Do I need to pick off flowers from potatoes during flowering?

There is no unequivocal answer to the question of whether it is necessary to pick flowers from potatoes. Some believe that this will lead to a violation of the development of the plant. The opinion of others is that the plant spends a lot of energy and nutrients on flowers. Therefore, they only interfere with the development of tubers. Each of these opinions needs to be examined in detail.

Flower period

The yield of any kind of potato is not related to flowering. Breeders bring out all new varieties that do not even bloom. In this case, there is no need to cut off flowers from potatoes.The plant does not spend on the formation of buds of force. Their tubers are formed even before flowering. This further reduces the risk of contracting common infections and avoids pest attacks.

Some potato varieties bloom quickly. The flowers are very small. Sometimes you can even overlook this period. There are varieties of potatoes that may or may not bloom. So, in dry weather, the flowering of potatoes does not occur, but in the rainy season they may appear.

The flowering period may not come due to improper care of vegetable beds. Insufficient light penetration, overfeeding with fertilizers (especially nitrogen), too much watering, infertile soil. Pests can eat flower ovaries.

Should I pick flowers from potatoes? Many agronomists believe that it is not worth interfering with the flowering period. You can simply help the potato develop by adding organic or mineral fertilizers to the soil. When buds appear, it is useful to feed with wood ash, while they bloom, chicken manure is useful.

During the formation of inflorescences, it is important to observe the watering regimen. If there is no precipitation, then at least three liters of water should go to one bush. Watering is best in the morning or evening hours. The next day, loosening and hilling of the earth should be carried out.

All these measures will be enough to save yourself the painfully long procedure of cutting flowers. Cropped bushes have an increased risk of infection. An injured bush will either hurt or form even more buds. And the nutrients for growth will again go to their development.

New inflorescences will not appear if already pollinated flowers are torn off. But in this case, the procedure will not make sense, since by this time they have already managed to absorb the necessary nutritional components.

Should I pick flowers from potatoes?

Potato is a flowering type of vegetable crop. During the flowering period, tubers are actively formed. It is believed that if you cut off flowers from potatoes, then one of the development cycles falls out of the plant. Potatoes will be smaller next year and will soon degenerate completely.

Scientists conducted an experiment, which consisted in observing the growth and development of a plant. In part of the potato, all the inflorescences were left unchanged, in the second studied group of vegetable crops, they were plucked, and in the third part, the top with flowers was completely cut off.

Field completion of the growing season was compared harvested. Potatoes with flowers formed a small number of tubers, but they were all large. From the second part of the plants, it was possible to collect a large crop, but the tubers were of different sizes and mostly medium-sized.The third studied group of plants formed about 30 small potatoes.

In this case, the experiment showed that it is better not to make changes in development. Potatoes do not need flowers, since they do not play a role in the formation of tubers. But injury occurs, and the plant devotes a lot of effort and time to recovery. If it becomes necessary to remove flowers from potatoes, then it is better to pick only the buds. Shoots should not be cut, otherwise there will be a large crop, but small.

It will depend on the variety whether flowers can be plucked. There are varieties of potatoes that do not form inflorescences at all or form them in small quantities. In this case, touching them is not worth it at all. The life cycle will be disrupted and the plant may die. In addition to the variety, the composition of the soil and weather conditions affect whether it is necessary to pick flowers from potatoes during flowering.

In places where the climate is arid, pollen is usually sterile, seeds do not form, ovaries form poorly and this does not affect the development of underground shoots.Therefore, the cutting process will lead to unnecessary damage to the bushes. Plentiful rains provide sufficient nutrition to all parts of the potato bush. Therefore, there is no significant benefit in this case from such a procedure.

Why shouldn't this procedure be carried out? Tearing off flowers adversely affects the development of the plant. After the procedure for breaking off the inflorescences, potato bushes spend their energy on restoration, and not on the formation of tubers. The crop begins to ripen later and the risk of infection increases.

Cutting flowers will not do without trampling the earth between the beds. The earth becomes dense and tuber development becomes slow. Hilling due to the large size of the bushes becomes impossible. Hilling at earlier stages of plant development is carried out in order to remove excess moisture and better warm the soil.

Why do you need to pick flowers from potatoes?

Whether flowers should be cut off or not depends on many factors. The decision is made by the grower himself, taking into account the weather conditions, the variety of potatoes, the purpose of the harvested crop.

The advantage of removing flowers is the formation of a large number of potatoes of medium and small size. But not all varieties of potatoes respond to cutting buds and flowers with an increase in yield.

Whether it is necessary to pick off flowers from potatoes is influenced by the further appointment of tubers. You can not pick flowers from potatoes that are grown for planting vegetables next year. In the future, a worse harvest will be obtained, with small potatoes. Experts recommend planting potatoes separately for growing seed and separately for eating. The buds are cut off from the part of the vegetable crop that is grown for human consumption.

All useful substances that get inside the plant are evenly distributed over all its parts. During flowering, a lot of energy is spent on the development of inflorescences, in which seeds will later ripen. Vegetable growers do not see any benefit in them, as they take about 30% of all nutrients.

There are a number of reasons why some vegetable growers pick buds and inflorescences:

• It is believed that this procedure has a good effect on the tubers. Inflorescences have long been cut off in potatoes to increase yields, form large fruits and quickly grow tubers.
• The effectiveness of picking buds and flowers largely depends on the variety planted.
• If the flowers are not cut off, then together with the buds and leaves they will take about 50% of the nutrients for their development. Because of this, the starch content in the tubers will decrease, and such potatoes will be of little use for further sowing.
• If the soil is poor, dense, it is still recommended to remove the flowers so that more nutrients penetrate the underground part of the plant.
• If the potatoes were planted late, it makes sense to prune the flowers. This will increase the yield.

In the end, if the potatoes you grow are for seeds, you shouldn't pluck the flowers. If it is grown for the purpose of eating, then you need to pick off the flowers.

Rules of procedure

After picking off the flowers, you need to be prepared for the fact that side shoots will begin to actively form, the growing season will lengthen by about 14-15 days.

For those who decide to get rid of the inflorescences to increase the yield, you must follow some recommendations:

• Be sure to take into account the weather conditions. In hot and rainy weather, it is better not to proceed with the procedure.
• You only need to cut the buds with a sterile garden tool. This will reduce the risk of spreading the infection.
• They move carefully between the rows so as not to trample the ground and not damage the leaves.
• Flowers start harvesting before the buds get strong. It is necessary to cut off the ovaries (they are green). If you break off the inflorescences, then the lower leaves may dry out and turn yellow, and then the yield will decrease.
• Tip: "Cut off the brightly colored flowers that rise high above the whole bush." In this case, the plant will not grow and form many shoots.

You can increase the yield by picking off the set fruits or flowers that have already faded. Cutting flowering branches will only harm the plant. A bush cut in this way will bear small fruits.

It is very important to know when to start the termination procedure. Cut the buds before they start to bloom. If you pick a flowering branch, it helps to reduce immunity. The plant is often exposed to viral and fungal diseases. If the moment was missed, then it is better to wait until the petals begin to fall off themselves. In this case, you need to remove the formed berries.

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