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Potato growers try to grow varieties of different ripening periods. This helps to significantly increase the time when you can enjoy delicious potatoes. Early potatoes are my favorite. However, in the spring when growing early varieties of potatoes, there is a danger of return frosts.
After all, it is planted as soon as the soil warms up in order to get the harvest early. Some potato growers carry out their first work already during the February thaw. If frosts begin before the potatoes sprout, then there is no particular danger. The tubers are protected by soil and are not afraid of slight frost. But the tops are very sensitive to low temperatures and freeze easily.
When the degree of damage is small, the reserve growth points will quickly restore the bushes. They will grow back and the harvest will be saved. If the potato tops freeze too much, this will negatively affect the yield, and the harvesting time will have to be postponed to a later date. Therefore, gardeners need to know how to protect potatoes from freezing in order to preserve the precious harvest.
Methods for protecting potato plantings from freezing
As soon as potatoes appeared on the plots, summer residents began to be interested in ways to protect them from frost.Gardening guides describe many methods that should be used when temperatures drop. The most basic recommendation is to carefully monitor the weather forecast. The spring forecast is very variable, but the preventive measures taken will not be useless, even in the absence of frost. However, potato growers do not take all advice with complete confidence. Some methods of protecting potato tops from frost actually turn out to be labor-intensive or ineffective. Let's look at the most basic ones that gardeners use to keep potatoes from freezing.
Smoking or fumigation
A fairly common and long-known method of protecting potatoes from freezing. It is used not only by potato growers, but also by winegrowers and gardeners. In this case, smoke bombs or smoke heaps are used, which is more accessible in the potato plot. Smoke piles are smoldering fires that produce not the heat of the fire, but a smoke screen.
Smoking is carried out from midnight until morning. The disadvantage of this method is that it is labor intensive over large areas and the fact that the smoke can rise much higher than the potato tops. In this case, the effectiveness of fumigation of tops from frost is reduced. Another natural factor that can prevent you from properly helping your plants is the lack of wind at night. The smoke will rise up rather than spread over the ground.
Hydration
A more favorite way for gardeners to protect potato tops from frost. It is considered to be a modern and scientific approach to solving the problem.Evening watering of the beds works very well. To prevent the sprouts from freezing, you can moisten the plants themselves and the surface layer of soil. This can be easily done on a plot of any size. Especially if a drip irrigation system is installed or there is the possibility of fine spraying. What happens after moistening the potato tops in the evening? Water evaporates and steam is formed, which has a high heat capacity. It serves as protection for potato beds because it does not allow cold air to reach the ground.
Warming or hilling
When the potatoes have already sprouted, when return frosts occur, they are mounded high. If the tops are small, you need to cover the tops with 2 cm of soil; this saves the tops even at an air temperature of -5°C. What to do if the tops are already tall and frosts are expected at night? Bend the plant towards the soil, first gently cover the top with soil, and then the entire plant. The main thing is not to injure the bush. After the end of frost, free the tops from the ground. It's better to do this during the day. At this time, the soil will already have time to warm up. Then pour each bush with a solution - 15 g of urea and 25 g of nitroammophoska per bucket of water.
This method is effective because after frost, potatoes can sprout new shoots from buds that are underground.
If the amount of land does not allow for high hilling, gardeners use straw.
But this method is not entirely suitable for early potatoes. Straw to protect early potato tops is replaced with non-woven covering material or plastic bottles.
Bottled water heats up during the day and gives off heat to the potato beds in the evening, protecting them from frost.
Shelter of seedlings
To prevent the tops from freezing, the seedlings must be covered.To do this, use polyethylene film or spunbond.
Experienced potato growers recommend making arcs from PVC pipes or metal. They are installed over potato beds and covering material is pulled on.
It’s even easier to make a shelter using pegs driven into the edges of the ridges. Covering material is thrown over them and pressed down with stones. Potato tops are reliably protected from frost. A natural cover for the tops from frost is to sow barley between the rows. It grows faster and protects the tops. After the threat of return frosts has passed, it is mowed and left in the garden to fertilize the soil.
Increasing potato resistance
If the tops are large enough, covering them will be problematic. Therefore, potato growers save plantings by treating them with preparations that increase the potato’s resistance to temperature changes. Regulators that strengthen the immune system of potato bushes are suitable. They are used strictly according to the instructions for watering and spraying plants. Among the most common are “Immunocytophyte”, “Biostim”, “Epin-Extra” or “Silk”.
Restoring damaged tops
When potato tops freeze, there is a real threat of losing part of the crop. Frozen potato tops must be urgently restored. The methods depend on the time of frost and the stage of development of potato bushes. If this happened at the time of budding, then they can be strengthened by shading from the sun's rays.
The second step is to feed the affected plants. If the potato tops freeze due to frost, it is good to apply potassium fertilizers or wood ash. To restore the green mass, urea is added.
Experienced potato growers add spraying of bushes with Epin or boric acid at intervals of 7 days.
When planting potatoes especially early, be sure to take care of ways to protect the tops from return frosts.
If you take timely measures, your favorite variety will not freeze and will delight you with an excellent harvest.
Potatoes were planted in July. The variety turned out to be late-ripening - Picasso. Kaluga region. What can be done to save the situation?