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It is difficult for us to imagine our daily diet without potatoes, but people who want to lose weight first of all refuse it, considering it a high-calorie product. In fact, the calorie content of potatoes is lower than that of yogurt, which for some reason can be eaten during diets. This is unfair, because it is not potatoes that add extra pounds to us, but the fats in which they are cooked. So eat properly prepared meals and lose weight! In addition, potatoes are an important food product that supplies our body with potassium, magnesium and iodine.
If there is a vegetable garden on the site, potatoes will definitely grow there. When there is enough space, it imprisoned a lot, so as to provide for yourself for the whole winter. In small plots - just enough to eat plenty of new potatoes without risking your health and wallet. In any case, we hope for a good harvest, and for this we need not only to bury and then dig up the tubers, but also to follow the rules of germination, planting and care.In this article we will look at fertilizer for potatoes when planting.
Potato fertilizer requirements
Any plant needs nutrients for the formation and development of leaves, fruits, shoots and root systems. They are partially extracted from soil and water, but this is not enough for agricultural crops - we expect from them not so much an attractive appearance as a rich harvest. Fertilizers applied on time and in sufficient quantities before planting potatoes guarantee the ripening of a large number of high-quality tubers.
The main nutrients a plant requires for successful development are macroelements, namely nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Potatoes are a fertilizing-responsive crop. He needs increased doses of potassium, but he does not like excess nitrogen, but cannot do without it completely.
Potatoes carry 47 g of fertilizer per season per square meter, in the following ratio:
- nitrogen (N) – 43%;
- phosphorus (P) – 14%;
- potassium (K) – 43%.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is vital for potatoes. It is part of proteins and serves as a kind of building material for the cells that make up the plant. If there is a shortage of it, the development of shoots first slows down, and the leaves lose their green color. If the situation is not corrected, the plant may die or stop growing altogether.
With an excess of nitrogen, the green mass increases greatly, to the detriment of flowering, fruiting and the development of the root system. In the case of potatoes, we get a lush green bush with very large leaves and several tiny nodules at the root. Even a slight excess of doses of nitrogen fertilizers provokes the occurrence of rot.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus fertilizers stimulate the development of the root system, flowering and fruiting. They are especially important in the early stages of plant development, and their deficiency during this period cannot be compensated. Phosphorus also increases winter hardiness, which is directly related to the keeping quality of tubers.
Our plants need phosphorus in moderation; neither its excess nor its deficiency (within reason, of course) is a disaster. And in the early stages of development, potatoes receive it from a tuber.
Potassium
Potatoes are big fans of potassium, which, unlike nitrogen and phosphorus, is not part of plant proteins, but is contained in cell sap. If there is a shortage of this element, the plant absorbs nitrogen and phosphorus worse, does not tolerate drought well, growth processes are suspended, and flowering may not occur.
If potatoes receive a sufficient amount of potassium fertilizers, they become more resistant to diseases, in particular to rot pathogens. It produces more starch, which improves the taste. This does not mean that we should thoughtlessly sprinkle potash fertilizers for potatoes when planting in a hole; it is important to maintain a balance.
Microelements
Microelements play a huge role in the life of a plant.But for potatoes planted in the spring and sent to the compost heap in the summer, the lack of them simply will not have time to become fatal, although it will create enough problems.
The well-known late blight to all of us is nothing more than a deficiency of copper. Early and mid-early potato varieties usually do not have time to get sick with it, but for mid-late and late varieties, late blight poses a huge problem. But these varieties are the most delicious, as they contain the most starch.
For potatoes, the most important microelements are boron, copper and manganese; apply them along with basic fertilizers.
Signs of battery shortage
Macronutrient deficiency is most easily visually determined by old leaves.
Nitrogen deficiency
If not enough nitrogen is added to the potatoes in the spring, the plant acquires an unusual light color and the lower leaves turn yellow. True, the leaves may turn yellow if there is insufficient watering, but then the soft tissues between the veins turn yellow first. Nitrogen starvation is characterized by the fact that it is the veins that change color first, and the tissues located between them can retain a green color. In addition, the plant becomes very elongated and stops growing.
Phosphorus deficiency
In potatoes insufficiently fertilized with phosphorus, just as with a lack of nitrogen, the formation of thin shoots and general depression are observed. But the leaves, on the contrary, acquire a very dark color, and with severe or prolonged phosphorus starvation, a purple tint. As tissues die, dark spots appear.
Potassium deficiency
If the potatoes were poorly fertilized with potassium in the spring, the symptoms often do not affect the entire leaf, but only parts of it. Chlorotic areas of a yellow tint appear on them.Most often they appear around dried areas at the tip or edge of the leaf, between the veins. Over time, the potatoes begin to look like they are affected by rust.
Fertilizing the soil before planting potatoes
It is best to think about fertilizing in the fall. Ideally, per square meter of area, fertilizer for potatoes is applied in the following composition:
- ammonium sulfate – 50 g or ammonium nitrate – 30 g;
- superphosphate – 50 g;
- wood ash – 200-500 g.
On acidic soils, instead of ash, you can take 200 g of dolomite flour.
If you have healthy soils that are little affected by pests and diseases, it would be good to add 4 kg of well-rotted manure and 200-500 g of wood ash for digging.
Fertilizing potatoes during planting
Fertilizing potatoes significantly affects the yield. This is due to the fact that its root system is relatively poorly developed, and besides, the tubers are modified stems, therefore, they are also fed by the roots. Nutrients are contained in the soil, but in the early stages of development, potatoes absorb them very poorly. The question arises of how to fertilize potatoes when planting in a hole. Let's look at this issue in detail.
Organic fertilizers for potatoes when planting
When we think about what fertilizer is best for potatoes when planting, organic matter comes to mind first. This is truly the best solution. Well-rotted cow manure, wood ash, and humus are suitable here.
Ash
Wood ash is often called fertilizer No. 1. This is not far from the truth - it is a record holder among organic fertilizers in terms of composition. Although traditionally ash is considered a supplier of potassium, it contains phosphorus, boron, manganese, calcium and many other elements. There is only a little nitrogen in it, but this can be easily corrected by adding other substances.
It is also good because it not only feeds plants, but also structures the soil, loosens it, changes acidity, has a beneficial effect on beneficial microorganisms and destroys many pathogens. Two more significant advantages of ash: it is well absorbed by plants and is a long-lasting fertilizer. This means that ash used as fertilizer for potatoes during planting can free us from potash fertilizers until the end of the season.
We invite you to watch a short video about the properties of ash and the features of its application:
Manure
Manure is a wonderful organic fertilizer, rich in nitrogen, containing potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and a lot of other useful elements. In addition, it improves the soil, making it more water- and breathable. The most important thing is not to apply fresh or poorly rotted manure that is less than a year old under the potatoes.
Humus
Humus is compost or manure that has been decomposing for three years or more. For potatoes, it is better to take humus obtained from manure. It is ideal and suits any culture.
The best mineral fertilizers for potatoes
It is not always possible to put organic fertilizer in the hole when planting potatoes. The only people who have no problems with this are the rural residents who keep cows and burn with wood. Summer residents and residents of the private sector have to buy all this, and if a truckload of manure gets onto the plot, they try to use it for more “valuable” crops.
If you have to be content with mineral fertilizers, when choosing them you need to take into account several points:
- Potatoes require potassium fertilizers without or with a small amount of chlorine.
- Potatoes best absorb nitrogen on neutral soils in the form of ammonium, and on acidic soils - in the form of nitrates.
- In order not to bore you with lengthy explanations on which soils which phosphorus fertilizers work better, as well as how the form of nitrogen added to the soil affects them, let’s say briefly - the best phosphorus fertilizer for potatoes is superphosphate. Moreover, it is added to acidic soils in granular form.
If you have the means, it is best to buy a special mineral fertilizer for potatoes. There are fertilizers from different manufacturers on sale, and their prices can be very high or quite acceptable even for a thrifty buyer. But of course, even the cheapest specialized fertilizers are more expensive than superphosphate and ammonium.
How to fertilize potatoes during planting
Fertilizing a potato field in the spring is completely irrational. It is best to do this directly into the hole during planting.
If you have chosen organic fertilizers, then add humus or compost into the hole along with sand: a liter jar for poor soils and a half-liter jar for chernozems. Then add a handful of ash (for those who like to do everything exactly - 5 tablespoons), mix well with the soil and plant the potatoes.
Mineral fertilizers are placed in the hole according to the instructions and mixed with sand and soil.
Conclusion
We told you what fertilizers to apply to the holes when planting potatoes. We hope that the material presented was useful to you. Have a good harvest!
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