Elite potatoes. Each summer resident tries to grow on his site those crops that give the maximum yield. To do this, it is necessary to select copies adapted to local conditions. For decades, the most popular vegetable in our country was the potato, and it remains so today.
Breeders work tirelessly to develop new varieties of this crop and recommend that farmers renew the seed fund every 3-5 years. This is necessary for the reason that when growing one variety for more than 5 years in a row, the planting material loses many of its original breeding properties. Hence the loss of a large percentage of the yield, deterioration in taste, and a decrease in resistance to diseases and pests.
🥔 Selection culture
Everyone loves a potato, but growing it is fraught with certain problems. To avoid them, you need to choose elite potato varieties that give a much larger yield. It is also an excellent virus-free material that, when planted, is resistant to external factors. As a result, the tubers acquire the correct shape, their surface is not damaged, and they have high taste.
Many gardeners are afraid to buy such varieties, considering them expensive and “fake”. But this is a misconception, since elite potatoes are available to everyone. The breeders simply endowed the planting material with a complex of agrotechnical properties and made a special treatment. Such tubers germinate well, are resistant to fungal diseases, all kinds of viruses and pests. In addition, they are perfectly stored throughout the winter and lend themselves well to heat treatment when preparing various dishes.
It is best to buy planting material in specialized stores, at novelty fairs or via the Internet from large enterprises. There is no need to acquire a lot of material at once, since its germination rate varies within 80-90%. For starters, you can take 25-30 kg. It is advisable to have several different varieties in order to evaluate them later and leave the ones you like.
🥔 Elite Seed Potatoes
Modern varieties are presented by domestic and Dutch breeders. Foreign material has proven itself well. It is suitable for growing in the middle lane, easily adapts to changes in weather conditions and gives a maximum yield. The varieties from Holland differ in ripening period, taste characteristics and appearance.
Colombo, for example, super early potatoes. After planting, the first crop can be harvested in 55 days, which is less than two months! Round tubers of this variety have an amber hue, yellowish flesh and a pleasant taste. From 12 to 14 specimens develop in the nest. Colombo is attractive in appearance and well kept, therefore it is suitable for sale.
Another “guest” from Europe – Evolution grade… It is also early maturing, with large oval tubers. Up to 12 potatoes can form on one plant. The rind is dark red and the flesh is light white. Evolution is resistant to scab and viral diseases, produces tubers with rapid growth, but at the same time it is too demanding for watering.
Flamenco – mid-season variety. The first tubers grow up to 90 days, and the total growing season is 120 days. The fruits, covered with a pink skin, have an elongated oval shape. The eyes of these tubers, weighing about 140-145 g, are not planted too deeply. Flamenco is a high-yielding variety, up to 14 potatoes can be harvested from one bush. Its advantages also include resistance to high temperatures and drought. The only drawback is frequent lesions by late blight, therefore the variety requires treatment with fungicides.
Domestic elite varieties show themselves no worse than foreign ones. There are several of the highest quality:
All of them differ in terms of ripening (early ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening), productivity, resistance to certain conditions, the shape and size of the tuber, the color of the peel and pulp, and taste characteristics.
🥔 Features of cultivation
How to grow elite potatoes? You can go to a store or an exhibition and buy elite varieties in the form of tubers. But where is the guarantee that they will sell exactly what you need? Unfortunately, some unscrupulous sellers slip ordinary tubers instead of the declared ones. In this case, the desired yield can not be expected.
Many gardeners have learned how to independently grow planting material from seeds. They remain viable for up to 10 years and do not need to be stored in a cellar under special conditions. When grown from seed, all breeding characteristics are preserved.
To propagate potatoes from seeds, you must first grow the seedlings. You need to start such work at the end of February – at the beginning of March. For seedlings, a small container is taken, filled with loose soil, seeds are sown into it. Some gardeners first germinate them in a damp gauze cloth. Before germination, the soil with seeds should be constantly moist.
Young shoots are very demanding of the sun. If it is not enough, the seedlings will stretch out, become too thin and weak. The soil will also have to be monitored, namely, to loosen it in a timely manner. If the soil is not loose enough, both the root system and the entire plant will suffer. So, in order for the seedlings to grow healthy and strong, they must be supplemented, watered moderately, loosened the soil under it and periodically apply fertilizers.
A month after sowing the seeds, it is necessary to pick young plants. For this procedure, large pots with nutrient soil are used, into which young plants are buried at the level of the cotyledon leaves. In April, all the pots can be taken out to the glazed loggia or balcony.
In open ground, seedlings of elite potatoes are planted at the end of May, when the ground warms up to the desired temperature. Young plants are planted in special holes filled with ash mixed with rotted compost and watered with water. The stems are placed in the hole in an almost horizontal position and covered with soil to the leaves. The distance between the specimens should be about 35 cm. Such a planting of elite potatoes will allow you to get beautiful large tubers in the first year.
To prevent tender seedlings from freezing and getting sick, the beds must be mulched – covered with dry leaves, sawdust, straw or covered with special material. It will not be possible to remove the shelter and remove the mulch until June, when hot summer weather sets in.
Subsequent care of potato plantings includes weeding, hilling, watering and feeding. A little effort, and as a reward for his labors, the gardener receives full-fledged tubers, suitable for consumption and for planting next year.
Growing from seeds is a rather laborious process, therefore, another method described below is proposed as an alternative.
🥔 How to grow elite potatoes from tubers
Potato seed tubers begin to germinate in early spring (at the very beginning of March). For this, a box is used, filled with 1/3 of moistened sawdust. From above, the planting material is sprinkled with a layer of peat. The box of seed potatoes is placed in a cool, well-ventilated and sufficiently bright area. As the soil dries out, it should be watered with water at room temperature.
A couple of weeks will pass, and short sprouts of dark green color will appear on the tubers. When they grow up to 6-8 cm, they are broken off from the uterine tuber, carefully removing it from peat and sawdust. Each sprout breaks off along with tiny white roots located at the very base. Up to 12 pieces of young plants can be obtained from one tuber. These shoots are planted in individual pots filled with peat, and the seed tubers are again placed in the same box with sawdust and peat for re-germination.
In May, grown young plants can be planted out of pots in open ground in the garden. Those sprouts that appear a second time on seed potatoes in a box are also planted to them. If the May weather does not please with stability, then young plants need to be covered with straw or special covering material.
Seed tubers, from which sprouts have already been removed 2 times, are not thrown away, but planted in the ground, since they are still capable of producing several potatoes for food. But the tubers that grow on young plants should be sorted out. Large specimens are used for food, and those that are smaller will become planting material for the next season. In this way, you can independently grow elite potatoes from just a few purchased tubers.
📖 Conclusion
As you can see, growing elite potatoes is not as difficult as it might seem. With a little work, you will provide your family with a large harvest of delicious potatoes, which will last until next year.
