High tops of potatoes: what to do, good or bad

Table Of Contents

Reasons for intensive growth of tops
What to do if the leaves are high
What to do if the leaves are low

Potato today grows a significant part of Russian citizens. A large increase in the ground mass of plants does not always allow one to count on large tubers. Good large tops have a bad effect on yield indicators and in most cases indicate an incorrect growing technique. Why do potatoes grow tall tops and what needs to be done in this case, you need to know to get a proper harvest.

Reasons for intensive growth of tops

High potato tops in traditional varieties have a negative impact on yields.This is due to the fact that the plant gives all its strength to the formation of green mass, and there is no nutrition left for the growth of tubers. Several factors can lead to a situation where the shoots begin to stretch strongly. The main reasons are:

planting a plant in a shaded area;
over-fertilizing the soil;
over-watering or over-planting.

Excessive growth of green mass and lack of timely measures taken will indicate that time has already been lost, and it will be impossible to influence yield indicators from a certain point.

Excess nitrogen

Often the tops of potatoes develop due to excessive application of fertilizers to the soil, which stimulate the growth of green mass. Excellent growth of tops is observed with excessive enrichment of the soil with manure and nitrogen-containing fertilizers.In this case, the height of the bushes reaches 80 cm or more. In this case, the nutrient application rate is adjusted and measures are taken to stop the further growth of the tops.

In the places where tubers are planted, the following fertilizing scheme with fertilizers is suggested:

first - done after germination, if manure was not applied to the soil in autumn or spring, s altpeter or urea is used with the calculation of 10 g per 10 l of water;
second - done after hilling and with a tops height of 20 to 25 cm, 25-30 g of nitrophoska are scattered in the aisle.

During the summer season, it is required several times to fertilize with complex fertilizers, saturating the soil with potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and other types of trace elements.

Big tubers

Excessive fertilization does not always lead to the growth of tall tops, and in this case it is worth paying attention to the characteristics of potatoes. The reason may be hiding in the tubers. Why potatoes have high tops is often determined by the breeding qualities of the variety, so before planting it is worth studying the features and characteristics of the horticultural crop.

The tall potato bush is characteristic of species such as Nacra and Impala.

A common mistake novice gardeners make is to choose large tubers for planting. As a result, due to the large amount of nutrients, rapid growth of shoots is observed, and the supply in large root crops is enough to form a large amount of greenery. For planting, it is recommended to use tubers no larger than the size of a chicken egg.

Lack of light

Lack of light adversely affects potato yields.In cases where there is not enough space on the site, gardeners begin to "cut" the site and plant tubers in the shade of trees. Such plantings are distinguished by the elongated tops of root crops and their high growth. The lower the crowns of the trees, the more dense and shaded the planting area is. In this regard, it is recommended to choose open sunny places for growing potatoes.

Often the problem of insufficient lighting occurs due to non-compliance with the planting pattern and planting tubers too close to each other. At the same time, the shoots begin to stretch, and plantings are thickened, which leads to poor ventilation and plant diseases.

Many gardeners resort to the trick of planting bushes in a north-south pattern. This method allows you to provide shoots with maximum light around the clock, since in the first half of the day sunlight enters one side of the bushes, and in the second half the second side of the plant is fully illuminated.

Weather conditions

Often, weather conditions cause poor harvests. The higher the level of precipitation and the greater their excess over the norm, the higher the bushes are formed. This situation is typical for a rainy summer with a lack of sunny days and warm weather.

Many gardeners mistakenly believe that the more often watered, the higher the yield. Excessive soil moisture leads to the opposite effect, there is a progressive growth of tops and chopping of tubers. An additional disadvantage of frequent watering is the poor storage capacity of such potatoes, so part of the plant will have to be parted.

What to do if the leaves are high

Many summer residents to stop the growth of tops use the treatment of the landing site with a solution prepared from 100 g of superphosphate and 10 liters of water for each hundred square meters.The prepared remedy is required to shed each potato bush. This method is in most cases used when excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers to the soil and the need to urgently stop the growth of green mass.

The active components of the drug lead to an acceleration of the formation of potato tubers due to the outflow of nutrients or leaves into root crops.

You can resort to the method in which the haulm is mowing. It is applied only after the complete end of the flowering period of potatoes. Experienced gardeners advise mowing 2 weeks before harvest.

The mowing method achieves several positive results, and the likelihood of a good harvest is quite high. Positives include:

stimulation of root formation processes;
improvement of taste and external characteristics of fruits;
better evaporation of moisture, reducing the risk of waterlogging;
prevention of various types of potato diseases, which often affect tubers through the leaves;
Improve long-term storage capacity.

When the tops of potatoes are cut, harvesting is greatly simplified. After completion of work, cut greenery must be removed and the soil treated with fungicides, which will reduce the risk of infection of root crops.

What to do if the leaves are low

The size of the tops is influenced by many factors, the characteristics of the variety are fundamental. For some crops, a height of 45 to 50 cm is considered the norm, so you should read the description before planting a new type of potato.It is necessary to worry when the planted variety began to grow abnormally for many years, and the growth of the tops stopped.

The most common cause of low haulm stems from improperly cared for potatoes.

In most cases, this situation occurs when there is a lack of nutrients in the soil. Phosphorus deficiency leads to underdevelopment of the tops and poor plant growth. A signal of the lack of such an element is the acquisition of a purple hue from a tuber cut in half. In this case, it is enough to spray the plants with a solution of superphosphate to solve the problem. For good potato growth, it is important to exclude plant diseases, follow the planting pattern and watering recommendations.