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Potato is a culture without which it is impossible to imagine the menu of a modern family. And it is not by chance that it is called the “second bread”. Indeed, on occasion, potato dishes can really replace bread, especially since their diversity can only be surprised. It is quite realistic to eat potato dishes at least every day, and they will not soon be able to get bored. Therefore, it is not surprising that in every family, if possible, they try to grow this vegetable on their own in order to be sure of the quality of the products obtained. But in order to grow a good crop of potatoes, it is necessary to take into account quite a lot of factors.
One of the important factors is the choice of a suitable time for planting potatoes. After all, there are no exact dates, and every year everyone decides for himself when it is best to plant this crop. At the same time, the temperature of the soil for planting potatoes plays an important role. At least, many are accustomed to focusing on this factor, although there are still many subtleties in determining the timing of landing.
What does science say
It is well known that the timing of planting potatoes has a significant impact on its yield, as well as the quality of ripened tubers. Why is everyone trying to plant potatoes as early as possible? There are several reasons for this:
- With an early planting of potatoes, the harvest will also turn out quite early, and who doesn’t want to feast on young potatoes as soon as possible.
- According to scientific data, the earlier potatoes are planted, the more protected they will be from the spread of various viruses. After all, with early planting, by the time the active summer of aphids-carriers of various diseases begins, potatoes manage to reach age-related resistance to many diseases. As a result, he will suffer less from them.
- Finally, the earlier the potato is planted, the greater the yield it gives. The table below shows the relationship between potato planting dates and yields for the northwestern region of Our Country.
Potato planting dates | Yield as a percentage of planted |
|---|---|
Until May 15 | 1500% |
From 15 to 25 May | 1000% |
May 26 to June 10 | 600% |
From June 11 to June 25 | 400-500% |
The yield here is determined as follows – if you planted a bucket of potatoes and also harvested a bucket, then the yield is 100% (that is, nothing). If he planted a bucket and collected two buckets, then the yield is 200%. A yield of about 600% is considered normal.
For other regions, the timing will, of course, be different. The table is provided solely as a visual proof of the fact that the best potato yields are directly related to the earliest possible planting.
But this is a double-edged sword. Indeed, on the other hand, no one will plant potatoes in frozen ground either, it is completely pointless. So, when thinking about the timing of planting potatoes, you need to consider:
- Weather;
- Soil condition, its temperature and warming;
- Physiological state of tubers.
Weather
Weather conditions are the most difficult to predict in advance. Often they are so unpredictable that they can disrupt any carefully designed plans. Nevertheless, about a week or two before the expected landing dates, you need to find out the weather forecast and adjust specific days for it. Since it is unlikely that anyone will be planting potatoes in heavy rain or immediately after it ends, when the earth is solid impenetrable liquid mud.
Soil condition
Soil condition refers to two factors at the same time: temperature and humidity. In addition, the mechanical composition of the soil with which you are dealing in a particular case depends on how quickly it is able to reach the desired temperature or moisture.
What should be the minimum soil temperature for planting potatoes in the spring? According to scientific data, it makes sense to plant potatoes only when the soil temperature is +10°+12°C at a depth of 7-8 cm.
What is it connected with? The fact is that it is precisely from a temperature of + 7 ° that the active work of the potato roots begins. At lower temperatures, especially in combination with high humidity, potatoes have every chance of simply rotting in the ground. Or another option is possible, next to the planted “mother” tuber, tiny nodules without buds are formed that do not have the ability to germinate – this is called tuber outgrowth.
The fact is that potato sprouts survive from a temperature of + 3 ° C and begin to develop slowly, but. But they, most likely, will not endure negative temperatures. Therefore, if it is cold at the time of planting, but warming is promised in the coming days, then you can take a chance and plant already germinated tubers so that they gradually grow.
The second factor, which is even more important when choosing the timing of planting potatoes, is soil moisture. The fact is that planting at an acceptable temperature from + 7 ° C, but in too wet soil, can quite easily lead to infection of tubers with various bacterial infections and rhizoctoniosis.
How to determine this without the appropriate measuring instruments, which are not always available from any summer resident or gardener? There is a fairly simple folk way to determine what moisture the soil has. True, it only works for fairly heavy loamy soils, but sandy and sandy loamy soils are not so terrible in terms of moisture. Take a handful of earth and squeeze it well in your fist. And then, with your arm outstretched in front of you at waist level, throw a lump on the path.
Here we should once again mention the mechanical composition of the soil, because it depends on it how quickly the soil will warm up and dry out. All garden soils are divided according to their mechanical composition into:
- Light – sandy and sandy loam;
- Medium – light and medium loam;
- Heavy – heavy loam and clay.
The lighter the mechanical composition, the faster the soil warms up in the spring, and the earlier potatoes can be planted in it. And the faster it dries out, so you can not be afraid of increased soil moisture, even after prolonged heavy rains. After a couple of days, everything can already dry out.
It is for this reason that it is impossible to delay planting potatoes on light soils. Indeed, in too dry soil, potato tubers will not be able to develop well. They may need additional watering.
Accordingly, on the contrary, the heavier the mechanical composition of the soil, the slower its heating in the spring and the more moisture it contains. For this reason alone, the timing of planting potatoes in the same region can vary by one or even two weeks!
The physiological state of tubers
Potato tubers can be used for planting both in their normal state and germinated. Seedlings can be of various lengths, although tubers with thick, strong sprouts no longer than a few centimeters are usually used for planting. It has already been mentioned that germinated potatoes are beneficial to use for planting, not only because they germinate faster. Sprouted potatoes can be planted in colder ground than normal, with minimal consequences for it. The minimum temperature for planting germinated potatoes is about +3°C, but it is better to plant at +5°+6°C.
Folk ways to determine the timing of planting potatoes
So, it turned out that you need to plant potatoes, on the one hand, the sooner the better. On the other hand, it is necessary that the temperature of the soil in which potatoes will be planted is not lower than + 7 ° + 8 ° С.
Yes, not on the surface, but at a depth of 10-12 cm. It is hard to imagine a gardener or summer resident who wanders around the future potato field with a thermometer in his hands and measures the temperature of the soil at such a depth.
It is much easier to remember and use the old folk method for determining the readiness of the land for planting potatoes.
There are other popular ways to determine the timing of landing. Make observations of the surrounding trees – after all, their roots go deep underground and they probably know the temperature in the soil well. Often you can find indications of the leaves blooming near birch trees, as well as the flowering of bird cherry. But the fact is that the bird cherry blooms about 10 days after the start of the leaves on the birch. It follows from this that the period associated with the blooming of leaves on a birch is the earliest time for planting potatoes. And the flowering of bird cherry indicates the time when it no longer makes sense to delay further with planting, it is necessary to act without delay.
Additional factors
What else can be considered if all the above methods do not satisfy you? So far, we have been talking about the minimum soil temperature at which it becomes suitable for planting potatoes. But if you are one of those people who do not like to rush and do everything thoroughly, then you can wait for a thorough warming and plant potatoes already with a full guarantee that they will not freeze. The optimum soil temperature for planting potatoes is +12°C to +15°C. By the way, this roughly corresponds to an ambient temperature of about +16°+20°C. Only in this case, it should be borne in mind that if your soil is light, then with a later planting, problems with its moisture may arise. The rest has already been mentioned above in the article.
Conclusion
Decide for yourself, determine the terms that are most suitable for your region and a particular piece of land. The information in this article should help you make the best decision.
