The optimal time for hilling potatoes after planting
Potatoes in Russia are the second bread. This truth is both old and modern. And now it is difficult to imagine our table without delicious, crumbly potatoes. But growing large, even tubers is not easy. This crop requires a number of special conditions to obtain a good harvest. And one of them is hilling. And not at any time, but when the plant needs it.
Biological features of potatoes
In order to have an idea of the timing of hilling potatoes after planting, you need to know what the agricultural technology is, what it needs for growth and development. It is necessary to take into account the structure of the plant. Potatoes - a representative of the Solanaceae family, belongs to one species - Tuberosum.
A tuber is a modified underground stem, a place where nutrients are stored. At a young age, scaly leaves are visible on it, in the sinuses of which resting buds are laid. When exposed to light, the potato tuber turns green, chlorophyll is formed in it, as in the stem.
You should know it
When sprouting potato tubers, the most powerful shoots are formed from the eyes located at the top of the tuber, since there is the highest concentration of nutrients.
When underground shoots - stolons - thicken, their top turns into a tuber. Gradually, the outer layer becomes corky, forming a rind on the surface of the tuber. The vegetable grower's task is to maximize the number of stolons on which the crop is formed. For this, the potatoes must be hilled.
Cultural agrotechnology consists of several stages.
- Soil preparation: autumn digging with fertilization, planting green manure.
- Landing. The planting time must be calculated so that the growing season is completely passed. It differs for varieties with different ripening periods. The place should be open and sunny.
It is interesting
According to folk signs in Russia, the optimal time for planting potatoes was considered the time when the leaves on a birch would be the size of a small coin.
- Watering, if the summer is dry, should be done regularly. Sprinkler irrigation or drip irrigation can be used. The culture is moisture-loving.
- Hilling. Moreover, you need to huddle three times per season in order to get the largest number of tubers.
- Weed control can be carried out simultaneously with hilling, but not knock them down with a hoe, but pull them out by the roots.
- Harvest. After the stems have been cut, they dig in the holes and take out large and aligned tubers. You need to dry them and place them in storage.
Why is hilling done?
This method not only makes it possible to lay additional tubers, but also solves other issues:
- loosening of the soil: the soil crust disappears and the earth becomes breathable;
- in parallel, weeds are destroyed (weeded out);
- the potato bush rises slightly above the ground, which makes it possible to get rid of excess moisture;
- if it rains, the water will linger in the grooves between the crop;
- with early plantings - protection of the root system from recurrent frosts.
After hilling, the potatoes grow quickly, the plants do not shade each other, and even rows are convenient for watering.
Important!
Hilling is necessary, otherwise we will lose 25-30% of the harvest. Loosening enriches the soil and tubers with oxygen. When the soil is looser, it yields crumbly and tasty potatoes.
Suitable for hilling during the summer season
Many vegetable growers carry out the first hilling quite early, as soon as the sprouts have grown a little after planting.The purpose of the event is to loosen, protect from return frosts, remove small weeds.
As a rule, after this, the potatoes are actively growing. More often the stems are sprinkled with earth when the potato sprouts reach 15-20 cm. Experienced vegetable growers are not guided by the size of the shoots, they "feel" when it is necessary to carry out this agronomic technique.
The second time you need to huddle during the flowering of potatoes. At this time, small nodules appear on the stolons. Their number will increase significantly if you add earth. Therefore, this is the most important time for hilling.
When the potatoes grow up, you can walk again between the rows. Sprinkle soil to the bushes in those places where it has crumbled or washed out by rain, where the tubers are open and green. In parallel, remove weeds.
Thus, the nightshade crop must be spud three times.
The right time of day
When is the best time to do this useful business? Early in the morning or late in the evening, but not in the middle of a hot summer day. Working with a hoe, removing weeds, we touch the plant, slightly injure both the stems and stolons. This is especially noticeable on a hot day: after the juicy stems become a little sluggish.
It is useful to huddle potatoes after rain. By raking the soil, we give the nightshade crop additional moisture, destroy the earth crust, and stimulate the growth of additional stolons. Adding soil in dry weather is undesirable, you simply deprive the plant of moisture residues. But everything will depend on the weather conditions: when there is no rain, we add dry soil.
It is interesting
It turns out that there is a technique called dislocking. The growing tops are spread on the ground, and sprinkled with earth on top or covered with grass, straw. Only the tops of the stems remain on the surface. When they grow up, the procedure is repeated. The harvest is good.
As a rule, the plant is spud with a cultivator or walk-behind tractor once a season: during flowering. After that, you need to walk along the rows with the hoe and poke around where necessary. Of course, large farms do not do this, they just carry out one mechanized cultivation.
When is the most favorable time for the most important procedure in agricultural engineering, hilling, we now know. But do not forget to consider the climatic zone in which you live. Only after this reception you are guaranteed a good harvest. But don't forget about other activities that need to be done in the potato field.
and will be published shortly.