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Potato growers try to grow varieties of different ripening periods. This helps to significantly increase the time when you can feast on delicious potatoes. The early potatoes are my favorite. However, in the spring, when growing early varieties of potatoes, there is a danger of recurrent frosts.
After all, it is planted as soon as the soil warms up in order to get a harvest early. Some potato growers carry out their first work already during the February thaws. If frosts begin before the time the potatoes rise, then there is no particular danger. The tubers are protected by soil, and they are not afraid of a slight frost. But the tops are very sensitive to low temperatures and freeze easily.
When the degree of damage is small, then the reserve growth points will quickly restore the bushes. They will grow back and the harvest will be preserved. If the tops of the potatoes freeze too much, then this will negatively affect the yield, and the harvesting time will have to be postponed to a later date. Therefore, gardeners need to know how to protect potatoes from freezing in order to save a precious crop.
Ways to protect potato plantings from freezing
As soon as the potatoes appeared on the plots, summer residents began to be interested in ways to protect them from frost. Gardening handbooks describe many of the methods that should be applied when the temperature drops. The most basic recommendation is to carefully monitor the weather forecast. The spring forecast is very variable, but the preventive measures taken will not be useless, even in the absence of frost. However, potato growers do not take all the advice with full confidence. Some of the ways to protect potato tops from frost are actually time consuming or ineffective. Consider the most basic ones that gardeners use to keep potatoes from freezing.
Fumigation or fumigation
A fairly common and long-known method of protecting potatoes from freezing. It is used not only by potato growers, but also by winegrowers and gardeners. In this case, smoke bombs or smoke heaps are used, which is more accessible on the potato site. Smoke heaps are called smoldering fires, which give not the heat of the fire, but a smokescreen.
Smoke is carried out from midnight to morning. The disadvantage of this method is its laboriousness over large areas and the fact that the smoke can rise much higher than the potato tops. In this case, the effectiveness of fumigating the tops from frost decreases. Another natural factor that can interfere with adequately helping plants is the lack of wind at night. The smoke will rise up and not travel above the ground.
Moisturizing
More favorite way of gardeners to protect potato tops from frost. It is considered to be a modern and scientific approach to solving the problem. Evening watering of the beds works very well. To prevent the sprouts from freezing, you can moisten the plants themselves and the surface layer of the soil. This can be done easily in any size area. Especially if a drip irrigation system is installed or there is a possibility of fine spraying. What happens after the evening hydration of potato tops? Water evaporates, steam is formed, which has a high heat capacity.It also serves as a protection for potato beds, because it does not let cold air through to the ground.
Warming or hilling
When the potatoes have already risen, with the onset of return frosts, they are spud high. With a small size of the tops, you need to cover the tops with soil by 2 cm, this saves the tops even at an air temperature of -5 ° C. But what if the tops are already high, and frosts are expected at night? Bend the plant towards the soil, first gently dust the top with earth, and then the entire plant. The main thing is not to injure the bush. After the end of the frost, free the tops from the ground. Better to do it during the day. At this time, the soil will already have time to warm up. Then pour each bush with a solution - 15 g of urea and 25 g of nitroammofoska in a bucket of water.
This method is effective, because after frost, potatoes can sprout from the buds that are underground.
If the amount of land does not allow high hilling, gardeners use straw.
But for early potatoes, this method is not entirely suitable. The straw to protect the tops of early potatoes is replaced with non-woven covering material or plastic bottles.
Bottled water heats up during the day, and in the evening gives off heat to the potato beds, protecting them from frost.
Shelter seedlings
To prevent the tops from freezing, the seedlings must be covered. To do this, use plastic wrap or spunbond.
Experienced potato growers recommend making arches from PVC pipes or metal. They are installed over the potato ridges and the covering material is pulled.
It is even easier to make shelter with pegs driven along the edges of the ridges. Covering material is thrown on them and pressed with stones. Potato tops are reliably protected from frost. The natural cover of the tops from frost is barley sowing in the aisles. It grows faster and protects the tops. After the threat of return frost has passed, it is mowed and left in the garden to fertilize the soil.
Improving potato resistance
With a large enough tops, it will be problematic to cover it. Therefore, potato growers save plantings by treating them with drugs that increase the resistance of potatoes to temperature extremes. Regulatory agents that strengthen the immune system of potato bushes are suitable. They are used strictly according to the instructions for watering and spraying plants. Among the most common are "Immunocytofit", "Biostim", "Epin-Extra" or "Silk".
Restoration of damaged haulm
When the tops of potatoes are frozen, there is a real threat of losing part of the crop. Frozen potato tops must be urgently restored. The methods depend on the time of frost and the stage of development of the potato bushes. If this happened at the time of budding, then they can be strengthened by shading from the sun's rays.
The second step is to feed the affected plants. If the potato tops freeze from frost, then it is good to add potash fertilizers or wood ash. Urea is added to restore the green mass.
Experienced potato growers add spraying the bushes with "Epin" or boric acid at intervals of 7 days.
When planting potatoes especially early, be sure to take care of ways to protect the tops from return frosts.
If you take action in time, your favorite variety will not freeze and will delight you with an excellent harvest.
We planted potatoes in July. The variety turned out to be late-ripening - Picasso. Kaluga region. What can be done to save the situation?