Today’s potato variety can satisfy the needs of any summer resident, but there are not so many varieties with bright pink skin. The potato variety Red Scarlet is one of those. It was bred in Holland and came to us relatively recently. Now it is successfully grown on personal plots in almost all regions of our country.
The secret to the popularity of this variety is simple. It is distinguished by unpretentious cultivation, and its tubers are well preserved. Experienced gardeners know its characteristics, but beginners should take a closer look at this representative of vegetable crops.
Red Scarlet (potato): characteristics
The variety belongs to the early maturing. Young tubers are suitable for consumption as early as 65-75 days from the moment of planting, but it is recommended to completely dig out all the potatoes only at the end of summer.
The yield is quite high. If all agrotechnical rules are observed, 15-17 large and medium-sized tubers can be taken from one bush, the weight of which varies within 75-105 g. The overall yield of this variety is 400 c / ha, which allows it to be effectively grown on an industrial scale sales. The starch content is low, from 10 to 15%, but this is quite enough for the production of chips and French fries.
The bushes of the plant are low, erect, with stems of medium thickness. The green mass is dense, quickly forming, the leaves are dark green of medium size, with slightly wavy edges. Delicate flowers of this Dutch variety have a subtle lilac hue.
The variety shows the highest yield indicators in the Central and Southern regions. The local cool and rather humid climate suits him perfectly. In areas with dry soils, additional watering and fertilization with calcium will be required.
Red Scarlet (potato): description of tubers
Describing the tubers of this plant, the following features can be distinguished:
- elongated regular shape;
- large size;
- thin, slightly rough peel of a rich raspberry color;
- eyes are dark, but not very invisible, buried by 1,5 mm;
- shoots have a reddish, close to purple hue;
- the color of the pulp is light yellow, after peeling the peel it does not darken immediately;
- during heat treatment, the color of the tubers is preserved
- weakly boiled during cooking;
- stored for a long time, until spring (losses – no more than 3%);
- the taste of Red Scarlet potatoes are characterized as satisfactory;
- contains many vitamins, minerals and equally useful amino acids.
Peculiarities of growing
When choosing a variety for growing, gardeners first of all pay attention to such important criteria as:
- Resistance to pests and diseases.
- Yield indicators.
- Taste and appearance of the tuber.
- Features of cultivation.
Red Scarlet’s yield is high, 19-20 kg per 1 square meter. External data is also satisfactory (described above). The variety is resistant to cancer, golden nematode, late blight. The marketability of this potato is also at its height: during storage it is rarely affected by rot, moreover, it almost withers. Its excellent taste allows you to prepare a wide variety of dishes. The tubers are boiled, baked, stewed, fried.
Preparing for planting
Seed potatoes Red Scarlet can be purchased in any garden center, there are no problems with this for a long time. Long-standing gardeners advise vernalization of tubers before planting, that is, keeping them in the light for about a month. Why is this needed? To get uniform, short sprouts of a pink-purple hue with greenish tips. Thanks to vernalization, seedlings will be early and friendly. If you germinate the planting material in a warm, but dark room, the sprouts on the tubers will stretch out, become fragile and thin like threads. At best, the same thin stems will grow from them, at worst they will break off even when buried in the ground. Planting Red Scarlet potatoes this way will not be effective.
When sprouts with a height of 2,5-3 cm appear on the seed tubers, this will mean that it is time to plant them in the ground. It is recommended to divide large copies. There should be at least 3 germinated eyes on each part of the potato. It is important to remember that the cut planting material must be dried for at least one day. If you plant it in wet soil immediately after cutting it, there is a high probability of rotting.
What to do when there is no way to germinate seed? In this case, it must at least be warmed up before laying it in the ground. This will cause the awakening of the tubers, the growth of the eyes will be faster, the seedlings will appear earlier.
Landing
Red Scarlett potatoes are best planted on ridges. It is this method that gives the highest yields. You need to start work no earlier than May, since before its arrival the soil is not yet sufficiently warmed up. In cold ground, tubers may simply not germinate.
For planting, holes are dug, the bottom and bottom of the walls of which are sprinkled with ash. Then potatoes are carefully laid out in them, always sprouted upwards, and covered with a comb 11-12 cm high.The planting pattern is 75 cm x 35 cm or 60 cm x 35 cm.The planting depth is average – about 7-8 cm.You can immediately add to the ground nitrogen fertilizers, contributing to the active growth of green mass and the formation of a powerful rhizome.
After 14-20 days, when shoots begin to appear, the first loosening and cleaning of the weed can be carried out. The height of the ridge at this stage should be increased to 18-20 cm. If the bushes are too tall, it is advisable to re-hilling. Thanks to the above manipulations, the yield of Red Scarlet potatoes increases significantly.
Care
In hot weather, potatoes must be watered at least 3 times:
- before the first buds appear;
- during the flowering period;
- 5-7 days after the end of flowering.
When plants begin to attack Colorado beetles, harmful insects must be collected by hand or treated with chemicals. It is worth paying attention to the fact that this pest lays eggs on the back (lower) side of the leaf plate. The orange balls that appear must be immediately destroyed, and if the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle have already hatched from them, then you cannot do without fungicides.
This variety is quite resistant to other pests and diseases. It is not susceptible to late blight of tubers and greens, does not suffer from potato cancer, is not affected by scab and virus A (PVA), which is carried by aphids.
You can apply fertilizer several times, but it is best to do this before flowering and after, when tubers are actively forming.
These are the agrotechnical requirements for Red Scarlet potatoes. Its ripening time is fast, already on the 50th day you can taste delicious young tubers. Well, it is better to completely harvest the crop after the ground part of the plants has completely dried. If the tops do not dry out in any way, they must be removed (trimmed) about 7-10 days before harvest. Without the foliage, the skin of the tubers will become denser and less damaged when dug up.
Storage
This variety has a fairly high percentage of keeping quality (97%), but this is not a reason to violate storage rules. Failure to comply with the conditions can lead to large losses. Suitable for storage:
- basements;
- specially equipped pits in the garage;
- insulated boxes in the corridor or on the balcony.
The main thing is to provide ventilation, a constant air flow. So the tubers will not be waterlogged, they will not be attacked by rot and other diseases. To prevent the potatoes from turning green, they must not be exposed to daylight. The variety retains its excellent taste until the very end of the storage period.
Benefit
Received Red Scarlet potatoes reviews from all over our country, and they are all positive. They appreciate him for the many advantages that he possesses, including the benefits that he brings to us. It contains a lot of vitamins (A, B, C, H, PP), there are amino acids, micro- and macroelements, as well as other useful substances that protect the human body from diseases.
In just a few years, this variety has proven itself well and deserves to occupy part of your summer cottage.
