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High yield, resistance to diseases, excellent keeping quality, excellent taste - these are the qualities that a relatively young variety of potatoes Rodrigo possesses. It was bred by German breeders, and entered the Russian State Register in 2009. The originator is Solana GmbH & Co.
Distinctive features of the variety
Despite the fact that Russian gardeners have recently grown Rodrigo potatoes on their plots, this variety has already earned a lot of positive feedback and is gaining more and more popularity.
The variety showed excellent results in the southern regions, as well as in areas with more severe climatic conditions. However, the catalogs indicate that experts recommend growing the Rodrigo potato variety in the middle Volga region.
Rodrigo is a medium early variety in terms of ripening. The growing season is 70 to 85 days. This is how long it takes for the skin of this variety of potatoes to become dense and tough enough. However, just 2-2.5 months after planting, you can already try the first young potatoes by digging up a few bushes.
According to the description of the variety and reviews (which can be clearly seen in the photo), the bushes of Rodrigo's potatoes consist of an average of 3-5 shoots. The stems are tall, reaching 75-80 cm. In the process of potato ripening, the bush gradually disintegrates, the stems droop.
There are not so many leaves in Rodrigo, but they are large, along the edges with barely noticeable wavy folds. During flowering, the number of inflorescences is insignificant. The petals are pale lilac, sometimes reddish with a pink tint.
According to the description of the variety, the tubers of Rodrigo potatoes in the phase of full maturity reach a weight of 90-150 grams. However, in fact, many gardeners note that if the rules of agricultural cultivation are observed, a richer harvest can be harvested. Some tubers reach a weight of 300-350 grams, and even up to 0.5 kg.
7-10 potatoes can be harvested from one bush. Small and gnarled tubers are not observed. For the most part, all potatoes of this variety are medium or large in size, even, without flaws, elongated, oval in shape.
The skin of Rodrigo's potatoes is light raspberry or deep pink in color, smooth to the touch, rather firm enough to withstand a long shelf life. A small number of eyes are located on the surface, without excessive deepening. Any housewife will appreciate this feature of the variety at its true worth, since peeling potatoes will not take much time.
The flesh of Rodrigo's potatoes is yellowish-creamy. The starch content is low, at the level of 12.5-15.5%, which determines a wide range of its application. It does not boil over and does not crumble during cooking, it keeps its shape perfectly.
Advantages and disadvantages
Despite the fact that this variety was brought to us from Germany, gardeners from different regions of Russia have already appreciated its advantages. According to numerous reviews, Rodrigo potatoes have a lot of advantages with absolutely no disadvantages.
- The unpretentiousness of potatoes to the composition of the soil, calmly tolerates prolonged drought and heat.
- The high yield of the variety is: from a bush - 7-10 rather large potatoes, from one hundred square meters - up to 600 kg, from one hectare - up to 180-210 tons.
- The varietal traits of Rodrigo potatoes persist for 5-7 years, providing gardeners with high yields and excellent quality.
- Excellent taste.
- Excellent presentation, which is of great importance for farm owners.
- Transportability.
- Tubers damaged during harvesting and sorting can be safely stored for long-term storage. In places of damage, the potato does not turn black and does not deteriorate.
- The variety has a very high, genetically determined resistance to many viral and fungal diseases.
- Wide range of applications.
According to the description declared by the originators, the potatoes of the Rodrigo variety have no significant drawbacks. The only drawback is the excessive and premature spreading of the bushes. This circumstance complicates the hilling of potatoes. However, this disadvantage can rather be attributed to the advantages of the variety.
The soil under the spreading bushes stays moist longer, which means that watering the potatoes will need several times less.
Growing technology
According to numerous reviews, the cultivation of Rodrigo potatoes is not particularly difficult due to the unpretentiousness of the variety. However, there are some nuances of growing that need to be known in advance.
Love does not love
In general, based on the characteristics of the variety, Rodrigo potatoes are not whimsical to the composition of the soil. However, in order to obtain guaranteed high yields, the crop must be provided with a sufficient amount of nutrients.
Like any potato variety, Rodrigo loves loose and fertile soils with excellent moisture carrying capacity. Unsuitable for growing too heavy and sandy, poor soil. Potatoes will not give you a rich harvest in such areas.
Before planting, it is advisable to enrich the land with humus or complex mineral fertilizer.
The characteristic of the potato variety Rodrigo involves growing crops on soils with medium acidity. Potatoes do not like too acidified soils. Therefore, determine in advance the acid values in the soil composition. Ideal values should vary between 5.5-7.
With increased acidity, slaked lime (fluff), dolomite flour or crushed chalk should be added to the soil before digging. The soil and the powdered eggshells are also quite deoxidizing.
The Rodrigo variety reacts positively to the abundance of sunlight. The deficit immediately affects the appearance of the crop and yield. Potato shoots become thin and weak, and tubers become smaller. Consider this factor when choosing the ideal planting site for potatoes.
When growing potatoes of the Rodrigo variety, do not use chemicals to destroy weeds... Therefore, it is advisable to remove the weed from the site manually or using herbicide treatment even before the start of planting work.
Crop rotation rules
The characteristics of Rodrigo's potatoes and reviews of gardeners indicate that the main rule of agricultural cultivation is compliance with a competent crop rotation.
It is undesirable to plant potatoes in one place for more than two or three years in a row. When choosing the ideal site, keep in mind that plants of the nightshade family are undesirable precursors for potatoes. But the beds on which in the past grew onions, legumes, cabbage of any kind, corn, radishes, beets, spinach will be an excellent option for growing crops.
Green manure planted in autumn or spring before planting will saturate the soil with nitrogen and oxygen, reduce the number of weeds and loosen the soil well. Professionals say that the yield of potatoes planted after green manure increases by 30-40%.
Preparation of planting material
A month before planting, all tubers must be carefully sorted. Select only healthy, undamaged tubers of approximately the same size. Suitable for planting potatoes the size of a chicken egg or slightly larger.
The selected seed material is laid out in boxes in 1-2 layers and placed in a warm, sufficiently lit room for germination. The longer the sprouts of the potatoes, the faster the entrances will appear.
If, according to preliminary forecasts, you do not have enough material for planting, you can cut large tubers into pieces. The main thing is that on each separated part there are 2-3 full, healthy sprouts. It is advisable to cut the potatoes no more than 2-3 days before planting.
When to plant
You should not rush to plant Rodrigo, however, it is also undesirable to postpone this event for too long. In the southern regions, potatoes are planted in the last decade of April or at the beginning of May. But in areas with more severe climatic conditions, this period can be shifted by 2-3 weeks. That is, potatoes are planted in mid to late May.
To more accurately determine the optimal planting time, observe the weather. If the air temperature for 5-7 days is kept within + 18˚C + 20˚C, and the soil has warmed up to + 10˚C at a depth of 8-10 cm, then you can start planting.
Landing scheme and rules
Given the individual peculiarity of the variety, the planting scheme for Rodrigo's potatoes differs significantly from the generally accepted norms. The spreading of the bushes requires an increase in the distance between the planting holes.
The minimum distance between nearby potato tubers is 30-35 cm. It is advisable to leave the row spacing more spacious - 70-75 cm. The depth of the planting pit depends on the quality of the soil. For heavy soil, 6-8 cm will be enough, but for loose and light soil, you need to dig a hole deeper, at least 12-15 cm.
At the end of planting work, it is advisable to water the beds and mulch with straw or peat chips. This procedure will help you protect Rodrigo's potatoes from freezing in the event of unpredictable return frosts.
Care after landing
Any culture after planting needs care. Potatoes of the Rodrigo variety are no exception. Regular weeding and loosening, watering and hilling - each procedure has long been familiar to every gardener.
Cleanliness in the beds is a guarantee of a rich harvest. Therefore, weed the potatoes as needed, combining weeding with loosening the soil. And Rodrigo will certainly thank you for your diligence.
Potatoes of the Rodrigo variety are spud 2-3 times per season. The first procedure is carried out after germination. Young shoots are completely covered with soil. It is necessary to huddle potatoes a second time before the stems reach a height of 12-18 cm. Subsequently, it is advisable to loosen the soil in the aisles after rain or as the soil compresses.
But with watering potatoes of the Rodrigo variety, judging by the reviews of gardeners, there are no special problems. Sprawling bushes help keep the soil moist for a fairly long period.Therefore, the Rodrigo variety is not afraid of drought. However, pay special attention to the condition of the soil during flowering.
If it is hot during the budding period, and precipitation is not expected in the near future, water the beds abundantly. It is undesirable to water the potatoes with a hose, so as not to violate the integrity of the row spacings. Give preference to drip irrigation or sprinkling.
Who or what can threaten culture
Due to genetically determined resistance, the Rodrigo potato variety is extremely rarely affected by any diseases. The only one who can threaten this culture is the well-known Colorado potato beetle.
You can fight the pest with the help of chemicals (Inta-Vir, Prestige or Tabu). You can also use folk remedies (plant along the edge of the garden or between the rows of calendula, garlic).
Collection and storage rules
They start harvesting Rodrigo potatoes as soon as the first signs of ripening appear. Yellowed and dry tops signal that you can no longer hesitate. After digging up, the entire crop is sorted. Potatoes intended for long-term storage are dried in the shade for 2-3 days. Tubers cleaned from dirt are laid in a basement or storage room, in which the following conditions are met:
- temperature within + 3˚С + 5˚С;
- humidity within 75-85%;
- good ventilation.
Rodrigo potato tubers selected for planting should be greened in the sun for 5-7 days and stored.
The results of growing potatoes of the Rodrigo variety under the hay will be shared with you by the author of the video
Conclusion
Potatoes are grown in almost every plot. After all, it has long been considered the most important culture, which has long and firmly entered the diet and has been honored to be called the second bread. That is why every gardener scrupulously selects varieties that are guaranteed to give a rich harvest. And judging by the description and photo, Rodrigo's potato variety is worthy of the attention of the most sophisticated gardeners.
We have been growing this variety since 2010 in the Chelyabinsk region. Harvest, keeping quality and taste are excellent. With proper storage, there are no spoiled root crops at all. We plant at the very end of May on the 25-30th, the harvest at the end of August is also on the 25-30th. Recomend for everybody. You will never regret choosing this variety.