Feeding potatoes: what and how to do it right during and before flowering

In order for the tubers to form even, large and tasty, you need to feed the potatoes in time. Fertilizers must be applied in a timely manner, correctly calculating the dosage. Thanks to top dressing, the plant develops well, rarely gets sick and resists adverse factors.

The right approach to fertilizing

Potatoes absorb almost all useful components from the soil for the whole season. Therefore, adequate fertilization is recommended. It is better, of course, to change the place of planting a vegetable crop every year.

Fertilizers begin in the fall, during the digging of the soil.You can make a composition of humus, simple superphosphate and potassium sulfate. It is allowed to bring in fresh manure. During the winter, he will pereperet and give all the nutrients to the soil. Double superphosphate and potassium sulphate fertilizer can be applied.

If the earth is characterized by high acidity, then in the fall it is recommended to add dolomite flour (the consumption rate is 200 g of dolomite flour per 1 sq. M.). It can be replaced with wood ash.

In spring, it is preferable to fertilize directly into the prepared hole before placing the seed potatoes. Ideal composition of humus, ash, superphosphate and ammonium nitrate.

If the feeding of potatoes after planting is carried out regularly and correctly, then you can get a good harvest. The number of medium and large tubers with excellent taste and useful properties is increasing.

If there is a weak growth of tops, you can use the composition of urea, the drug "Mullein" and mullein. All components are filled with water. If the flowering period is delayed, a composition of wood ash and potassium sulfate will help.

Special vegetable preferences

Potato at any stage of its development needs nitrogen, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and other microelements. Complex mineral fertilizers or one-component formulations can be used, which can be alternated with organic top dressing. Horse or cow dung, bird droppings, meadow herbal infusions are popular.

Additional fertilization increases resistance to fungal and viral infections. A sufficient amount of microelements in the soil determines the amount of starch in the tubers and the duration of storage of the harvested crop.

Potatoes poorly and slowly absorb the nutrients introduced into the soil. Therefore, it is necessary to spend fertilizers in large quantities so that at least some part gets inside the plant. More efficient use of foliar feeding.

Fertilization under the root

At certain stages of development, a vegetable crop needs additional trace elements. The appearance of the bushes can also help determine what to feed the potatoes. Fertilizer is applied under the root at the stage of emergence of the first shoots, then during the formation of buds and during active flowering.

Surface fertilization of the soil where potatoes grow is not advisable. In order for all the necessary elements to get to the roots, you need to plant fertilizer in deeper layers of the soil.Experienced vegetable growers carry out root dressing as follows.A peg is driven into the aisle to a depth of 25 cm. And a liquid composition of useful substances is introduced into the resulting recess. They will spread evenly over the next three roots without causing burns.

First dressing

As soon as the first shoots appear, it is recommended to apply fertilizer. It is recommended to apply mineral fertilizer in a timely manner in order to prevent problems with the growth and development of the plant. You can make a composition of cow dung and urea. These components are poured with a bucket of water.

Second feeding

During the second fertilization, you need to reduce the amount of nitrogen so that the underground part of the plant is gaining strength, not the foliage. During this period, the plant needs potassium and phosphorus most of all. You can make a composition of potassium sulfate, ash and superphosphate.

There are several reasons why potatoes do not develop well. The condition can be determined by external signs:

If the leaves are pale in color, irregular in shape, the leaves turn yellow, this may indicate a nitrogen deficiency.
Lack of boron leads to the fact that the bushes grow small in size, while the foliage is formed dense. Spots can be found on the leaves, tubers are formed small with an unpleasant aftertaste.
Lack of magnesium leads to a decrease in the amount of starch in the tubers. Leaves begin to turn yellow and curl at the bottom.
If the leaves are mosaic in color with light green spots, a manganese deficiency can be suspected. Yields are reduced and immunity is deteriorating.
Calcium starvation is evidenced by the pink color of the leaves, their twisting, drying and slow growth.
Lack of potassium is manifested by the dark green color of the leaves with spots. The bushes do not grow, and the flowering period is late.

Third dressing

The last feeding of potatoes is carried out no later than three weeks before the start of the harvest. Suitable composition of slurry and superphosphate.

Feeding with yeast

If the question arises, what kind of fertilizer can be fed to potatoes, it is safe to note the beneficial properties of yeast. They contain a lot of magnesium, zinc, boron, iron.

The use of yeast formulations helps speed up the process of mineralization of already introduced organic matter, improves immunity and stimulates the growth of the root system, prevents the reproduction of pathogens and creates conditions for the active activity of beneficial bacteria in the soil.

The introduction of yeast infusions should be carried out following a number of recommendations:

the soil must be warmed up so that all useful properties can manifest;
too often use this fertilizer is not recommended;
prepared composition cannot be stored for a long time.

The composition prepared according to the following recipe is considered effective. 10 g of dry yeast and 50 g of granulated sugar are dissolved in a bucket of water. Leave the composition to infuse for three hours. Before use, the finished solution is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 3.

You can use fresh yeast. They are dissolved in warm water 1:5. Before use, the fertilizer is diluted with water 1:10.

Foliar application

Foliar treatments for potatoes are useful, but they must be carried out correctly.Potato leaves have a dense shell, so if improperly sprayed, the nutrients will be poorly distributed and absorbed. So that this shell does not interfere with the penetration of fertilizers, special products with surface-active substances (surfactants) are used.

You can spray it with infusion of nettle, copper sulfate, manganese, nitrogen-based compounds. All these components increase disease resistance, repel pests and increase the shelf life of harvested tubers.

For the first spraying, when the first green leaves appear, a carbamide solution is suitable. It contains a lot of nitrogen, which contributes to the rapid and he althy growth of the plant. In a bucket of water, dilute urea and boric acid.

Throughout the growing season it is useful to treat the bushes with solutions of humic acids. It is enough to dissolve 2 g of the drug in a bucket of water.

To improve the taste of tubers, at the last stage foliar treatment with phosphorus is carried out. You can dissolve 100 g of superphosphate in a bucket of water.