Content
Descriptions of the Spring potato variety, photos and reviews from experienced gardeners indicate that the crop is very popular among land owners due to its excellent characteristics. To obtain a high yield, growing potatoes in Spring has its own characteristics.
Characteristics of the Spring potato variety
Spring potatoes are an early ripening variety designed for table use. The plant is a bush consisting of several stems with large bright green leaves of a light shade with a significantly pronounced pinnately dissected shape.
The culture has a fibrous root system without a central root. The depth of placement in the ground is 30 - 60 cm from the outer layer.
Tubers are formed by the transformation of shoots on underground stems, at the ends of stolons. Ripe Spring potatoes are white or pink, oval in shape with axillary buds on a smooth surface. The mass of tubers is about 90 - 140 g.
The plant culture of this variety does not tolerate weather fluctuations with minus marks on the thermometer. The most favorable temperature for short-term flowering of potatoes is 17 - 23 ° C.
Despite the fact that the variety is not yet included in the State Register, its cultivation in individual plots of Russia has become actively widespread due to positive assessments of the main characteristics of the crop.
Taste qualities of Spring potatoes
Spring potatoes have positive nutritional characteristics. The pulp does not disintegrate when boiled and retains its color. Tubers are successfully used for preparing various everyday and holiday dishes, snacks, and chips. At the same time, the Vesna variety has excellent taste characteristics, which is why it has gained popularity.
Pros and cons of the variety
Growing Spring potatoes by gardeners has characteristic positive aspects. These include:
- rapid ripening of tubers;
- low vulnerability to disease;
- high percentage of yield;
- preservation of taste and external characteristics;
- high nutritional value: potatoes supply the human body with potassium and phosphorus, contain a large amount of useful substances, including magnesium; B vitamins and others.
The downside is the possible response of sprouted shoots to fluctuations in air temperature, including frost.
Planting and caring for spring potatoes
Potatoes of the Spring variety need timely attention and the necessary care actions from the moment of planting. To achieve sufficient air supply to the inner layers of the soil, it is recommended to periodically loosen the potato beds and also free them from weed. There is an effective way to control weeds - covering the top layer of soil with mulch.
In addition, caring for potatoes involves performing agrotechnical measures:
- systematic watering;
- performing hilling;
- introducing useful elements into the soil.
Selection and preparation of a landing site
It is recommended to plant the variety on land where this crop has not been grown for 2 to 3 years. Spring potatoes are good to plant after legumes, cabbage, root vegetables, cucumbers, and pumpkins. Conversely, planting the crop after sunflower, sorghum, tomatoes and other plants of the Solanaceae family is extremely undesirable. Before use, the soil is prepared in advance, in the fall. To do this, they dig it up and fertilize it.
If the soil is highly acidic, limestone or chalk is used. To increase the fertility of clay soil, sand, peat, or complex organic fertilizers are additionally added.
Preparation of planting material
Tubers are prepared for planting after harvesting in the fall. To do this, mostly medium-sized root vegetables are selected and placed in a dark, cool place, for example, in a cellar. Approximately 20 - 30 days before planting, the material is transferred from the basement to a place with direct access to light. Potato tubers are sorted, getting rid of spoiled and unsprouted tubers.
Landing rules
When planting Spring potatoes in the soil, you should follow certain recommendations.The depth of the holes depends on the composition of the soil: on heavy, dense soils the depth is 4 - 6 cm, on sandy and light soils - 8 - 12 cm.
Among the basic planting rules are the following:
- only selected healthy tubers with sprouts are used;
- 2 - 4 weeks before the procedure, planting raw materials are transferred from the basement to a warm, bright place;
- tubers are planted only in heated, loose soil with a temperature of at least 10 °C;
- provide regular watering mainly in the evening;
- After irrigating the soil, loosening is performed.
Watering and fertilizing
The need for watering and fertilizing potatoes in spring is determined by the individual climatic and atmospheric conditions, as well as the composition of the soil. During the growing season there are three main watering periods:
- after germination of seedlings;
- before the formation of buds;
- in the phase of cessation of flowering.
Unscheduled soil moisture is carried out during prolonged drought.
Not counting the enrichment of a plot of land with organic substances, before planting, throughout the entire stage of growing potatoes of the Spring variety, it is recommended to carry out 3 root feedings:
- with manure 25 - 35 days from the start of the process;
- mineral mixtures or ash when buds appear;
- organic fertilizers at the end of the flowering phase.
Loosening and weeding
Loosening the Spring variety potatoes is carried out to enrich the soil with oxygen, improve air circulation, and also to eliminate weeds. To do this, the soil is cultivated with a hoe or rake at various stages:
- before shoots germinate;
- as the beds become overgrown with grass;
- after precipitation - to remove hardened areas of the earth.
It is advisable to loosen the soil after watering.
Hilling
Spring potatoes need hilling, which involves pouring moist soil under the base of the bush. This agricultural technique is used when necessary:
- protect plants from the harmful effects of weather changes;
- stimulate the growth of additional tubers;
- provide natural air exchange;
- accelerate the process of natural solar heating of the earth;
- protect plants from pests, infections, weeds.
Hilling is carried out as necessary at least 2 times during the season.
Diseases and pests
The Vesna variety is highly resistant to diseases such as cancer, macrosporiosis, moderately resistant to viral diseases and relatively resistant to late blight. To avoid infections, it is recommended to take a number of preventive actions. These include:
- use of carefully selected material for planting;
- treatment of the plant with biological products during the flowering period and after 15 - 20 days;
- timely elimination of damaged parts of the culture;
- sowing aromatic plants such as mustard, horseradish, garlic, lemon balm next to potatoes.
The Colorado potato beetle is the most common pest; Corado, Typhoon-plus and others are used to combat it.
The crop may also suffer from wireworm damage. Preventive measures to combat insects:
- placing traps in the ground in the form of plastic cups or bottles with potato peelings - shortly before planting;
- planting legumes around the perimeter of the plot;
- adding eggshells directly into the hole when planting; you can also use onion peels, wood ash, and mustard powder.
Potato yield
With proper care of the crop, 7 - 15 tubers are harvested from one bush per season. Having read the description of Vesna potatoes, as well as judging by the photos of ripened tubers, we can conclude that the root crops are in good presentation and have high taste qualities.
Harvesting and storage
It is recommended to dig up ripened spring potatoes 1.5 - 2 months after planting, depending on the impact of climatic conditions and the implementation of all necessary measures to care for the crop. It is advisable to collect tubers in dry weather. Tops and weed residues are destroyed to prevent the spread of viruses and other diseases.
After 2 - 4 weeks, the tubers, dried and folded into boxes or bags, are additionally sorted in order to reject damaged and diseased fruits, and placed in the basement for further storage.
Conclusion
Taking into account the description of the Spring potato variety, photos and reviews from gardeners, we can draw conclusions about the advantages of the crop: early ripening of tubers, high yield, as well as good disease resistance and excellent taste characteristics. Due to these advantages, Spring potatoes are becoming increasingly popular when grown in individual plots.
