Andretta’s Potatoes care how to grow

Andretta potatoes. A plentiful and high-quality harvest in a short time is the desire of every gardener who grows potatoes. Unfortunately, not all varieties of this culture are capable of satisfying him, but Adretta is not one of them. This variety is a “masterpiece” of world selection, which made a splash with its appearance on the market.

Thanks to German breeders, we learned that potatoes with yellow flesh can be used not only for feeding livestock, but also in preparing exquisite, and most importantly, very tasty dishes. For more than a quarter of a century, potatoes of the Adretta variety have remained the leader among their kind, continue to give consistently high yields and delight with their unsurpassed taste. This variety has other advantages, for which both farmers and owners of small suburban areas love it.

Short description

The Adretta potato bush is an erect, tall (up to 1 meter) and sturdy plant with large light green leaves. The variety blooms profusely, during the flowering period the bushes are decorated with lush multi-flowered inflorescences with snow-white corollas. The roots are quite well developed, which in turn has a positive effect on the growth of tubers. The average weight of the fruits of this variety is 130-140 g. The tubers are distinguished by an oval shape, yellow rind and few superficial eyes. The skin is slightly rough to the touch.

The color of the pulp is also yellow, but depending on the climate, soil composition and other factors, it can be of a different shade, for example, pale yellow or almost lemon. In one nest, from 12 to 25 tubers are formed, the size of which is influenced by the number. The smaller the potatoes, the larger they are.



Characteristics

Adretta is a medium-early table variety of German selection, which has won universal recognition from the moment it was born and has not lost its popularity until today. It is explained simply – fast ripening, high yield, great taste. In many regions of our country, Adretta potatoes can be harvested on the 70th day from the moment of planting, but the ripening period, depending on climatic conditions, can extend to 90 days. In any case, at the end of July, you can already dig in it and try the first young potatoes.

The yield of Adretta potatoes deserves special praise. This is at least 400 centners from 1 hectare of usable area, and under favorable conditions, all 450! Of course, such indicators can be achieved only with correct and competent agricultural technology. The high yield can be explained by the unpretentiousness of the variety to growing conditions, resistance to droughts and low temperatures. It grows well almost throughout the entire territory of the Russian Federation, including the Far East and West Siberian regions.

andretta potatoes

Palatability

Andretta’s potatoes have excellent culinary qualities. Due to the high starch content (up to 18%), the pulp has a soft structure and quickly boils down (type C), while retaining its original color. The taste is just great. On the tasting scale, Adretta received the highest mark – 5 points out of 5 possible. Tubers of this variety are suitable for making mashed potatoes, boiled and baked potatoes, first courses, chips.

Adretta is widely used in dietary and baby food. In addition to high taste characteristics, this potato is very useful. It favorably differs in the high content of B vitamins, easily digestible carbohydrates (carbohydrates), as well as the protein necessary for the body. In addition, the yellow color indicates that the pulp contains a large amount of carotene – a powerful antioxidant that acts as a natural shield for the human body.

liquid mashed potatoes

Cultivation technology

Preparation and landing

To obtain a good harvest, before planting, the selected material is germinated in containers filled with a mixture of soil and peat. The boxes are transferred to a warm room and covered with foil. After 2 weeks, small, strong sprouts will appear on the tubers. In regions with colder climates, it is recommended to harden the planting material for 7-10 days. At night, the tubers are taken out into the street, and during the daytime they are kept warm at a temperature of at least 20 degrees. Immediately before planting, the tubers are treated with copper sulfate to protect against diseases, as well as any effective biostimulant (for example, Epin), which will increase the immunity of plants to aggressive environmental changes (frost, high humidity, etc.).

Sprouted Adretta potatoes are usually planted in the ground at the end of April, and in unfavorable weather conditions in the first half of May. For planting, it is advisable to choose an open area so that the plants receive the amount of sunlight necessary for normal growth. You can plant in any way, both in the holes and in the furrows, but with a distance between the rows of at least 50 cm.A large distance is necessary so that the tubers, and they are formed in each bush, on average 15-20 pieces, do not interfere with each other … In addition, it will be much easier to care for wide plantings.

mitlitder beds

The soil for potatoes is fertilized with humus. Experienced gardeners are also advised to add wood ash to each hole, which is a source of easily digestible potassium, which is necessary for the good development of the root system of plants.

Care of potatoes

Care for Adretta’s potatoes consists of a set of activities. This includes:

watering; loosening the soil; hilling; removing weeds; feeding; treatment against diseases and pests.

watering potatoes

In the first half of the growing season (until the end of flowering), plants will need moderate watering, especially in dry weather. At least twice, the bushes must be earthed, while removing the weeds. Loosening of the soil is also important. Thanks to this agrotechnical technique, the earth is saturated with oxygen, the deficiency of which can cause the slow development of the root system. Top dressing is applied three times per season:

during the intensive growth of the aerial part (humus); during the formation of buds (ash); during the flowering period (superphosphate).

For the prevention of diseases, plantings are treated with fungicides, and for protection from pests – with insecticides.

fungicides for potatoes

Diseases and pests

As for the susceptibility of the variety to disease, this is perhaps its only and most serious drawback. The fact is that Adretta has a weak immunity to late blight, rhizoctonia, scab and black leg, and therefore needs additional protection.

Harvesting and storage

Adrett’s potatoes are harvested when the tops are completely dry. A week and a half before harvesting, it is mowed so that the tubers are finally ripe. Harvesting is carried out in dry weather. The dug out tubers are dried under a canopy, sorted, diseased and damaged specimens are removed, if necessary, calibrated, seed material is taken for the next year and sent to a prepared storage.

kartofel-semennoy-adretta

Unlike many other varieties, Adretta potatoes are well stored, the tubers do not deteriorate, do not rot. Nevertheless, for long-term storage, it will also need certain conditions. There must be good ventilation in the cellar (basement, subfield), humidity not higher than 85%, air temperature in the range from 2 to 5 degrees.

Considering the characteristics of this variety, one cannot fail to mention its safety. The keeping quality of tubers reaches 98%, which is a very high indicator. Harvest losses during storage are negligible due to Adrette’s resistance to fungi and bacteria, the activity of which leads to decay. This potato is not afraid of a sharp drop in temperature in the storage. Even frozen tubers do not acquire a sweetish taste, as is the case with most other varieties.

Kartofel-Adretta

In conclusion

Adretta is a German variety that has long become our own for us, one might even say folk. During its existence, breeders have bred many others, improved, adapted, stable, and so on, but they could not oust Adretta from our fields and gardens. The secret of the “longevity” of this potato is simple. High yield, unpretentiousness to soil composition and climatic conditions, unsurpassed taste – this is why Russian potato growers love it so much.

Anna Evans

Author-editor

View all posts by Anna Evans →
Exit mobile version