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Potato Wendy is a mid-season table variety. It is intended for cultivation both on individual household plots and in industrial areas of large agricultural companies. Since the tubers lend themselves well to mechanical cleaning, the variety is widely used in large-scale production of potato products.
Description of Wendy’s Potato
The variety was bred in Germany. During its selection, the popular Gala potato was used as a basis. The originator of the variety was Norika Nordring. In 2014, the culture was included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Federation, with a permit for cultivation in the Central region of Our Country (Tula, Ryazan, Kaluga, Vladimir, Bryansk, Ivanovo, Moscow, Smolensk regions).
Distinctive characteristics of the Wendy potato variety are excellent presentation, high yield, accelerated adaptation and large tubers. Variety Wendy shows high resistance to nightshade diseases. Good for mechanical harvesting.
Stem-type potato plants, medium height. Bushes grow upright, moderately sprawling. The leaves are large, light green in color. The corolla of the potato is medium-small, the color of the plant is white.
The Wendy variety has a well-developed root system. In one nest, you can find 6 – 11 oval-shaped tubers with a yellow peel. The eyes are small and shallow. Harvested potatoes have a mass of 90 – 120 g.
The taste of potatoes
Wendy’s potatoes have good taste. The variety belongs to cultural type B. Its pulp is of a rather dense structure. After heat treatment, when cutting, the tubers do not significantly change their color. From the point of view of cooking, the variety is classified as universal, suitable for use in the preparation of various dishes. Wendy’s potatoes can be fried, boiled and baked. It is also good for making soups and salads.
Pros and cons of the Wendy potato variety
Like any culture, the Wendy variety has its advantages and disadvantages.
The pluses include:
- Low starch content;
- High levels of vitamin and mineral composition: the variety is suitable for consumption as a product of the dietary group;
- Ripe potatoes have the correct round shape, which greatly simplifies harvesting, especially by mechanical method;
- The skin of root crops is dense, which protects it from damage during long-term transportation or storage;
- The variety shows high yield.
The disadvantages of the Wendy variety include:
- Dependence on irrigation: the level of soil moisture should be constantly monitored;
- The variety Wendy is characterized by a slow emergence of seedlings.
Planting and Caring for Wendy’s Potatoes
Caring for the Wendy variety has several nuances. To harvest a large crop, it is necessary to adhere to the rules of soil preparation, planting, watering, feeding, disease prevention.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
The ideal place for planting Wendy’s potatoes is sandy loamy soil. It is also important that the soil contains a sufficient amount of fertilizer. To ensure easy formation of young fruits, potatoes need light soil. When growing in heavy soil, the yield can be significantly lower, the tubers will have an irregular shape, which will increase the amount of waste. If the soil with a heavy structure is on the landing site, it must be diluted with river sand.
Preparation of planting material
Before proceeding with the planting of planting material, it must be placed in a warm room for 24 hours, with sufficient access to sunlight. This will allow the skin of the potato to harden, which will further contribute to the good growth of the plant.
In addition, direct sunlight makes it possible to disinfect the material for sowing from bacteria and harmful microorganisms. It is necessary to plant those tubers whose sprouts have reached a size of at least one centimeter. Tubers with too long sprouts are better not to use: because of their fragility, they are unsuitable for planting.
Rules of landing
To achieve the optimal quality of the Wendy potato crop, the rules of agricultural technology should be followed:
- Use tubers of standard sizes: deviations from the standard should not exceed 5 cm.
- Before the period when the soil is covered with tops, the planting must be mulched.
- To ensure uniformity of illumination, the landing should be located in the direction from north to south.
- Follow the recommended planting pattern: for Wendy potatoes, the distance between the beds should be 40 cm, with a distance between bushes of about 50 cm.
- Planting depth depends on the type of soil: on light soils it should be from 10 to 12 cm, on heavy loamy soils – from 8 to 10 cm, on heavy clay soils – from 4 to 5 cm.
- Avoid thickening in cases where planting was not carried out using fine planting material.
Watering and top dressing
For the Wendy variety, watering is required at least three times during the season. At the same time, the frequency of precipitation and soil moisture are taken into account. It is better to water the plants in the morning or in the evening. When watering, a point approach is used, that is, the delivery of water to each bush. This is also convenient because it is possible to selectively regulate the watering of specific bushes.
Each bush needs to be supplied with a maximum of 4 liters of water, which should be supplied to the roots in portions, 1 liter per nest. So, after the watered bush has completely absorbed moisture, another liter of water is added to it. You can do this with a bucket or watering can, but it is best to use a hose with a sprayer at the end (this will help prevent soil erosion). After watering the top layer of soil, having passed one row, they switch to another, after watering which they again return to the first row and repeat the procedure.
As a top dressing, potatoes after planting are sprinkled with wood ash.
Loosening and weeding
Since the roots of the plant need constant access to oxygen, a week after planting, you need to loosen the soil near the bushes. The procedure will need to be repeated if an earth crust appears around the plants.
Hilling
Carrying out hilling of Wendy’s potatoes is necessary for active growth. The event allows you to protect the bushes from temperature changes. This is especially true for areas with low air temperatures.
After the sprouts reach 10 cm, you can perform the first hilling. The second is carried out after the plants have risen 45 cm in height. Around each bush it is necessary to form a hill of soil. The best time to perform the procedure is in the morning or evening after watering.
Diseases and pests
The main problem of the Wendy variety is rhizoctoniosis. Potatoes are not afraid of the following diseases:
- Parsha;
- Phytophthora;
- Viral infections.
The plant shows average resistance:
- K nematodes;
- Twisting of sheet plates;
- Potato cancer;
- Late blight of tops.
Variety Wendy has a neutral relationship to the Colorado potato beetle. As protection against insects, plants must be treated with a special compound. Usually insecticide preparations Colorado, Aktara, Killer, Euphoria are used. As a natural, affordable remedy against the Colorado potato beetle, dill is planted between potato beds.
For the prevention of diseases, the quality of top dressing is monitored. Basic top dressing under the root:
- Bird droppings – in the grooves between the beds, in a solution with water 1:10, respectively;
- Urea – at the root, before the first hilling, half a liter of solution per bush: a tablespoon is diluted in 10 liters of water, the kidney is loosened first;
- Mullein – in the aisle: a liter of manure per bucket of water;
- Herbal infusion – around the perimeter of the hole, without touching the stem: from any weeds, soaking and fermenting them in water, then diluting to the color of light tea; it is better to use in the evening in June, when the need of plants for nitrogen is high.
- Mineral supplements, solutions (20g per 10l of water): ammonium nitrate; mixtures of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash fertilizers in the ratio 1:1:2.
Potato yield
Wendy is a high yielding variety. If you follow all the rules of planting and care, then you can get up to 700 centners of potatoes from one hectare. One bush at the same time gives up to 25 fruits. If we take into account the mass of one root crop, it is easy to calculate that the yield from one bush will be about 2,5 kg.
Harvesting and storage
Approximately 70-80 days pass from the moment the first shoots appear to the harvest of potatoes. If you do not take into account the automated method, then there are two ways to collect Wendy’s potatoes:
- Pitchfork. To reduce the risk of damage to the tubers and eliminate the need to level the ground, it is better to use a pitchfork.
- If you dig potatoes with a shovel, then there is a high risk of damage to the tubers. In periods when the soil is too dry, it is better to use this particular tool.
To increase the shelf life of tubers, a week before harvesting, it is necessary to remove the tops of plants. You can store potatoes both in boxes and in bags: in the darkest possible place, ideally – in cellars, in conditions of decreasing temperature.
Conclusion
Wendy’s potatoes are a very good variety for home use. Potatoes have excellent taste. If planting and care is done correctly, the Wendy variety will provide a large harvest.