Why potatoes do not bloom: reasons and what to do, will there be a harvest?

There are several reasons why potatoes may not bloom. Flowering does not affect the formation of the crop, but this period is important for the development of the plant. Before dealing with the problem, you need to find out which variety is planted. There are varieties rarely, medium and abundantly flowering, and there are those that do not require the passage of the flowering stage at all.

When and how long do potatoes bloom?

Potato is a flowering plant. Potato flowering is mandatory, if this development cycle is absent, the vegetable crop gradually degenerates. Every year the harvest will be smaller.

Potato is a heat-loving and light-loving vegetable crop. Germination begins at a temperature of + 6-7 degrees. The warmer the air and soil, the faster the shoots will appear. Flowering occurs approximately 34 days after germination.

During the period of flowering and the beginning of wilting, the tops begin to form tubers. Up to 30 small tubers can be formed, but only 15-18 of them reach full maturity. The final ripening and growth of tubers occurs at the moment when the tops completely dry out and wither.

How many days the flowering period lasts depends on weather conditions and the selected variety. Flowering occurs in mid-June. Mostly potatoes bloom for about two weeks. But there are varieties of vegetables that bloom very quickly and, if you do not appear on the site too often, you may not even notice this period.

Why don't potatoes bloom and how much is needed?

Lack of flowers may indicate a problem. In this case, you need to take measures to eliminate it:

The reason may be adverse weather conditions (heat, drought, heavy rains).
Planting low-quality tubers. It is impossible to choose sluggish, germinated, small tubers as planting material.
Invasion of pests. Ladybug and ground beetle become frequent enemies. They completely eat the buds, they can move to the leaves, which carry nutrients to the tubers.

Infection with a fungal, viral or bacterial infection.
Not enough proper care: weeding, hilling. The problem can be caused by planting potato beds in the shade, excessive watering, an excess of fertilizers, poor-quality soil composition, lack of a nutrient medium in it.

Even experienced vegetable growers may face the question of whether there will be a harvest if the potatoes do not bloom? The flowering stage itself does not affect the quality of the crop, but the cause that led to the problem can adversely affect the development of the plant. For example, if there is no flowering due to infection, there is an increased risk of the disease spreading to the tubers. In this case, the help of fungicides will be required.

Some vegetable growers are convinced that it is better to cut off the flowers so that the tubers are larger. If it was decided to cut off the flowers, then you need to do it right. They begin to cut off either the buds that have not yet blossomed, or the flowers before the start of seed formation. The procedure is only advisable if the variety has abundant flowering.

Why potatoes do not bloom: a feature of the variety

Let summer residents not worry about whether there will be a potato harvest if the plant has not bloomed.Provided that the rules for planting, caring for the plant are observed, and favorable weather conditions accompany, the crop will definitely be harvested. Potato flowering does not affect the quality and quantity of yield.

The achievement of modern breeders is the breeding of a potato variety that does not bloom. Such a vegetable usually has very early fruit ripening. Tuber formation begins long before the flowering period.

The main positive aspects of the fact that the vegetable crop does not bloom are:

the plant does not waste energy and nutrients on the formation of flowers.
no flowering period helps bypass common diseases and avoid pest attacks.
all micronutrients are mostly consumed only by the underground part, so the harvest is he althy and tasty.

There are varieties of potatoes in which the flowering phase is very fast and easy to overlook. Flowers are formed small.

There are varieties that start to bloom only in good weather conditions. If the weather is hot, dry, then the plant does not waste energy on flowering.

Potatoes do not bloom due to pests

Diseases and pests affect how the crop is harvested at the end of the growing season. Insect pests not only change the appearance of potato bushes, but also often become carriers of various infectious diseases. Therefore, it is so important to get rid of them in time.

Potato ladybug and ground beetle are common enemies that may prevent potatoes from blooming. They eat buds and already opened flowers. Ladybug (28-spotted) not only feeds on delicate flower petals, but also eats leaves, leaving bare veins.

To prevent the appearance of pests in the garden, at the beginning of the flowering period, the beds are treated with wood ash or cornmeal. If small orange insects have already been found on the bushes, it is recommended to treat with Fitoverm or Tanrek.

If the plants do not bloom, they begin to dry and turn yellow ahead of time, the cause is the attack of the potato nematode.

Of the diseases, the most dangerous is considered a fungal disease - late blight. Stems and leaves begin to become covered with brown-burgundy spots and stripes. By the flowering period, the plant has already managed to die. Other diseases that affect potato bushes include blackleg, ring rot.

All these reasons can negatively affect not only the characteristics of the flowering period, but also the formation of the crop. Tubers are most often formed small, deformed and not subject to long-term storage.

Insufficient care and feeding

Potatoes during the flowering period must be especially carefully looked after. At this time, the plant consumes a lot of water and nutrients.

The main recommendations on how to care for potatoes during the flowering period are:

compliance with the irrigation regime (if there is no rain, then up to three liters of water are calculated per bush);
after watering, loosening and hilling are carried out to improve air circulation and nutrient supply to the roots;
special attention is paid to plant nutrition (both organic and mineral components are suitable).

To speed up the bud formation stage, it is useful to add wood ash with potassium sulfate. After the start of mass flowering, it is recommended to add superphosphate. For foliar treatment, you can make a composition of urea, potassium sulfate and ammonium nitrate.

If you follow all these rules, then the potatoes will be born large, without damaged tubers.

Do I need to do something if the potatoes are not blooming?

If a non-ultra-early potato variety is planted, then you need to figure out why it does not bloom and what needs to be done.

It is imperative to establish an irrigation regime and apply complex fertilizers on time. Special fungicides such as Fitosporin, Hom will help against pests. Weeding should be carried out in time to prevent the growth of weeds and hilling.

How do potatoes bloom? When the vegetable blooms, several inflorescences of 2-3 curls appear on each bush. The flowers are large (up to 4 cm in diameter), the color depends on the variety. Corollas can be white, yellow, pink, purple.