tell you whether you need to cut potatoes before planting and what crops can be planted next year.
Planting dates for potatoes
Traditional
Rich harvest of potatoes directly depends on the correct landing dates... After all, favorable conditions have a great effect on plant growth and tuber formation.
As a rule, we have these procedures timed to coincide with the May holidays: thanks to weekends, people have free time, which is so necessary for working in the garden.
However, one should not start only from this factor, because by this period the soil may not yet have time to warm up, the threat of night frosts remains, which negatively affects the germination of tubers.
With an early planting, due to insufficient heating of the soil, the development of the plant will be slowed down, but with a belated planting moisture will evaporate from the ground. All this will negatively affect the harvest.
If the planting dates are not followed, the potatoes are affected by fungal diseases, so you need to carefully choose the time for planting the tubers in the ground.
It is better to start work at a time when the soil warms up up to 8 degrees to a depth of 10 centimeters... As a rule, at this time there is no longer a threat of severe frosts and the plant begins to fully develop. But the time when the earth will be warmed up to the required temperature directly depends on the climatic conditions of a particular region.
When to plant potatoes in the middle lane and Bashkiria
The optimal period for planting potatoes in the middle lane, as a rule, falls on end of the first decade of May... It can continue right up to the beginning of June. But the experience of gardeners shows that even with late dates it was possible to harvest an excellent harvest, but this requires accompanying weather conditions.
In Bashkiria, in the spring at the beginning of May, as a rule, there are sharp cold snaps, so you should not rush to plant tubers in the ground. It is recommended to wait for the onset of steady heat, which comes after the May holidays. Based on this, the potato planting period in this region is mid-May, the last one is for June.
Deadlines
The latest dates for planting sprouted potato tubers in the ground differ depending on the region. In some areas climatic conditions allow you to harvest two crops, but this is a separate topic.
In order to harvest an excellent harvest and not waste energy, they are trying to plant the planting material until mid-June. But in practice, there are cases of later planting. This can be done if it is possible to provide the plants with watering. Otherwise, good tubers will no longer grow in overdried soil.
If potatoes are planted too early, there is a risk of frost damage to seedlings or inhibition of plant development.
But with a late planting, due to a lack of moisture, the tubers will not be able to develop normally and reach large sizes.
Preparing for landing
You need to cut the tubers before planting
Ideally select tubers for planting medium size... But it often happens that you have to plant rather large potatoes.
The question arises: should it be cut or is it better to use it whole? If you use too large planting material, then the result will be few tubers in the future harvest, but they will be just as large.
The fact is that the sprouts can feed on the supply of nutrients from the mother potatoes for a long time. Only this option is unprofitable. In order to optimize the future harvest and reduce the cost of planting material it's better to cut big potatoes after all.
When using small material, the future harvest will turn out to be just as small, since there will be few nutrients in the mother tuber and the plants will not be able to fully develop.
How to cut correctly
Potatoes with a weight of at least 60 grams are suitable for cutting.
The procedure will look like this:
- Immediately before planting itself, healthy material is selected;
- The tuber is cut along or across in such a way that at least one eye-sprout remains on each part (it is better if there are 2-3 of them);
- Immediately after cutting, the potatoes are sent to the ground.
You can cut far before planting not all varieties... Some of them simply cannot reproduce in this way.
In order to prevent the development of diseases, the knife with which the tubers are cut is recommended to be periodically disinfected.
There are also opponents of what tubers are worth cut exactly on the day of planting... These people argue that in this way, viruses and pathogenic bacteria can penetrate through a dry open wound.
In addition, the basal buds will not have time to awaken and such a plant will lag behind in its development from those for which the planting material was cut in advance. But it has not yet been possible to verify this from personal experience: in our village, no one does this procedure in advance.
How to plant correctly
Planting cut potatoes according to their scheme does not differ from planting ordinary small ones. The only thing to consider is that some of the slices may never sprout, so it is better do some thickening (5-10 percent). Even so, the seed consumption will be significantly less than using whole potatoes.
Plants grown from lobules develop somewhat weaker. That is why they require special care. The soil should be fertile, well warmed up, loose. Weeds should be removed in a timely manner, fertilizing and fertilizing should be carried out.
It would be advisable to plant siderates on the site. Planting should be carried out only when the soil warms up at least up to +7 degrees... The planting depth is chosen slightly less than for whole tubers and is 6-8 centimeters.
Why is it necessary to alternate crops in the garden
Why should the earth rest after potatoes
Practicing gardeners have already noticed that if you plant potatoes in the same garden every year, then it yield is significantly reduced, and the size of the tubers gradually leaves much to be desired. This can be explained by the fact that this plant consumes a large amount of nutrients and trace elements of a certain type.
Naturally, after each season, the amount of these substances decreases, and the next year's harvest has less and less nutrition. That is why it is recommended, after 1-2 years of potato cultivation, to plant in this place such crops that use a slightly different set of trace elements for their development. It is important that the earth has time to rest.
With the constant cultivation of potatoes, viruses and pathogenic microbes that attack the root crop can accumulate in one place.
Subsequently, a significant part of the crop will be spoiled. If cultures alternate periodically, then such negative factors come to naught.
What crops can be planted after potatoes
Practice shows that after potatoes the next year, you can sow far not all cultures... The following are best suited for these purposes:
- pumpkin;
- beet;
- spinach;
- radish;
- turnip;
- cucumbers;
- zucchini;
- pumpkin;
- onion;
- squash;
- legumes.
At the same time, it is also important that it grows next to the root crop. It will be best to occupy adjacent beds. cabbage, corn, garlic, beans, horseradish or eggplant... It's also a good idea to grow greens nearby.
What should not be planted
Some crops can be susceptible to the same diseases and pests as potatoes.
That is why you cannot plant them in the same place where this root crop was harvested last season. These crops include:
- tomatoes;
- pepper;
- eggplant.
All other plants develop normally in areas previously occupied by potatoes. More details in the table above.
Growing potatoes, getting a rich and healthy harvest is a whole science. Indeed, for this you need to be able to accurately determine the timing of planting, select high-quality material and properly cultivate the soil. From cut tubers, finished products are obtained with the same indicators as from whole ones with the right approach.
You should also periodically do crop rotation on your site, the effectiveness of which has been proven by more than one generation of practicing gardeners.