Contents
Potato is a garden crop that is grown everywhere. The plant is characterized by unpretentiousness and productivity even under the most meager conditions. But there are cases when shoots appear slowly or are absent, which indicates damage to the planting material or improperly performed agrotechnical actions. Thus, it is important to know how the potato sprouts after planting, after how many days the first sprouts appear.
Knowing the timing of the emergence of seedlings of potatoes will allow you to take timely action in the absence of sprouts
What factors influence
After planting the seed tubers, the root system of the potato first begins to form, and then the first shoots appear, and the bush develops further. The timing of germination may vary slightly, depending on the region of cultivation, but they should not be more than 25 days. In addition, other factors also affect the germination of potatoes after planting:
- assessment of weather conditions and selection of landing time;
- selection of high-quality seed;
- potato variety;
- soil fertility;
- planting depth.
In addition to choosing good seed tubers, proper preparation is also required, since you should not hope for a good harvest when planting potatoes straight from the cellar.
How many days will it take for potatoes to sprout after planting?
Despite the fact that the germination of potatoes depends on various factors, the timing of the appearance of the first shoots should not exceed more than a month. For example, you can expect potato sprouts after planting in the southern regions as early as 10-12 days, but in the north – after 20-25 days.
No less important is the variety. Early-ripening species sprout much faster than mid- and late-ripening ones. But it should be borne in mind that heat-loving varieties of potatoes germinate longer in the northern regions or do not take root at all, since northern varieties are equally successfully cultivated in territories with any climate, and they give a stable harvest.
The temperature is just as important. If in the spring after planting the weather is unstable, and the earth warms up by no more than +10 ° C, then seedlings will appear only on the 20-25th day. If the temperature does not decrease and stays in the range of + 18- + 20 ° C for a long time, then the tubers can germinate as early as 10-15 days.
Benefits of early landing
Many gardeners believe that potato sprouts appear more slowly when planted early. Because of this, most put off sowing until the temperature stabilizes. In fact, early landing also has a number of its advantages:
- strengthening plant immunity;
- the soil during early planting does not have time to dry out much;
- yield increases.
With late planting, due to lack of moisture in the soil, abundant watering is required, which can cause rotting of the seed.
Another significant advantage of early planting potatoes is that weeds do not have time to germinate, and with subsequent hilling it will be easier to deal with them.
When planting early, summer residents also recommend germinating seed potatoes so that seedlings appear faster.
Among the agrotechnical features of early planting, it should be noted:
- seed tubers cannot be deeply deepened, since the earth has not yet warmed up well;
- the aisle must be made at least 60 cm, and the distance between the holes in the row should be maintained at 30-40 cm;
- organic fertilizers must be applied to the bottom of the holes;
- planting is covered with a film to avoid freezing of the seed.
How to speed up germination
It is not surprising that many summer residents have a desire to speed up the germination of potatoes, because early germination is the key to getting a crop ahead of time.
The easiest and most relevant way to speed up the emergence of seedlings is to cover the plantations with a film. Due to the greenhouse effect, which is formed due to shelter, the soil warms up faster during the day and cools down more slowly at night. Under such conditions, the first shoots can already be seen in 10-14 days.
You can also additionally treat the seed with a growth stimulator. These compositions are aimed not only at accelerating the formation of seedlings, but also at strengthening the immunity of the plant.
Fertilizing the soil at the time of planting has a positive effect on the formation of seedlings. Therefore, to accelerate the appearance of the first sprouts, plantings should be watered with a complex or organic composition.
It should be borne in mind that unsprouted potatoes germinate more slowly, therefore, in order for the first sprouts to appear faster, it is necessary to carry out vernalization, heating and germination of planting material.
There are also some tricks:
- mulching – allows you to create the right temperature for the formation of sprouts and additionally protects against pests;
- loosening – contributes to the saturation of the soil with oxygen;
- planting tubers eyes up.
Possible problems
Potato germination dates should be known in order to respond in time to possible problems. The main ones may be the uneven emergence of seedlings or their absence.
Uneven seedlings
If the potato sprouts begin to “peck”, but this happens unevenly, then it’s not the temperature regime, there may be several reasons for this:
- different-sized seed tubers;
- heterogeneity;
- different planting depths.
Seed should be properly sized to avoid uneven emergence. It is also worth giving preference to one variety for planting on the site or several, but at the same time to allocate a territory for each.
Potato won’t sprout
The lack of seedlings can also be due to a number of reasons:
- sudden changes in temperature – when the sun warms during the day, and frosts “hit” at night, the tubers may stop developing;
- the soil is very dry or waterlogged;
- poor soil composition.
One of the most common reasons for the lack of seedlings is the wrong choice or preparation.
If, in terms of time after planting, seedlings of potatoes did not appear, then it is important to take action immediately. To do this, they dig up the tubers, look through them and identify the cause. If the potato seeds are frozen or dried out, it is unlikely that they will be able to reanimate them. Therefore, the tubers are replaced. In the case when the cause is a lack of nutrients, the soil is first fertilized, then re-planted.
Conclusion
After planting, potatoes germinate in 10-25 days, depending on the region of cultivation and the preliminary preparation of seed material. And if you fulfill all the agrotechnical requirements, then not only the first sprouts will appear on time, but the bushes will also be strong, and the harvest will be rich.
