The homeland of potatoes, as you know, is South America. This tuberous crop was brought to Russia by Peter the Great. The very first experiments on the selection of potatoes and methods of its storage in the conditions of our country were carried out by great-grandfather A.S. Pushkin - Hannibal. In honor of him, this most popular variety was named - the hybrid 1555. In Russia, the cultivar "Hannibal" is also called the "blue eye".
Who was bred
The variety "blue eye" was obtained as a result of crossing wild and cultivated potatoes almost immediately after the end of the Second World War. The breeding work itself was carried out at the Institute of Starch Products of the USSR Ministry of Food Industry. A 1555 hybrid was tested at the VNIISP at the Smolensk Experimental Station. Potato "blue eye", or Hannibal, was very productive and quite unpretentious. Therefore, the station scientists decided to propagate and distribute it by transferring it to village residents and owners of summer cottages in several areas of the Smolensk region. Gardening enthusiasts also liked this variety, and soon it spread throughout Russia.
Potato, sort “blue eye”: description of tubers
The potato "Hannibal" received its original folk name because of its unusual appearance. The tubers of this variety are dark, covered with a large number of blue dots. The latter are not particularly noticeable. But the eyes and shoots of the 1555 hybrid have a deep blue color. The shape of the "blue eyes" tubers is smooth, rounded, slightly flattened. The pulp of this potato is absolutely white, dense. Since it contains a very large amount of starch (up to 17%), the taste of "blue eye" is superior to most other varieties. According to many summer residents, even real classic mashed potatoes can only be made from Hannibal tubers.
disadvantages
A variety of “blue eye” potatoes was bred in the USSR precisely as a variety intended for individual cultivation. On the fields of large agricultural enterprises, "Hannibal" has never been cultivated. The thing is that in large quantities, the blue eyes are stored very poorly. In the cellars of summer residents and villagers, their keeping quality is relatively good. Precisely because this variety is not of interest to large farmers and agricultural enterprises, in recent years, none of the breeder scientists have seriously studied it. Simply put, they forgot about the "blue eye". The variety was even excluded from the state register. Therefore, to buy planting material "blue eyes" in any specialized store today will not work. You can buy seed tubers only from other gardeners who are still cultivating this variety.
Advantages of "blue eyes"
So, the disadvantages of this variety include only not too good keeping quality and difficulty with the purchase of planting material. He has many advantages. This is unpretentiousness in relation to top dressing, and high productivity, and resistance to late blight and other diseases. By planting this wonderful variety on your site, you can provide your family with potatoes for the whole winter.
Reviews gardeners
"Sineglazka" - potatoes, the description of which was given above in the article, is very popular among gardeners. This variety has earned good reviews, among other things, and for the relatively rapid ripening of tubers. Of course, they praise this potato for its excellent taste. Many people also note the fact that the Colorado potato beetles do not like the "blue eyes" too much - they eat it last. As for the yield of this variety, most summer residents believe that it almost always exceeds expected.
Seed preparation
Hannibal cultivation is a simple procedure. To get a good harvest, the seeds of the “blue eye” potatoes do not even have to undergo any special preparation. This variety will give a good harvest anyway. However, it is still worthwhile to germinate the "blue eyes" tubers in the light before landing in the ground. Then it will be possible to achieve the best results in cultivation. For germination, seed tubers are removed from the cellar a month before planting. Lay out the planting material in a dry room with windows. Best of all, this potato sprouts in ambient light. It is not necessary to sprinkle the tubers in one layer. It is allowed to stack them in 2-3. Before planting seed potatoes, it is advisable to dust with wood ash. It contains a huge amount of trace elements useful for garden plants.
How to plant
Experts advise on the plot on which it is supposed to grow potatoes "blue eyes", scatter manure or compost in the fall. But, of course, this procedure is quite expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, in most cases, summer residents prefer to act a little differently. In the spring, when planting potatoes, manure or humus is simply introduced into the hole (handful). Large seed tubers are usually planted one at a time. If the potato is small, then it is better to throw two in each hole. One of the features of the “blue eye” is that it loves sunlight. Therefore, it is impossible to thicken the landing.
How to care
During the season, the "blue eye", like any other potato, should be periodically watered, loosened and weeded. Very good this grade also responds to hilling. A few days after planting, the potato plot should be carefully raked. The second loosening is carried out when sprouts appear - at a time when rows will already be noticeable. This time use a hoe, while removing weeds. Hilling should be carried out after the tops of the "blue eyes" reach a height of 20 cm.
How to water
Potato "blue eye", the characteristic of which in terms of unpretentiousness is very good, with respect to soil moisture is still quite sensitive. This variety must not be poured or overdried. It is possible to moisten the soil on a plot both by sprinkling method, and into grooves. The main thing is not to forget that watering the potatoes is necessary immediately after the soil on the plot dries 8 cm deep. With a lack of water, it is simply impossible to get a good harvest from the “blue eyed” variety. Watering is best in the evening.
How to fertilize
Most summer residents this variety during the season does not feed at all. In any case, he gives a plentiful crop with good watering. However, you can collect even more tubers in the fall by feeding the blue-eyed potatoes with dry bird droppings at the rate of 50-80 g per 1 m 2 during the hilling process. You can also fertilize plants with slurry diluted with water in a ratio of 1 x 5. Topping up with this product is carried out a couple of days before hilling.
In order to get a very large crop, you can also spray the plot with the Epin-Extra drug. This operation should be carried out during the budding period of plants.
Harvesting
Digging the “blue eye” potatoes can begin in mid-July. By this time, many tubers are already reaching quite large sizes. However, completely digging potatoes of this variety is allowed no earlier than the end of August.
Before storing the tubers, they should be thoroughly dried. You can simply spread the film or cloth on the ground and sprinkle the potatoes in one or two layers. Keeping quality in this class, as already mentioned, is not too good. Dry the “blue eye” for several hours. Then tubers should be sorted. “Blue eye” seed potatoes should be stored as carefully as possible - preferably in a cellar equipped with ventilation.
As you can see, this variety is really very good. Its main drawback can be considered only the difficulty in acquiring planting material. However, in the event that the summer resident is lucky and he can get the seeds of the “blue eyes,” he will not be left without a good harvest in any case.