Contents
Potato Unica is a variety that can be called “original and unique”. It is not very popular with gardeners, although, as practice shows, it adapts well to the climate of the middle zone and even more severe conditions. Unica is planted mainly for the sake of experiment, wanting to grow something unusual on a personal plot: both the look of the plants and the taste of the tubers are specific.
The story of
The homeland of the Unica potato variety is South America (Peru), the author is Jorge Alberto Espinosa. It is not listed in the domestic State Register of Breeding Achievements.
This potato came to Our Country in the mid-2000s almost by accident. Tubers for comparative testing of varieties bred in Our Country, the Netherlands and South America were brought to Omsk by an employee of the Academy. K. A. Timiryazev and part-time chairman of the local club of potato growers. There is another version, according to which one of the employees of city local governments is “responsible” for the “acquaintance” of gardeners with the Unica potato.
The Siberian gardener V. S. Obushev played a big role in the “popularization” of the variety. He was not only among the first to plant Unica potatoes as an experiment, but he was also able to obtain new tubers that retained varietal characteristics from seeds.
Description of Unica potatoes
To understand the fact that Unica is a very unusual potato, just look at the plants themselves and the tubers. His “appearance” speaks for itself.
Bush
The minimum height of Unica potato bushes is about 1 m. In a climate favorable for gardening (for example, in the south of Our Country), the stems stretch much stronger – up to 1,8-2 m. The shoots are powerful, densely leafy. The root system is also well developed.
The bush consists of 6-7 stems, their base gradually turns brown, as if woody.
The leaf plates of the Unica potato are small. Their shade is close to light green, much lighter than that of most varieties and hybrids. Flowering is plentiful, but short (4-5 days). Flowers are white.
Tubers
The tubers of the Unica potato are large or very large, weighing 0,75-1,5 kg. The peel is quite thin, elastic, practically without “eyes” (if they are, then they are rare and superficial), bright crimson in color.
The pulp is uniform in texture, elastic and juicy, a shade of butter or almost yellow. It retains its shape after heat treatment, does not boil soft.
The shape of the tubers is close to oval, but more often irregular
Characteristics of Unica seed potatoes
The original appearance of the bushes and the large size of the tubers are not the only thing that attracts gardeners in the Unica potato. There is no official description of its varietal characteristics, but gardeners identify many advantages.
The taste of Unica potatoes
The taste of Unica potatoes is specific. After cooking, a slight saltiness and sourness are clearly felt in it. Fried tubers will also not be fresh. Therefore, sometimes when cooking, they even do without spices.
Terms of maturation
According to the ripening period, the Unica potato belongs to the category of mid-ripening. In Siberia, where it was originally introduced, the harvest is dug up 80-95 days after the germination of tubers in the garden. But in the south, the process of their ripening goes faster by a week and a half, which makes it possible to classify the variety as mid-early.
Productivity
Consistently high yields are one of the characteristics for which the Unica potato is highly valued by gardeners familiar with it. On average, 15 tubers are formed on each bush, the size of which varies from large to very large.
A bucket of potatoes from a Unica bush and 300-320 kg per hundred is quite real
Where is grown
Initially, the Unica potato was brought to Siberia. There he quickly and successfully adapted to the peculiarities of the local climate, which is far from ideal for gardening. Accordingly, we can conclude that the variety is distinguished by excellent endurance and the ability to successfully endure negative external influences.
Unica potatoes are suitable for any region where gardening is possible in principle. The “experiments” of summer residents and the harvests they collect confirm this.
Disease resistance
There is no official data on the presence of “innate” immunity in the variety against any diseases typical of the culture. The same applies to information about the protection provided by breeders against pests. However, the experience of gardeners shows that plants show excellent resistance to pathogens and insects even in the absence of preventive treatments.
Empirically, gardeners have determined that Unica potatoes are almost not susceptible to phytophthora
Advantages and disadvantages
The starch content in the pulp of Unica potatoes is quite high (13%). But there is no “mealy” taste in taste.
According to the classification of professional culinary experts, Unica potatoes are type B, that is, they are suitable for cooking any dish.
Pros:
- the ability to endure negative external influences without damage, including heat, drought, heavy rainfall, temperature changes;
- consistently high yields ensured by large-fruitedness and a large number of tubers in the “nest”;
- undemanding to the quality of the substrate;
- extremely rare cases of infection with diseases typical of the culture and pest attacks;
- excellent keeping quality and preservation of tubers after harvest;
- large size, external presentability of potatoes;
- versatility of destination in terms of cooking;
- original, memorable taste.
Cons:
- The “oversized” bushes require large areas for their planting;
- when hilling and harvesting, high tops create certain inconveniences;
- due to the “non-promoted” variety, it is often difficult to purchase planting material, the price for it is quite high;
- small and medium-sized tubers convenient for planting are practically absent.
Planting Unica potatoes
For Unica potatoes, be sure to choose a well-lit area. It is also important that there is no groundwater close to the surface. The quality of the substrate for this variety is unprincipled, but the experience of gardeners shows that the highest yields and the highest quality tubers are harvested by planting it in sandy or loamy soil with a neutral or slightly acidic pH.
Planting dates for Unica potatoes are standard for culture:
- the first decade of May in central Our Country;
- the end of May or the beginning of June in Siberia, the Urals, and other regions classified as “risk farming zones”;
- mid-April in the south.
The bed is prepared in the fall, carefully digging it up, cleaning it of vegetable and other debris, making the necessary mineral and organic fertilizers. Before planting, it is advisable to loosen the soil well again.
Preplant preparation for Unica potatoes is often limited to germination of tubers for 3-4 weeks. Given its good immunity and consistently high yields, many gardeners refuse to treat in a fungicide and biostimulant solution. Unica potatoes are planted with an interval of at least 80-90 cm between tubers, leaving at least 1,5 m between rows (preferably 2 m).
The depth of the holes varies between 5-12 cm and depends on the quality of the substrate: the looser and “lighter” it is, the greater it is.
Care instructions
The specificity of growing potatoes Unica is mainly due to the large size of the bushes. They need a “fan” garter, respectively, when disembarking, it is necessary to provide a place for placing a trellis. Without support, the shoots will gradually droop, the lower leaves, deprived of light, become “ballast” for the bush, instead of providing it with food.
Also, in the absence of trellises, weeding, loosening the soil in the beds, watering, and other agrotechnical measures necessary to obtain good yields of Unica potatoes are significantly more difficult. Mulching partially solves this problem. By the way, gardeners who have been growing a variety for a long time recommend not to neglect it even if there is a trellis, using dried grass as mulch.
The design of the trellis for potatoes Unika is standard – vertical supports and several horizontal tiers of wire or twine
Also, caring for Unica potatoes includes the following basic activities:
- Watering. Here, the recommendations vary – from the need to moisten the substrate twice a week to 4-5 waterings per season. The variety tolerates both drought and waterlogging quite well, so it is better to focus on the condition of the soil.
- Top dressing. Fertilizers are applied three times per season: at the stage of the third true leaf, during the period of “mass” bud formation and flowering. The first top dressing must contain nitrogen, the next – complex.
- Hilling. For the first time, Unica potato bushes are spudded when they grow to 15-17 cm in height, again – after two weeks.
Hilling helps increase yields
Harvesting and storage of crops
The harvesting of the Unica potato starts no earlier than the last decade of August. A more realistic time for many regions is the first half of September. The tops do not lie on the bed, but by this time it turns yellow almost completely. Due to the large size of the Unica potato, it is recommended to dig it out with a pitchfork – this way there is less risk of damaging the tubers in the process.
For storage use any container that allows air to pass through. You need to find a room where the microclimate is constantly maintained with the following parameters:
- temperature 2-4 ° C;
- air humidity 80-85%;
- good ventilation;
- no cold drafts.
You can’t immediately harvest the crop for storage, it is left to “dry” for at least 2-3 days, then it is sorted out, getting rid of the “substandard”
Conclusion
Unica potatoes differ from other varieties and hybrids in their unusual “appearance” of bushes and tubers, and in taste. Because of this originality, plants need specific care. And, although there is nothing too complicated in agricultural technology, it is the need to “master” its nuances that prevents the wide spread of the variety in household plots.
Reviews of summer residents about Unica potatoes
