Summer is coming - the time comes for the hardest work in the garden - weeding, hilling potatoes. It seems to be nothing special ... Arm yourself with a hoe and go ahead - fight for a good harvest! Gardeners know that this is quite hard work. So you need or do not need to spud potatoes, what are the deadlines, what time should this be done? What are we doing this for? How right? What is the height of the ridge? Is it possible to do without hilling?
From the experience of my parents, from my own experience, from the experience of others, I can say no. Experts also claim that without hilling, 25-30% of the possible yield can be lost, in addition, loosening enriches the soil, and, therefore, the plant itself with oxygen. This is an important part of the potato growing process. By the way, the looser the soil, the more friable, more tasty the potatoes will be.
Why earthing up potatoes helps increase its productivity
Firstly, when planting, the tubers are dug to a depth of about 5 - 10 cm, so even a small hilling gives the stems the opportunity to grow an additional floor of tubers.
In the Kuban, the soil is black soil, it is heavy soil. And potatoes grow well in loose, semi-sandy, breathable soils. Therefore, hilling on our heavy soils is vital for this culture. For normal development, obtaining the maximum yield, it should be produced at least two times, but as much as possible - it all depends on your patience, on your strengths.
Of course, it would not be bad to carry out this work on wet soil after rain or at least after watering, since after this the side shoots (stolons), on which tubers form, will more actively grow.
Raking dry ground into the bushes can even harm potato plantings. In this case, the area of land near the potato bush increases, and the evaporation of moisture, which is still preserved below, increases. Moisture leaves - the soil temperature rises accordingly. And, as you know, potatoes stop growing at soil temperatures above 26 ° C.
How to spud potatoes
As soon as the potato shoots reach a height of 5-10 centimeters - conduct the first hilling. If, according to the weather forecast, frosts are expected, then the potato bushes should be completely covered with soil, “with the head”. Well, if frost is not expected, then it is not necessary to completely throw young bushes on the ground. Otherwise, you just slow down their growth for several days.
Be sure to carry out the second hilling during the budding period, as tuber formation occurs during this period. Rake the ground to the potato stalks so that they stand upright, rather than leaning toward the ground. Since potatoes need more sunlight at this time, you will give them room to form leaves.
But if the summer is dry, hot, the second hilling can be canceled. Just go through the rows, plow the aisles. Make sure that the height of the ridge is at least 15-18 cm.
ATTENTION! From the moment of flowering, with a hoe in the aisle, you should work very carefully, the nodules are already tied up - it is dangerous to move them.
The experience of growing potatoes "without hilling"
Not so long ago I came across a small note in one popular agricultural publication. She drew my attention to the fact that the author shared her experience in growing potatoes. The words “without hilling” were put in the heading (which is why they attracted my attention). Yields at the same time increased.
The experience, by the way, is not new. I had heard about this method of growing potatoes before. And even she tried to do it herself. I will write about the shortcomings of this method below; now this is not about that. Honestly, I really wanted to argue with the author. But our argument would concern only terminology. I do not agree that the author calls this method “without hilling”. I will explain now.
The essence of his experience was that he poured the earth to the bush not around the perimeter, not outside, as is usually done. He spread the stalks of potatoes and strewed the earth, as it were, inside the bush. The stems were not pressed against each other, but, on the contrary, were moved apart. At the same time, the bush grew wider and on each stalk the possibility of the emergence of a larger number of tubers increased. Hence the increase in yield.
Theoretically, he is right. Indeed, with a wide arrangement of stems, potatoes should be more comfortable. And on each stalk more tubers can be tied. They do not interfere with each other.
But doesn’t the increase in the mound to which the potato grows occur? Yes, that is right! Only it is not the bush that spills, but each stalk! So I would still not call this method "without hilling."
Why did I write above that this method of care for planting potatoes has disadvantages? And he is much more laborious! Its application, in my opinion, is possible only in a small area and it is better to do it on light, semi-sandy soil!
But, I repeat, this is only my private opinion! Judge for yourself! I have black soil. This is hard soil! In addition to hilling, I have to loosen the aisles after every rain. After the rain, the mound settles, even outside, even inside the bush. And my little experience shows that inside the bush this happens stronger. Spud and loosen aisles I chopper. So, with a chopper, it’s difficult to pour (bend) the earth inside the bush. It is difficult to do this while holding the chopper with one hand and holding the potato stalks in the right position with the other. It’s easier to loosen the aisles first, and then walk along the rows with a scoop, pouring or pouring earth into the bush. Is it easier?
But, nevertheless, I will by no means insist on my own! Everyone is free to choose how to grow his potatoes!
But I still adhere to the classical method of hilling ...
Please watch the video: hilling potatoes with narrow aisles and wide aisles.