Hilling of potatoes
Potatoes are a rather unpretentious crop. All care – water twice a season, but spud a couple of times. You can not water at all – it will grow. But it is desirable to spud – this simple agricultural technique significantly increases the yield of potatoes

Potatoes are the second bread, everyone knows this. Not a single table can do without it. And many plant it in their gardens.

When to start hilling potatoes

The first time the potatoes are spudded when the bushes reach a height of 15 – 20 cm. This is the end of May – the beginning of June. They fall asleep on the lower leaves. It can be a little higher, but it is important that the crown is on the surface. You can’t fall asleep potatoes with a “head”!

The second time spud 2 – 3 weeks after the first, before flowering. Usually this is enough. As a result, the height of the comb should be 10 – 15 cm (1).

But sometimes one or two more hillings may be required. If the bushes began to fall apart, the tubers crawled to the surface and turn green – it is necessary to spud additionally.

How to spud potatoes

You can’t do this in the heat – when hilling, there is a high probability of damaging the roots or even shoots. In the scorching sun for plants, this can be critical – the bush will quickly wither.

It is best to spud in the evening. It is possible early in the morning, but at this time dew often falls and the soil sticks to the hoe.

Even better on cloudy days. Quite ideal – in cloudy weather the next day after rain or watering (2). In this case, you will kill two birds with one stone: spud potatoes and destroy the soil crust – the earth will become loose, the roots will be able to breathe easier. In addition, slightly moist soil is better formed into a ridge than dry.

How many times during the summer to spud potatoes

Norm – 1 – 2 times (3). Sometimes you have to spud 3 or 4 times. Some summer residents gradually spud with each weeding, and this happens 5 or 6 times over the summer. This option is also possible, it only makes the potato better, but this process is very time-consuming and tedious. So 2 times is enough.

In what cases it is necessary to spud potatoes

Often summer residents ask: is it possible to do without hilling? After all, this is not an easy job, and the areas for potatoes are large.

You can, if you have light, loose soil. In such a land, tubers penetrate deep into the soil without any problems. But on heavy soils, it is more difficult for them to break into the ground, and they often crawl out. In this case, hilling potatoes is necessary, because in the light the tubers will turn green and become unsuitable for food – they will have to be thrown away, which means you will lose in the harvest.

On the contrary, hilled potatoes grow additional underground stolon shoots, on which tubers are formed. As a result, they grow more. And the harvest is higher.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about growing potatoes, including hilling potatoes with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Can hilling potatoes be replaced with a thick layer of mulch?

There is a technology in which potatoes are not planted in the soil, but the tubers are laid out on the surface of the soil, and then covered with a layer of straw. So straw can be used to replace hilling. However, this method is troublesome, and besides, you need to get a lot of straw somewhere. And this option is not suitable for humid regions – the soil does not dry out for a long time under the straw, the tubers can rot.

Is it necessary to spud potatoes planted on high ridges?

It is necessary, because the high ridges crumble over time and the tubers are even more often on the surface. Therefore, during the summer they need to be constantly touched up and cover the tubers with earth as soon as they are in the sun.

What crops besides potatoes should be spudded?

Hilling is beneficial for tomatoes – they have additional roots, and in the furrows that form in the aisles after hilling, moisture lingers longer after watering.

 

Hilling is useful for cabbage – an additional layer of soil in this case protects the roots from freezing in the fall.

 

And hilling is necessary for root celery and leeks to whiten the edible part.

Sources of

  1. Ilyin O.V. and a group of authors. Vegetable grower’s guide // M.: Rosselkhokhizdat, 1979 – 224 p.
  2. Shuin K.A., Zakraevskaya N.K., Ippolitova N.Ya. Garden from spring to autumn // Minsk, Uradzhay, 1990 – 256 p.
  3. A group of authors, ed. Polyanskoy A.M. and Chulkova E.I. Tips for gardeners // Minsk, Harvest, 1970 – 208 p.

Leave a Reply