Why does potato grow poorly? You can blame the weather, the lack of fertilizer, a poor variety, or there are still reasons. Ask about this need agronomists - potato growers, whose job is to grow a good potato crop every year, regardless of the climate.
Specialists identify several main causes of poor potato growth.
Content
Lack of variety
The result of breeding developments were varieties of potatoes, designed for various weather conditions. One variety is not afraid of drought, the other - stagnation of water. There are early, cold-resistant varieties, there are those that fall ill in cold soil, but are stored for a long time. Long-term forecasts of meteorologists are so imperfect, the weather is so unpredictable that it is impossible to guess what conditions will be during the entire period of growth of potatoes. As a way out of this situation, experts advise to plant several varieties with different periods of planting and ripening in equal shares in separate beds.
Poor planting material
How are potatoes intended for planting next year selected?
The first method: they dig up the entire crop, take it to a heap for drying, then take it in size, small, large and medium - for seeds. This option is incorrect. With this selection, there is a risk of collecting tubers from poorly developed bushes in the seed material, which turned out to be the best of the worst.
The second method is the selection of material immediately in the process of digging, from the best bushes. It does not matter if large root crops fall into the seeds, they can be cut into several by the kidneys, but they will have a strong heredity and prerequisites for a good harvest.
Buying planting potatoes at the bazaar has its own risks; it is impossible to determine the age and method of seed selection by eye. You can update your material using the tops of tubers, sprouts, cuttings or seeds.
Lack of crop rotation
The potato field usually occupies the largest plot of land in the peasant or country house. The largest and therefore most often permanent from year to year. Even if the potato field is well fertilized, it does not save from a decrease in yield. Pathogens accumulate in the soil, which cause diseases of one kind of crops, causing diseases, grinding and degeneration of plantings. Why are bushes of unripe potatoes still falling apart? Early wilting causes the main disease of potato - late blight.
Good precursors for potatoes are cabbage, pumpkin, cucumbers, beets. Replacing each other, these plants become healers of the soil for the next crop. Tomatoes and sunflowers are not suitable as precursors for potatoes.The neighborhood of the planting also matters.
Potatoes have good “relations” with neighbors such as onions, garlic, corn, lettuce, radishes, sorrel.
Soil depletion
Why doesn’t the potato grow in the garden, which is carefully harvested, combed and cleaned? A beautiful summer garden, which is completely cleaned from weeds, dry leaves and leaves - this is the standard of the well-groomed area of many gardeners. The flip side of the coin of such beauty is the fact that the soil, completely open and devoid of all roots, very quickly depletes and dries up.
To get a good crop in such a clean area, it is necessary to apply a large amount of fertilizer and frequent watering. Of course, it is necessary to free the plants from weeds, but it should be remembered that the potato field needs the same mulching as beds with tomatoes or cucumbers. You can apply for this the same plucked weeds, leaving them between the rows for rotting.
Deep landing
Why does potato grow poorly when the seed material during planting is deepened more than required? The optimal depth for a potato hole is 7-8 cm to a depth deeper than indicated does not penetrate the air and the sprout in this case is doomed to oxygen starvation, and this does not contribute to a plentiful harvest.
Simultaneous planting of all varieties
We thoroughly prepared for the planting season, collected a collection of varieties of varied timing and climatic stability, and the potato does not grow. The reason may be hidden because all these varieties are planted on the same day. Early or mid-early potatoes calmly tolerate the low temperature of unheated land, but they react sensitively to overheating and overdrying if planted much later. With late heat-loving varieties, everything is exactly the opposite.
Inappropriate landing method
It would seem that it’s difficult to plant potatoes: dig a hole, put seeds and bury. That's right, but why then doesn’t the potato grow in the garden, although it is well fertilized. It's all about the type of soil. Sandy arid soils as well as clayey and boggy soils require a special approach to planting methods.
Reviews
On the pages of forums gardeners reveal their secrets of a good harvest. What do experienced potato growers advise to do if potato grows poorly in your garden?
In order to prevent diseases, disinfect the seed with a solution of boric acid, manganese and copper sulfate. You can use the infusion of garlic.
- They assure that it is possible to increase productivity if transverse incisions are made on each planting potato without touching the kidney.
- The direction of the potato rows also plays a role: from north to south.
- Top dressing: during the growing season, after the beginning of flowering, and closer to the end of flowering for the formation of tubers.
- They assure that the yield will increase significantly if, in the second week of flowering, the potato stalks are broken so that the tops do not fall off but cannot rise.
Description and description of varieties in Belarus with a photo
Do I need to pick flowers from potatoes: why do they do it
When to dig potatoes: timing and availability of new potatoes
How to grow a good potato crop: various methods and methods, planting and care