Content
Vernalization is a special method of seed preparation. The seeds are exposed to low temperatures, about 2 - 4 degrees Celsius. For potatoes, vernalization refers to the germination of tubers for an early harvest.
Tuber preparation
To get a good potato crop, it is very important to prepare quality seed material. For planting, medium-sized tubers are selected, weighing from 70 to 100 grams. It is necessary to carefully examine each tuber, any spots, holes can be signs of infection by infectious diseases or harmful insects.
If a potatoes sprouted during storage, it is necessary to inspect the sprouts. Healthy sprouts are pink, greenish, or purple in color. They are smooth, thick, elastic.
Often, when examining the tubers, you can see potato tubers with thin, threadlike sprouts. There are many reasons for the appearance of such sprouts, but the main one is the defeat of viral infections. It is impossible to get a harvest from such potatoes. If more than half of the potato seeds have such sprouts, it is necessary to completely replace the planting material.
If sprouts have appeared on the potatoes, and before planting for at least a month, it is advisable to break them off. This will make it possible to wake up the sleeping eyes of the potato. Planting too long shoots is undesirable, they are very easy to break off, they will need more time to adapt to temperature changes.
Terms of vernalization
Before planting, vernalization of potatoes begins 30 - 40 days before planting in the ground. In early potato varieties, sprouts appear several days earlier than in later varieties.
To determine the time of the beginning of the vernalization of potatoes, it is necessary to count 40 days from the approximate date of planting in the ground. If you start vernalization ahead of time, the shoots will be too long, and it is easy to injure them during planting.
Planting potato tubers in the ground begins when the soil warms up to 6 - 8 degrees. Depending on the planting method, the temperature is measured at a depth of 20 - 40 cm. It is necessary to prepare shelters for the potatoes in case of recurrent frosts.
Vernalization methods
There are three methods of vernalization - dry, wet and combined. Any of them is suitable for vernalizing potatoes at home.
Dry method
With this method of vernalization, the potatoes are left dry, occasionally sprinkling them. The main advantage of this method is that potatoes are less affected by fungal diseases.
Among those who like to grow potatoes, a dispute often arises as to how best to vernalize the planting material - in the light or in the dark. Supporters of the first method argue that under the influence of sunlight, solanine is formed in tubers - a natural insecticide and fungicide. Potato tubers, which contain solanine, are less affected by fungal diseases and harmful insects.
The supporters of the second method motivate their choice by the fact that in natural conditions, the development of potatoes occurs underground and human intervention in natural mechanisms can only worsen the yield.
There are several options for placing potato tubers for vernalization:
- Lay out on the floor in one or two layers;
- Place on shelves;
- Hang on a wall or ceiling in transparent bags;
- String on wire or twine and hang.
The disadvantage of the first option is that you need a lot of free space in a bright, heated room, which is often difficult to provide. If there is such a room, the floor is covered with oilcloth or paper. Potato tubers are laid out in one or two layers, spraying from a spray bottle once a day. It is necessary to turn the tubers every 2 - 3 days.
For the second way to vernalize tubers, you will need racks. The distance between the shelves should be at least 30 cm so as not to shade the germinated tubers. This option saves space in the room, but requires the cost of purchasing shelving or materials for their construction.
The transparent bag option is the most economical. Plastic bags are inexpensive and can be placed anywhere. Glazed balconies are often used for these purposes, nails are driven into the walls, on which potato tubers are vernalized. Care must be taken to temperature the air on the balcony did not drop below 5 degrees Celsius.
The fourth method also saves space, strung potatoes can be placed in the room, on the balcony, on a warm veranda. If the weather is warm outside, you can take the potato garlands outside.
The potatoes prepared by dry vernalization have several shoots up to 3 cm in size. White dots are visible on the shoots - the rudiments of the roots.
Wet way
This method involves placing potatoes in a humid environment. For vernalization, the following are most often used:
- Sand;
- Sawdust;
- Peat;
- Perlite.
Sand is the least suitable option, it does not conduct air well. Potatoes placed in the sand are often affected by fungal infections or rot.
Sawdust conducts air well, but is often humidified unevenly. May contain pathogens of infectious diseases and larvae of harmful insects. It is undesirable to use oak sawdust.
Peat does not contain pathogens of fungal infections, potatoes germinate well in it. It also contains nutrients that can provide additional nutrition to the tubers. The only drawback of peat is the danger of waterlogging. Often has a high acidity, it is advisable to add ash to germinate tubers.
Potatoes grown in perlite are not susceptible to fungal diseases. Perlite perfectly absorbs water, it is difficult to overmoisten it.
Before laying the tubers for vernalization, the bottom of the box, where they will be located, is covered with paper or plastic wrap, and a small layer of wet substrate is poured. Lay out the potatoes and substrate in layers until the box is full.
The boxes are transferred to a room with a temperature of about 15 degrees. It is necessary to monitor the moisture content of the substrate and the condition of the tubers in order to prevent drying out.
A tuber ready for planting has a sprout 3 - 5 cm in size, numerous roots. Do not allow the tubers to dry out during planting. Before planting, it is advisable to treat potatoes with long-acting insecticides.
Combined method
The essence of this method is that the potatoes are first vernalized in the light, then placed in a moist growing substrate.
The potatoes selected for planting are placed in a bright place, the air temperature of which does not exceed 10 degrees Celsius. Leave for 2 weeks. It is necessary to turn the tubers and spray them daily.
When the potatoes sprout, they are placed in boxes with a damp substrate until roots form. This process takes an average of 3 weeks.Early potatoes develop roots faster.
Vernalized potatoes are planted directly from the box where they were germinated to avoid drying out the roots.
Tuber processing
To prevent the occurrence of problems with the planting material, the tubers must be processed before laying for vernalization.
The following types of chemicals are used to process tubers:
- Fungicides;
- Growth stimulants;
- Nutrients;
- Insecticides;
- Disinfectants.
Fungicide treatment must be carried out if the potatoes were grown in the rainy season or purchased on the market. Wet weather encourages the spread of fungal spores. Often, by the appearance of the tuber, it is imperceptible that it is affected by a fungal infection, the first signs of damage appear during the growing season.
Purchased from an unknown manufacturer, seed potatoes may contain a variety of infectious agents that not only affect the potato crop, but can also contaminate the soil.
In this case, before laying for vernalization, the potatoes are thoroughly washed with disinfectants, trying not to damage the peel. After washing, potatoes are soaked or sprayed with fungicides according to the instructions.
Growth stimulants can shorten the period of vernalization and growing potatoes by 1 - 2 weeks. As a rule, they contain phytohormones identical to natural ones, which contribute to rapid development and good yields.
Treatment with potassium preparations before vernalization makes it possible to compensate for the deficiency of nutrients in the tuber. Potatoes develop faster and have good stress resistance.
It is very important to treat tubers from harmful insects, especially if there have been cases of damage by a scoop, wireworm or other pests in neighboring areas. Potato tubers may contain insect larvae.
Conclusion
Vernalization of tubers before planting does not require much time and effort. By choosing a suitable method, you can significantly improve the yield of potatoes, shorten the growing time.
