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Often, novice gardeners are faced with the problem that potatoes do not germinate well, although this crop is undemanding. This can happen for various reasons. To understand why tubers do not germinate for a long time, you need to consider all possible options. You also need to know how to improve the germination of potatoes, and learn the rules of care at the initial stage of development of its bushes.
Potatoes do not germinate well if they were planted in cold ground.
Seedling timing
The duration of germination of tubers after planting directly depends on the climatic conditions of the growing region. In the southern regions, the first sprouts appear on the 14-15th day, and friendly shoots of potatoes can be seen at the end of the third week. In the central regions, the timing is slightly shifted. On the site, the first sprouts of potatoes break through on the 21st day, and mass seedlings appear after another 3-4 days.
In the northern regions, the period of potato germination is longer. It is 25-30 days under favorable weather conditions.
However, it should be borne in mind that the preliminary germination of tubers at the stage of their preparation for planting can not only improve germination, but also accelerate the emergence of sprouts. In this case, this period is reduced by 5-7 days.
Why potatoes do not sprout after planting
If the potatoes did not rise after the due date, then mistakes were made at the stage of preparing the seed tubers during planting. To know in which cases this happens, it is necessary to consider all possible causes.
bad weather
Favorable weather conditions are necessary for successful and uniform germination of potatoes. Sharp temperature changes at the stage of germination cause serious damage to the culture. Frosts inhibit the development of tuber buds and weak shoots. Therefore, they are a common reason that potatoes do not rise at the right time. Moreover, the negative impact of low temperatures is exacerbated in conditions of nutrient deficiency in the soil. This leads to the fact that the planting tubers die or their development is suspended for an indefinite time.
Also, the reason that the potatoes did not rise could be prolonged rainy weather. A high level of humidity at the initial stage of crop development has a detrimental effect. In this case, air exchange is disturbed, and this causes rotting of the tubers.
Prevents the timely germination of potatoes and dry weather. The lack of moisture in the soil leads to a slowdown in metabolic processes in the tissues of root crops. In this case, the sprouts slow down their development, and therefore the potatoes begin to sprout later than the due date.
Critical for potatoes is a moisture level of more than 75%
Wrong fit
One of the reasons that potatoes take a long time to germinate is the deep planting of tubers. After all, many novice gardeners believe that this allows you to protect plants from frost at the initial stage of their development. However, this is wrong. After all, too deep holes significantly slow down the emergence of seedlings. And sometimes too heavy a layer of soil is detrimental to young shoots that cannot break through it. This leads to the fact that the potatoes do not sprout, but the tubers increase in size.
The optimal planting depth is 10 cm on light soils, and no more than 7 cm on heavy soil. So that frosts cannot damage young shoots, it is recommended to cover the area with agrofiber.
Poor quality planting material
Also, the reason that potatoes did not rise well may be poor-quality planting material. After all, only healthy tubers are able to form strong sprouts that can later form a full-fledged bush. Therefore, it is necessary to select potatoes for planting without signs of damage by diseases and pests, with a sufficient number of eyes.
Selection is recommended to be carried out twice: after harvesting and in the spring before planting. The best option are tubers the size of a chicken egg. Smaller specimens form thin sprouts with a low level of viability. And this leads to the fact that, despite all the efforts of the gardener, the resulting crop will be significantly lower than expected.
Potatoes do not germinate well and are also late when planting large tubers. In this case, young sprouts feed on a large supply of components contained in the seed. Therefore, plants do not need to form and develop the root system at an accelerated pace. And this leads to the fact that the potatoes do not sprout on time and require a longer growing season in the future.
disease
The reason that the potatoes did not rise even with sprouts is the defeat of tubers by fungal diseases. The provoking factor is the soil pathogenic microflora, which actively reproduces during prolonged cool weather.
Potatoes do not germinate when damaged:
- Phytophthorozom;
- cancer;
- dry rot;
- black scab;
- gray spotting.
Therefore, at the stage of preparing potatoes for planting, it is recommended to treat seed tubers with fungicides. Siderats also help fight spores, namely winter rye, oats, legumes.
Crop rotation minimizes the likelihood of potato diseases
vermin
When planted in the soil, potatoes are susceptible to attack by pests. Damage to him is capable of inflicting a bear, a larva of the May beetle, a wireworm. If the potato is damaged, it does not sprout in a timely manner and may die. Therefore, experts recommend taking care of the protection of planting material in advance.
For this it is recommended:
- plowing the site from autumn to a depth of 25 cm;
- introduction of wood ash into the soil at the rate of 100 g per 1 sq. m;
- adding crushed eggshells or onion peels to the wells;
- early installation of traps for bears.
What to do if the potatoes do not rise
If the potato does not sprout for a long time, then it is necessary to establish the main reason for this. First of all, you need to assess the condition of the land. If it is dry, then it is recommended to irrigate by sprinkling with wetting the soil to a depth of 10 cm. It is also necessary to loosen the soil to provide air access to the tubers.
If the potato does not sprout due to excessive soil moisture, then it is necessary to cover the area with an awning. The same should be done with the likelihood of frost.
It is much worse if the potatoes do not sprout, because they were planted deep or suffered from diseases. In the first case, you need to remove a layer of soil in each hole with a thickness of 2-3 cm. And in the second, you need to dig up rotten tubers, dispose of them, water the area with a fungicide solution and re-plant. But before planting the seeds, it is recommended to treat them with copper sulphate at the rate of 2 g per 10 liters of water.
You will have to replant even if the potatoes do not sprout due to pest damage. After all, weakened seeds noticeably lag behind in growth, and this negatively affects the development of bushes and the formation of fruits.
How to improve germination
So that later you do not have to face the problem that the potatoes do not rise at the right time, you must follow some rules for preparing seeds and the timing of the procedure.
The further development of plants depends on the correct care at an early stage.
The main measures to improve germination:
- Germination of potatoes. Three weeks before planting, the seeds must be brought into a bright room with a temperature of +15 ° C and spread out in one layer on a flat surface. It is recommended to spray them regularly with a spray bottle and rotate them. This will allow the tubers to form uniform sprouts.
- Landing in dry, clear weather. In order for the seeds to begin to sprout together, it is necessary to warm the soil up to +10 ° C to a depth of 10 cm.
- Discard poor quality seeds. Already at the stage of germination of potatoes before planting, it becomes clear which seeds have a high life potential. Therefore, it is recommended to reject all specimens with an insufficient number of eyes, damaged, as well as too large and small.
- Pre-treatment with fungicides and insecticides. Immediately before planting, it is necessary to spray the seeds with preparations. This will protect them from diseases and pests at an early stage of development.
- Increase soil fertility. At the stage of site preparation, it is necessary to add 10 kg of humus, 40 g of superphosphate and 25 g of potassium sulfide per square meter. m.
Caring for potatoes after germination
For successful growth and development of potatoes, it is necessary to provide full care at an early stage of bush development. Irrigation is extremely important for the crop when sprouts appear. It should be carried out with a long absence of rain, but without allowing stagnation of moisture in the soil. Watering is recommended to be done in the evening, using settled water with a temperature of + 18-20 ° C.
It is also necessary to carry out regular weeding so that weeds do not suppress the growth of young seedlings. And as necessary, you need to loosen the soil to maintain a high level of moisture and air permeability of the soil.
When shoots appear, it is recommended to carry out the first top dressing. At an early stage, you can use nitroammophoska or urea at the rate of 30 g per bucket of water. And also timely hilling of bushes is required. The first time it needs to be done at a shoot height of 15-18 cm, and the second – after ten days.
Conclusion
Knowing why potatoes do not sprout well, you can minimize the risks. To do this, it is necessary to take into account the recommended planting dates, weather conditions, properly prepare the seeds and the site, and also control the level of deepening. If all the recommendations are followed, the potato not only sprouts in a timely manner, but also gives a good harvest at the end of the season.
