Content
Potatoes of the Limonka variety are the result of the work of Dutch breeders. It bears excellent fruit in the Central and Central Black Earth regions of Russia, in Ukraine.
Description
Table potatoes of the Limonka variety are medium-late. The ripening period lasts from 110 to 130 days, and you can estimate the harvest in late August and early September. Sprawling, vigorous bushes are formed by thick tall stems. Flowers of a modest size are white. The leaves are medium in size.
The mass of ripe tubers is 80-140 g. Potato peel The lemon is distinguished by a heterogeneous color (yellow-brown), and the flesh has a creamy hue (photo). Root crops may resemble a pear in shape. About twenty tubers are tied in a bush and about 4 kg of potatoes can be harvested from a square meter of beds. The starch content is 10-12%, and the keeping quality parameter is 90%. Delicious potato Limonka perfectly complements many dishes.
Advantages and disadvantages
The unpretentious potato variety Limonka has different advantages and therefore is planted in many summer cottages:
- perfectly stored in winter without loss of taste;
- has an elegant and attractive appearance;
- tolerates temperature changes well, resistant to changes in humidity;
- perfectly transported over long distances;
- resistant to late blight of tubers, scab, potato nematode.
The disadvantages of the Limonka variety include sensitivity to late blight of leaves.
Landing
The choice of a place for the beds must be approached responsibly, because in the absence of good lighting, the green mass of Limonka potatoes begins to stretch strongly and turn yellow. This variety does not develop well in low-lying areas where water can stagnate. Potatoes Limonka do not have special requirements for soils, but it is still desirable to "dilute" heavy loamy soils with sand and compost.
It is better to prepare the soil for planting in the fall. When digging, you can apply a complex of mineral and organic fertilizers. The feed is prepared per 1 sq. m: rotted manure (6-7 kg), potassium sulfate (15 g), superphosphate (40 g). Fans of ecological cultivation of the land can sow green manure (5-6 weeks before the autumn frost), which rot during the winter under the snow. Lupine, alfalfa - ideal for potato beds.
In the spring, a month before planting, they are engaged in seed material. Potatoes of the Limonka variety are carefully examined and diseased or damaged tubers are discarded. It is advisable to germinate the seed in order to harvest earlier. To do this, lemon potatoes are laid out in a warm, well-lit place for about 30-40 days. The use of growth stimulants (Epin, Zircon) will increase resistance to diseases, pests and help enhance the growth and flowering of bushes.
For planting potatoes of the Limonka variety, a time is chosen when there is no danger of late frosts, but the earth still retains moisture. The ideal period is early May. In the southern regions, the variety can be planted as early as late March and early April.
Potatoes Limonka grow quite sprawling bushes, therefore, a distance of 45-50 cm is left in the rows between the holes.The row spacing is made 60-65 cm wide.
Care
The main work on potato beds is weeding, loosening, watering. Conveniently, weeding and loosening can be combined. When choosing an irrigation regime, one must take into account the climatic features of the region. In this case, one must remember about the main periods when potatoes especially need watering:
- the beginning of budding;
- after the end of flowering.
During the ripening period of the Limonka variety tubers, watering is considered acceptable once every 10 days. If rainy weather sets in, the beds are watered less often. On hot days, it is better to allocate morning hours or evening hours for watering (when the ground cools well). The soil will retain moisture longer if the beds are immediately slightly loosened.
In arid southern regions, a drip irrigation system is an excellent humidification solution.
Hilling and feeding
Loosening and hilling are the main works that contribute to an increase in the yield of Limonka potatoes. Thanks to these processes, the supply of oxygen to the roots increases, new tubers are formed, and the moisture of the soil is preserved. Experienced summer residents huddle beds of Limonka potatoes at least twice a season:
- the first time the bushes are spud when the stems grow 15-20 cm high;
- the second time, the procedure is carried out during the budding / flowering period.
Fertilization
To get a high yield, soil fertility is maintained throughout the season. In the process of planting, organic fertilizer is poured into each well with half a glass of ash and 600 g of humus or a complex fertilizer (half a glass of bone meal, a tablespoon of nitrophosphate). During the growth of the bushes, fertilizers are applied twice:
- When the seedlings grow 10-15 cm, it is especially important to strengthen the root system of Limonka potato bushes. In the process of hilling, a solution of chicken manure is added (proportion 15: 1 of water and fertilizer, respectively). Under each bush, half a liter of solution is poured onto the moistened soil. You can use a urea solution (dissolve 20 g of the drug in 10 liters of water).
- As soon as the buds begin to form, a liter of solution is poured under each Limonka potato bush: 20 g of potassium sulfate and 20 g of wood ash are taken into a ten-liter bucket of water. Thanks to top dressing, the flowering process is accelerated.
- During the flowering and formation of Limonka tubers, the beds are watered with a solution of potassium sulfate (30 g is diluted in a ten-liter bucket of water). You can use a solution of complex fertilizer: a glass of mullein is diluted in 10 liters of water, add 2 tbsp. l superphosphate. The mixture is infused for about an hour and then half a liter is poured under each Limonka potato bush.
Particular attention is paid to feeding sandy and sandy loam soils, from which nutrients are quickly washed out, especially in rainy periods.
Diseases and pests
Due to its resistance to many diseases, the Limonka potato variety has gained popularity among summer residents and gardeners. However, the likelihood of some diseases damaging the bushes remains.
| Symptoms of defeat | Control methods and prevention |
Late blight of leaves - a fungal disease | First, the lower leaves are covered with brown spots and the entire aerial part is gradually affected. Favorable conditions - cool damp weather | Spraying the tops with a solution of copper sulfate (10 g is diluted in 10 liters of water). A 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid is used, or the drug Arcerid (25 g of the drug is taken for 10 liters of water). Crop rotation rules are used as preventive measures. |
Leaf roll virus is transmitted through infected seed. During the growth of the bushes, aphids are spread. | The lower leaves are curled first, taking on a pale green appearance. The foliage loses its elasticity and breaks when touched. Hot, dry weather promotes the spread and development of the disease | The main method of struggle is the quick removal of affected bushes of the Limonka variety and pre-planting prophylaxis: healthy, tubers treated with a solution of wood ash are planted (1 kg of ash is diluted in a ten-liter bucket of water) |
Of the pests, a wireworm that infects tubers causes significant damage to potatoes. As a preventive measure, deep digging of the garden in the fall is recommended. The drugs Aktellikom or Deces Extra are introduced into the beds.
Harvesting
You can dig Limonka potatoes in late summer or early autumn. As soon as the tops begin to turn yellow, they are cut off at a level of 10 cm from the ground, 5-7 days before harvesting the tubers. It is better to dig out the harvest in dry weather. In order for the potatoes to dry slightly and ventilate, they are left on the field for a while in good weather or laid out indoors / under cover in rainy times.
Before laying for storage, the tubers are carefully sorted out. Healthy potatoes are separated for future planting. The sick and injured are removed. You can separate the large and small potatoes Limonka separately, as large roots are stored longer. The storage area should be dry, dark and well ventilated. Periodically, the tubers are sorted out and the damaged ones are thrown away.
