Planting potatoes “the old fashioned way” is not very productive. It’s good if, when planting a bucket of potatoes, you manage to get two. But potato is a highly productive plant, its harvest, at least, should be 5 buckets from one (and a record at all 10-12 buckets). If you are not happy with the meager potato yields, there are several ways to increase yields.
You can experiment with unusual (intensive) cultivation methods. There are many opinions and ways on how to grow potatoes in order to get a decent harvest. If you are thinking about how to grow potatoes in a barrel, under a black film, in straw, in combs - it is easy to find detailed instructions and descriptions of these methods.
But, nevertheless, you need to start with planting material. Because in an insufficient crop, the diseases accumulated by him are most often to blame. Our ordinary potato has been growing vegetatively for decades, the variety is aging, its qualities are declining, and diseases are accumulating. So, to get an excellent harvest, it is worth considering how to grow potatoes from seeds. The best result can be obtained by growing your own seed-derived planting material using intensive technologies (it’s not far from records here). Of course, it’s easier to get elite tubers than tossing with seeds. But, in fact, plants grown from seeds are much better suited to your particular conditions. In addition, when buying seeds, you definitely will not be deceived with the variety (which often happens when buying varietal tubers).
Let 's see how to grow potatoes from seeds.
Potato seeds are sown at the end of April in a box with light fertile soil, after watering it well. Potato seeds are small, so they need only to be slightly covered with earth or small sawdust (not coniferous). Cover the drawer with foil and put in a warm place. Watering very carefully, it is better through a spray gun or other sprayer, often little by little, in any case, do not fill.
Seedlings are susceptible to the "black leg" - a dangerous fungal disease. To combat it, biological products are used (for example, black yeast, planriz). Before you grow potatoes from seeds, it is advisable to stock up on these drugs. It would be good to add trichodermin to the soil or buy ready-made soil with it.
You can use small sawdust instead of soil, gardeners note that seedlings develop a large root system on sawdust. In this case, the plants need to be fed with a solution of complex fertilizer with trace elements. Good results are obtained by adding wood ash to sawdust and disinfecting them before planting with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. Transplant them upon reaching a height of 3 cm.
After the appearance of two real leaves, seedlings are transplanted into separate pots or cups for seedlings. At the age of 40 days, seedlings are planted on beds. You can immediately plant plants from a box in a greenhouse or (if you live in a southern climate) in open ground. Planted plants still need careful care, it is recommended to install arcs above them and cover with lutrasil, shade from direct sunlight and water until the seedlings take root. At the end of the first year, these plants will produce seed minitubers - this is super-super elite. Of these, the next year will be super-elite, and another year - elite potatoes. About 150 minicubers can be obtained from one plant, and the next year from one such nodule will come from 1 kg or more. Growing potato seedlings is slightly more difficult than tomato seedlings.
Before you grow potatoes from seeds, you need to choose the varieties that suit you. For seed cultivation, two early and very productive varieties can be recommended - Assol and Empress. Still good early varieties: Ilona, Triumph, Farmer. A good mid-season Krasa variety and Lada f1 early hybrid, with tubers of different colors.