Potato is a common food product that is grown not only on farmland, but also in almost every summer cottage. There are a large number of ways of planting the culture, and today's article is devoted to the Dutch method, with the help of which all conditions for the growth of large tubers are created.

Features and general principles of growing potatoes using Dutch technology

The main differences of the technique include the preparation of long furrows for planting. Already sprouted root crops are also planted, which guarantees their germination.

Considering the positive aspects of this technique, the following should be noted:

1. Full oxygen nutrition. Tubers are planted to a depth of not more than 10 cm.
2. The exception of rotting root crops. Moisture does not accumulate in the furrows.
3. Full illumination of bushes. They do not obscure each other, which contributes to the full formation of tubers.

When using Dutch technology, it is important to consider the following recommendations:

• give preference to Dutch potato varieties;
• select planting material of the same size - from 3 to 5 cm in diameter, and also change the cultivated variety every 5 years;
• conduct timely harvesting.

Preparatory Activities

Before planting, you should choose a variety suitable for this method, prepare the material, and also properly treat the soil. It is important to treat each stage responsibly, because productivity depends on these factors.

Grade selection

As mentioned above, special varieties of potatoes are used for planting, these include:

• Eba;
• Prior
• Mona Lisa
• Cleopatra
• Asterix;
• Frisia

They are distinguished by a regular oval shape, resistance to diseases and pests, as well as high yield indicators, which average 40 tons per hectare.

Preparing planting material

A healthy and whole fruit with a diameter of up to 5 cm is taken, attention is also paid to the number of eyes - there should be at least 5. A month before planting, root crops are germinated at +16 ... + 18 ° C in a dark room. The potatoes are laid out on a floor covered with a newspaper or cloth. Fruits with a number of shoots of at least 5 pieces in length over 5 mm each are considered ready for use. It is important to choose potatoes of the first or second reproduction: it is these generations that are considered more stable and highly productive.

Soil preparation

For this, an even area is allotted: evenly illuminated by the sun, without any slopes and fenced by plantations that delay air masses, are considered ideal. Favorable soil is considered after cereals and legumes. In the fall, the earth is dug up to a depth of 25 cm and a mixture of fertilizers is applied per each hundredth:

• superphosphate - 500 g;
• potassium sulfate - 200 g

Organic substances such as mullein are also used. In the spring, they fertilize with urea (500 g per hundred square meters of land), after which the soil is loosened - the processing depth is 15 cm.

Landing time

Root crops are planted in spring in warmed up soil, the temperature of which should be at the level of +8 ... + 10 ° С. You can also check the readiness of the soil in the following way: squeeze a handful of earth in your hand and throw it on the ground - if the lump has crumbled, you can start planting.

Did you know? The planting period can be determined by popular signs: flowering of dandelions and bird cherry, blooming of birch leaves.

Dutch technology landing pattern

They begin to plant potatoes immediately after cultivating the soil, in order to prevent the drying of the land. According to the Dutch method, a lot of space is allocated for the development of the bush, so the rows are formed at a distance of about 80 cm from each other, and the bushes, in turn, with an interval of 30–40 cm. Wells up to 15 cm deep are formed on the ridge, in which they are placed organic fertilizers, for example:

• 200 g of humus;
• 100 g of wood ash;
• a handful of crushed eggshell.

Potatoes sprouts are placed on top and covered with soil by 4-6 cm.

Follow-up care

After a week, it is important to remove the sprouted weeds so that they do not have time to take root. After another two weeks, seedlings appear - at this stage it is necessary to carry out the hilling so that the height of the ridges increases by 10 cm and the width by 30 cm, after removing all weeds. After a month, weeds planted and raked the ground from the aisles, increasing the size of the ridge.

Watering is done no more than 3 times:

• before flowering;
• 10 days after the appearance of the first color;
• at the end of flowering.

Pest and Disease Control

It is recommended to carry out preventive treatment of plantations from pests, the most dangerous of which are late blight, Colorado potato beetle and wireworm.

For this purpose, insecticides and biological preparations are used. Up to 6 treatments are performed per season. It is important to take action before flowering.

Harvest dates and features

Depending on the purpose of the crop, the harvest dates are determined - for example, July-August root crops are suitable for sowing, and September potatoes are suitable for food purposes. First, cut the tops, leaving about 7 cm above the ground. Potatoes for 10-15 days are left in the ground for full maturation and formation of the peel.

Important! You can not delay the collection, as this is fraught not only with a deterioration in the taste of the vegetable, but with a reduction in shelf life.

Anyone who wants to grow large fruits of potatoes in large quantities should try the Dutch technology for planting this plant, described in the article. Properly performed work in combination with the timely collection of root crops will provide high yields.