Some truck farmers who grow potatoes on their plot try to buy different elite varieties of this vegetable each year. In the first year or two you can get excellent harvests. However, gradually, any, even the most elite variety is reborn and yields much less than the habitual zoned. In addition, it is becoming increasingly expensive to buy elite potato varieties. Therefore, most gardeners grow this vegetable from their seed potatoes.
In order to get a good harvest, potatoes should be germinated before planting . This is a very important agrotechnical measure, since during the germination all sick and weak roots are selected. Thanks to this culling, the potato germination will be close to 100%, the yield will increase, and the collection terms will be earlier.
If you still decide to grow potatoes yourself, you should learn how to properly grow potatoes and when you need to start doing it.
Methods for germination of seed potatoes
There are several ways to grow potatoes to land.
Sprouting in the light
One such method is sprouting in the light. It is most convenient to use for this purpose rigid containers, for example, wooden or plastic boxes. So potatoes will be less injured. After all, taking it from storage, you put the tubers in two layers in boxes and get it just for planting. If you use a deeper container, the lower layers of potatoes will receive little light, their sprouts will be very elongated, which will significantly reduce the quality of the planting material. Yes, and reject poor-quality tubers will be very inconvenient.
In addition to light, the temperature in the room is important for the successful germination of potatoes. With low illumination and high temperature, the shoots on the tubers will be weak and elongated. In light at a high temperature, potato tubers can dry very dry. Therefore, you can grow potatoes in country houses, on verandas or even in baths, making sure that there is enough sunlight.
Beginners gardeners are interested in the question: when to get potatoes from storage sites for germination. Approximate terms of germination of potatoes in the light - 30-45 days. So, about a month and a half before the expected date of planting, the seed potatoes should be obtained and started to germinate.
Germination by "wet method"
As a rule, it is possible to quickly grow potatoes in a moist way, which is that the tubers extracted from storage are germinated in a moist environment. Very often, both methods are combined and a wet germination of potatoes is applied to the light. Due to this, the potato yield is increased to 100%. In addition, sometimes it happens that the tubers germinated in the light in a moist environment do not form roots at all. And with a combined method, such tubers can be discarded during germination, which also has a positive effect on potato yields.
With wet germination shoots appear faster, and early potatoes can be obtained about a week earlier.
To germinate the potatoes in a moist environment, it is necessary 4-5 days before planting the tubers sprouted in the light to fall asleep with wet sawdust or peat. This is done so. The bottom of the box should be covered with an old polyethylene film with holes for excess moisture. Pour half a bucket of water and add sawdust into it. The tubers alternately
Boxes with potatoes are placed on top of each other and covered with film on top. It must be ensured that the sawdust is constantly wet. Potatoes, which were germinated in sawdust, form a powerful root system, which in the future will serve as a guarantee of an excellent harvest.
Plant the sprouted potatoes in the open ground specialists recommend only when the threat of recurrent colds disappears.