Content
Many gardeners are interested in the description, characteristics, and photos of the Labella potato variety. And this is no coincidence, since the crop is characterized by high productivity, shelf life and excellent taste and culinary qualities. The Labella variety is grown not only for personal consumption, but also on an industrial scale throughout the Russian Federation.
Origin story
The authors of the variety are breeders from Germany. The Solana company is known in all corners of the world, because they specialize in creating hybrid varieties of different vegetable crops. In Russia, Labella potatoes were approved for cultivation in 2011, as they were included in the State Register. The variety was recommended for cultivation in some areas:
- Central;
- Central Black Earth;
- Volgo-Vyatka;
- North Caucasus;
- Far Eastern.
Over the past few years, the geography of cultivation has expanded. Today, reddish-pink tubers can be found in almost all Russian regions.
Description and characteristics
The Labella variety stands out for its low, compact bushes with erect stems.The plant does not spread shoots during the growing season. The leaves are rich green in color, small, with ruffles along the edges.
During flowering, the potato field turns purple with a barely noticeable pinkish tint. Flower corollas are neat.
The root system is well developed; a rich harvest of 14-16 large, even potatoes is formed on a large number of stolons. Although small things occur, their quantity is minimal.
Potatoes of the Labella variety have elongated oval tubers weighing 78-102 g. Dark red eyes are located on the surface. Tubers with smooth and thin skin of pinkish-red color. The pulp is dense, light yellow, as in the photo.
During cooking, Labella potatoes do not darken or lose their shape, so they have a wide variety of uses in cooking.
Advantages and disadvantages
pros | Minuses |
Fruit evenness | Low frost resistance |
The variety is high-yielding, up to 300 kg of potatoes are harvested from one hundred square meters |
|
Easy care |
|
Drought-resistant potatoes tolerate short-term droughts without much loss |
|
Excellent taste and culinary qualities |
|
High shelf life, safety up to 98% |
|
Excellent transportability, preservation of presentation |
|
Resistance to diseases such as leaf roll virus, potato golden nematode, rot, potato canker |
|
The variety contains up to 12% starch and a large amount of minerals, vitamins, salts |
|
Landing
The Labella variety is planted in fertile soil. Before planting, the tubers are germinated. It is removed from storage a month before planting so that the tubers warm up and produce good strong sprouts.
The Labella variety is planted in rows at a distance of about 70 cm, with at least 30 cm between holes. Potato tubers are laid out in the holes carefully so as not to break the bores. If the area is small, then when planting, throw a handful of wood ash into the hole. Cover the top of the hole with soil.
Care
From the description and characteristics of the Labella potato variety, as well as from reviews from gardeners, it is clear that the plant is unpretentious in care. Even a novice gardener can cope with cultivation. Agrotechnical measures come down to:
- loosening and weeding;
- hilling and weeding;
- treatment of plantings from diseases and pests.
Loosening
After a few days, they will begin to appear on the potato plot. weeds. Don't wait for them to grow up. Labella potatoes are first plucked, and the grass dries out once it reaches the surface of the plot. Loosening will rid the area of weeds and saturate the soil and plants with oxygen.
Watering
According to the description, the Labella potato variety is drought-resistant, so watering is carried out only during drought. From 12 to 15 liters of water are poured under each bush.
Hilling and feeding
Hilling is one of the important agrotechnical activities. Additional soil encourages the growth of underground shoots. In the scientific world they are called stolons. It is on them that tubers are formed.
We recommend hilling the Labella potato variety twice. The first time is when the shoots rise to a height of 15-20 cm. The second hilling is carried out a week later, until the potato tops have closed over the rows.
Potatoes need feeding:
- The first replenishment is carried out during planting. In large areas, it is impossible to add fertilizer to each hole.Therefore, you can soak the potatoes before planting in a urea solution (1 tablespoon of fertilizer per bucket of water).
- Labella potatoes are fertilized a second time during the formation of buds. In 10 liters of water, dilute 1 tablespoon of potassium sulfate and 3 tablespoons of wood ash.
- When mass flowering begins, the potatoes are fed again so that tubers form faster. A solution of mullein, chicken droppings or fermented grass is suitable for feeding the Labella variety.
Diseases and pests
The description says that the Labella potato variety is resistant to many diseases characteristic of this crop. But since several different varieties of potatoes are planted on the site, among them there may be those that have weak immunity. Therefore, preventive measures must be taken. At the first signs of disease, plantings are treated with herbicides. Labella potato bushes treated with herbicides should be dug up before all others, and the tops should be burned.
If the variety is highly resistant to many diseases, then pests will have to be fought. The larvae of the click beetle (colloquially wireworm) can damage young potato tubers.
Wood ash, which is sprinkled under each bush, helps against wireworms. It is advisable to etch the seed. As for the Colorado potato beetle, the larvae will have to be collected by hand.
Harvesting
Dry, sunny weather is chosen for harvesting.The bushes are dug up with a pitchfork or a shovel, then the tubers are selected. Each hole of the Labella variety produces up to 16 large potatoes, suitable for processing and storage. There are practically no small things.
The harvest is what you need, see for yourself:
The harvested potatoes are dried for several hours in the sun, then removed for ripening in a dark, dry room for 10 days. The sorted and sorted tubers are stored in a cellar or basement. The harvest is stored well; by spring, 98% of the harvest is preserved.
Conclusion
Gardeners who have been growing potatoes for many years call the Labella variety the best. After all, the plant is practically not affected by diseases and pests, and is unpretentious in care. But the most important thing is excellent taste and culinary qualities. In reviews, gardeners indicate only positive aspects.
