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Summer residents buy new varieties of potatoes every year and plant them on the site. When choosing a crop, taste, care features, yield, as well as resistance to diseases and pests are taken into account. Potato Karatop is an early ripe variety that meets all the characteristics.
Characteristics of potatoes Karatop
Karatop potatoes are the result of selection by German scientists. They created the variety in 1998. It was included in the State Register of the Federation in 2000. At first, plants of a table variety began to be grown in the North-Western and Middle Volga regions. To understand the features of the Karatop potato variety, the photo of which is presented in the article, you need to study the description of bushes and tubers.
Bushes
Plants of medium height, most often with erect shoots and powerful tops. The tops of the average sizes, saturated green color, intermediate type. The edges of the sheet plates with a slight waviness.
Karatop club varieties
Oval-round potato roots Karatop of small size. Their average weight is 60-100 g. As a rule, all the tubers in the hole are of different weights. The surface of the fruit is even, smooth, with a yellowish tint and slight roughness.
The eyes lie shallow, almost on the surface, so it is easy to peel potatoes. On the cut, the flesh is light cream or cream. Each tuber contains 10,5-15% starch.
Taste qualities of potatoes Karatop
According to consumer reviews, as well as expert tasters, root crops are very tasty. Taste qualities are estimated at 4,7 points out of 5. Potatoes can be frozen, used for soups, frying, mashed potatoes. The tubers do not darken from heat treatment, they are well boiled.
Pros and cons of the Karatop potato variety
When creating a variety, German breeders tried to achieve high immunity. They succeeded, because Karatop has a lot of advantages:
- Excellent external data.
- The variety is early, early potatoes can be dug up on the 50th day after germination. Vegetation ends on the 60-65th day.
- The yield of Karatop is high.
- The variety is unpretentious, can be grown on any soil, although with the addition of mineral fertilizers, the yield increases.
- Universal use of tubers varieties.
- Karatop potatoes are distinguished by excellent transportability.
- The tubers are stored until the new harvest, the yield is at least 97%.
- Root crops are resistant to mechanical damage, cuts overgrow quickly, do not rot.
- Due to the high immunity of Karatop, viruses A and Y, potato cancer, nematode, glandular spotting practically do not affect.
It is impossible to find cultivated plants without flaws; the Karatop variety also has them:
- the plant does not tolerate drought well, the yield drops sharply;
- root crops can affect phytophthora.
Planting and caring for Karatop potatoes
It is possible to plant potato tubers of the Karatop variety in the soil after it warms up to a temperature of +9 degrees at a depth of at least 13 cm. Only in this case the planting material will remain alive. Timing will vary in different regions. In areas with a sharply continental climate, work is planned towards the end of May.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
Despite the fact that, according to the description and reviews of gardeners, the Karatop potato variety is unpretentious to the composition of the soil, it is still better to plant root crops in fertile soil. The site is best prepared in the fall. Mineral or organic fertilizers, wood ash are applied to the soil and dug up.
Preparation of planting material
In no case should seed tubers be planted on the site immediately after removal from storage. Potato varieties are taken out a month before the expected planting dates and begin to cook:
- The tubers of Karatop are sorted out, all specimens, even with minor damage and signs of rot, are discarded.
- Then the calibration is carried out. Potatoes the size of a large chicken egg are considered the best planting material.
- In a cuvette, a solution of special preparations is diluted and the tubers are lowered into it for 30 minutes. You can use Fitosporin or dilute potassium permanganate.
- After that, the fruits of the Karatop variety are laid out in wooden boxes in 1-3 rows. The room should have a temperature of at least 13 degrees and sufficient lighting.
- During germination, the tubers are turned over so that they are evenly lit. This will ensure the best germination of the eyes.
- A week before planting, the potatoes are carefully placed in a container of water so that the tubers are saturated with moisture.
- After that, the root crops are placed again in the box, covered with a film with holes.
- On the second day, the film is removed and covered with wet sawdust. They are not removed before boarding.
By the time of planting, powerful sprouts with rudiments of roots will appear on the tubers of the Karatop variety.
Rules of landing
When planting, root crops are buried by 22 cm, sprinkled with soil on top. The distance between the holes is about 32 cm, and the row spacing should be 70-82 cm so that the bushes do not interfere with each other during growth. After 10-12 days, the first shoots will appear.
Watering and top dressing
Based on the characteristics and reviews of those who grew the Karatop potato variety, the culture responds poorly even to a short-term drought. Therefore, gardeners who decide to take up this plant should take care of the timely watering of the site. It is best to provide rainfall.
The first time the plantings are watered as soon as shoots appear. Then during budding and until the end of flowering.
Loosening and weeding
Any potato plantations, including those with the Karatop variety, must be loosened. This procedure is performed several times to remove a hard crust that does not allow oxygen to reach the tubers. The first loosening is carried out immediately after planting, then the site is harrowed when the first shoots appear.
This procedure will help to get rid of small weeds. As the potato bushes grow, so does the grass. It must be removed from the site before hilling. In the future, the weeding of the Karatop variety is carried out as weeds grow. If this is not done, the grass will draw nutrients out of the soil, which will adversely affect the crop.
Hilling
Karatop potatoes, like many varieties of culture, must be spudded 2 times. The first time a ridge is made over the bushes at a bush height of 20-25 cm. Hilling should be at least 15 cm. The second time the procedure is repeated after 14-21 days, until the tops are closed in rows. You can spud one plant at a time or rake ridges along the length of the row on both sides.
Diseases and pests
According to the description given by the originators, as well as according to gardeners, the Karatop potato variety has a high immunity to many diseases, pests and adverse conditions.
Plants practically do not get sick with Y and A viruses, potato cancer, glandular spot and golden nematode. The presence of spores of these diseases in the garden does not reduce the yield of potatoes.
But root crops can suffer from late blight tubers. To avoid damage, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatments with fungicides, which can be purchased in specialized stores. The solution for spraying plantings is diluted in accordance with the instructions. In addition, to increase the yield and immunity of plants, it is recommended to carry out complex bait.
Potato yield
Potato Karatop is a high-yielding early ripening variety. From one hundred square meters, from 500 kg of delicious tubers are harvested. To collect a decent harvest of early potatoes, you need to take care of timely watering.
Harvesting and storage
The timing of digging potatoes depends on the further use of tubers. If root crops are grown to obtain an early harvest, then the bushes are dug up on the 48-50th day. It should only be understood that the number of tubers will be less than after full ripening.
The main cleaning is planned after 60-65 days from the moment the first shoots appear. Bushes are dug up with a shovel or pitchfork, lifting the soil. Then choose the roots. Potatoes are laid out under the sun for 2-3 hours to dry. Then the root crops are harvested for 2-3 weeks in a dark, well-ventilated room for further ripening.
Before harvesting for winter storage, the tubers are sorted and sorted by size. Small potatoes are not left for long-term storage, they must be used immediately. Store tubers in the basement, in boxes or in bulk. Experienced gardeners recommend pollinating each row of potatoes with wood ash.
Conclusion
Karatop potatoes were recommended for cultivation in only two regions. Today, the geography has expanded significantly, as many consumers liked root crops.
To learn more about the recommendations for growing potatoes of early varieties, see the video below:
