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It is almost impossible to find a decent alternative to potatoes in the daily diet. Therefore, almost all gardeners strive to grow and harvest potatoes. As a rule, great importance is attached to the choice of the variety. At the same time, many factors are taken into account: the climatic characteristics of the region, the ripening time of the crop, the taste of the vegetable and the peculiarities of caring for the crop.
The Meteor variety cannot yet be called widespread, since it is quite young (only in 2013 it was added to the register of varietal achievements). However, the excellent taste of the Meteor variety and the ease of care provide a significant increase in the number of its fans.
General characteristics of the variety
Meteora bushes grow tall, with medium-sized stems and dark leaves. White flowers are small in size. Each bush forms approximately 9-11 large potatoes.
The tubers are covered with a thin creamy skin. The inner cut of this potato variety has a light yellow color (as in the photo).
After planting, Meteor finally matures in about 65-70 days, which allows it to be attributed to varieties with early ripening periods. There is an opinion that they do not dig potatoes until the color falls off. However, for this variety, it is possible to carry out the first "test" of the crop after 43-46 days.
The Meteor variety has a high yield: 210-405 centners of tubers can be dug up from a hectare. Such a big difference is determined by the level of plant care, weather conditions, and the location of the plots.
The distinctive quality of Meteor potatoes is excellent preservation, without loss of taste and appearance.
It is impossible to distinguish any significant shortcomings in the variety. It is quite natural that difficult weather conditions affect the size of the harvest. However, if you make every effort to properly care for the variety, then the volume of the harvested crop will be quite satisfactory.
Growing features
The main advantage of the Meteor potato variety is the ability to grow and bear fruit in various conditions. It is this quality that allows novice gardeners to easily and effortlessly grow this variety and harvest a decent harvest.
Planting potatoes
The optimal period for planting the variety is early May. According to popular belief, a suitable period is when the bird cherry blossoms. The main condition is a well-warmed soil. The plot for the Meteor variety should be well lit. Any shading is excluded.
Particular attention should be paid to the preparation of the plot of land approximately two weeks before planting work. An ideal option when in front of the potatoes on the site grew: cucumbers, legumes, onions, cabbage.
Planting stages
- Meteor potatoes are planted in rows. A distance of about 30 cm must be maintained between the pits.A strip of land approximately 55-65 cm wide is laid on the row-spacing.
- The holes are dug to a depth of approximately 8-12 cm. Organic fertilizer is applied to each hole: 4-5 tbsp. l. wood ash and 650-700 g of dry humus. Alternatively, you can use bone meal (half a cup) and a tablespoon of nitrophoska. If you do not want to rush around the area with a lot of bags, you can buy ready-made Kemir mixture in the store. Its manufacturers offer different compositions, but they all contribute to an increase in the yield of Meteor potatoes, improve the quality of the vegetable and increase its preservation ability.
- Two or three tubers are placed in the hole and buried.
To obtain the maximum yield, it is recommended to adhere to the rules of caring for Meteor potatoes: regular loosening of the soil and hilling of plants is carried out, especially after rains.
The essence of the method: the sprouted Meteor tubers are laid out on the ground in a row with a step of 20-25 cm. A distance of 90-100 cm is maintained between the rows. Then the potatoes are not pressed into the ground, but the soil is simply raked onto the tubers. A ridge is formed with a height of approximately 30-40 cm and a base of 55-60 cm. This shape of the bed must be regularly maintained, especially after rains, when the earth is washed away along the slopes.
The advantages of the method are obvious: the tubers of the Meteor potato are located in the ridges and do not require a shovel or pitchfork to get the crop. It is enough to slightly move the soil at the top of the bed.
Watering and fertilizing the soil
Watering is desirable every ten days. Of course, this indicator can be considered conditional, since different regions will have their own requirements for the frequency of watering.
When watering, you should pay attention not to the quantity of waterings, but to their quality. The soil should be soaked at least 40 cm deep. The reference point for the need for watering is the loss of leaf elasticity and the wilting of the tops. The best option for organizing irrigation is drip, in which water will constantly flow into the root system of the Meteor potato and a crust will not appear on the soil surface.
For proper feeding, it is recommended to take into account the peculiarities of the growing season of the Meteor potato variety. During the season, three main periods of potato development can be distinguished.
- The first stage - from germination of tubers to flowering bushes, it lasts about 24-26 days. This period is characterized by increased growth of tops and the formation of Meteora tubers. It is recommended to add urea, ammonium nitrate.
- The second stage begins after flowering and lasts until the foliage begins to wilt, which is approximately 25-27 days. This time can be considered the most important, since there is an intensive growth of Meteor potato tubers. It is advisable to fertilize the soil with superphosphate or add potassium sulfate.
- The third stage is the final wilting of the stems and foliage. The tuber mass is still growing, but more slowly. Mineral-organic mixtures are used: superphosphate and mullein solution.
The Meteor potatoes are harvested after complete drying and wilting of the tops.
Not all plots have favorable conditions for growing potatoes. Therefore, it is possible to improve the composition of the soil precisely by the correct application of fertilizers.
Diseases and pests
An important advantage of Meteor potatoes is their high resistance to a number of diseases: dry and ring rot, golden potato nematode. Also, this variety is characterized by average resistance to late blight, scab, wrinkled / banded mosaic.
Since the Meteor variety is characterized by protection against many diseases, there is no need to especially deal with the processing of bushes. As a preventive measure, spraying potatoes with insecticides is encouraged to provide additional protection against insects.
Meteor potatoes can be classified as promising varieties due to their excellent nutritional qualities, resistance to diseases and the possibility of planting everywhere. Even with minimal, but correct care, potatoes will give a bountiful harvest.
The taste of young boiled potatoes is not any, ripe potatoes in any form are not inferior to the best varieties of potatoes. The tubers are huge, even when harvested early. While they were digging young, they were disappointed, they were going to not leave for seeds, but at the end of August they realized that they were wrong. In total, we plant 8 varieties of various potatoes on an area of 6 acres - there is something to compare with. Recommended for growing. Moscow region
only the flesh inside is not yellow, but creamy. In the illustration, the color has been edited.