How to prepare, process and germinate potato tubers before planting

Potatoes are a very popular vegetable in cooking and can be used to make many delicious and satisfying dishes. Regardless of variety and planting time, this crop can be susceptible to disease or has problems with growth rate. Processing potatoes in the spring before planting and during the growing season is not a prerequisite for the growth of a vegetable. However, with the help of such treatment, you can protect the plant from ailments and pests, shorten the growing season and increase the yield. It is divided into several stages, in which both chemical and folk remedies are used.

Why do you need to prepare potatoes

Surely a summer resident, especially one who does not have experience in growing this crop, will have a question: why is it so important to prepare seed potatoes? There are a number of reasons for this:

• Processing helps to achieve a larger yield;
• It is an effective prevention of dangerous diseases and pests;
• All manipulations do not require a lot of your time and effort, everything is done quickly enough.

By the way! A set of measures for preparing potatoes for planting in open ground is called vernalization.

Rules for the use of copper sulfate

The use of copper sulphate before laying potato tubers in the ground allows you to prevent their defeat by late blight, scab and rhizoctonia. To prepare a working solution, you need 1 tsp. dissolve copper sulfate in 3 liters of water. It is recommended to prepare the product not in iron, but in enamel or glass containers. Root vegetables should be held in the prepared liquid for several minutes, and then dried. The procedure is carried out no later than 2 days before laying the tubers in the soil.

There is a more effective remedy based on copper sulfate. It contains 0.2 g of copper sulfate, 15 g of boric acid, 0.1 g of potassium permanganate and 1 liter of water. If the selected material is too much, it is advisable to spray it with a mixture. It is more convenient to soak a small amount of potatoes for 20 minutes in a disinfecting liquid, only for its preparation you need to take not 1, but 5 liters of water.

Not all gardeners trust funds based on this substance. Many of them try to avoid them, believing that they burn out the tubers, which negatively affects the harvest.

Calibration and selection of tubers before planting

Before starting the processing of potatoes in the spring before planting, first of all, you need to inspect the planting material at home. First you need to select healthy, normal specimens, but discard tubers of dubious quality.

If you see badly damaged, rotting, moldy specimens, then they should be discarded. If only a part is damaged, then such material can still be saved, you need to follow the following scheme:

• It is necessary to trim the place of decay or damage to healthy tissue.
• Burn the cut off parts.
• Sprinkle the nodules themselves in places of pruning with wood ash or treat with a pink solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate), a 1% solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid.
• Leave them until the cut sites dry out and form a crust on them.

After that, you need to calibrate, that is, divide the tubers by size:

• Small tubers (weighing less than 40 grams) it is better to plant in a separate bed.
• Medium (weighing 60-90 grams) - standard specimens of normal sizes, they can be safely planted in a common garden bed.
• Large (over 90 grams) - it is recommended to cut them into pieces before planting (how to do this correctly will be written below!).

Folk remedies for etching

Many gardeners and farmers do not trust industrial products for dressing seed tubers, and prefer well-known home remedies and methods.

Copper sulfate

Of the most common and affordable means, an aqueous solution of copper sulfate is used. It protects against fungal infections:

• rhizoctonia;
• scab;
• alternaria and others.

This remedy is also effective against all Colorado potato beetles at any stage of pest development.

Copper sulfate powder

To dress the mother tubers, the following ingredients are mixed:

• copper sulfate - 20 g (matchbox without top);
• potassium permanganate - 1 g.

The mixture is diluted in 10 liters of water (t ° 40 ... 50 ° C). For the preparation of solutions, metal containers without enamel coating are not suitable. The active substances react with the metal and the copper precipitates. Then the tool loses the properties the gardener needs.

The liquid is filtered and sprayed onto the potatoes. If the seed tubers are divided, then the divorced vitriol is immersed in the blade of a knife before each incision.

Attention! Copper sulfate is not compatible with organophosphate pesticides and substances that decompose in an alkaline environment.

Bordeaux and Burgundy mixtures are two more long-standing remedies used by summer residents. But they are also based on copper sulfate.

Table 1. Bordeaux and Burgundy mix.

Attention! Burgundy mixture is used less and less because it is very toxic. Therefore, before preparing it, they put on gloves, a mask, and a protective gown.

On sale is a ready-made Bordeaux mixture

Potassium permanganate

Potassium permanganate treatment is one of the oldest methods of plant protection. To do this, prepare a solution of 1 liter of water and 1 g of potassium permanganate. Tubers are placed in it for 25-30 minutes. After this time, the potatoes are pulled out, dried and planted.

Potassium permanganate protects against phytophthora, wireworm. To better protect the plant from the pest, water the ground with a solution of potassium permanganate (5 g per 10 l of water).

Potassium permanganate - a simple and safe substance for dressing potatoes

Potassium permanganate prices

potassium permanganate

Wood ash

Ash from wood from the stove is suitable for processing. If this is not the case, then branches of trees, straw, dry herbs are burned in a metal box.

Important! When deciduous wood is burned, a lot of potassium is formed in ash, conifers - phosphorus. Therefore, the product is also used to nourish plants.

Before planting, potatoes are rolled in ash powder. For 100 kg of planting material, 2.5 kg of ash are taken. This protects the tubers and future seedlings from the Colorado potato beetle. If you add 2 matchboxes of ash mixed with earth to each hole, then you can forget about the wireworm.

Ash chemical composition

Greening

Some gardeners do not use chemical products, because they believe that the taste properties of the root crop deteriorate from them.

One of the methods of pest and disease control in this case is to use the reserves of the vegetable itself. Planting material is greened, keeping for 14-21 days in the shade of a tree with a plentiful crown or under a canopy. Solanine is produced in tubers under the influence of sunlight.

Large amounts of solanine in potatoes

Solanin has fungicidal and insecticidal properties and is a natural plant defense against insects and diseases.

Solanine in the tuber

When using chemicals, the dosage, method of application and restrictions should be observed. Failure to comply with the manufacturer's recommendations may result in product poisoning, deterioration of the environmental situation at the site.

Prevention of solanine poisoning

Sprouting potatoes before planting

Before planting, potatoes should be stored at 4 degrees Celsius in a dark room. Under such storage conditions, it is in hibernation, the growth processes are stopped. Before the procedure, it is recommended to get planting material for germination, which will help increase the yield.

Note! A situation may arise in which the potatoes will sprout even during storage. In such a situation, you can act in different ways:

• Cut off the shoots, leaving 1 cm, and then sprinkle the cuts with wood ash.
• Break off the shoots and wait for later harvests after planting.
• Just plant like this, no changes.

Germination will help to get faster growth of the bushes, but it will also help to identify infected tubers - if you see that some sprouts are beginning to turn black, this may indicate a dangerous disease of rhizoctonia. Such specimens must be discarded!

Advice! Before germination, you need very wash the seed potatoes gently. This manipulation is believed to accelerate growth. And also (which is very important!) Will help to identify the disease rhizoctonia - looks like sticky pieces of dirt, but cannot be washed off. Such specimens must be discarded, they cannot be planted!

Germination time

When to get potatoes out of storage (cellar, basement, etc.) for germination before planting? It is necessary to spread the tubers 20-30 days before the event. (but the time may differ under different conditions, at higher temperatures the sprouts appear and grow faster!).

The optimal timing for the start of germination of potato tubers in the spring, before planting, at home, in different regions:

• In the middle lane (Moscow region) - it is possible to plant in the ground in the second half of May, therefore, it is better to start germinating at the end of April.
• In Siberia, the Urals, the Leningrad region - planting dates are at the end of May or at the beginning of June, therefore, it is necessary to spread it for germination at the end of April or at the beginning of May.
• In the South (Krasnodar Territory (Kuban), North Caucasus) - the appropriate planting time is at the beginning and middle of April, which means that you can pull out the tubers at the beginning of the second decade of March.

Advice! Before germinating seed potatoes, it is recommended to treat the tubers with Fitosporin-M solution.

Over this time good shoots should grow, having a length of about a centimeter. Longer shoots are undesirable, since they can easily break off during planting, so do not germinate the material for too long a time interval.

Potato germination methods

There are several basic ways to germinate potatoes in the spring, at home, before planting. Let's consider the rules and schemes for such processing in more detail.

Note! If after germination (regardless of the method) you find tubers on which sprouts have not grown, then it is pointless to plant such specimens, they are not viable and cannot germinate in open ground either.

Dry germination in the light

Sprouting potatoes before planting in the light is a fairly common method for many gardeners. The technology allows you to get strong, good, not elongated shoots.

Basic rules for germinating tubers in the light:

• Ideally, you should scatter the tubers on the floor on burlap or newspaper sheets, but you can put them in any container (it is recommended to use lattice boxes).
• Put the tubers in one layer (maxim - in two layers, but no more!).
• Arrange the planting material so that the shoots are facing the light. If you have little space and had to put boxes on top of each other, then you need to rearrange them regularly so that all copies receive light.
• Place the boxes themselves in a bright room, but where direct sunlight does not fall. The light should be diffused!
• In the first seven to ten days, the temperature should be about 18-20 degrees Celsius (to awaken the sleeping eyes). And after sprouts begin to appear, t decreases to 11-14 degrees (it will help to avoid stretching and overgrowing).

By the way! There is also a technology for processing potatoes in the light, in which you need to alternate the temperature: when forming a sprout about 5 millimeters long, you need to rearrange them to a cooler place for 2 days, and then return them to their previous conditions. It is believed that this hardening makes the plant stronger and more resilient.

With high humidity in the dark

The name itself speaks of the essence of this method - it is carried out in humid conditions (with a humidity of 80-90 percent). The method has a significant advantage - not only shoots are formed, but also roots, therefore, you can get earlier and stronger shoots. In addition, the duration of the procedure is shorter - 15-20 days are enough.

Wet germination of potatoes is carried out according to the following scheme:

• Place the tubers sprouted upwards in a container filled with a loose substrate that is easily moistened, for example, peat, moss, sawdust, straw. Between them there should be at least 3 centimeters of this substance from below and above.
• Moisten the loose substrate with a spray bottle.
• Move the container to a dark place.
• Germination in such conditions is necessary at a temperature of 12-15 degrees Celsius.
• Subsequently, you need to regularly moisten the material, avoiding drying out (moderate humidity should be maintained).

Important! Since with this method, not only sprouts, but also roots can form, then with too long germination they can outgrow, the roots can intertwine, which during transplantation can cause injury to the root system. Therefore, it is important not to outgrow and complete everything within the recommended time frame. If the planned planting is postponed due to weather conditions or other reasons, it is necessary to lower t in order to slow down growth.

With high humidity in the light (combined germination)

In this case, the two methods described above are combined. The first two to three weeks need to be germinated in the light using the technology described above. And then, when sprouts form in the tubers, they are placed for 10 days in loose material - peat, sawdust, moss, straw (the method is also described above). It is believed that with this method, germination will be faster and more efficient.

Germination in the dark

This method has many opponents and followers. To germinate potatoes before planting in the dark, you need to act in almost the same way as with the method "in the light". That is, you first need to spread the tubers on the floor or in boxes, and create a temperature: for the first 10 days - 18-20 degrees, and then reduce t to 11-14. Germination time in the dark is 20-30 days.

How best to germinate potatoes - in the light or in the dark

Among summer residents and gardeners, an eternal dispute has long been going on - which germination is better and more correct - in the light or in the dark? Each of the method has its own followers, who make strong arguments.

Benefits of light germination:

• In the light, solanine is produced - a substance that is toxic to humans, but protects tubers from pests and rodents.
• Sprouts in the light appear stronger, sturdier, stocky.

Benefits of dark germination:

• Tubers that sprout in the dark sprout faster in the soil.
• It is believed that when germinated in the light, seed potatoes degenerate faster.
• You do not need to search and occupy a place in a house with normal lighting.

"Fitosporin": soaking and spraying

"Fitosporin" is a microbiological preparation, which contains Bacillus subtilis strain 26 D. It acts on the principle of fungicides, reliably protecting the seed material from diseases of various etiologies (scab, rot, phytophthora, powdery mildew, etc.), stress and providing it with fast height. Before planting, it is recommended to process the tubers 2 times - for vernalization (germination of sprouts) and before direct laying in the ground. Seeds treated with "Fitosporin" sprout several days earlier than untreated ones.

This biofungicide is available in suspension, powder and paste form. The drug in liquid form is more suitable for treating indoor plants, and the powder is poorly soluble in water, therefore, it is better to use a paste for dressing potato tubers. A properly prepared working solution should be dark brown. Before using it, it is better to let it brew for a day in a warm place, so that the living microorganisms in it are activated.

"Fitosporin" is incompatible with copper-containing agents, such as copper sulfate and Bordeaux liquid. You can use this biological product for soaking or spraying. It is recommended to spray the seeds so that the agent gets on each tuber. It is necessary to dilute biofungicide in strict accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. The solution can also be used to treat the soil before placing planting material in it.

Warming up potatoes

The processing method is based on heat treatment. The scheme and rules for heating potatoes before planting in the ground are very simple. You just need to get the tubers 1-2 weeks before the event and leave them in a room with a temperature of 20-22 degrees Celsius.

Important! The temperature should be raised gradually, otherwise the material may become stressed. First you need to hold it for 2-3 days at a temperature of 10-15 degrees Celsius, and then increase it.

Warming up is suitable for those who could not prepare their planting material in advance, which, by the way, must be "woken up" before planting. If you do not have the opportunity to get it in 7-14 days, then you need at least 3-5 days

Boric acid

The use of boric acid in the treatment of plants gives good results on all types of soil. Processing potatoes before planting with a boron mixture prevents a number of diseases and external damage. Signs of boron deficiency include fungal scab damage to tubers and a general developmental delay. Leaves turn yellow, the rest of the aboveground part of the plant slows down in growth and becomes brittle.

When the initial signs of the disease appear, boric feeding is used. To do this, 6-7 g of acid is diluted in a bucket of water and treated with about 1 hundred square meters of the planted area. For preventive purposes, sprouted tubers should be sprayed with boron solution in a proportion of 15 g per 10 l of water with the calculation of seed treatment of 50 ml per 1 kg. For introduction into the soil, as fertilizers, a phosphorus-boric mixture is used, the action of which is to protect potatoes from pests.

The boric acid concentration should be calculated based on the acidity of the soil

Potato processing to stimulate growth

In addition to treating pests and diseases, you can prepare seed potato tubers in the spring by soaking in preparations that stimulate growth.Thanks to them, the tubers will germinate faster in the soil, the plant will be stronger and more resistant.

At home, you can use the following drugs (apply according to the instructions):

• Potato solution;
• Zircon;
• Epin-Extra;
• Poteytin;
• Silk;
• Bioglobin.

By the way! If you are a supporter of organic farming, then you can process the potato tubers before planting in a solution of wood ash. It is necessary to dilute 1 kg of the substance in 10 liters of water and soak the planting material for a short time.

How to plant potatoes correctly

To the question of how to plant potatoes correctly, there will certainly be many answers from your friends gardeners, and from a host of sources on the Internet and in print media.

The main and indisputable factors and actions before planting for the correct cultivation of potatoes:

• Excellent, healthy, selected in autumn during the harvest from the best bushes - seed material (tubers at least 5 cm). The more tubers you plant, the earlier and more productive your harvest will be. The recommended tuber size is about a large chicken egg.
• Sprouting potatoes.
• Preparing the soil on the site for planting.
• Processing potatoes before planting to protect them from pests and diseases.

Recommended: If the potatoes are germinated and ready for planting, and the soil is still cold, do the following: dig grooves, cover them with sawdust and soil, put potatoes there, cover with foil. In such a shelter, your seed germinated material will wait for planting for another week or two.

Landing dates

The best time to plant potatoes is the first days of May. Warm and sunny, when the first young leaves bud and bloom on the birches, bird cherry and dandelions bloom. At this time, the soil should warm up to + 8 ° C to a depth of 10-15 cm. (It is advisable to measure the temperature of the earth). If this is not possible, then be guided by the air temperatures: during the day + 15оС and above, and at night not lower than + 5оС.

If you dig up a site for planting, then by the clods from under the bayonet the shovels can be determined: they break into several parts - the time has come, and if they crumble into crumbs, then you must act immediately.

As for small frosts after planting, they do not threaten properly planted potatoes in the ground until the first shoots. Frosts are dangerous for seedlings above four cm. In such cases, it is urgent to huddle the sprouts, leaving only the tips of the upper leaves. Or cover the planting with cardboard or straw.

How deep to plant potatoes

Tubers should be planted to a depth of 9-10 cm, it is advisable to arrange the beds from north to south, adhere to a planting scheme of 80 cm by 35 cm.Plants planted too close will interfere with each other during subsequent growth. And the susceptibility to diseases is greater in heaped potato bushes.

According to all the recommended methods of productive and high-quality planting, the distance between rows should be at least 90 cm. Thanks to this, optimal conditions are created for the growth of bushes, their processing and care.

Usually potatoes are planted sprouts up. This method is more reliable and stable.

But there are also supporters of an alternative option, which gives a tangible increase in yield, due to the development of a stronger root system. Potatoes are planted sprouts down, if sprouted potatoes are thick and short, no more than 1.5 cm in length. In this case, the soil should be very well loosened and mulched.

If you are forced to cut tubers in order to save seed material, then do it as follows: only along the potatoes, since rudimentary roots are formed at the tops and disinfect the knife as often as possible in concentrated potassium permanganate or in 5% copper sulfate.

Treatment against pests and diseases

Despite the fact that this culture cannot be called demanding in care and capricious, problems can still arise during cultivation - tubers that are in the ground are an excellent delicacy for various insect pests. And also infection with diseases is not excluded. Therefore, it is recommended to treat potato tubers against diseases and pests immediately before planting.... Such preparation in the spring at home will help to avoid many problems in the future.

Note! Processing must be done depending on the rules on the instructions - you can soak it, or you can spray it.

Planting material can be etched, depending on the purpose, as follows:

• To protect against pests (especially against the Colorado potato beetle and wireworm) it is recommended to treat the tubers in a solution of a chemical insecticide, for example, Imidor Pro, Matador, Tabu, Force, Prestige.
• For prevention and protection against fungal diseases (scab, rhizoctoniae), tubers can be treated in a solution of fungicides, for example, Fitosporin, Bordeaux liquid, Tiram, Pencicuron, Fludioxonil, Maxim.

Important! When using any drugs, you must carefully follow the instructions for use. Act carefully, observing safety precautions.

• As protection against late blight you can treat the tubers with a solution of drugs - Epin, Fitosporin-M, Bioglobin, Poteytin. The funds strengthen the immune system, making them more resistant to disease.
• Before planting, you can soak the potatoes in combination drug, which acts as a fungicide and insecticide, for example, Copper sulfate, Prestige, Tuberculosis.

Important! After processing the potato tubers by soaking, do not rush to plant them in open ground. You must first dry them, and then proceed to the event.

Features of the

One of the worst enemies of potatoes is the Colorado potato beetle, which adapts to chemicals, not to mention folk remedies. To do this, manufacturers often produce complex mixtures that are aimed at several areas of influence. In addition to the beetle, the plant suffers from many diseases, aphids and some other insects.

The mixture is prepared by dissolving 30 ml of the product in 200 g of water. The planting material is laid out in one layer and sprayed with the specified substance. After drying the top layer. The potatoes are turned over and processed again. In a similar way, seeds are processed with solutions of Aktara, Tabu, Celest, Voliam. A more accurate dosage and method of processing is indicated in the instructions.

Despite the appearance of a mass of new preparations for pre-sowing treatment of potatoes, proven means remain in high esteem: boric acid, photosporin, Commander, Prestige. To save money on purchases, the beneficial use of folk remedies is available: treatment with copper sulfate, potassium permanganate, ash.

Growth stimulants

The use of these substances allows you to get the maximum yield. This is achieved through:

• rapid development of the root system;
• early shoots;
• awakening of "sleeping" eyes;
• protection against infections and high resistance to adverse weather conditions.

In addition, potatoes become more nutritious as they increase in starch and vitamins.

This is one of the most famous drugs. The active ingredients are a complex of 2,6-dimethylpyridine-1-oxide with succinic acid.

When using it:

• seedlings appear 5-6 days ahead of schedule;
• the stems develop thicker;
• the plant is easier to tolerate damage caused by the Colorado potato beetle;
• the culture gains resistance to late blight.

The manufacturer promises a yield of 24% higher than usual

You can read more about how to grow a good potato crop in our article.

The active substances of the product are modified humic acids, for which the acidity of the soil does not matter. The formula also contains polyhydric alcohols, carboxylic acids derived from natural products.

Related article: Is it okay to eat raw potatoes: health benefits and harms

Growth stimulation is achieved by increasing the biological activity of intracellular water, accelerating cell division and regulating the intensity of mineral nutrition. The drug works in the following directions:

• increases oxygen access;
• increases the synthesis of the main energy substance ATP;
• accelerates the absorption of nutrients from the soil;
• improves carbohydrate metabolism, promotes the formation of sugars;
• increases resistance to frost and heat;
• helps to increase the volume of the root system by 60%, leaf mass - by 35%.

The drug also enhances the plant's immunity, reduces the susceptibility to diseases by 1.5 - 2 times. The consumption of fungicides is reduced by 2 times due to a decrease in the frequency of treatment of the site.

"Pennant 2" increases the volume of root exudates, increases the activity of microorganisms inhabiting the soil, promotes the growth of their numbers and thereby stimulates the accumulation of humus. This creates conditions for optimal mineral nutrition of the crop and reduces the use of mineral fertilizers by up to 70%.

Treatment with late blight

The first signs of the disease may appear already during the germination period. The use of special preparations against infection at the planting stage also allows for effective protection of the plant.

Celeste Top

This is a combined remedy based on three substances, two of which have antifungal activity. Fludioxonil comes from a new chemical class of phenylpyrroles. This is an analogue of a natural antibiotic that prevents the development of infection on the surface of the root crop itself. It suppresses the vital activity of spores and sprouted hyphae of fungi even before they penetrate into the mother tuber.

Difenoconazole is a substance with systemic action against pathogens of fungal infections found on planting material and soil. This allows you to keep both seeds and seedlings healthy.

The third component of the product is the insecticide thiamethoxam. Thanks to him, the product fights soil pests. In addition, it provides up to 100 days of protection against the Colorado potato beetle.

It is a fludioxonil-based fungicidal disinfectant. Substances have a different mechanism of action than other chemical groups.

The remedy protects crops from infections caused by ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, imperfect fungi. The product has a selective mechanism of action and does not destroy beneficial bacteria. The composition includes a signal dye that allows you to control the completeness of the etching. "Maxim" also makes the plant resistant to many diseases of the growing season.

"Maxim" and "Celeste Top" delay the appearance of late blight by 2 weeks. And with the preparations "Quadris" and "Uniform", which are applied directly to the soil, they extend the protection by 3-4 weeks.

Fungicide prices Maxim

"Planriz-Bio"

Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria and biologically active substances that are produced during cultivation fight against late blight. Microorganisms colonize the roots of the plant and produce enzymes and antibacterial substances that prevent rot. In addition, this product is a growth promoter. Tubers "Planriz-Bio" are processed 1-2 days before planting or on the same day.