Potato Lady Claire: characteristics of the variety, reviews

As you know, potatoes with early ripening have two big drawbacks: mediocre taste and poor keeping quality. As a rule, farmers and gardeners grow early varieties of potatoes in small quantities, only to feast on tender young potatoes. The Lady Claire variety belongs to the medium early, but this potato is considered one of the most delicious and has a long shelf life. The Dutch hybrid also owes its popularity to high yields, excellent commercial qualities, relative unpretentiousness and durability. The variety, indeed, deserves the closest attention of gardeners.

A complete description of the Lady Claire potato variety, reviews and photos of bushes and tubers – all information is collected in this article. Here, the advantages and disadvantages of the Dutch hybrid will be listed, where it is better to grow it and what to pay special attention to.

Hybrid description

Lady Claire potatoes were brought out by breeders from the Netherlands. The original name of the hybrid is Lady Claire. The grade is recommended for cultivation in industrial scales and in private farms. Lady Claire is included in the State Register of Agricultural Crops, this potato is proposed to be grown in the Central and North Caucasian regions.

Full description of the Lady Claire potato variety:

• early ripening – the growing season is 65-70 days (you can dig up the first root crops 1,5 months after the germination of the bushes);
• medium-sized bushes – up to 50 cm in height;
• shoots erect, well leafy;
• stems are powerful, not prone to lodging;
• leaves wrinkled, large, emerald color, with wavy edges;
• corollas are compact, flowers are white, berries do not form in their place;
• the root system is powerful, under one bush, on average, 10-12 tubers are formed;
• there are very few small and deformed potatoes – Lady Claire has a very attractive and high-quality appearance;
• the shape of the tubers is oval, leveled;
• potatoes weigh from 80 to 120 grams;
• the peel of Lady Claire is light yellow, rather dense, but thin;
• the pulp is yellowish-white, also of high density;
• there are few eyes on potatoes, they are small and shallow (the Lady Claire variety is suitable for machine washing and peeling);
• the taste characteristics of potatoes are high – 4 out of 5 points;
• tubers of Lady Claire contain a lot of starch (about 15%), carotene and vitamin C;
• the taste of Dutch potatoes is pleasant, but not very rich (like all early varieties);
• potatoes cannot be called watery, the tubers have a high content of solids (at the level of 21%), the digestibility of Lady Claire is average;
• almost any soil is suitable for growing this potato, but the variety shows the best yield on fertile chernozem or sandy soils (Lady Claire bears fruit worst of all on heavy clay soils);
• the yield of Dutch potatoes is high – at the level of 140-180 centners per hectare (with the right agricultural technology, it is possible to increase the figures to 270 centners / ha);
• the keeping quality of potatoes is excellent, which is unusual for early varieties – at the level of 94% (you can store tubers in cellars for up to six months);
• during storage, the taste of Lady Claire tubers does not deteriorate and their appearance practically does not suffer;
• thanks to the dense pulp and strong skin, the potato tolerates transportation well, is not afraid of shocks and other mechanical influences;
• the variety is very resistant to a number of dangerous “potato” diseases;
• relatively well Lady Claire tolerates drought, does not require frequent watering.

Pros and cons of Dutch potatoes

Reviews of domestic gardeners about the Dutch potato Lady Claire, for the most part, are positive. In Our Country, this potato is loved for such qualities:

• excellent yield, sufficient for industrial cultivation;
• resistance to major crop diseases;
• low susceptibility to pests;
• good taste;
• the possibility of long-term storage;
• unpretentiousness in planting and care;
• universal purpose of potatoes;
• presentation of tubers;
• resistance to drought and high temperatures;
• high nutritional value of potatoes;
• Lady Claire’s suitability for transportation;
• early maturation.

Another big advantage of the Lady Claire variety is that the potato does not degenerate for a long time: for many years you can plant this potato in one area and get decent yields from year to year.

There are no major flaws in the Lady Claire variety. Some farmers complain about the shrinkage of tubers and excessive rigidity of potatoes. As practice shows, this happens due to insufficient moisture: although Dutch potatoes tolerate drought normally, but only on condition that it is short-term. Therefore, you still have to water the plot with potatoes.

Diseases and pests

The Lady Claire potato variety has good immunity to most diseases and is practically not afraid of pests – this potato is one of the most resistant.

According to the findings of researchers and reviews of gardeners, Lady Claire has a high resistance to a number of diseases:

• golden cyst nematode;
• potato cancer;
• blackleg;
• potato rhizoctonia;
• common scab;
• top gray rot;
• tuber rot.

In order to prevent the development of late blight, which is one of the most dangerous diseases of nightshade crops, it is necessary to constantly monitor the degree of soil moisture. The Lady Claire potato variety will tolerate drought better than excessive moisture!

The potato has a rather dense skin, so Lady Claire’s tubers are not afraid of wireworms, slugs, a bear and Colorado beetles. But potato bushes must be protected from pests, for this they are treated with insecticides a couple of times.

In order not to create a favorable environment for the emergence and reproduction of infection and pests, you need to monitor plantings. Lady Claire’s potato aisles are regularly weeded, removing weeds and loosening the ground. To facilitate his work, the gardener can use mulch: cut grass, hay, sawdust will prevent excessive evaporation of moisture and protect against the germination of weeds.

Agricultural practices

There is nothing difficult in growing Dutch potatoes. You can plant the Lady Claire potato variety both in open ground and in a greenhouse (relevant for the northern regions). Any soil is suitable, as long as it is loose and nutritious, does not contribute to moisture retention.

Potato planting technology is proposed as follows:

1. A couple of weeks before planting, potato tubers should be brought to a warm place for germination. You can germinate Lady Claire potatoes in the sand or outdoors.
2. Immediately before planting, potatoes are recommended to be treated with special chemical compounds or a solution of potassium permanganate. This will protect the tubers from pests.
3. The soil on the site must be loosened in advance, weeds and their roots are selected, fertilizers (peat, wood ash, humus) are sprinkled.
4. The planting scheme for the Lady Claire variety is recommended as follows: 35×60 cm. The depth of the holes should not be more than ten centimeters, since in this case the tubers may rot before germination.

Care instructions

Lady Claire’s potato is not capricious, so caring for her is simple:

• sprouting sprouted bushes, forming high ridges around them (as in the photo below);

  

• water during periods of prolonged drought, avoiding waterlogging of the soil;
• once fertilize the bushes with mineral compounds based on potassium and phosphorus (this is best done before Lady Claire’s potatoes bloom);
• you can carry out foliar treatment of potatoes with superphosphate dissolved in water (this must be done a couple of weeks before harvesting);
• treat potato bushes with insecticides, monitor plant health;
• Weed row spacing regularly or use organic mulch.

Dug up potatoes must be dried. To do this, the tubers are laid out on the boundary of the site or under a canopy. After some time, the potatoes must be sorted and removed for storage.

Write Your Review

Conclusion

The Lady Claire potato variety can be safely called universal. These potatoes are suitable for growing in open ground and in greenhouses, they can be consumed in their original form or processed, most importantly, the crop is suitable for storage, although often the appetizing tubers are eaten while still young.

Lady Claire rarely gets sick, gives abundant harvests, and also, she does not degenerate, so farmers can grow potatoes from their own seeds for several years.