Content
Potatoes are a popular crop that many grow in their summer cottage. When choosing planting material, it is necessary to be guided by varietal characteristics. Among the mid-early varieties, the Virgo potato is distinguished. It is high yielding, tastes good and can grow in any region of Russia. Before purchasing planting material, you need to familiarize yourself with the strengths and weaknesses of the variety, view the photo and study the description of the Virgo potato.
Description of the potato variety Virgo
The Virgo potato grows into a small, slightly leafy bush up to half a meter high. The variety is medium early, it takes about 110 days from planting to harvest. Elongated, pale pink tubers are covered with a thin but firm skin. The smooth skin has no eyes and defects. The variety is resistant to sudden changes in temperature and humidity conditions, is resistant to diseases and pests.
Taste qualities
The Virgo potato has a dense, yellow, tasty flesh. The variety is versatile and can be used to make vegetable stews, French fries and chips. The tubers are well boiled, so beautiful and tasty mashed potatoes are prepared from them.
Pros and cons of the Virgo variety
Virgo potatoes, like any variety, have positive and negative qualities. The positive characteristics of Virgo potatoes include:
- high fruiting;
- resistance to diseases and temperature changes;
- unpretentiousness in the care and quality of the soil;
- good taste and presentation;
- universal application.
The variety has no disadvantages.
Planting and caring for Virgo potatoes
You can grow the Virgo variety from tubers and through seeds. The seed method is difficult and time-consuming, so gardeners prefer to grow potatoes from purchased tubers. When buying, it is necessary to carefully examine the planting material so that it does not have mechanical damage, signs of rot and fungal diseases.
Before planting Virgo potatoes, you must read the description and reviews, view photos and videos. This will make it possible to understand the variety and carry out proper care in the future.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
A well-lit place for landing is chosen, protected from gusty winds. The variety is unpretentious in the quality of the soil, but for a rich harvest, the soil must be well-drained and aerated, light and nutritious.
A site for potatoes is prepared in advance. To do this, they dig it up on a shovel bayonet, remove weeds, stones and clods of earth. Rotted manure and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied to the soil. After processing the soil, the site can be sown with siderite, which will saturate the soil with nitrogen.
Improving soil quality:
- Ph level - bone meal, ash or calcium carbonate is added to acidic soil. Alkaline soil is oxidized with peat or manure.
- Air and water permeability - sand, compost, perlite, vermiculite are introduced into the soil.
In order for Virgo potatoes to bring a rich harvest, you need to adhere to crop rotation. Tubers should not be planted after strawberries.The best predecessors are cucumbers, pumpkin, legumes and cereals, beets, sunflowers and corn.
Preparation of planting material
For fast germination, Virgo potatoes are germinated a month before planting. For this:
- Planting material is sorted out, discarding diseased and damaged tubers.
- The selected planting material is washed and disinfected. For a quarter of an hour, they are soaked in a solution of boric acid (10 g are diluted in a bucket of warm water).
- The disinfected potatoes are laid out in one layer for complete drying.
- In dried tubers, sprouts appear after 14 days at a temperature of + 18-20 ° C.
- Sprouted potatoes are hardened 2 days before planting. To do this, it is transferred to a cool room and covered with a dark film or cloth.
Landing rules
Planting is carried out after the end of spring frosts, when the ground warms up to + 10 ° C. Experienced gardeners say that potatoes should be planted during the lilac flowering period.
Planting Virgo potatoes can be done in several ways. When choosing a planting method, it is necessary to take into account the climatic conditions and the quality of the soil. In regions with rainy and cold summers, with heavy soil and surface groundwater, potatoes are planted on the ridges. In southern cities, a smooth landing is preferred.
The standard row spacing is about 70 cm. The space between the tubers depends on the size of the planting material. If large tubers are 40 cm, medium ones - 35 cm, small ones - 20 cm.
Planting depth depends on the composition of the soil:
- 4-5 cm on heavy clay soil, with shallow groundwater;
- 10 cm on loam;
- 15 cm on sandy, well-heated ground.
The most common ways are:
- Under the shovel - at a certain interval, holes are made into which sprouted tubers are laid. Landing can be done in 3 ways: square-nested, checkerboard, two-line. This method is not suitable for an area with clay, heavy, poorly drained soil.
- Into the ridges - planting material is planted in prepared shallow grooves. This method is used on soils with light texture.
- In the trenches - the old, proven method, suitable for an area with loose soil that does not retain moisture well.
- Into the ridges - the method is suitable for a site with heavy, clayey soil and with a surface location of groundwater. For soil cultivation, it is better to use a motor cultivator.
- Into the grass Is a new but very popular way of growing potatoes. It does not require time and effort. Tubers are laid out on the ground in a checkerboard pattern, leaving a gap between the tubers of 20 cm. A thick layer of mulch (hay, dry foliage) is laid on top. When overheating, the mulch settles, so it is necessary to periodically report a new portion. Since mulch retains moisture and is an organic fertilizer, no irrigation or feeding is carried out.
Virgo potatoes are an unpretentious variety, but to get the long-awaited harvest, you must follow simple agrotechnical rules.
Watering and feeding
In a dry, warm summer, irrigation is carried out 3 times a season: after the emergence of shoots, during the formation of buds, during the flowering period. If the summer is rainy watering is not done. If the plant does not have enough moisture, then the tops will lose their elasticity and begin to wither. Watering is carried out only in the morning.
Potatoes, like any other plant, are very responsive to feeding. Fertilizers are applied according to the following scheme:
- 2 weeks after planting;
- during budding;
- after flowering.
As a top dressing, a mineral complex is used (10 g of urea, 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of potassium chloride are diluted in 5 liters of water). If the plant has quickly grown tops, then urea is not added to the top dressing.
2 times a season, it is advisable to carry out foliar feeding with Bordeaux liquid. She will not only feed the plant, but also become a protection against diseases and pests.
Loosening and weeding
The Virgo variety grows well in loose soil, since air access to the roots is necessary for good fruiting. The first time the soil is loosened after the emergence of shoots, while removing weeds. Further loosening is carried out when an earth crust appears.
Hilling
Hilling is carried out depending on climatic conditions. If the summer is hot, and there is no time to spend frequent watering, hilling is not carried out. Since from dryness and heat, potatoes are baked in the ground.
In regions with cold, rainy summers, hilling must be carried out: the first - after germination, the second time - 20 days after the first hilling.
Diseases and pests
Deva potatoes have a strong immunity to diseases. But in a rainy summer and if the rules of care are not followed, the plant may suffer from some ailments.
- Potato rot - affects leaves, stems and tubers. The disease progresses in late July, after flowering, in a rainy, cool summer. At the first signs of the disease, the outer side of the lower leaves is covered with dark brown spots, and a white bloom forms on the inner side.
- Ring rot - a common disease that appears during flowering. The fungus infects stems and tubers. If the stem is infected, it dries up and falls to the ground. If a tuber, then when cut, the pulp is soft and watery.
- Colorado beetle - a dangerous insect that infects the plant during the entire growing season. Without treatment, in a short time, the insect destroys all the green mass, which leads to the death of the plant.
To protect the plant from diseases and pests, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures:
- observe crop rotation;
- provide proper care;
- remove lower leaves and post-harvest residues;
- at the beginning of flowering, spray the bush with Bordeaux liquid.
Potato yield
The Virgo potato is a high-yielding variety, the bush forms 6-9 tubers weighing up to 150 g. Subject to agrotechnical rules, up to 400 kg of potatoes can be harvested from a hundred square meters. Due to high fruiting, good keeping quality and transportability, the Virgo potatoes are grown on an industrial scale throughout Russia.
Harvesting and storage
Young potatoes of the Deva variety are harvested in early August. To do this, in dry, warm weather, a test dig is made. If the tubers are of standard size, the potatoes can be dug out.
The picking peak is in the middle of September. By this time, the potatoes will grow up and will be ready for long-term storage. The dug tubers are cleaned of the ground and laid out in 1 layer to dry. If the potatoes are not dried, they will have a short shelf life, as the remaining moisture will cause the tuber to rot.
Dried potatoes are sorted out, removing small ones for planting the next year. Tubers with mechanical damage are eaten in the first place.
Selected potatoes are laid out in bags or boxes and placed in a cool, dry room, where the air temperature does not exceed + 15 ° C. At high temperatures, the potatoes will begin to sprout, at minus the tubers acquire a sweet taste.
Knowing everything about the Virgo potato variety, you can harvest a good harvest without wasting time and effort.
Conclusion
Description of the Virgo potato reveals all the positive characteristics of the variety. It is unpretentious, can grow in all regions of Russia, and has good taste.By planting Virgo potatoes, you can provide yourself with a harvest for the whole winter.
