barrel Advantages of growing potatoes in barrelsridges or under straw, not so long ago became widely known to domestic gardeners. But if you think about it, many people in their own area observed how a tuber caught in a container with compost gave not only friendly shoots, but also tubers. In a well-heated, nutritious and necessarily moist environment, the crop yields a crop even in a limited volume. Essentially, this principle is based on the method of planting potatoes in barrels and other similar containers, which may not be metal, plastic or wooden. The main condition is that the barrel was higher than 30 cm, moisture and oxygen should be supplied to the roots in abundance, and the soil should be loose and nutritious.
Preparation for planting potatoes
When a suitable container is found, do not rush to planting. Until the potatoes are immersed in the ground, it is important to remove the bottom from the barrel or drill a sufficiently large number of drainage holes in it. Not bad, if at high capacity similar perforation appears on the side walls.
This technique will help to get rid of excess moisture, and oxygen to penetrate to the roots of plants. In the case of potatoes, this is doubly important, since the root system is not so large, and the load on it is enormous.
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The technology of growing potatoes in a barrel implies that the amount of planting material, and then formed in the tubers, is large enough. So that the gardener can control the delivery of moisture and oxygen:
- vertically insert a plugged perforated hose or plastic pipe with notches up to 20 cm apart from each other into a high barrel.
- open end, through which, after planting is completed, it will be possible to water, feed the potato plantation, bring it outside.
If you connect a compressor or a pump to a hole, it is easy to fill the soil in the barrel with oxygen. And the system of radical drip irrigation will help to evenly moisten the soil under the potatoes.
Planting potatoes in a barrel and care for the plantation
Potatoes in a barrel can not do without a safe nutrient soil mixture. For this culture, suitable soil consisting of equal parts of the finished compost or rotted humus and ordinary garden soil.
As it is necessary to grow plants in a practically closed small volume, it is important that the pests in the barrel together with the soil are not harmful. Therefore, the soil for the neutralization of insects and their larvae:
- pre-calcined or steamed;
- is still treated with chemicals before planting.
In the fall, when the soil for growing potatoes in a barrel is only prepared, a mixture of ammonium nitrate or urea, double superphosphate, potassium compounds, and ash is added to it. In sandy soils that are deficient in magnesium, its sulfate and dolomite flour are introduced. Then the barrel is installed in the place intended for it and the soil is filled with a layer of 10 to 15 cm at the bottom. Spread seed germinated tubers or slices with dulled eyes on the ground, pressing it a little, and the potatoes are poured with ten centimeters of soil mixture from above.
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When the sprouts rise by 2–3 cm above the ground level, they must be covered with soil mixture again. If you do not allow the plant to form a full-fledged foliage, the potato directs all its forces to the development of the root system with new stolons, on which tubers will later appear. The process of pouring the earth is repeated until the barrel is filled one meter. Above do the soil layer is not worth it. The plants may not have enough strength to produce high-quality tubers by the end of the season, since the full potential will be wasted on the formation of the root system.
All this time, the soil is actively watered to prevent drying, which is very likely and dangerous for planting potatoes in a small volume container.
Potato top dressing when grown in an
barrel. Potatoes, especially in a barrel, where the nutritional properties of the soil are quickly depleted, are in dire need of mineral and organic fertilizers.
As a fertilizer for potatoes during planting use:
- manure, traditionally introduced under seed material;
- complex mineral fertilizers for this crop;
- a mixture of three parts of pure lowland peat and manure;
- three or four days of sideratov infusions.
When sprouts grow by 10–12 cm, plants should receive top dressing with potash and nitrogen fertilizers. When growing potatoes in a barrel, fertilizer is easier to use in liquid form at the rate of 1–2 liters per bush.
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If you feed potatoes with urea, then dolomite or lime powder is used to neutralize the inevitable acidification of the soil. The best results from fertilizing should be expected only with sufficient watering.
Early varieties are fed once, and late-ripening potatoes require two supplements. It is impossible to abuse nitrogen fertilizers when planting potatoes in barrels, because excess nitrogen can accumulate in tubers in the form of nitrates, which negatively affect the quality of the crop, resistance to scab and storage capacity. If urea or another nitrogenous agent is used as a top dressing of potatoes, it is better to combine it with potash fertilizers for potatoes when planted in barrels.
At the end of flowering, plants can be fed with fertilizers containing phosphorus. This substance contributes to the outflow of nutrients from the tops to the tubers.
The advantages of growing potatoes in barrels
Compliance with the rules of planting, watering and feeding will provide the gardener with a generous harvest of large healthy tubers.
- They, due to the better heating and uniform moisture supply, will be ready for cleaning much earlier than using traditional technology.
- In addition, planting potatoes in barrels eliminates the need for regular weeding and hilling seedlings.
- Shrubs are not damaged by soil pests, and you should not be afraid of many cultural diseases.
Once prepared, the soil can be reused. When the potato harvest is removed, the barrel is seeded with sideratami, and in the autumn they bring organic matter and mineral additives.
Different ways of planting potatoes - video
