Potatoes of the sort Sonok (sometimes called the Moscow Bogatyr) can rightfully be called a universal culture, which is expressed not only in its application, but also in growing bushes. It easily adapts to most standard growth conditions and, despite its medium-late maturity, brings a fairly abundant crop. What is still remarkable about this plant and how to achieve maximum efficiency when growing it - read on.

Description and characteristics of the variety

One of the most characteristic features of the Sonny variety is that it is still not officially recognized and is not listed in the State Register of the Russian Federation. These are potatoes of the so-called folk selection, which did not stop him from gaining recognition not only from Russian, but also from many Ukrainian and Belarusian gardeners. Low erect (or semi-erect) bushes of the variety are excellent for growing in various climatic zones, since the tubers formed underground are highly resistant not only to temperature changes, but also to moisture changes in the soil itself.

Important! When preparing planting material, it is not necessary to select only whole potatoes. If on one tuber there are several eyes at once, then it can be completely divided into 2-3 parts, while maintaining the possibility of further successful germination.

The shoots of the plant are moderately sprawling, with simple dark green leaves of medium size located on them. Under the ground, each bush can form 15–40 flat-rounded tubers, each weighing 75–85 g. The peel of the fruit is pink-cream color, plain and moderately thin. Shallow small eyes are scattered over the entire surface, mostly collected in the apex of the tuber. When cut inside the fruit, white flesh will be noticeable, with an average starch content: not more than 14% of the total mass of the tuber. The taste of potatoes always remains at a high level, regardless of which particular dish you are going to cook.Taking into account the average late ripening of potatoes, not less than 120–140 days after the appearance of the first young shoots pass before harvesting. In suitable growing conditions, at least 10 kg of tubers can be harvested from one bush of the Sonny variety, and the sooner you plant the seed, the greater the chances of a plentiful harvest.

Advantages and disadvantages

• Among its main advantages are the following:
• low demands on the climatic conditions of cultivation: the planted bushes develop equally well both in warm regions and in temperate climates. In addition, the tubers of the variety are highly resistant to sudden temperature extremes and will not be affected by a sharp change in substrate moisture.
• excellent resistance to common problems such as cancer virus, scab, wet rot. Less commonly, the remaining varieties are affected by late blight of tubers and the green part.
• high yields: the small size of the tubers is fully compensated by their large number on one bush, due to which about 6 kg of fruits are collected on average from one such plant. However, this is not the limit, since competent cultivation agricultural techniques in a number of cases helps to increase this value to 8-10 kg from the bush.
• long storage period and the possibility of laying in the tubers storage with mechanical damage to the surface.
• the possibility of preserving the crop even with changes in temperature conditions or humidity indicators in the storage.
• attractive external data of the fruits and their high taste characteristics, which allows the use of tubers not only for personal purposes, but also for sale.
• preservation of the color of the pulp during heat treatment and versatility of application: the fruits of the Sinok variety are equally well suited for both preparing first courses and creating side dishes.
• the possibility of saving planting material by cutting the fruit before planting. The loss of tuber quality causes the renewal of seed material only after 6–7 years.
• saving space on the site, due to the compactness of the potato nest and the positive effect of thickened plantings on the future crop.

• Do not forget about its weaknesses:
• medium-sized fruits (when peeling potatoes it is much more convenient to use large tubers);
• late ripening;
• to the end of the unexplored mechanism for producing the variety (almost all new plants, especially folk breeding, are often accused of containing GMOs, which is rarely confirmed in practice).

By and large, none of the above is a serious reason to refuse the possibility of planting the described crop, and if you really do not like something in the harvest, then this can be judged from personal experience, and not based on guesses or general judgments.

Did you know? In the old days, potatoes were used not only as a valuable food product, but also as a good cure for scurvy. It is the healing abilities of the tuber in 1897–1898. made it the most sought-after vegetable in Alaska, valued more than gold itself.

Planting and growing potatoes

The cultivation of potatoes of the Sonny variety should not bring much trouble, because all the main planting and care activities are carried out according to the standard plan. Particular attention should be paid only to certain nuances, which will be discussed later.

Optimal landing times

Choosing the optimal planting material planting dates is the first step on the way to obtaining a high-quality and plentiful crop of potato fruits. In this case, the sooner you plant potatoes, the more time they will have to gain maximum weight at the time of harvest. In the southern regions, you can close the fruits into the ground already at the end of April, but in the central and northern regions, potato planting is postponed until the beginning or even until mid-May, when the soil warms up to stable values ​​of + 8 ... + 10 ° C.

Crop rotation rules

In the same place, the tubers of the Sinok variety are planted no more than once every 2-3 years, which allows the soil to restore its nutritional value and contributes to the formation of a large crop in subsequent years. Various cereals and pumpkin crops will be ideal precursors for this plant, but planting of solanaceous plants should be avoided.

Soil requirements

For planting potatoes Sonok ideal light areas, illuminated by sunlight for most of the day. It is better to bypass areas with high humidity or close to underground water, preferring places with loose and fertile soil that can pass enough air to the root system. Wet soils disrupt the natural formation of tubers, due to which their total mass is less than indicated in the characteristics of the variety. Proper preparation of the territory for the process of planting a crop involves the following actions:

1. After harvesting the previous crop, it is recommended to dig the soil and add complex mineral or organic nutrient compositions to it.
2. In the spring period, repeated loosening of the soil is carried out with the marking of planting holes, adhering to the standard 50 × 50 pattern (if you plant the plants in rows, then it is better to leave 70 cm between adjacent bushes and 40 cm between the lines).
3. 2-3 weeks before the expected potato planting, heavily clogged areas can be sprayed with Typhoon, which will save you both annual and perennial weeds.

During the planting itself, make sure that the soil is quite warm and moist, because it is in these conditions that the seed material can quickly grow. Planting depth - 15 cm on light substrates and not more than 10 cm on heavy.

Important! With increased soil moisture and the absence of another suitable bed for planting, you can try to spill more land, organizing hills with a height of at least 30–40 cm.

Preparing planting material

The seed material of the variety Sinok is selected in the autumn period, shortly after the harvest of the current year. If possible, suitable bushes can be noted in advance, then during the harvest period they will definitely have a minimum of 10-15 potatoes (damaged and sluggish plants, with the presence of pests or the development of diseases, will definitely not work for planting material). In 3.5–4 weeks, the selected specimens must be germinated before the appearance of strong sprouts of at least 1 cm long.To do this, the entire selected crop must be spread on a clean surface in a well-lit room with a continuous influx of fresh air and temperature indicators within + 16 ... + 18 ° C.

Important! If you leave strong and healthy tubers for several days in direct sunlight until a greenish tint appears on them, this will serve as additional protection for the potato from pests, since the skin of each tuber will become harder and harder to damage.

After another 2 weeks, you can additionally treat the tubers with a solution of "Epin-Extra", potassium sulfate or potassium humate, dissolving them 2-3 g per 1 liter of water, which will only accelerate further germination of potatoes. To increase the resistance of planting material to fungal infections and bacteria, it is useful to use a weak solution of potassium permanganate, but for the prevention of late blight, copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid is suitable, 2-3 g of which must first be diluted in water.

Landing technology

The process of direct planting of potatoes Sonny on the selected site consists of the following important steps:

1. Organization of holes and their fertilizer (for example, in each seat you can pour 1 tbsp. L. Nitrophoski).
2. Preparation of seed material by cutting the fruit into several separate parts (the main thing is that there is a sufficient number of eyes on each of them) and their placement in the holes, followed by ground filling.
3. Small watering beds, at the rate of 0.5 l of liquid per well.

On this, the planting process can be considered completed, and all further care measures can be performed after the emergence of seedlings.

Potato care after planting

The first green sprouts of potatoes will appear in 7-10 days, and it is possible that they will sprout along with weeds. At the initial stages, the latter often thicken plantings and do not allow the culture to develop normally, so they need to be removed as quickly as possible. It is most convenient to carry out this action shortly after wetting the substrate, simultaneously with loosening the soil.

Did you know? The first place in the world in the production of potato per capita is occupied by the Republic of Belarus (about 900 kg per year per inhabitant).

Once the potato hardens and begins to cast a shadow, weeds cannot harm it. Watering the variety Sonny is needed only if the potato is grown in the southern regions with frequent droughts, but even so it should not be done more than twice a season. Mulching plantings with straw or mowed grass will help maintain a moisture level suitable for the crop.As for top dressing with nutrient compounds, it is useful to add complex mineral fertilizers, such as Kemira or Fertika, to the soil 2-3 times a season to increase productivity. The use of organic substances is permissible only before flowering, and then in limited quantities (manure must be bred in water in a proportion of 1:10).

Grade Diseases and Pests

Breeders involved in the cultivation of potatoes of the Sinok variety tried to protect it as much as possible from typical potato ailments and pests. However, at the moment it has increased resistance only to tuber cancer, common scab and nematode of the golden variety. Resistance to known late blight of leaves and fruits still remains at an average level, which cannot but upset gardeners.

In order to prevent damage to plants, it is necessary to disinfect all planting material, and to plant at the first sign of damage, spray with copper-containing preparations. As for insect pests, the Colorado potato beetle (including its larvae), wireworms, potato moths, aphids and teddy beetles are traditionally among the most dangerous for the variety representatives.

Harvesting and storage

Given the compact arrangement of potato tubers of the Sonny variety, the probability of damage during harvesting is minimized. However, even if mechanical damage cannot be avoided, scratches and chips are not always a serious reason for rejecting tubers. Even in this form, most of them will be able to lie quietly until spring, not covered with rot.Harvested must dry well in the open air for at least 3-4 hours, after which it is desirable to clear it from the ground and send it to the basement for further storage. The optimum temperature in the selected storage should remain within + 2 ... + 4 ° C, even with regular ventilation of the room. Having created such ideal conditions for the crop, we can hope for the safety of 97–98% of the total number of harvested potatoes.

Despite the lack of official recognition, the Sonny potato variety is deservedly considered one of the most successful solutions for many gardeners. With comparative ease of care, it gives a stable and fairly high yield, which also has excellent taste and versatility. This alone is enough to grow such potatoes in your garden.

Video: Potato Sonny