Not a single feast is complete without potato dishes. Therefore, so many gardeners grow it on their site. The most important thing is to choose a good variety that is easy to care for and produces generous yields. Every year, breeders bring out new improved varieties with excellent characteristics. How to choose the right option for yourself? First of all, you need to familiarize yourself with the description of different varieties, and only then determine the best option. Now we will consider the beautiful and unusual Red Sonya potato variety. It has many advantages that make it stand out from other potatoes.
Characteristic of the variety
According to the description of Red Sonya potatoes, this variety belongs to early seed potatoes. It is unlikely that you will find a potato that ripens faster than this. The tubers themselves have an attractive appearance and an interesting color. The skin is deep red and quite smooth. Inside the fruit is yellow or light yellow. Each tuber has an oval beautiful shape. The eyes are shallow, so it will be very easy to clean the tubers.
The pulp is dense, does not boil during cooking. More suitable for cooking in a purified form. From such potatoes, a delicious mashed potatoes with a beautiful yellowish tint are obtained. Tubers are suitable for baking and frying. It is not recommended to use the variety for cooking jacket potatoes.
An important criterion for evaluating potatoes is disease resistance. As for the variety “Red Sonya” we can say the following:
- Potato “Red Sonya” has a high resistance to the potato nematode.
- The plant does not suffer from potato cancer.
- It has high resistance to various viruses.
- Rarely damaged by scab.
- Depending on the conditions and care, it can have both medium and high resistance to late blight.
The plant sprouts and grows quickly. The tops are growing rapidly and continuously. Bushes are at rest for quite a long time. The maturation process is stable. The bush is strong and not very sprawling. The stems are dense, easily resist wind and rain.
Potato cultivation
This variety grows well and develops only in fertile soils. The soil for planting this variety should be loose and saturated with minerals. Also, the variety has high requirements for soil moisture. Too wet clay soil is not suitable for growing tubers. Not suitable for very dry soil. Under such conditions, high yields can not be expected.
To grow an early crop of potatoes, you will have to germinate the tubers in advance. The same applies to growing potatoes under film. To do this, the tubers should be moved to a warm room a month before planting. The sooner the tubers are planted, the sooner it will be possible to harvest.
Reviews of gardeners about Red Sonya potatoes show that a small number of fruits are formed in one nest. For this reason, the tubers are planted close to each other. A distance of 30 cm between bushes and approximately 70-75 cm between rows of potatoes is considered normal. As a result, it will be possible to place about 43 bushes per hectare of the site.
Bush care
According to the characteristics of Red Sonya potatoes, this species responds positively to moderate fertilization. For this, both organic and mineral supplements are suitable. This variety does not need a large amount of nitrogen-containing fertilizers. It grows well and develops independently.
The frequency of fertilizing depends on the condition of the soil and weather conditions. You should also consider what kind of soil preparation was carried out before planting the tubers. If organic fertilizers (cow dung or bird droppings) were applied during planting, then this will be quite enough for the duration of the vegetative period. Additional feeding can be done as needed.
But the prevention of diseases is recommended to be done regularly. To do this, you can use special remedies for late blight and other potato diseases. It is very difficult to cure such ailments, so it is better to prevent the onset of the disease. If signs of damage still appear, treatment should be started immediately.
In addition to these important steps, do not forget about watering and loosening the soil. Potatoes grow well only in loose and moderately moist soil. Loosening is carried out immediately, as soon as a crust begins to form on the surface of the soil. Watering is also done on demand. If you can see that the soil is too dry, and the leaves are falling and withering, then it’s time to refresh the bed.
Before harvesting, the tops should be removed from the site in advance. This procedure will help strengthen the skin of the potato. It becomes more durable and resistant to mechanical damage. To do this, the tops should be cut 10 or 12 days before the start of the harvest. Also, special tools are used for these purposes. But it is much more convenient and cheaper to remove the plants mechanically. Moreover, desiccation with chemical preparations will have to be carried out longer and in several stages.
Conclusion
This article provides a detailed description of the Red Sonya potato variety, as well as photos and reviews from experienced gardeners. All this shows that this variety is perfect for growing at home. For industrial purposes, it is probably better to choose a more productive variety. Caring for such potatoes is easy, because it has a high resistance to most diseases. It grows quickly and gives a good harvest. If you have not decided on an early variety for your site, then Red Sonya will be an excellent option.
