Potato Sorokodnevka: description of varieties, cultivation, when to dig

Potato Sorokodnevka - this is the name of ultra-early varieties that are ready for use on the 40th day from the moment of planting. The first potato is considered the most delicious, and young tubers are not as fragrant as later ones. The breeding of ultra-early varieties is associated with a short period of heat in some regions of Russia, as a result of which the vegetable crop does not have time to reach maturity.

Variety description

The growing season for ultra-early potatoes is about 40 days, with minor variations.

Summary of the most common varieties:

Alena. Tubers weighing from 100 to 160 g are covered with a pink skin, under which lies a white pulp with a medium starch content.
Scarlet. Starchy root crops weighing 150 g have yellow flesh. The variety is not affected by bacteria and viruses.
Impala. Early ripe oval tubers of white color, high starch content.
Sturdy guy. Light yellow potatoes reach a weight of 140 g.
Kholmogorsky. The variety is intended for processing, not for storage. Bulbs weighing 110-130 g have an early ripening period.
Lapis Lazuli. Potatoes with yellowish-creamy, tasty pulp and the mass of one root crop is 130-150 g.
Caprice. Round tubers with dense white flesh and rich taste, weighing up to 150 g. Nematode-resistant variety.
Ariel. Ultra-early ripening of oval tubers weighing 135 g allows re-planting. Not afraid of phytophthora.

Prior. High-yielding, hybrid Dutch potatoes with early formation of fruits weighing 120 g.
Spring. Oblong pink root vegetables weighing 150 g are recommended to be deep-fried.
Leader. Medium-sized tubers - up to 120 g, saturated yellow, not infected with scab.
Romano. White forty-day potato of Dutch origin grows to 160 g.
Early. Light creamy flesh. Weight up to 110 g. Resistance to late blight.
Zhukovsky. Small size: 80-120 g. Pink-purple color of the skin, the flesh of a dense structure, starchy.
Kamensky. Smooth small fruits weighing 110-130 g have a commercial purpose. The variety is unattractive to the Colorado potato beetle.
Good luck. Tubers of white color are not subject to rotting. Medium size, weight up to 130 g.

Growing

The forty-day potato variety has an accelerated growing season, so the soil for planting should be prepared as early as April.

Don't be in a hurry to put root crops in open ground, as they do not tolerate frost well. If an early variety is planted in May, it will be possible to start harvesting in June.

In the preparation of the site for planting potatoes includes the introduction of humus and digging the land.

The magpie potato loves such predecessors as cereals, pumpkin, legumes, parsley, dill, but does not tolerate nightshade.

Rows are formed on the site with an interval of 70-80 cm, inside which holes are dug, deepened by 8 cm, with a distance between them of 30 cm.

Features of care

In late April - early May, when the weather is warm, you can plant seeds of early potatoes in the ground, subject to simple rules:

Harden off the planting material by holding it outdoors for three days.
Place the roots into the holes one at a time.
Fill with fertile soil 3 cm thick.
Water planting is not required, as the spring soil is saturated with moisture.
Sprout formation is slow due to cool weather. After two weeks after germination, the soil is loosened.
When there is a risk of overnight frost, the ridges are covered with foil or spunbond.
Hilling and top dressing of a vegetable are required when the sprouts form at least six leaves.
Regular removal of weeds that rob young potatoes of useful substances. It's not so scary after the bushes bloom.
Three weeks after planting, a second top dressing is carried out, mainly with nitrophoska, and hilling.

Pros and cons

Positive characteristic of the variety:

Ultra early ripening.
Delicious tubers.
Stable yield.
Effortless care.
Drought resistant.
Resistant to temperature fluctuations.
The universal purpose of root crops.
Long preservation of seed properties.
Resistant to common potato diseases.

For all its merits, forty-day varieties are not without flaws. For example, a short shelf life and a thin skin, due to which tubers have to be dug out only by hand.

Diseases and harmful insects

It is advisable to treat the seeds before planting, despite the resistance to viral diseases, cancer, scab, golden nematode.

Protection against diseases and increased yields are achieved by growing forty-day potatoes in different places on the site.

There is a risk of attack on young plants:

Aphids. The underside of the leaves can be strewn with whole hordes of insects that release toxins, due to which the shape of the plant's organs changes. There is a twisting of the foliage, drying out of the buds, curling of the flowers. The infected culture does not form a tuber. Yellow spots, mesh may form on the leaves. They do not get enough light, get dirty, pick up black soot fungus. Affected sprouts weaken and freeze in the cold. Some species of aphids form ulcers and tumors on seedlings. An aphid-infested plant is susceptible to more than ten viral diseases.
Wireworm. Beetles eat the roots of plants, make moves in the fruits, which leads to the loss of the presentation and a decrease in defenses against pathogens and rot.The wireworm can attack the tubers immediately after planting and penetrate deep, easily gnawing through the thin skin. That is why potatoes acquire an ugly surface, rot and deteriorate from the inside. Young root crops are to the taste of insect pest larvae. Thus, the potato crop can be destroyed in the bud.

Colorado potato beetle. If the weather is warm, insect larvae appear at the end of May. For early ripening crops, they no longer pose a danger, since only 2-3 weeks remain before ripening. However, insects can infect later varieties of potatoes, so it is best to get rid of pests. In a small, area, area, larvae and adults are collected manually, always paying attention to the underside of the leaves. Large plantations need to apply chemicals no later than two weeks before digging potatoes.Some varieties of Magpie are not attacked by the Colorado potato beetle, if possible, it is advisable to purchase such seed material.

Prevention of the appearance of pests on potatoes is modern weeding and cleaning of weeds outside the garden.

Large-scale lesions require the use of insecticides, which must be applied before flowering bushes. Effective remedies for the Colorado potato beetle: Commander, Regent, Lightning, Apaches, Corado.

Harvest and storage of crops

Already in early June, the tops of potatoes acquire a rich green color and spreading. Despite the fully ripe appearance, it is necessary to prepare for harvesting after 10 days - not earlier than mid-June.

Shrubs intended for seed for next season remain unharvested.

Cleaning is done in two ways:

Traditional. The bush is pulled out, roots are collected from it and from the soil.
Lingering. Without pulling out the plants, large potatoes break away from the plant, while small ones remain to ripen and gain weight. Within 2-3 weeks, the fruits will grow and double the yield.

Forty-day potato varieties are primarily intended for short-term use. Processing should be carried out literally immediately after collection. After a couple of weeks, the skin of the tuber will be difficult to peel, the roots will begin to wither and rot.

Potatoes left in the garden in order to obtain seeds are dug up at the end of June and stored in a dry room with ventilation. During ripening, the skin of potatoes becomes dense.

Ultra-early varieties of potatoes bear fruit and harvest within a month. The vacated place is used for sowing green crops, lettuce. In regions with a warm climate, they have time to harvest an additional crop of Magpie.