The potato crop is spread out throughout the world and is probably one of the most vegetables consumed by the population. Because of this, we were not going to stop dedicating a section on agromatics to this famous tuber. We are going to show you the main factors when growing it. Go ahead and plant it in your garden!
Index
THE POTATO, KEYS AND TIPS TO GROW IT IN YOUR GARDEN
CLIMATE REQUIREMENTS
The potato is usually cultivated in many places, but it has some climatic preferences. Mild, humid climates are good for it. The ideal growth temperatures are between 13 and 18ºC.
The potato is grown in cold environments, it should not be planted in conditions where the soil is below 7º C.
Regarding frosts , production damage occurs at temperatures of 0º C. Below -2º C the tuber is affected.
SOIL REQUIREMENTS
The potato adapts to a wide variety of soils, but like any other crop, it has its preferences. The best potato crop grows in light soil conditions and sandy or loamy textures.
The soil must have a minimum depth of 25-30 cm. Regarding the soil pH in potato cultivation, the best range is between 5 and 5.5.
If you determine that your soil does not meet the pH range, you can, in the case of your soil being basic (pH> 7), apply sulfate applications (ferrous sulfate or aluminum sulfate) or sulfur directly. In the case of having an excessively acidic soil, lime amendments should be made, at least two or three months before planting.
POTATO FERTILIZER
As is also the case in garlic cultivation , the fertilizer it receives must be well decomposed and must be incorporated into the soil 2 or 3 months before planting. Take advantage of the season prior to planting your garden and carry out these tasks. With regard to the incorporation of mineral fertilizer in potato cultivation, we are based on the study we did on potatoes.
POTATO WATERING
It is necessary to control the humidity of the soil and not overdo it with irrigation, since if the garden contains too much moisture, the tubers become too watery, not rich in starch. Its conservation is reduced and its flavor worsens, especially in the development period of the tubers. Lack of watering manifests itself on the leaves with chlorosis and wilting.
POTATO PLANTATION
In potatoes, what is commonly known as “seeds” are small potatoes, the size of an egg (50-80 gr.). If the potato is too big, cut it into 2 or 3 pieces, as long as they contain yolks and weigh more than 30 grams. In practice it is preferred that the potato is whole, rather than pieces.
PLANTATION FRAME
As we always say, for those who may visit sometime, there are different plantation settings. The most common is 0.5 m to 0.7 m between lines, spacing the potatoes 0.3 or 0.4 meters. Take this into account when growing potatoes in your garden.
POTATO WATERING
To obtain good yields in potato cultivation, an adequate level of humidity is required (not excessive, as we have commented before). With this we clarify that the humidity must be close to the field capacity in the growth of the plant, but it needs less irrigation in the development of the tuber.
Above all, what determines the variation in the amount of irrigation is the variety (extra-early, early-late) due to the alternating weather conditions. Average irrigation is usually around 130 L per month and square meter. Selecting the previous planting framework, the irrigation per month and plant is 21.66 L (20 Liters to round), which is 5 L per plant per week. (0.71 L / plant and day).
CULTIVATION CALENDAR
We have discussed the potato cultivation calendar in another section, you can use this information.
However, since February, some extra early productions can be collected. The normal thing is that the harvest continues until autumn depending on the variety.
PLAGUES AND DISEASES
Here is our compendium of potato pests and diseases !
TUBER VARIETIES
In this article you can see the different varieties of potato , although there are many more!