It seems that the potato is an unpretentious, unpretentious plant, it grows by itself, the sun drives it on, the rain pours, human participation is almost not required. If this is true, it is only partially. Potatoes are responsive to all agricultural techniques, they need rational watering. And there is no need to talk about the importance of protection against the Colorado potato beetle. Let's talk about how to grow potatoes, because a good harvest is largely man-made.
Especially exemplary potato growers and potato lovers begin to take care of potatoes, especially if they are not planted in the field, but in a garden plot, when they have not even risen. Before germination, loosening is carried out once or twice in order to destroy the weeds that appear before the potatoes. At the same time, they destroy the soil crust. It is clear that this is the ideal care option.
But when shoots appear, it is necessary to loosen and huddle. The first time this must be done when the plants reach a height of 12-15 cm. After loosening it would be good to water the potato plot. The second hilling can be done 20 days after the first.
Irrigation plays an important role in obtaining high yields of potatoes. Watering should be done rarely, but abundantly, in order to wet the soil layer to a depth of 40-50 cm. Water 3-5 times with an interval of 7-10 days. If watering is difficult due to a rare or unsystematic water supply in horticulture, then it is necessary to adapt and carry out three watering: after emergence, during budding and after flowering.
Additional fertilizing
Top dressing should be timed to the same three periods. At 10 m2 you need to make 3-5 kg of rotted manure or 2 kg of bird droppings. If there is no organic fertilizer, you can add 100-150 g of ammonium sulfate or 80-100 g of ammonium nitrate and 150-200 g of superphosphate. In non-irrigated areas, plants are fed after rain. On a personal plot, mineral fertilizers must be applied directly to the row or hole, otherwise the weeds in the aisles will receive nutrition.
Early potatoes are harvested when the tubers have reached a size of at least 3 cm in maximum diameter (about the size of a chicken egg). This usually happens when flowering ends and the leaves of the tops begin to turn yellow. Carefully undermine the potato bushes with a garden pitchfork on the side of the ridge so as not to damage the crop, pull the bush by the tops and remove the tubers.
Colorado potato beetle protection
Everyone who has acquired a potato "plantation" should remember that summer care consists not only in timely hilling, in weeding, but also in protection from pests. The very first of these is the Colorado potato beetle. The main thing is not to miss the moment of the beginning of the laying of eggs of the Colorado potato beetle. As soon as the first pests are found on the site, they must be collected within five days without fail. And in the future, collect as often as possible.
If it is not possible to constantly visit the site and collect beetles in a timely manner so that they do not have time to devour the plants, then it makes sense to resort to chemical treatment and stop worrying about the future harvest.
The optimal time for treatment against the beetle is mid-June, well, the maximum is the third decade of the month. Then you don't have to process in July. This will have a beneficial effect on the safety of products, because by the time of harvesting (60 - 80 days after processing), there will most likely be no chemical residues in the potatoes. With the usual treatment scheme, there are only 40 to 45 days left before harvesting.
In all cases, treatment against the Colorado potato beetle must be combined with foliar application.
In cool years, in the fight against the beetle, you can limit yourself to bioprotection - the drugs Bitoxibacillin, Fitosporin and others.
When using any drugs, you should carefully read the instructions on the packaging and follow the manufacturer's advice.
Source: http://altapress.ru