How, by removing flowers, to increase the yield of potatoes by a quarter

To be honest, I don't know. I don't break. Too laborious. In addition, I did not notice a significant increase in yield after cutting flowers.

At one time, studying this issue theoretically, I shoveled a bunch of literature, “tortured” experimentalists, scientists. After analyzing and systematizing this work (more from someone else's experience), I made up for myself a certain concept of this technique.

Flower picking has been practiced by some gardeners since ancient times. But just in old times this move was necessary. Quite often there is evidence that potatoes in Europe were first grown as ornamental plant- profusely and beautifully blooming. There is a mention of poisoning with "berries" of potatoes - people did not know which parts of the potato should be eaten. There are also descriptions of potatoes as a plant that produces a large number of fruits. I believe that the method of picking flowers went precisely because of these features of the old varieties: abundant flowering and the formation of a large number of fruits. But modern varieties are not like that at all. Some varieties do not bloom at all. Others drop their color after flowering. I read somewhere that Dutch breeders, when breeding new varieties, specifically give preference to non-flowering varieties.

I noticed this fact: when they talk about picking flowers, very few people divide this technique into actually picking flowers (photo 1) and picking buds (photo 2). There is another intermediate option: when some flowers have blossomed and some do not (photo 3).

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Here is an example text:

“I read about it somewhere: potatoes propagate by seeds and tubers. If he stops the attempt to propagate by seeds, he will go into tubers.

This is the conclusion I have been checking for two years. I pluck two rows, two are not. Moreover, she did it interspersed so that other factors had less effect.

Didn't check for weight. But for the volume - 10-15% of the increase in yield gives such an easy processing.

It is not at all clear what the author is plucking: flowers or buds. In some texts there are words: “picked off flowers”, “removed buds”. But not always behind these words is exactly what is said. For example, both expressions are suitable for photo 3. Sometimes a person simply does not attach importance to which word to use is correct.

Why is it important? Yes, simply because these are different stages of development of a potato plant. This means that potatoes will react differently to any methods.

bud break

Practitioners have noticed this fact. If you remove the buds from potatoes, new ones appear very quickly. This is logical for a plant - reproductive organs have been lost, which means they need to be restored. Such an approach leads to additional work- breaking off newly emerging buds. But that's not the worst part. To quickly restore lost buds, plants throw all their strength to the detriment of the accumulation of tubers. It turns out this: the buds have grown, that is, the plant has spent nutrients on the development of these buds. We cut off the buds and provoked the re-growth of the buds. The plant spends food for the second time on their restoration, which means that our future tubers are already losing a double dose. nutrients. Restoration of buds can occur for the third and fourth time. And the potato grower, who stubbornly wants to increase the yield of tubers, reduces it for the third and fourth time.

Gardeners write:

“When you open a bud, the plant still seeks out flowers, and accordingly, more side shoots appear, and, accordingly, the life of the plant increases. The bushes stand almost until mid-September, green, thick (we dig up potatoes in mid-August). Everyone has already died, but for me it’s like in mid-June, it’s even a pity to dig it out. ”

“In potatoes, along with budding, the formation of tubers begins. It’s easier to pinch off the buds - and the stolons and tubers will get not at all extra resources. Little of; the stem tries to restore the peduncle in some axil and thus the vegetative period is extended. According to our observations, about two weeks. And this means that photosynthesis for an extra two weeks works on stolons and tubers.

I checked on one variety the tops were cut off during budding. side shoots appear, the plants stay green longer, but the yield does not increase. The tops become noticeably larger. But we don't need tops. The vegetative period is extended, photosynthesis works for an extra two weeks, but is it for tubers? Most likely, it is for the restoration of peduncles.

Here interesting experience(I quote the text):

“Once we had such an experiment. We planted a bed of potatoes in July for "young potatoes" for the fall. One row was not touched, and the other was castrated. And with each current digging of a couple or two bushes, the largest nodules from the "free" bushes were equal to the smallest of the "infringed" ones. Such a striking contrast is apparently due to low resources in general ( july landing!); in freely faded bushes, they were only enough for color. On spring potatoes, more fully supplied with resources, the increase from castration is not so great. But she is a gift. Just during flowering rages Colorado beetle. The plantation is not left unattended, many simply collect the beetle by hand, so that pinching off the buds does not require additional sessions and time.”

Resources here most likely have nothing to do with it. Potatoes have such a mechanism: when planted late, they ripen faster. This has been observed many times. The same variety, planted in mid-May and mid-June, ripens almost simultaneously in September. Potato plants respond to length daylight hours. The shorter it is, the shorter the growing season. The difference in the accumulation of vegetative mass. With a long day, the tops grow longer before tuber formation, with a short one - less. Yield increase is possible late boarding due to the fact that plants do not try to restore the lost buds (they understand, by the length of daylight hours, that they will no longer be planted).

Intermediate option: flowers and buds

“3 rows of the same variety were taken and planted on the same day. The care was the same. One row was left with flowers and buds, on the second they were pinched, and on the third the tops were shortened. When digging, it turned out that in a row with flowers in each nest there were approximately the same number of tubers. And although there were fewer of them than in other options, they were large, and there were almost no small ones. In the row where the flowers were removed, there were more tubers in the nest, but at the expense of small, non-marketable ones. The big ones were noticeably smaller. Trimming the tops, that is, shearing potatoes, led to the fact that one little thing grew under the bush in an amount of up to 30 pieces.

In this variant, we also see the harm from cutting off flowers and tops of plants during budding - flowering.

Defloration

“For varieties that bloom profusely and bear fruit, picking off flowers will be a more effective measure than for varieties that bloom late, bloom little and form few ovaries,” Academician D.N. Pryanishnikov thought so. The scientists of SibNIISKh adhere to the same opinion. This is clear. There are varieties that bloom, but do not produce berries or few of them are formed. Such flowers do not need to be cut off, because they do not affect the size and weight of the tubers.

“In the south-east of Ukraine, there are often very dry periods precisely during the flowering of potatoes. Flower pollen from heat and dryness is sterile, and the fruits are not tied. And in years rich in precipitation, such as 2004, even here a lot of and, moreover, large potatoes grow.

It is clear from this text that big influence on the effectiveness of reception weather in the current season.

Here is an excerpt from the recommendations of Chelyabinsk scientists: “The data obtained in experiments on the effect of flower picking on the yield of potato tubers are very contradictory. The maximum increase in yield does not exceed 3-7%, that is, they are within the statistical error of the experiment. In some cases, on the contrary, negative results. Thus, it should be concluded that such a rather laborious agricultural technique as the removal of potato flowers, apparently, practical value does not have and cannot be recommended in the wide practice of potato growing.

Moscow scientists say that cutting flowers leads to a 25% increase in yield. I am far from thinking that some scientists are wrong and others are not. Most likely, the point is the difference in climatic and geographical conditions.

“I decided to test the method on potato varieties different terms maturation. It turned out that more tubers when pinching flowers give late-ripening hybrid potatoes VK-1. Since it has been on the site for the longest time (up to frost, until the tops die), the harvest is not only greater, but the tubers are qualitatively more significant. The complete removal of flowers on the earliest (in my garden) variety Zhukovsky early gave a different result: at full harvest, instead of 5-15 tubers weighing 100-300 g under thick and beautiful bushes lay from 40 to 47 tubers. Of these, only 3-5 are commercial, and the rest are a trifle that cannot even be planted.

This text clearly shows that varieties with varying degrees ripeness respond differently to the removal of flowers.

From all that has been said, it is obvious that a large number of factors influence the reception efficiency SIMULTANEOUSLY: geographical and climatic features, air and soil temperature, moisture availability, precocity of the variety and its “fertility”, potato planting time and daylight hours, stage of development of the potato plant. The number of combinations of all these factors is enormous. Therefore, to give an unambiguous answer to the question: “Is it necessary to pick flowers (buds) from potatoes?”, In my opinion, it is not at all possible. You can conduct research for a certain variety and a certain area. But this will require a lot of experimentation over 10-12 years. In my opinion, "the skin is not worth the candle."

I reasoned as follows: the reception can equally lead to both an increase and a decrease in the yield. And since it’s hard to guess, it’s better not to do it - at least it will save my strength and time for more effective action. Having made this conclusion, I ceased to be interested in this issue.

But, a year ago, I received a video, in which, in particular, there was a story about picking flowers. This video is an interview with I.P. Zamyatkin on his site. I will not quote, I will only convey the meaning of his words. Flowers should be cut off only when all the flowers on the peduncle have blossomed. Potato flowers pollinate themselves. When pollination has occurred, the plant receives a signal from the flowers that new buds are not needed. Potatoes do not waste time and energy on the restoration of lost organs. We removed the flowers. It remains for plants to direct all their energy to the accumulation of tubers.

Perhaps it was precisely this simple moment - a clear term for cutting off flower stalks that was not enough for me in order to make a decision in favor of cutting off flowers. I will try. I hope that enthusiastic potato growers will also conduct an experiment, taking into account what Ivan Parfentievich said.

And the potatoes bloom really beautifully. Once at the club, one of the gardeners told me that she was making bunches of potato flowers. And she spoke with particular delight about the wonderful smell of potato flowers. The story was so emotional that I remembered it for a long time. In the summer I decided to smell the potato flowers. And I realized that I still don’t know a lot about this plant. By the way, the smell of flowers different varieties potatoes are different.

There is another interesting piece of evidence related to the smell:

“During flowering, I always cut off the flowers so that all the power does not go to the seeds, but to the root! And I noticed that there is no Colorado potato beetle (I hope because of the lack of flowers - there is no smell) on which they flock. Last year, I missed to cut off in time - I was tortured to collect the beetle by hand.

I have a beetle before flowering. I tend to think that the smell of flowers is not the main reference point for the beetle.

Have a good harvest!

Oleg Telepov , Omsk club of potato growers

Potato has long become our second bread, it is grown by almost all summer residents. There are many new varieties, but the varietal material is still expensive. Until you divorce him the right amount for planting - after two or three years, it already begins to degenerate, since the tubers annually accumulate all kinds of diseases. And it turns out that we harvest potatoes only a little more than the planted amount ... However, update planting material potatoes can also be made from seeds.

Growing cucumbers and tomatoes from seeds is, of course, more common. But for potatoes, this breeding method is more profitable than buying mini-tubers or elites for planting every five to six years. And potato seeds - here they are, in small green "tomatoes" that hang on potato bushes, you just need to collect them!

Potato fruits, like tomatoes, are berries from a botanical point of view. Moreover, in different varieties of potatoes, the ability to set fruits is not the same: in some, flowering is weak, it passes quickly and there are no berries at all, while others can hang in whole clusters. These berries are harvested when the potato tops begin to turn yellow. Lay out for ripening, like ordinary tomatoes. Fully ripe berries lighten and become soft. They are crushed, left for 2-3 days, and then washed well, put on a sieve and dried. Each berry contains 150 to 200 seeds. They keep for several years in a dry place. Potatoes grown from seeds are not infected with diseases, resistant to late blight and adverse environmental factors.

Mini-tubers are obtained from the seeds in the first year of cultivation - they, depending on the growing conditions and variety, can have a very different weight, from 6-10 to 110-120 g. Then on next year super-super elite seed potatoes are obtained from mini-tubers (agronomists call this the first reproduction, i.e. the first year in open ground is considered), on the second - in open ground they get super elite potatoes, on the third - elite.

According to official data, one mini-tuber weighing 6-10 g can produce 1-2 kg of elite seed potatoes in one year. Three years later, from one mini-tuber, you can get high-quality high-yielding seed potatoes for planting in a field of 300 square meters. m

Potato berries are considered useless. Some gardeners generally cut off flowers so that ovaries do not form. But in fact, these tiny "tomatoes" can bring tangible benefits both as a source of seeds and as a medicinal raw material.

Instead of buying expensive elite planting material every 5–7 years, you can grow tubers free of viruses and viruses from seeds absolutely free of charge. bacterial diseases. It is no more difficult than growing seedlings of other nightshades.

Pollination of potato flowers

Potato flowers are usually self-pollinated. But sometimes cross-pollination occurs with a plant of another variety (pollinators - bumblebees). If you need seeds of a certain variety, it is better to play it safe and pollinate the flowers yourself.

Pollen on the stamens of potato flowers ripens for fertilization a little later than the stigma. Therefore, as a mother flower, you need to choose either a ready-to-open, or a newly opened bud, and as a father, a flower that has blossomed at least a day ago.

Pollination is considered successful when 30% of the ovaries are obtained. So to get 5 varietal berries, you have to pollinate 15 flowers.

Flowers selected as paternal ones are cut off and left in a warm place for 2-3 hours. bright room. In the meantime, the stamens are cut off from the mother flowers with a sharp scalpel. Pollen from the paternal flowers is shaken onto the glass and carefully, without crushing, transferred to a pipette. On the stigma of the pistil of each mother flower, pollen is applied with a toothpick. A bright thread is tied around the base of the flower.

Getting potato seeds from berries

Potato berries are harvested at the end of July - August, before the tops fall. The fruits are ripened in the same way as tomatoes: on the windowsill, in good light. As the berries ripen, they lighten, soften and acquire pleasant aroma. They ripen in November - December.

Ripe berries are cut, the pulp with seeds is rubbed on a nylon sieve or thin cotton fabric (the seeds are small, even a tea strainer will not hold them. The fabric with seeds is washed under running water, washing off the remaining juice and pulp. It is important that the seeds are not in water for more than 5 minutes, otherwise they will start to swell.

The washed seeds are laid out in a dark, cool place to dry. When they dry, they are poured into a paper bag and stored in a closet (in a dark, dry place).

Sowing potato seeds

Potato seeds are sown no later than the end of March. The day before planting, a substrate is prepared from one part of garden soil and 4 parts of peat. You can also purchase ready-made soil for seedlings of vegetables - the main thing is that it be very loose and light.

A plastic tray is needed low, since the thickness of the soil layer necessary for seedlings is 2.5–3 cm. Drainage holes are made in the bottom of the container with a hot awl or knife.

The soil is calcined in the oven, and when it cools down, 1-2 tablespoons of vermiculite are added, poured into a tray and poured abundantly with Fitosporin-M solution. A Gliocladin tablet is placed in the corner.

The next day, the saucer or dessert plate is covered with a clean cotton napkin. Seeds are poured onto it and evenly distributed over the entire area. Then they are poured with a solution of "Fitosporin-M" and left for half an hour to swell.

In the meantime, the tray is marked into "beds". The distance between rows is 5 cm, between plants in a row is 0.5 cm. The seeds are so small that you still have to put several of them on the soil surface at once. They are transferred from a napkin with a toothpick.

Potato seeds are by no means sprinkled with anything: the seedlings are so thin and weak that they will not even break through the sand. Watering the soil after sowing is also impossible, so it must be well moistened.

The tray is closed with a lid. Formed on her inside condensate must be wiped off every day, at the same time opening the container for 5-10 minutes. The tray must be placed in a warm place, protected from drafts.

seedling care

Potato seedlings hatch 6–12 days after planting. At this time they main enemy – blackleg. It is impossible to spray them with water from a spray bottle, since even a tiny drop of water can nail a fragile plant to the ground. You need to water from below, for 10-15 minutes by placing the tray in a container with water, or from above, but from a syringe or medical syringe. Water should be poured under the very edge of the tray.

If a plant begins to rot, it is immediately removed from the tray along with 3-4 neighboring plants and a clod of earth. 10-15 drops of a weak solution of potassium permanganate are dripped onto an empty place. Seedlings must be illuminated, otherwise it will stretch. After 25 days, it is dived, transplanted into cups.

In mid-May, seedlings are transferred to the site. If there is a greenhouse, young plants are planted in it. If you have to plant them in open ground, care should be taken to install arcs and purchase spunbond (agrofiber): the sprouts are too fragile, they will die from return frosts.

The distance between adjacent rows is 79–80 cm, between plants in a row is 35–40 cm. A glass of humus, a handful of ash, ground eggshell, onion peel. Plants are not installed straight, but obliquely, at an angle of 30–45 ° to the surface of the bed: thanks to this root system will be stronger. Planted potatoes must be watered. To make the plants warmer, the bed is mulched, then arcs are installed above it and a spunbond is pulled.

After 2-3 weeks, the potatoes are watered with nettle infusion with mullein, before flowering, they are fed with potassium sulfate. Harvesting - in the usual time. There will be no large tubers in the first year, maximum size- 80-100 g, it is better to leave them for landing. But in the second year, an updated, healthy potato will delight you with a record harvest.

Application of tincture of potato berries

The berries contain much more solanine than the rest of the plant. Potato fruits are poisonous to such an extent that tincture from them cannot be drunk even in the smallest doses.

But as an external remedy, it is indispensable in the treatment of warts, papillomas, eczema, and heel spurs. The drug improves the condition of patients with psoriasis.

Recipe for tincture of potato berries:

• pour a full jar of berries;
• pour alcohol or moonshine;
• insist for a month, then strain.

Warts, papillomas, eczema-affected areas are rubbed with tincture 2 times a day. The course of treatment is 6-7 days. Usually during this time warts and papillomas disappear. If not, then after a week break, the course must be repeated.

With a heel spur, a compress is placed at night from a tincture diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 1. The shelf life of the drug is 5 years.

How to kill two birds with one stone - reduce leaf growth and increase yield

A method that was used over a hundred years ago!

It often happens that, despite good care and a significant growth of tops, the tubers of potatoes are nevertheless small.

The reason for this phenomenon is that strong leaves use too many nutrients to the detriment of the tubers, especially the so-called potato seed balls, while they do not bring any benefit at all.

To eliminate this phenomenon, many authoritative owners have developed the following purely practical technique. This very simple method consists in the fact that after the flowering of potatoes, after one or two weeks, the tops are broken.

To clarify how this technique is applicable from a practical point of view, the following experiment is given. In 1909, on the 2nd square. sazhens were planted two equal squares of potatoes.

On the first site, 10 days after flowering, the tops were crushed by hand breaking, and the second was left under ordinary culture for control.

In autumn, over 30 pounds of beautiful, uniform and large potatoes, from the second, control, less than 27 pounds, and much more small than large.

Thus, from breaking the stems, in addition to fineness, we get another increase of 3 pounds per 1 square. sazhen, which for a tithe will be 2400 x 3 = 7200, that is, 180 pounds of excess crop.

(“Khutorskoe khozyaystvo” 1913, No. 1)

haulm cutting

The best time to do this work is budding period. You should not be late with cutting the tops. If this work is done during the flowering period, then the growth of young stems slows down and the yield of tubers decreases.
When pruning, stems are left 15-20 cm high. late varieties and 10 cm in the early ones.

In all years of testing, the potato yield was higher by 16-21% in those areas grown with pruning.

Simultaneously with checking how the seed qualities of potatoes are improving, the effect of cutting tops on the crop in the year of planting was studied. And in this case, the annual collection of tubers was 19-34% more than the usual method.

"Potatoes and Vegetables" (1957, No. 4)

Potato Hilling Tricks

Probably even those who have never planted it know that potatoes should be spudded. But how to do it right? It turns out that there are some little tricks here, writes Marina, Nekrasovskoye.

When to start hilling?

There are various answers to this question in the literature. The guideline in all recommendations is the height of the shoots, but the numbers are different: from 14 to 20 cm.

I myself prefer to start hilling as early as possible. At the same time, I focus, however, not on centimeters, but on the signals of a completely irrational "device" - intuition :)) Over time, probably, every gardener has such a flair: you just look at the plants and understand what they need right now.

In fact, early hilling replaces both weeding and the recommended loosening of the soil. In our unstable climate, it also serves to protect seedlings from recurrent frosts. Potatoes are traditionally planted in early May. And in the second half of the month - just in time for the emergence of shoots - colds usually come. The sprouts covered with a layer of soil calmly endure even a short-term drop in temperature just below zero (it happens sometimes ...)

I have noticed more than once: after hilling, potatoes seem to accelerate growth. If the weather is also favorable, the bushes grow and grow stronger literally before our eyes. Therefore, I am never too lazy to once again walk with a hoe along the rows, loosening the earth and leaning it against the ridges.

How many times to spud?

Classic - 2 hilling: the second is carried out 2-3 weeks after the first, before the potatoes bloom. But if you start this event early enough, two times is not enough. In this matter, I prefer to focus not on abstract "norms", but on the needs of real plants.

If the grown bushes fall apart, or the nest is not formed along the ridge, but grows across, in breadth, and tubers begin to peep out of the ground, turning green in the light, it is necessary to spud, no matter what they say.

I happened to spud potatoes 3 and 4 times per season. Someone will say that it is too laborious ... I don’t know, weeding is much more tiring for me. And then I walked across the field with a chopper - and the earth is loose, and there are no weeds, and the potato bushes are vigorous and beautiful, even)) And then they thank me for an excellent harvest.

What is the preferred time for hilling?

At the time of hilling potatoes, you can often see gardeners with hoes in the fields in the middle of a hot summer day. And this is not good for health, and the plant is not good. Hilling, we still disturb him, we hurt the shoots, it happens inadvertently and underground part disturb. In the heat, all this becomes critical, and plants can wilt. Therefore, in hot weather you should spud potatoes in the morning or in the evening, when the activity of the sun decreases.

It is best to do hilling after rain. The benefit is twofold. Firstly, moist soil does not crumble from the ridge. Secondly, adding moisture-saturated soil to the base of the stems, we stimulate the formation of additional stolons ( underground shoots, on which potato tubers are formed) - and this is an increase in yield.

But that's in theory)) In practice, it also happens that it's time to spud, but there is still no rain and no. Naturally, we will not postpone an important matter in anticipation of a favorable weather forecast, but if the soil is completely dry, we will water it before hilling.

Is hilling always applied?

Inventive gardeners and inquisitive minds of scientists are looking everywhere alternative solutions, and hilling potatoes is no exception. Firstly, we came up with landing methods that make this procedure superfluous (for example, landing under a black nonwoven fabric). Secondly, we proved experimentally that unwinding "works" no worse.

What is the point? Hilling potatoes, we solve several problems at once: we loosen the soil; we create its additional volume in which tubers are formed; we push the plant to form stolons in the lower (covered with soil) part of the stems; we improve the lighting of plants, collecting them "in a pile" and not allowing them to obscure each other; getting rid of weeds. But it turns out that the same problems can be solved in exactly the opposite way.

unwinding- This is a method in which the growing tops, instead of being lifted up, are spread on the ground. The soil (options: grass, straw, other materials) is poured on top, leaving only the tops of the shoots on the surface.

As they grow, everything repeats. In this way, my friends grew potatoes under the grass (for lack of straw) - they were satisfied with the result. True, more space is required than with traditional way cultivation.

fan-shaped unwinding, or "Zamiatkin's method".

In the fall, we immediately put all the plant debris from the garden into the beds, and spill it with one of the organic disinfectants: “Shine”, “Fitosporin”, “Vostok”, “Baikal”. The distance between the beds is approximately 1.2 meters, as the tops grow huge, almost human height.

If such beds were not prepared in the fall, then they can be made in the spring from the contents of the compost heap.

To begin with, to compare, only a few tubers are planted in this way.

After the tubers are laid out in the garden, the potatoes are covered 15 centimeters with organic waste. After the potato tops grow by 15 centimeters, the branches move apart and are again covered with organic matter from the compost heap from above.

Only the very tops remain on the surface. Already on the second day, the sprouts rise up. At the same time, organic matter can be added during the entire period of potato growth.

Collecting such potatoes is also easy and pleasant. Since it is not in the ground, the tubers remain clean, they are not afraid of the wireworm and the Colorado potato beetle. A large number of organic fertilizers, and as a result good harvest large potatoes.

Siderats can also be planted between the rows of potatoes planted using the Zamyatkin method: phacelia, vetch with oats, mustard, Shrovetide radish, which will then be used for mulch.

Perhaps the most common vegetable crop in our country is the potato. Despite the fact that this plant has long been known agriculture, it is not always possible to get a good harvest of root crops. The reason for this may be a large tops of potatoes. What leads to the growth of green mass, as well as how to deal with it, our today's article will tell you.

Potato leaves are not the edible part of the plant. However, it is a valuable raw material for the creation of organic fertilizers through the use of composting or burning to ash. It is also used to make infusions. traditional medicine to control certain pests. At the same time, high and plentiful green mass can negatively affect the yield. The fact is that in a situation where the potato has a well-developed tops, its root crops are formed small. In this case, the plant spends all its energy on forcing greenery, leaving quite grains on the underground part, for which the gardener plants this crop. Although this situation is not always possible. Whether or not potatoes will be small with high tops depends on many factors.

The following moments can lead to a situation where the greens of the potato grow very much:

It is worth noting that a lot of tops do not always mean a bad harvest. This may well be a feature of a particular variety. However, in order not to lose the potato crop, you still need to know what to do in this situation.

Video “Potato Care”

From the video you will learn how to care for the root crop.

What to do

When growing any vegetable crop, you need to know the features of caring for it in order to prevent the appearance of pests, the development of diseases and a decrease in plant fertility. Potatoes don't need much complex care to achieve excellent returns from it in the form of large and tasty root crops. But there are times when certain measures must be taken so as not to lose the crop. One of these moments will be a huge potato bush (more than 80 cm). If the greenery is actively growing, then this indicates that adjustments need to be made in the care of plantings.

Situations where the tops are higher than a meter indicate too much nitrogen in the soil. In this case, you need to adjust the top dressing. With the normalization of nutrients in the soil, the tops, of course, will not decrease, but the process of tuberization will begin. The addition of 100 g of superphosphate diluted in 10 liters of water will stop the growth of the green mass and cause the plants to form tubers.

A growing potato bush needs to be properly fertilized to avoid active growth its aboveground part. To do this, top dressing should look like this:

• the first time top dressing is carried out immediately after the appearance of the first shoots. It is carried out using ammonium nitrate or urea. 10-15 g of the drug should be dissolved in 10 liters of water. You need to know that during the autumn or spring refueling of the soil with manure, fertilizers are not applied for the first time in order to prevent excess nitrogen in the soil;
• further top dressing is carried out after hilling. The second time fertilizers are applied at a tops height of 20-25 cm (20-30 g of nitrophoska are scattered between rows). If the soil is well fertilized, no more fertilizers are needed. During the summer, some gardeners spend several times foliar top dressing, which saturate the earth with phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and other trace elements.

It is worth noting that foliar top dressing can be combined with spraying bushes from phytophthora and the Colorado potato beetle.

If you cannot determine what caused the forcing of the bushes, then the tops can simply be crushed and bent down. Such manipulations will lead to the fact that the potatoes will stop growing for at least two weeks, which will give a chance for normal tuberization. The method is very popular with gardeners, as it does not require additional costs for fertilizers, stimulants, and also takes little time.

You can just remove the greens. To date, there are two ways to remove the aerial part of the potato:

Both haulm removal methods can be applied a week before mowing. Such an algorithm of work will make it possible to more efficiently and easily remove all shoots and stems without damaging the root crops or garden tools. This is especially important for varieties that form powerful and strong stems and leaves.

It should be noted that if there is a long rainy weather the tops can begin to re-form. In this case, it can be re-processed with special chemical solutions. Before this, you need to again carry out a mechanical removal option.

Also, one of the methods for increasing the yield of bushes is mowing the tops. But here you need to know when you can mow potato tops.

Haulm mowing after flowering

You can mow the tops of potato bushes after the plant stops flowering. Until this moment, it is better not to touch the aerial part of the bushes, as this may affect their yield.

It is worth noting that mowing the tops of potatoes after flowering is important point harvesting process. This procedure is carried out for the following reasons:

• removal of green mass stimulates the ripening of root crops;
• improves the quality of the fruit;
• furrows and beds dry out sooner;
• reduces the risk of infection of tubers with diseases, the carriers of which may be on the tops (for example, phytophthora). Mowing the aerial part of the bush serves as a good prevention of various diseases, and also allows you to get rid of pests that have not yet had time to move from the tops to the soil for wintering. But it is impossible to determine the infection of tubers from healthy ones, since at this stage the disease does not manifest itself in any way;
• increasing the shelf life of potatoes in the basement.

In addition, mowing the tops greatly simplifies the further collection of potatoes. However, in order to get all the benefits described above, it is necessary to clearly know when to carry out this procedure. Otherwise, your efforts will not bring the expected result. Experienced gardeners It is advised to harvest the greens at least two weeks before the expected harvest date. You can find information about this process can be done a week before digging potatoes. But also a week before mowing, you need to wait in a situation if the bushes have been treated with fungicides. A slight delay, especially in the presence of rainy weather, can lead to massive infection of tubers due to the strong accumulation of fungal spores on infected leaves.

When mowing tops, it must be remembered that pathogens, as well as pests, can long time exist in the ground. Therefore, in order to prevent infection of the fetuses, it is necessary to carry out A complex approach. It involves not only the removal of the green mass of bushes, but also the cultivation of the soil. To treat the crop from pathogenic microflora and pests, it is necessary to use fungicides. In this case chemical substances can perfectly cope with the protection of root crops from harmful microorganisms.

Mowing should be carried out only after the end of the budding period. If you do this procedure during flowering, you can slow down the tuberization process.

As you can see, large tops of potato bushes in most cases lead to a decrease in yield. Therefore, the tops must be monitored to prevent its growth.

Video “Mowing”

From the video you will learn how to mow the tops.