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Potatoes are a popular crop that many grow in their summer cottage. When choosing planting material, it is necessary to be guided by varietal characteristics. Among the mid-early varieties, Virgo potatoes are distinguished. It is high-yielding, has a good taste and can grow in any region of Our Country. Before purchasing planting material, you need to familiarize yourself with the strengths and weaknesses of the variety, view the photo and study the description of the Virgo potato.
Description of the potato variety Virgo
Potato Virgo grows into a small, slightly leafy bush up to half a meter high. The variety is medium early, about 110 days pass from planting to harvest. Elongated, pale pink tubers are covered with a thin but strong peel. The smooth skin of eyes and defects has no. The variety is resistant to sudden changes in temperature and humidity, is resistant to diseases and pests.
Palatability
Potato Virgo has dense, yellow, tasty flesh. The variety is universal, vegetable stew, french fries and chips are prepared from it. The tubers boil well, so they make beautiful and tasty mashed potatoes.
Pros and cons of the Virgo variety
Potato Virgo, like any variety, has positive and negative qualities. The positive characteristics of Virgo potatoes include:
- high fruiting;
- resistance to diseases and temperature changes;
- unpretentiousness in the care and quality of the soil;
- good taste and presentation;
- universal application.
There are no shortcomings in the variety.
Planting and caring for Virgo potatoes
You can grow the Virgo variety from tubers and through seeds. The seed method is difficult and time consuming, so gardeners prefer to grow potatoes from purchased tubers. When buying, you must carefully examine the planting material so that it does not have mechanical damage, signs of rot and fungal diseases.
Before planting Virgo potatoes, you need to read the description and reviews, view photos and videos. This will make it possible to understand the variety and further carry out proper care.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
A landing site is chosen well-lit, protected from gusty winds. The variety is unpretentious to the quality of the soil, but for a rich harvest, the soil must be well drained and aerated, light and nutritious.
A plot for potatoes is prepared in advance. To do this, they dig it up on a spade bayonet, remove weeds, stones and clods of earth. The rotted manure and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied to the soil. After tillage, the site can be sown with siderites, which will saturate the soil with nitrogen.
Soil quality improvement:
- Ph level – bone meal, ash or calcium carbonate is added to acidic soil. Alkaline soil is oxidized with peat or manure.
- Air and water permeability – sand, compost, perlite, vermiculite are introduced into the soil.
In order for the Virgo potato to bring a rich harvest, you need to adhere to crop rotation. Tubers should not be planted after strawberries. Cucumbers, pumpkins, legumes and cereals, beets, sunflowers and corn are considered the best predecessors.
Preparation of planting material
For quick germination, Deva potatoes are germinated a month before planting. For this:
- Planting material is sorted, discarding diseased and damaged tubers.
- The selected planting material is washed and disinfected. Soak for a quarter of an hour in a solution of boric acid (10 g is diluted in a bucket of warm water).
- Disinfected potatoes are laid out in one layer to dry completely.
- In dried tubers, sprouts appear after 14 days at a temperature of + 18-20 ° C.
- Germinated potatoes are hardened 2 days before planting. To do this, it is transferred to a cool room and covered with a dark film or cloth.
Rules of landing
Landing is carried out after the end of spring frosts, when the earth warms up to + 10 ° C. Experienced gardeners say that potatoes should be planted during the flowering period of lilacs.
Planting potatoes of the Deva variety can be done in several ways. When choosing a planting method, it is necessary to take into account climatic conditions and soil quality. In regions with rainy and cold summers, with heavy soil and surface groundwater, potatoes are planted on ridges. In southern cities, a smooth landing is preferred.
The standard row spacing is about 70 cm. The space between tubers depends on the size of the planting material. If large tubers – 40 cm, medium – 35 cm, small – 20 cm.
The depth of planting depends on the composition of the soil:
- 4-5 cm on heavy clay soil, with shallow groundwater;
- 10 cm on loam;
- 15 cm on sandy, well-warmed ground.
The most common ways:
- Under the shovel – at a certain interval, holes are made into which germinated tubers are laid. Landing can be done in 3 ways: square-nested, chess, two-line. This method is not suitable for a site with clay, heavy, poorly drained soil.
- Into the ridges – planting material is planted in prepared shallow grooves. This method is used on soils of light mechanical composition.
- Into the trenches – an old, proven method, suitable for a site with loose soil that does not retain moisture well.
- In combs – the method is suitable for a site with heavy, clayey soil and with a surface location of groundwater. For soil cultivation it is better to use a motor cultivator.
- Into the grass – a new, but very popular way of growing potatoes. It does not require effort and time. The tubers are laid out on the ground in a checkerboard pattern, leaving a gap between the tubers of 20 cm. A thick layer of mulch (hay, dry foliage) is laid on top. When overheating, the mulch settles, so it is necessary to periodically report a new portion. Since mulch retains moisture and is an organic fertilizer, irrigation and top dressing are not carried out.
Potato Virgo is an unpretentious variety, but in order to obtain a long-awaited harvest, it is necessary to follow simple agrotechnical rules.
Watering and top dressing
In dry, warm summers, irrigation is carried out 3 times a season: after germination, during the formation of buds, during the flowering period. If the summer is rainy, watering is not done. If the plant does not have enough moisture, then the tops will lose elasticity and begin to fade. Watering is carried out only in the morning.
Potatoes, like other plants, are very responsive to feeding. Fertilizers are applied according to the following scheme:
- 2 weeks after planting;
- during budding;
- after flowering.
A mineral complex is used as top dressing (10 g of urea, 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of potassium chloride are diluted in 5 l of water). If the plant quickly increased the tops, then urea is not added to the top dressing.
2 times a season it is advisable to carry out foliar top dressing with Bordeaux mixture. It will not only feed the plant, but will also protect against diseases and pests.
Loosening and weeding
The Virgo variety grows well in loose soil, since air access to the roots is necessary for good fruiting. The first time the soil is loosened after germination, while removing weeds. Further loosening is carried out when an earthen crust appears.
Hilling
Hilling is carried out depending on climatic conditions. If the summer is hot, and there is no time to spend frequent watering, hilling is not carried out. Since the potatoes will bake in the ground from dryness and heat.
In regions with a cold, rainy summer, hilling must be carried out: the first – after emergence, the second time – 20 days after the first hilling.
Diseases and pests
Virgo potato variety has a strong immunity to diseases. But in a rainy summer and if the rules of care are not followed, the plant may suffer from some ailments.
- potato rot – affects leaves, stem and tubers. The disease progresses at the end of July, after flowering, in a rainy, cool summer. At the first signs of the disease, the outer side of the lower leaves are covered with dark brown spots, a white coating forms on the inside.
- Ring rot – a common disease that appears during flowering. The fungus infects stems and tubers. If the disease affects the stem, it dries up and falls to the ground. If a tuber, then when cut, the flesh is soft and watery.
- Colorado beetle – a dangerous insect that infects the plant throughout the growing season. Without treatment, in a short time, the insect destroys the entire green mass, which leads to the death of the plant.
To protect the plant from diseases and pests, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures:
- to observe a crop rotation;
- carry out proper care;
- remove lower leaves and post-harvest residues;
- at the beginning of flowering, spray the bush with Bordeaux liquid.
Potato yield
Potato Virgo is a high-yielding variety, the bush forms 6-9 tubers weighing up to 150 g. Subject to agrotechnical rules, up to 400 kg of potatoes can be harvested from a hundred square meters. Due to high fruiting, good keeping quality and transportability, Deva potatoes are grown on an industrial scale throughout Our Country.
Harvesting and storage
Young potatoes of the Deva variety begin to be harvested in early August. To do this, in dry, warm weather, make a trial digging. If the tubers meet standard sizes, the potatoes can be dug up.
The peak of collection is in mid-September. By this time, the potatoes will grow up and be ready for long-term storage. The dug tubers are cleaned from the ground and laid out in 1 layer to dry. If the potatoes are not dried, they will have a short shelf life, as the remaining moisture will cause the tuber to rot.
Dried potatoes are sorted, removing small ones for planting next year. Tubers with mechanical damage are eaten first.
The selected potatoes are laid out in bags or boxes and cleaned in a cool, dry room where the air temperature does not exceed + 15 ° C. At high temperatures, the potatoes will begin to germinate; at minus temperatures, the tubers acquire a sweet taste.
Knowing everything about Deva potatoes, you can harvest a good harvest without spending extra time and effort.
Conclusion
The description of the Virgo potato reveals all the positive characteristics of the variety. It is unpretentious, can grow in all regions of Our Country, has good taste. By planting Deva potatoes, you can provide yourself with a crop for the whole winter.