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Sprouting Potatoes in Spring: Basic Procedures Before Planting
02.03.2023 05:30
Updated: 14.04.2023 10:00
In order for potatoes to surprise you with their harvest, it is always important to prepare them properly before planting them in the ground.
First steps - greening
To make seed potatoes more resistant to fungi and pests, you need to green them first. Such potatoes will be protected by solonin.
In what order should everything be done:
• Select the tubers and lay them out in one layer in a bright room.
• Turn the potatoes over every 2-3 days. This way, the greening process will proceed evenly.
It is worth considering that all this can take up to 15 days.
Next - we calibrate
Such an event will give an impetus to the friendly emergence of shoots. After all, potatoes of approximately the same size sprout in a bunch, and small ones, caught among the large mass, will be “clogged” by powerful specimens. And therefore, it is more correct to sort the material and plant it in groups by size and on separate beds. It is worth considering that:
• small ones are tubers weighing 30-50 g;
• medium – 50-65 g;
• large – 65-110 g.
Before laying out for sprouting, it is good to spray the potatoes with a concentrate: 2.5 l of water + 5 g of copper sulfate + 0.2 g of potassium permanganate powder. This will disinfect the tubers and “burn” the fungi on their surface.
How can you germinate?
There are many ways, and they are chosen at will.
• Air. Here the material is sent into transparent nets or bags with holes. Such a net should be hung in a light room and in 20 days the tubers will be covered with sprouts. By the way, do not stuff the net with tubers too much. 20 pieces are enough for one.
• Dampness. A time-saving method. Results are already visible by the end of the second week. Place 1 row of potato tubers in a box with damp sawdust or peat. Cover it all with film, remembering to leave gaps for air circulation and put it in a cool place. Optimum temperature: +10-14. After 15 days, the tubers will be both sprouts and roots. And to prevent the roots from drying out and rotting, it is worth monitoring the humidity of the substrate. It should be moderate.
• Mix. With the mixed method, sprouting begins in a dry microclimate and ends in a humid environment. The selected tubers are laid out in 2-3 loose layers (in boxes with small sides), directly on the floor. In this state, the potatoes are sent to a non-dark room with a temperature of about 20 degrees. 2 weeks will pass - and the eyes will peck. Then the "awakened" potatoes are placed in moistened peat for another 2 weeks. During this time, the sprouts will thicken and form additional roots.
