Planting potatoes - ways - for cardboard, mulch, in double rows

Planting potatoes - ways, as well as growing technologies, very much. How best to plant - under cardboard or mulch, or, perhaps, under a mulch mound or with double rows under one crest? I will introduce you to some, and you will decide which one to use. After reading the article, you will learn the pros and cons of various ways of landing, you can choose the most acceptable for yourself.

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Planting potatoes under cardboard and mulch

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Applying this method of planting once - it will be difficult for you to return to the old methods!

This method includes only four components:

• cardboard,
• knife,
• sprouted potatoes,
• organic substances such as hay, straw or leaves.

Inspired by the principles of this growing technology, you can get a crop almost without using any tools.

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Planting potatoes. Ideally, it should start in the spring, a month after the melting snow melted, the earth warmed, but no later than the soil temperature at a depth of 10 centimeters exceeds 12 ° C. For planting from pre-selected seed tubers, it is necessary to take away potatoes not damaged by diseases, pests or mechanically, weighing from 50 to 120 g. It is this size of seed potatoes that is considered optimal for planting.

Take the sheets of cardboard - the more they size, the better. It is best to stock up in advance with large sheets that are thrown away by furniture stores, household appliances stores or smaller sheets - they can be found near, for example, grocery stores, but then they will need to procure a larger quantity. Remove from the cardboard all the things that should not be in the garden (packing tape, staples, scotch tape).

Choose the place where you plan to plant potatoes. If there is any vegetation growing there (for example, grass, dandelions), there is no need to weed it out. Spread sheets of cardboard, and in order to straighten them, jump or dance on their surface for several minutes. Under them grass, weeds will be closed from sunlight, sooner or later they will wither away.

It should be ensured that your pieces of cardboard are significantly overlap each other not less than 30 cm (see Fig. on the picture). This is a guarantee that the weeds will not break between the sheets of cardboard to the sunlight.

Take the knife, make X-shaped holes the size of two times more than the seed tubers. Slots cut at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other.

Place the seed potatoes in each of these holes. It should lie directly on the ground or over the grass. Make sure that at least one germ sprout comes out of the hole. Then lightly cut the cardboard slit. Ideally, if the tubers are slightly covered with a coating. This is so that only the shoots can get to the light, and not grass.

Then, cover all sheets of cardboard with a thick layer (15-20 cm) of hay or straw. As soon as the potato sprouts break through the mulch to the sunlight, they reach a height of 10-15 cm, pour another layer of hay or straw on top, since by this time the first layer of mulch will be beaten by rain - it will be much Thinner. Covering the planted tubers with a second mulching layer will actually replace the hilling.

Please note: if the soil was dry before planting, if it is not expected to rain, it is recommended that the area be well spilled before laying the sheets of cardboard.

What is better to use - hay or straw? Hay, containing nutrients, decomposing, will act as a fertilizer. Minus in the use of hay is this: it can contain seeds of weeds that can germinate in a humid environment. Straw is free from any seeds of weeds, but is poor in nutrients. It will not act as an organic fertilizer. Hay blocks sunlight more effectively, so the straw should be poured over the cardboard in a thicker layer. Conclusion: choose yourself - use what you have!

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Care of planting potatoes. The potatoes planted under the cardboard essentially do not require almost any care. If the mulching layer of straw or hay is thick enough, in theory you can go on leave for the next two to three months, and return only to harvest.

But perhaps you will still have to visit the site to add mulch, so that growing tubers are not exposed to sunlight.

Advantages of the way of planting potatoes under cardboard or mulch. Your site will not need weeding: cardboard, mulch help block sun rays: the weeds will not break through to the light. Instead of removing weeds, you leave it. It becomes the first layer of compost. Cardboard is biodegradable, hay-straw decomposes for a season or two. They also feed your soil organically.

No need to water: the cardboard retains moisture, delays evaporation. Exception - dry summer, but the need for irrigation when using such a coating is minimal.

The soil from the bottom of the cardboard is not compacted, it is loose, it does not need digging. In addition, lifting a sheet of cardboard, you will see a lot of earthworms - this will help make the land more fertile, improve its structure.

Harvesting potatoes. When the tops begin to turn yellow, dry up, it's time to harvest. Spread the mulch, raise the cardboard... and voila!

Potatoes! You do not have to get your hands dirty - the whole crop is just on top of the soil, waiting for you to collect it. Why is this happening? Because potatoes should not be in the soil. It simply must be in contact with the soil, in order for its root system to have access to water and nutrients. Potatoes are traditionally digested so that the tubers do not grow green, since such tubers are poisonous and not suitable for eating. But, using this technology, we isolate potatoes from access of light, and we do not degrade the quality of the crop.

Did you fail using this method? The crop is small? Is the potato small? Let's look at the possible reasons for this.

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Successful or unsuccessful method-depends on what you set your goals by starting to use this method.

The first goal is to grow a good harvest. But you used traditional methods for many years. You dug or plowed the soil, hiding the upper fertile layer deeper, thereby impoverishing the soil. And maybe you have poor soil quality, the soil is too compact or you have heavy clay soil. Wait for a good harvest on such soil should not be. You can be disappointed with your results if your goal is to get a good harvest right away.

The second goal is to improve the structure and quality of the soil. If you set such a task for yourself, then, I assure you, you will not be disappointed. The quality, fertility of the soil with this technology will improve every year. In 2-3 years, your goal - to grow a good harvest - will be achieved!

The cardboard method may require your more active participation (search for cardboard, hay or straw), although later the costs of your labor will be minimal without weeding or watering. For truck farmers who love simplicity, low maintenance costs, this is more than an easy way to grow potatoes. Most importantly, the soil is protected from erosion, its structure improves. This method supports the life of microorganisms, so necessary for increasing the fertility of the earth.

This is also an excellent method for controlling weeds: instead of removing unwanted plants manually, just drown them, covering the plots of land with cardboard or organic mulch (hay, straw, sawdust, leaves).

In addition, it is known that a favorable temperature for growing potatoes is about 20 ° C. In most areas of the Krasnodar Territory in summer the soil temperature reaches 50 ° C. Under such conditions, potato bushes feel oppressed - they are "not up to fat, I would be living". Naturally, with this heat any technology of cultivation can fail, if one of the main factors of plant development is not provided is a comfortable temperature.

Imagine that a wet cardboard plus a 10-15-cm layer of organic mulch (straw) under the scorching heat reduces the temperature of the soil by 25-30 degrees!!! This is really so, check. Covering the soil with cardboard with mulch, you can really count on a high result. In addition to lowering the temperature, the mulching layer still retains moisture. Only two of these factors are already capable of increasing yields.

This method involves manual labor, and therefore is designed for truck farmers, summer residents, who have small plots.

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Finishing my story about one of the technologies of growing potatoes, I want to note that each operation brings its result to the overall yield basket. Perhaps, you will not use all the operations in your garden, but only a part of them. But anyway, now, having a general idea of ​​how a high crop is formed, you will find ways to increase yields.

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Landing under the mound of mulch

Landing in holes, hilling is a proven time by traditional ways of growing potatoes. But if you do not want to dig in the ground, and to collect a young potato, without getting soiled, you should try growing potatoes under a mulch mound.

• So, step one is the preparation of seed potatoes.

  Preparation of seed for planting

  Cut the tuber into several parts. photo on the left). It is necessary that the eyes were on each part of the tuber. This is the point of growth, where new stems will appear. Pieces should not be too large. Oddly enough, eyes on smaller pieces begin to sprout faster, they develop stronger roots, i.e. they do not live off seed stocks. Do not try to leave a lot of eyes on one piece. From each sprout a few stems. If there are a lot of them, they will fight with each other for the sun, nutrients. Let chopped parts dry for 24 hours. You can pre-dip each piece into the ashes. This will dry the cut, help him resist the disease.

• Step two is the preparation of the soil.

  Press firmly the dried potato slice to the ground

  Using this technology, you will not need to dig holes or trenches. Just need a spatula or sovochkom leveled those places on which you are going to put the prepared pieces of seed potatoes. Take a piece, press it firmly to the ground. Make sure the peephole is facing upwards (see p. photo on the right).

• Step Three - create a mound. Pour mulch 15-20 cm high above the potatoes with a mound.

  Holmik from last year's leaves

  Mulch may be last year's leaves or straw. For example, oak leaves are perfect for this purpose. Hay is also not bad, but hay can contain weed seeds, which means that you have to periodically pull them out of the mounds. You can use sawdust as mulch. Then pour the mounds - damp mulch will be good to keep the shape of the cone - but water the first time carefully so as not to destroy the mounds. Whatever the wind blew the mulch, you can sprinkle it with earth. In a few days, the potatoes will take root. Always keep the mounds wet. When the shoots break through the mulch, you can feed the potatoes. Watch the height of the mounds. Pour mulch when you notice that it has settled.

• Step four is harvesting. The most pleasant part of this method is that you can choose to eat young potatoes without interfering with the growth of the plant.

  Formation of potato tubers at different stages of development

  If your goal - to try a young potato immediately after flowering (see. Figure on the left), then simply shovel out the mulch neatly, pinch the largest young tubers from the ends of the stolons with your fingers. Choose 2-3 larger tubers, and leave the rest - let them grow up. Continue to water potatoes all season. And if you want the harvest to ripen quickly, stop brushing the bushes after flowering.

The advantages of this method are that you do not have to dig up the soil before planting and dig up the potatoes after it has ripened. A thick layer of mulch retains moisture, inhibits the growth of weeds.The disadvantages of this method are that it is unlikely that large areas can be planted - there should be a lot of mulching material, and this is a big problem for many gardeners.

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Method for planting potatoes in pairs under one crest

Dear gardeners! Remember: Autumn-winter formation of crests from north to south gives better coverage of bushes.

Growing potatoes in double rows under one crest provides a significant increase in yield due to:

• better lighting, better preservation of moisture, raising water over unbroken capillaries from the depths of the earth;
• repeated mulching - the soil is loose, after the rain does not form a crust;
• greater preservation of plants from frosts, their rapid recovery after frost;
• exclusion of many propoloks, hills of both spring and summer plantings;
• decrease in flooding after rainstorms.

Experiments confirm that in the Kuban, southern Russia, the highest yields of potatoes are obtained at 55-cm intervals, the distance between rows of plants is 27 cm, that is, the feeding area of ​​the bush is 1485 square meters. cm. And at rows 60 cm in twin (double) rows intervals between the percentage of tubers should be 25 cm (148: 0).

Planting potatoes in double rows under one crest

Because of the high cost of mineral fertilizers, their detrimental effect on soil life, the quality of tubers, use the organics available to you before planting. Then you can raise the fertility of the earth, increase the yields even for many years growing potatoes in one place.

It is proved that the February and March plantings are 40-50% more productive than the April ones, since the latter gets little moisture, but too much heat.

It is very advantageous for months to germinate the tubersseed potatoes in the light. This increases the yield, accelerates maturation, allows you to get away from the heat.

Treatment (5-7-minute bathing) of the share of tubers with two eyes or sprouts before planting with a clay-ash blubber (for 50 liters of water - 1 bucket of yellow clay, 1/2 bucket of ash) gives the growth of roots and sprouts for a day up to 2 cm, which accelerates shoots, provides the power of the root system.

Random fragments of sproutsSeed potatoes reduce yield by 20%. Short, obtained in the dark shoots shorten to 5-6 cm.

Observations showed that stacking cardboard between double rows (90 cm), multiple mulching with grass, sawdust around the rows prevent crust formation after rain, retain soil structure, moisture, inhibit the growth of weeds, create good conditions for the reproduction of rain worms, ensure a decrease in temperature in the soil at the level of tuber formation by 10 degrees or more, promoting the growth of tubers even in 40-degree heat.

The harmful effect of heat is reduced by whitewashing plants with a solution of white clay (500-600 g / 10 liters of water) in combination with microfertilizers.

Removing the buds increases the yield to 50%.

Three foliar top dressing "Biomix-3" (2 tablets / 10 liters of water) together with whitewash and poisons against the Colorado beetle, phytophthors give a doubled harvest of tubers of spring-summer planting of potatoes.

So, this method includes: a combination of many months of germination in the light, bathing the share of tubers in the clay-ash blob, planting them in the early period on the mixture organic fertilizers, repeated mulching, tearing off buds, foliar top dressing along with whitewashing poisons against pests and diseases, cleaning at yellowed on 25-30% of the tops. This allows you to collect a decent crop of tubers, to avoid degeneration even after spring frosts and summer heat.

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There are a lot of ways of planting potatoes. I will be very grateful if you share your knowledge or observations.