Content
The Lasunok potato has not been known for long, but has already become a favorite among both professional agricultural technicians and amateur gardeners, primarily due to its excellent taste and high yield. The article provides a detailed description of the Lasunok potato variety, rules for planting, care and storage, as well as photos and reviews that allow you to appreciate it.
Characteristics of Lasunok potatoes
Lasunok belongs to the high-yielding mid-late or late-ripening potato varieties, depending on the region of planting. It has excellent taste, is suitable for preparing various dishes, is stored quite well, does not require special care, and is resistant to diseases and pests.
General characteristics of potatoes of the Lasunok variety:
- The bush is tall, erect, multi-stemmed. The stem is thick and fleshy. The leaves are dark green, covered with hard fibers, which provides protection from the Colorado potato beetle.
- The tubers are large, oval-shaped, the pulp is white-yellow, the peel is yellowish, light.The eyes are sparse and deep-set, but this does not interfere with germination. In spring they “wake up” early. The average weight of tubers is 120 – 180 g. Particularly large fruits reach 200 g.
- Flowering is abundant, long lasting, flowers are white with a yellow center.
- The ripening period is 90 – 120 days, depending on the region of cultivation, care, and weather conditions.
- Productivity: on average 10 - 12 tubers per bush, under favorable conditions - up to 15 - 17.
- Keeping quality is average; if the recommended temperature is not observed, the tubers begin to actively germinate.
The variety is recommended for cultivation in the Central, North Caucasus, Far Eastern, Volga-Vyatka regions of Russia. Due to its high yield, unpretentiousness, and disease resistance, it is suitable for large agricultural enterprises and small garden plots.
From the photo you can evaluate the characteristics of the Lasunok potato variety.
Taste qualities of potatoes
The Lasunok potato variety, bred by Belarusian breeders, has been known in Russia since 1988. Due to its taste characteristics and versatility, it quickly became widespread and popular.
Potatoes have a delicate, creamy taste. At home, it is used for purees, potato pancakes, casseroles, first courses, and vegetable stews. On an industrial scale, it is processed into chips, starch, and included in frozen mixtures.
After heat treatment, the tubers become loose, easily boil, crumble, but do not lose their attractive appearance and color.
Pros and cons of the Lasunok potato variety
Lasunok potato variety is popular among Russian and Belarusian farmers thanks to:
- high yield, large tuber size;
- unpretentiousness, ease of cultivation;
- immunity to plant diseases (late blight, blackleg, nematode);
- resistance to pests (Colorado beetle);
- excellent table quality.
Disadvantages of the Lasunok variety:
- short dormant period; in spring, tubers begin to germinate early;
- loose structure: when cooked, the potatoes become very crumbly;
- requires good watering, does not tolerate drought well, and with insufficient moisture, it loses productivity.
Planting and caring for Lasunok potatoes
Lasunok potatoes are not demanding in terms of agricultural technology; both a novice summer resident and an experienced farmer can get an excellent harvest.
Selection and preparation of a landing site
Potatoes of the Lasunok variety are undemanding to the quality and composition of the soil. For planting, you should choose flat, light, sufficiently moist, spacious areas.
Organization of the landing site:
- Preparing the soil for potatoes begins in the fall. The area is plowed, leveled, and fertilized with manure. To replenish nutrients, grains (oats, rye) or watercress are planted.
- After the snow melts, the area is plowed again along with the early shoots of winter crops, weeds deleted.
- Immediately before planting, the soil is loosened and moistened again.
Once every 4 years it is worth changing the area for planting potatoes, since Lasunok greatly depletes the soil. It should be placed on lands where grains and legumes were previously cultivated.
Preparation of planting material
To get a decent harvest, potato tubers need to be germinated correctly.3 - 4 weeks before planting, they are taken out of winter storage to a warm place. Within 2–3 weeks, the root crops come to life and strong shoots appear.
Lasunok potatoes tolerate division well. Directly when planting, the tuber is cut into 2 or more parts, ensuring the even distribution of the eyes.
To speed up germination, you can use 2 methods:
- Dry method: baskets or wooden boxes with tubers arranged in 1 - 2 rows are placed in the sun. The potatoes take on a greenish tint and their eyes begin to grow. It is important to ensure sufficient light distribution and periodically turn the tubers so that the sprouts develop evenly and are strong.
- Wet method: The root crop is covered with a layer of moistened humus or small sawdust. Store at a temperature of about +15 oC. In such conditions, not only strong shoots appear, but also roots; tubers take root better and grow faster after planting in the ground.
Landing rules
Potato tubers are planted in the ground from late April to May, when the soil warms up by at least 10 cm.
Optimal planting pattern:
- distance between rows – 70 – 90 cm;
- between plants – 45 – 50 cm;
- potatoes are placed in holes to a depth of 5–7 cm on loamy soils and 10–12 cm on sandy loam soils.
Breeders recommend adding a little humus and wood ash when planting, and watering them with a weak solution of manganese (especially when dividing tubers).
On waterlogged soils, potatoes are planted in “furrows”.To do this, use a hoe, shovel or gardening equipment to rake a shaft (ridge) into which the sprouted tubers are dropped.
With this arrangement, the bushes have enough space for growth and development, the optimal level of soil moisture is maintained, the stems and lower leaves have enough sunlight and heat.
Watering and fertilizing
Potatoes of the Lasunok variety are undemanding in terms of fertilizing and fertilizing, but require timely watering.
The first soil moistening is carried out 7 - 10 days after planting, before germination - by light irrigation (using sprinklers or a watering can). If the weather is dry and there is no rain, after the first sprouts appear, the potatoes are watered again.
Further moistening is carried out as needed: when the soil dries out, or when there is a long absence of natural precipitation.
Abundant watering is required only during the flowering period. As a rule, water is allowed to flow by gravity along the furrows: this way it thoroughly saturates the soil and penetrates deep to the roots.
To improve yields on poor soils, when planting potatoes, add complex mineral fertilizer, humus or urea. The next feeding is carried out during the budding period. Nitrophos, Diammofoska, Potassium Monofsphate are added to saturate the earth with phosphorus and potassium.
Loosening and weeding
Loosening and weeding of potatoes is carried out several times a season, as needed, most often after watering.
Lasunok develops better in soft, crumbly soil. To obtain a good harvest, tubers and roots need oxygen. The first loosening of potatoes is carried out 10 days after planting, simultaneously removing any weeds that appear.
If after watering a hard crust forms on the ground, preventing normal air circulation, break it up with a hoe. At the same time, do not forget that Lasunok potatoes also require sufficient moisture.
Mulching the area with straw or sawdust helps to find a compromise. Mulch is poured between the furrows after the first hilling of the potatoes. This coating retains moisture while preventing weed growth.
Hilling
The first hilling is carried out 2 - 3 weeks after germination, when the young bushes reach 10 - 15 cm in height. To each plant, soil is raked from all sides from between the rows, simultaneously loosening the soil and removing weeds.
After another 3–4 weeks, the hilling of the potatoes is repeated. The depth of the furrow should be about 10 – 15 cm.
Diseases and pests
The Lasunok variety is characterized by high immunity. It is immune to viral and fungal infections - provided the watering regime is followed, weeds are removed in a timely manner, and the area is dug deep in the fall and spring.
Only wireworms can cause significant damage to tubers.
Preventive measures to combat wireworms and preserve the harvest:
- Installing traps a week before planting: plastic cups or bottles are filled with potato peelings and buried in the ground. After 2–3 days, the trap along with the larvae is destroyed, and if necessary, a new one is installed.
- Planting legumes (beans, peas, beans) or mustard along the edge of the field.
- When planting potatoes, add eggshells, onion peels, wood ash, and mustard powder to the hole.
- Compliance with crop rotation regime.
- Timely weeding. Wheatgrass is a favorite habitat for wireworms.
In addition, in the fall you should not leave piles of unharvested tops or grass in a potato field: pests overwinter in them.
Potato yield
Lasunok, with favorable agricultural technology, produces a rich harvest without requiring the cost of fertilizing or treating pests.
With sufficient watering, loosening, and timely removal of weeds, you can harvest up to 50 - 60 t/ha of selected potatoes. Each bush produces an average of 10–12 large tubers weighing up to 200 g.
The indicator largely depends on the quality of the planting material. For amateur gardeners who leave seeds from the same bushes year after year, the yield of the Lasunok variety decreases over time, the tubers become smaller, and their number decreases.
Harvesting and storage
Digging up Lasunok potatoes is carried out starting at the end of August, when the foliage and stems begin to dry out. Before being sent for storage, the tubers are dried in the open air for several hours. Then they sort through, clean the dirt, and discard the damaged root crops.
Lasunok potatoes are packed in wooden boxes, boxes, nets, and sent to the cellar, basement, or warehouse. Optimal storage temperature from -1 to +2 oC, with air humidity not exceeding 80%. The planting material selected for the next year is placed separately from the main crop.
Maintaining optimal conditions helps preserve the freshness of potatoes for up to 6–7 months.
Conclusion
Lasunok potatoes are unpretentious in cultivation, do not require additional treatment against pests and excessive fertilizing, have consistently high yields, and are stored well. In addition, it has excellent taste and is suitable for any dish. The Lasunok variety occupies a worthy place on the plots of amateur gardeners, breeders, and professional farmers.
