How to germinate seed potatoes for planting. Germination and processing of potatoes before planting. Improvement of planting material

We are not always happy with the potato harvest. Who do we blame first? Of course, the weather, late blight, soil and Colorado potato beetle. But if you think about it, there is a certain share of our fault in the poverty of the harvest. Analyze: whether the right place was chosen for planting, whether the potatoes were provided with proper care and feeding, whether the basic planting rules were followed, whether pre-sowing treatment and germination were carried out. It is preparation and germination that lay the foundation for a good harvest.

Preparing potatoes for planting is a necessary procedure

Of course, you can get seed potatoes selected in the fall and immediately plant them in the ground. But if you analyze the advice of agronomist scientists and experienced gardeners, you can make sure that preparing potato seeds for planting:

• will ensure early and strong shoots;
• will increase the yield;
• will ensure the removal of diseased, spoiled, potentially non-germinating tubers from the seed fund.

These advantages of potato vernalization convince us of the need to carry out the germination procedure.

Seed selection

If you are using potatoes from your own plot for planting, then the procedure for preparing the seed fund should begin with selecting the strongest and most powerful bushes in the previous season. During the growing season, mark the most powerful bushes (with a stake, stone, rope), dig them up two weeks after flowering and put the best tubers from these bushes into the seed bank.

Tuber seeds must meet the following requirements:

• the size of the tuber should be approximately the size of a chicken egg;
• There are no signs of disease or damage on the tuber.

Selected tubers are thoroughly dried and greened. For landscaping, it is best to place the potatoes in the sun at an air temperature of at least +12 degrees. After about a week, the selected potatoes will become firmer and acquire a greenish tint. This means that it has formed poisonous substance- solanine. Green potatoes are more resistant to mechanical damage, rotten, better stored.

Important! Green potatoes are not suitable for human consumption!

Potatoes selected for seeds are stored at a temperature of +4 degrees, which helps prevent freezing and early germination.

Seed germination: timing and types

The next stage of preparing potato seeds is germination. When should it start? There are several types of this procedure: light, in a damp substrate, combined and drying. Light germination must begin approximately 40 days before planting the plants in the soil. If in your region potatoes are planted in late April - early May, then germination begins in the second half of March. The time frame for other methods is approximately 20 days. This means that germination should be started in the first half of April.

Important! The timing of germination depends on the potato variety: early varieties germinate faster.

Regardless of which sprouting method you use, the potatoes need to be prepared for it. Stages of preparation for germination:

1. Potatoes removed from storage should be sorted again, diseased and damaged tubers should be sorted.
2. Disinfection of seed tubers. There are a lot of disinfectant recipes. Here are some of them:
   • Dissolve copper sulfate (5 grams), boric acid (15 grams) and potassium permanganate (0.5 grams) in 10 liters of water. Place the planting material in the solution for a quarter of an hour. This solution will provide both disinfection and additional nutrition for the tubers;
   • Dilute 10 grams of boric acid in 10 liters of water. Soak the planting material in the solution for about half an hour;
   • Infuse 1 kilogram of chopped garlic in 10 liters of water. Soak the tubers in the solution for 3 hours.
3. Drying seed material.
4. Warming up the tuber seeds for 3 days at a temperature of about +25 degrees.

Video: Preparing potatoes for germination

Germination in the light

To germinate in the light, place the seed tubers in containers that allow light to pass through: wooden boxes with solid walls, plastic containers with side holes. Seed potatoes are placed in one layer and placed in a bright room. If the tubers are exposed to direct sunlight, cover the containers with a light cloth or paper. The illumination must be sufficient, otherwise the sprouts will stretch out and become brittle.

The duration of light germination directly depends on the temperature. At a room temperature of +13 to +17 degrees, strong green 2–3-centimeter sprouts will appear in 35–40 days. If the room temperature exceeds +17 degrees, it takes approximately 30 days to achieve the same effect.

On a note!

• If the lighting in the room is insufficient, you can use artificial lighting, for example, - fluorescent lamps;
• potato tubers must be illuminated for at least 8 hours a day;
• as containers for germination in the light, you can use small plastic bags, which are placed in convenient location, having previously made several holes in each for sufficient air circulation. Place 8–10 potatoes in each bag. The advantages of this method are that 90 percent of seed tubers are exposed to light;
• To sprout potatoes, they use film greenhouses, placing potatoes on racks in them;
• you can sprout potatoes outdoors, placing it on the straw. In this case, it is necessary to provide shelter for the potatoes at unfavorable temperatures.

Wet germination of potatoes

For wet germination, peat or sawdust can be used as soil. Stages of laying seed tubers in the ground:

1. Place 2–3 cm of soil at the bottom of the container and moisten it.
2. Then, at a distance of 1–2 cm from each other, the apical buds are placed upward.
3. Cover with moist soil in a layer of 2–3 cm. Thus, you can place two (but not more) layers of potatoes.

The room temperature for wet germination should be from +12 to + 25 degrees, air flow must be ensured, the soil should be kept moist (but not wet). Sprouts with this germination will form in approximately 20 days. The main advantage of wet germination is the formation of developed rudimentary roots, which will subsequently ensure early germination and the formation of a powerful root system.

How to germinate using a combined method

This germination method combines light germination and wet germination. First, the tubers are germinated in the light. At about day 30, when strong shoots have formed, the potatoes are placed in a moist substrate and thus ensure the roots are forced out.

The combined method is the most effective for obtaining early and vigorous potato shoots.

Drying seed potatoes

If there are two weeks to five days left before planting, then for germination you can use the method of drying potatoes. Its difference is that the potatoes are placed in a room with a higher air temperature. At a temperature of +20–25 degrees, sprouts will appear within 5–7 days, at a temperature of +15–16 degrees - within 10–14 days.

Important! Warming potatoes at a temperature of +30 degrees can provoke the early development of viral diseases.

Proper stimulation of germination time

How to speed up germination time? Exist various ways. We would like to introduce you to some of them.

Stimulating incisions

Two cutting methods are used - circular and transverse. A ring cut is effective if you want to get an early harvest. The potatoes are cut to a depth of about 1 cm so as to encircle the tuber. This cut stimulates the germination of eyes in the apical part of the tuber. This leads to earlier emergence of seedlings and the beginning of tuberization.

The transverse incision is deeper. A small bridge about a centimeter thick remains uncut. Thanks to the cross-section, simultaneous germination of all the eyes of the tuber occurs, and subsequently leads to the formation of a powerful bush and a higher yield.

Important!

• cut only healthy tubers;
• after each cut, the knife must be treated in a disinfectant solution of potassium permanganate to prevent the spread of diseases;
• cuts are made before sprouts appear;
• stimulating cuts are effective if after “ringing” you start sprouting potatoes at a temperature of at least +18 degrees.

Using solutions

You can speed up germination by spraying the planting material with special solutions. The spraying procedure must be carried out once a week, alternating the solutions used. Here are some recipes for stimulating solutions:

• for 1 liter of water - copper sulfate (a quarter of a teaspoon), trace elements (on the tip of a knife), wood ash (no limit);
• for 3 liters of water - a teaspoon of urea;
• for 3 liters of water - a teaspoon of Nitrophoska.

Before germination begins, you can immerse the seed potatoes in a solution of the Bioglobin preparation (2 teaspoons per 10 liters of water) for 30 minutes. Such bathing will help awaken more eyes.

Video: Potato vernalization and EM preparations

If you take the advice into account and carry out it correctly pre-sowing preparation potatoes, you will definitely please yourself and your loved ones with a rich potato harvest.

Potatoes are not called second bread for nothing. It occupies one of the main places in our diet. Potatoes are boiled, fried, stewed, and are an essential ingredient in the preparation of soups, borscht, cabbage soup, and vinaigrettes. It is used to make chips, filling for baked goods, and baked. In our country, starch is made from potatoes.

Germinating tubers – what do you need to know?

Before planting potato tubers in the ground, it is best to germinate them. Undoubtedly, you can plant them just like that, but the absence of eyes will delay the harvest by at least two to three weeks. And in those regions where summers are cool and short, it is generally not recommended to plant unsprouted tubers. Let's take a closer look at all the issues related to this event.

When does work start?

Begins preparing tubers about a month before planting. However, if you are planting early varieties, preparations can begin about a week later. If the eyes hatch well on the tubers, but do not grow, also do not rush to transfer them to a warm place, since there they will quickly grow and will outgrow by the time of planting, which is why you will have to wait for new shoots.

In this case, it is better to wait a couple of days, lower the temperature and ensure correct lighting. Due to this, you will not have to break off the sprouted eyes, you can immediately begin work.

In addition, the timing of potato germination also depends on the timing of its ripening. As you already understand, tubers germinate the fastest early varieties. When planting potatoes in the ground, the soil must be warm, since cold ground the planting material will lie exactly the same as in the pantry until the soil warms up to at least +15 degrees.

What tubers are needed?

If the tubers are not rotten and have been additionally germinated, they will all sprout, regardless of size. However, if you want to get a high-quality harvest, it is best to take potatoes weighing about 100 grams - about the size of chicken eggs.

Large

Large potatoes have a fairly large supply of nutrients, and therefore after planting they will give rapid growth. However, until all the reserves contained in the tubers are used up, root system will develop more slowly. When the planting material gives up all its available reserves, its roots will be weak and will not be able to satisfy the demands of the tops.

This means that until the balance is restored, we cannot talk about the formation of new tubers. If you decide to choose large potatoes for planting, cut them into several parts a couple of days before work.

Small

If you take too small tubers for planting, the harvest will also not be rich. If you don't want to waste space and do unnecessary work, put at least two potatoes in each hole. Beginning gardeners do not see anything difficult in this, but those who have been growing potatoes for many years can confirm the maximum inconvenience of digging such places in the future.

Preparing tubers for germination

Let's look at the main stages of tuber preparation, which take place as follows:

1. Wash the planting material, sort it out, warm it up, fill the tubers hot water at a temperature of about +45 degrees.
2. After the liquid has cooled, add a little potassium permanganate solution and keep the tubers in this solution for about 20 minutes.
3. Additionally, you can treat the planting material with growth stimulants.

In addition, we should not forget about the conditions for sprouting potatoes. Whatever option you choose, it will provide for keeping the planting material at a temperature of at least +15 degrees. Another mandatory requirement to the storage room - it must be ventilated.

There is one more event that it is advisable to carry out before sprouting potatoes - greening the tubers. It should be carried out in a cool and well-lit place. If it’s warm enough outside during the day and the sun is shining, move the container with planting material outside and take it back to the basement in the evening. Under the influence of the sun, corned beef will form inside the potatoes - this is a poison that colors the planting material in green color. This microelement will protect plants from many pests and rodents. And the accumulation of solanine in the concentration required for potatoes occurs within 3 weeks.

After this, the planting material can be taken to a warm room for further germination. By the way, some gardeners plant in the fall, which allows them to save time in the spring. However, eating such potatoes is prohibited, since the poison is also dangerous for humans.

Germination methods – which one to choose?

There are many methods for germinating potato tubers, but in our article we will look at the most popular of them.

In the dark

The simplest and most common option. Everything is quite simple: put the planting material in boxes and in a dark and ventilated room. If the temperature in the house is low, then a container with potatoes can even be placed under the bed so that it does not take up much space. True, you will have to ventilate the premises more often. When germinating using this method, the potato sprouts will turn out to be slightly elongated and light-colored, which must be planted very carefully.

In the light

This method is an order of magnitude better than the previous one, however, germination requires a lot of lighted space, so use this method of germination when planting large quantity cultures will be difficult. The tubers need to be laid out in several layers so that light falls on them. With this method, the sprouts will turn out green, quite strong and will not stretch. After two to three weeks, change the planting material so that the tubers located below are exposed to the light.

Wet method

Sprouting tubers this way has several advantages. First of all, you can keep planting material in boxes, and this method does not require a bright room. In addition, this method leads to the formation of sprouts not only on the potatoes themselves, but also roots appear, which significantly accelerates the germination of the crop.

Due to this, the plants will not only begin to grow faster, but the harvest will begin to appear earlier. For germination, you need to prepare a moisture- and breathable substrate, which will consist of sawdust, well-rotted humus and peat. Place a layer of wet substrate on the bottom of the box, lay the potatoes on top in one layer and sprinkle with sawdust. Then we repeat everything, the main thing is not to lay more than 4 layers, as this can lead to difficulty in air circulation.

All that remains is to leave the boxes until the start of the planting season, although from time to time the planting material needs to be moistened.

Drying

If for some reason you were unable to germinate the tubers, you can pre-plant the planting material. To do this, spread the tubers in a thin layer in a dry room and leave it there for two weeks. Undoubtedly, during this period no sprouts will appear on the tubers, but the eyes will grow and sprout.

What problems might you encounter?

It happens that when germinating, gardeners are faced with a number of problems, which may be related to the fact that the tubers have outgrown or the planting material needs to be dried. Let's take a closer look at all these nuances.

Potatoes are overgrown

It often happens that when potatoes are stored in a cellar at warm temperatures, the planting material germinates independently and long before germination. In this case, you need to break out all the sprouts as early as possible so that they do not take all of its nutritional reserves from the tuber. If storage conditions are favorable, new buds will appear from the same eyes in a couple of weeks.

But what should you do if you got tubers with good growth from the basement and there is no time to wait for the buds to awaken again? There is only one way out - you need to place the sprouted planting material in a well-lit place at a temperature below +10 degrees. Due to this, the sprouts will stop growing, the sprouts will not stretch and will acquire a green color. True, such potatoes need to be planted as early as possible without damaging the shoots.

We accelerate the germination of tubers

How to quickly achieve germination if time has been lost? It is best to use the wet germination method, which we talked about just above, since this method takes about a week and a half. If you are sure that there will be little time in the spring, you need to start greening the tubers in the fall.

How to get healthy potatoes from sprouts?

The selected tubers as planting material must be taken out earlier than the rest of the potatoes, the greening process must be carried out, and left to germinate in damp sawdust at a temperature of about +23 degrees.

Sprouts about 5 cm long will sprout quite quickly. Carefully break them out, plant them in plastic cups, sinking them about 70% into the soil, and immediately place the container in a bright place. You need to care for such sprouts in the same way as tomato seedlings. Plants should be replanted into the soil when the soil has completely warmed up.

These will produce two or three very large tubers - we will use them as planting material for next year.

Wash the tubers collected in the fall, soak for 20 minutes in hot water and potassium permanganate, treat with phytosporin, dry and place in glass jars. Be sure to tie the neck of the jars with a cloth and leave them on the windowsill until spring. Remember to rotate the container from time to time depending on the light source. In the spring, a couple of days before planting, cut the planting material into several parts, and no further processing is necessary.

Is it possible to obtain planting material from seeds?

The seeds of this crop should be collected when the fruits turn brown. Under artificial conditions they are stored until spring in paper bags. Seeds should be planted for seedlings at the same time as tomatoes, as well as caring for the plant. In mid-summer you can harvest small potatoes. They are stored in the bottom compartment of the refrigerator or in the basement away from other potatoes.

Next year, planting material can be planted directly into the ground or seedlings can be grown with it, which will provide good material for planting next season. You can also find hybrid potato seeds on sale, which will give excellent harvest in the first year of planting, but cannot be used for further breeding.

Why is this culture degenerating?

Whether buying planting material at the market or growing planting material on their own, many gardeners believe: either the land has become depleted, or the potatoes themselves have degenerated. This is close to the truth.

Every year, the tubers collect all the negative genetic material and accumulate in the planting material. viral diseases. It is important to remember that a tuber is a modified part of the stem. Growing it from year to year, we propagate potatoes by cuttings, which carry all the information from the mother plant.

Thus, we can say that we grow the same plant all the time. That is why, over time, culture degenerates. To avoid this, you should buy new seed material from a specialized nursery. You should not buy good potatoes from your neighbors, because they could encounter similar problems.

However, it is important to understand that certified elite planting material is quite expensive.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many ways to sprout potatoes and, most importantly, choose the one that is most suitable for you. And it is important to remember that the measures taken will improve the yield of this crop.

In contact with

Potato yield and its resistance to diseases and pests depend not only on varietal characteristics, but also on agricultural technology, including the preparation of tubers for cultivation. You can enhance the natural qualities of the plant and protect it from diseases by germinating potatoes before planting. This process will only take 1-1.5 months. Let's figure out when to start and how to properly germinate tubers before planting.

Sprouting potatoes has some advantages:

1. A timely and correctly carried out procedure activates natural processes that lead to the formation of roots and sprouts. They form much faster, so after planting such tubers in the ground, seedlings appear earlier.
2. Pre-planting germination allows you to select the best potatoes for planting. In the time required for this, it is possible to remove even from the previously selected material those specimens that have sprouted poorly or have not sprouted at all, or have rotted. The rest can be planted without fear of voids forming in the designated area.
3. The time before harvest is reduced: sprouted potatoes develop much faster, which means tubers form earlier. In addition, such plants use moisture and applied fertilizers more efficiently and become more resistant to diseases.

Germination is especially effective for varieties of mid-early and mid-ripening periods. Sprouted tubers manage to produce a harvest on par with early potatoes, and, accordingly, with mid-early varieties of this crop.

When to take out potatoes for sprouting

You need to start germinating potato tubers approximately 30-45 days before planting them in the ground. It is during this time that they will have time to germinate if the room temperature is about 15 °C. This is the maximum period; for early varieties of potatoes it can be reduced by a week.

You need to get potatoes for germination in Siberia and the Urals approximately in mid-late April and plant them in the beds a month later, when the soil has already warmed up enough (at least to 10-15 ° C).

IN Middle lane, including in the Moscow region, you can start germinating potatoes earlier - in early April, in the south of Russia even earlier - in March and even at the end of February.

Preparing tubers for germination: do they need to be washed and treated with anything?

Before you put the potatoes to sprout, you need to first prepare them. If seed potatoes have not been selected in the fall, then in the spring the most suitable specimens are selected: clean, without stains or damage, the size of a chicken egg. You can also take larger tubers, but do not plant them entirely, but cut them into pieces shortly before planting (a few days before, so that the cuts become corked).

If the planting tubers have already sprouted small sprouts by the time germination begins, then there is no need to break them off, but if they are long and thin, then you will have to find other planting material.

Before sprouting, planted potato specimens can be pickled in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes or in a solution of copper sulfate, boric acid and potassium permanganate (1 tsp per 10 liters of water) for 15 minutes.

Germination methods

After the preparation of the tubers is completed, you can begin the germination itself. How and where to do this is decided by the vegetable grower himself. There are several ways to germinate potatoes before planting. They differ from each other in some features.

In the light

Germination of potatoes in the light begins 1.5 months before planting them in the beds. The germination site must certainly be light (but without direct sunlight), in which the potatoes will be illuminated most fully.

In plastic boxes

The tubers are inspected, then the prepared potatoes are placed in 1 layer in shallow plastic boxes with holes and placed one on one near the window. The light should be diffused, so the boxes are covered on top with regular transparent film with perforation. From time to time, the boxes are swapped, and the tubers in them are turned over so that the sides that were below are exposed to the light.

A week before planting, the tubers are cut into pieces, the knife after each tuber is disinfected in a dark purple solution of potassium permanganate, and the potato sections are treated in ash or cement. As a result of germinating potatoes in the light, the sprouts are strong, short and green. 10 days before planting, the boxes are covered with cloth, as if simulating planting, that is, the tubers being in the dark. On the day of planting, they are soaked for 1 hour in a solution of Fitosporin, and then planted in the holes.

In plastic bottles or glass jars

Start sprouting potatoes this way 30 days in advance. To do this, prepare 1.5-2 liter plastic bottles and 3 liter glass jars. The bottles are cut off top part, jars must be clean and dry.

The tubers are placed loosely in the container, the neck is left free, then the bottles and jars are placed in a bright room. The containers are covered with gauze. Potato germination occurs when room temperature. By the time the tubers are planted, they will develop short green sprouts. You need to be careful when pulling tubers out of jars and bottles so as not to break them.

This method is so convenient that it is even suitable for sprouting potatoes in an apartment.

In plastic bags

Every 2-3 days, the bags with tubers are turned over to the light so that they germinate evenly. With this method of germination, potatoes germinate quickly due to the fact that the film creates Greenhouse effect: in it the tubers are kept warm and humid, which is exactly what is required.

In the dark

Another popular method is germinating potatoes in the dark, which some gardeners consider the most correct. Seed tubers are placed in shallow plastic boxes or baskets covered with newspaper so that emerging sprouts do not grow into the cells, cover them with something so that light does not penetrate to them, and place them in dry room which is well ventilated.

When sprouts appear, the potatoes are sorted: small ones with a small number of sprouts are selected separately, which will then need to be planted 4-5 in one hole, medium ones with several sprouts and large ones (they can be cut into pieces). If the potatoes do not germinate well, they are transferred to a warmer room. As a result of germinating potatoes in the dark, the sprouts are light and must be powerful (thin ones are discarded).

Wet germination

The advantage of wet germination of potatoes is that you can keep the tubers in a large container and not necessarily in a bright room. Another plus is that in this way you can greatly speed up the germination of potatoes: tubers germinated in this way form not only strong sprouts, but also numerous long and strong roots. Planted in beds, they will take root faster, begin to expel green mass and form tubers. This way you can reduce the time before harvesting and get potatoes earlier.

In addition, wet germination itself does not take a month or a month and a half, like other options, but about 10-15 days, so if the right time has been missed and you still need to germinate potatoes or you need to quickly germinate early varieties of potatoes, then this is the best way.

It is better to sprout potatoes in damp sawdust or straw. For wet germination, you will need an ordinary plastic box, on the bottom of which a polypropylene bag is placed, potato tubers are placed on it in 1-2 layers, sprinkling each with wet sawdust and covering everything with the remaining free part of the bag. The tubers remain in the box until the very moment of planting in the beds.

From time to time they need to be moistened with plain water, solutions of growth stimulants, for example, heteroauxin, or weak solutions of mineral fertilizers. By the time of planting, the tubers will have powerful roots and sprouts, so while in the ground, they will quickly take root.

You can also germinate tubers in damp straw. The sequence of actions in this case is as follows: to the bottom plastic containers Place a bag or piece of perforated film, place a layer of potatoes on it, pour a layer of wet straw on top, another layer of tubers and again wet straw. Further germination is exactly the same as in the case of sawdust. On the day of planting, the tubers are carefully pulled out of the straw, trying not to damage the sprouts.

How to speed up tuber germination

Germination time can be reduced if prepared potatoes are placed in bulky plastic bags, moistened with a spray bottle, tied up the bags and placed in a room near a heating radiator or heater. Every day, the bags need to be untied to let fresh air in and get rid of excess moisture and, if necessary, moisten the tubers with plain water.

You can also speed up the growth of potato sprouts if you germinate them in a greenhouse, where in early spring warm and humid.

What to do if seed potatoes are overgrown

It happens that warm winter Potatoes left for storage germinate ahead of schedule, when it is too early to take them out of the cellar. What to do in this case? It needs to be taken out of the cellar, taken to a bright but cold room (not higher than 10 ° C) and laid out in plastic boxes in 1 layer with the sprouts facing up. Light long sprouts do not need to be broken off. Such potatoes will need to be planted as early as possible, as soon as the opportunity arises.

Expert opinion

Maria Vlasova

Gardener

Spring germination of potatoes is an agrotechnical technique that helps prevent diseases, increase productivity and reduce harvest time. This is not a labor-intensive process, but it is very effective and time-tested.

​Similar articles​

Tubers for planting

​The shares must have two or more sprouts, and their weight must be at least 25 g;​

Selection and calibration

Immediately upon barely removing them from storage, place unsprouted tubers near heat sources for a couple of days or arrange a “bath” of water for them, maintain the temperature within 4 °C for 20 minutes, carefully adding hotter water. Such thermostress will quickly awaken the vital forces of tubers in hibernation and partially rid them of pathogens. It is impossible to sharply warm up already grown tubers; their fragile sprouts will die.

Room

Good lighting, stable temperature and humidity can be created by germinating potatoes in transparent plastic bags or sleeves. Their width should be no more than 28 cm, holes with a diameter of 1-1.5 cm should be made along the entire length. Such perforated bags can be hung on crossbars or loops in a well-lit room or outdoors (if the weather is suitable). Quite often to create favorable conditions To germinate tubers, gardeners use window sills, homemade shelves, racks, etc. It is advisable to place potatoes on them in 1-2 layers.​

Conditions for germination of tubers

​Tubers that are not warmed up enough and have poorly sprouted will remain in the ground for a long time without noticeable development and will produce sparse or uneven shoots. The longer

Cutting tubers

Another method is germination in containers with special additives. It is almost identical to germination in the light. The tubers are placed in baskets or boxes, the bottom of which is first filled with a mixture of humus and sawdust or peat. The first layer of potatoes is covered with the same mixture a few centimeters on top and the root vegetables are laid out again. This way you can lay 6-8 layers. Then the contents of the boxes are watered. For this, use a watering can with a fine spray so that all formed layers evenly absorb moisture. After this, they wait until the first sprouts appear on the root crops. This should happen after a few days.​

landscaping

However, before starting preparation using one of the methods, it is advisable to disinfect the tubers. To do this, you need to prepare a solution of copper sulfate and manganese - dissolve 2 g of copper sulfate and 10 g of potassium permanganate in 10 liters of water. The tubers are immersed in the resulting mixture for 30 minutes, and then removed and allowed to dry. This treatment will serve as a good preventive measure for planting material against many diseases.​

Treatment of tubers with drugs

​The preparation of tubers itself is one of the most critical stages of growing potatoes. Often this is not done in any form at all and cold seeds are planted immediately after being removed from the cellar or basement, and then they are surprised at their slow germination and late, poor harvest.​

Germination in sawdust

Methods for planting potatoes

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Time to sprout potatoes before planting

​Carrying out​

​An important element in the technology of growing potatoes is considered​​For Russians, since ancient times, potatoes have become their second bread. Without this culture our table is incomplete. To ensure friendly shoots and a rich harvest of tubers in the future, you need to take care of the planting material. Let's consider several options for how to germinate potatoes faster, what methods of processing tubers are used, as well as the requirements for the room where they are stored. Cutting should be done in a heated room, and further wound healing should be done at a temperature of 18-25 ° C, in the light and with sufficient air humidity (94-96%);​

​Next is the treatment of the tubers with disinfectant and nutrient solutions. And here the potato grower must make a conscious choice between bioorganic preparations containing microorganisms and their metabolic products.

​After a very hot summer, during a frost-free winter or when high temperature During storage, potatoes may germinate prematurely while still in storage and produce short or even long (10-20 cm) sprouts. Short, undried sprouts without ulcers and red spots, with unblackened tops (even if the rudiments of the root system have formed around them) can be left, but be sure to moisten them with water at the same temperature as in the storage. However, long sprouts should still be broken off before heating, since without proper care they may dry out. In the light, the tubers will sprout again with strong short shoots. All dried, blackened, and broken sprouts should also be removed.​

​maternal​

​Then the boxes should be spilled with the following mixture: ammonium nitrate and potassium chloride, 10 g each, as well as superphosphate - 50 g, are dissolved in a bucket of water. You can also use a different composition - stir 1 cup of wood ash in a bucket of water. It is also recommended to add a few grams of boron and copper to the selected mixture. So the boxes are watered every 2 days until numerous sprouts form on the tubers, which will mean the potatoes are ready for planting. This will happen in about a week. When spilling, the following standards must be observed: for the first time - a bucket of solution for 50 kg of seeds, subsequent times - for 80 kg. Another mandatory requirement for this method of germination is that the boxes must be installed in indoors, where the temperature is approximately +15–+17 °C.​

This is the most common way to prepare tubers. It is carried out until true sprouts appear on the seed material. In the soil of unprepared tubers, they begin to germinate only after 7–12 days, and another 15–20 days after planting, the seedlings will break through to the soil surface. Sprouting allows you to speed up these processes and bring the harvest time closer by 15–20 days, which is especially important when growing early potatoes.​

Methods for germinating potatoes before planting

There are quite a lot of ways to prepare potatoes for planting. various techniques. These include:​

​sprouting potatoes before planting​ ​sprouting potatoes before planting​​If you examine the tuber, then on it smooth surface you can see the eyes. From them sprouts appear. Potatoes undergo careful selection and special preparation before planting. Before we get acquainted with the options for processing planting material, we will tell you a little about the most popular varieties of this agricultural crop. There are types that are suitable for frying, making purees and chips. There are large varieties, such as Impala, Giant and others. According to the ripening period, they distinguish between early, mid-early, mid-ripening, and late.

​for cutting, use stainless steel knives, after each cut, disinfect them in a 0.1% solution of potassium permanganate or in a 0.5% solution of salicylic acid;​

​("Baikal EM-1", "Shine-1", "Shine-2", MG-Zaime (I personally use Bioiodis)​

​In reproduction potatoes, there may be tubers sprouted by a bunch of long thread-like sprouts. This protection against the Colorado potato beetle, soil pests, virus carriers and many potato diseases is achieved by using 1 liter of working solution (60 ml prestige + 50 ml maxim and water up to 1 liter). This amount of working solution can be sprayed on 70-80 kg of tubers immediately before planting them on 2 acres.​

Tubers are underground, the more they are damaged by soil pests and become infected with fungal and other diseases. The weed shoots will appear much earlier and, without feeling any competition, they will increase the green mass at a faster pace than the potatoes, and it is very difficult to weed them out without seeing the potato shoots. Many potato plants will be damaged while still underground during the first weeding. Naturally, the seedlings will appear weakened and at a later date.​

​If germination does not work out, then it is necessary to do drying and then thermal heating of the tubers. In a relatively warm room, where the temperature does not drop below 0 °C at night, not necessarily lit, but dry, seed potatoes are laid out in 1 layer and kept for about a week until sprouts appear. This is what wilting is all about. During this process, enzymes and nutrients accumulate in the tubers, accelerating the germination of sprouts. This contributes to a higher yield.​

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Preparing potatoes for planting - simple ways to increase yield

Where to begin preparing potatoes for planting

Germination is carried out in a lighted room with good ventilation, where the temperature during the day is not lower than +12–+14, and at night – +6–+8 °C, and there is always an influx of fresh air. For this, it is best to select large planting material, with tubers weighing 80–90 g. They should be laid out on the floor, window sill, wooden racks, etc., in no more than 2 layers, and kept in this room for 30–35 days.​

​drying the tubers;​

• ​And here typical mistake– using your own same seeds for many years, selected from the potatoes of the harvest. Such material degenerates more and more from year to year, loses its best parental properties and qualities, and over time becomes suitable only for use for food purposes. Meanwhile, it is recommended to change seeds at least every 2 years. The next mistake is improper seed storage. That which depends on their conditions winter storage The potato harvest depends to a large extent, as many people well know.​

​in a humid environment, along with sprouts, roots also form on tubers, and as a result, seedlings appear earlier. Tubers can be germinated using this method in boxes or baskets. First, wet compost, heated to a temperature of 15 degrees, is poured onto the bottom of the container in a layer of 2 - 3 centimeters, the tubers are laid out on it with their eyes up and the same material is poured on top and to the same height. This operation is repeated until the used container is completely filled. Optimal temperature with this method of germination it should be 15 - 17 degrees, and the germination period is 15 - 20 days. This germination of tubers is especially effective when they are moistened with a weakly concentrated solution of copper sulfate (only 1 - 2 grams of the substance is taken per 10 liters of water).​

​in open ground.​

​After the harvest is harvested, care must be taken to select the highest quality tubers for seeds. They must be sorted by weight and size. For planting, you need to choose tubers that do not exceed the size chicken egg. Try to avoid specimens that are infested with pests, show signs of disease, or are injured during digging. Thus, it is necessary to select potatoes for planting that are free from any defects. Otherwise it will not be stored. Before planting, the tubers need another careful review. At the same time, those that have signs of frostbite, are spoiled by pests, suffocated during storage, are affected by rot, or are ugly are rejected. Only healthy tubers can ensure an increase in yield of up to thirty-six percent and reduce the time from planting to digging potatoes by ten to fourteen days.​

​sections should be immediately sprayed with a solution that activates wound healing, for example, 5-10% barley malt with the addition of growth stimulants (succinic acid-0.0025%);​

Selection and sorting of seed material

​etc. and solutions of macro- and microfertilizers. These two technologies cannot be combined.​

​Please note:​

​You should remove the tubers from storage and start warming them up in advance. Vernalization occurs most naturally if planting material that has not emerged from dormancy is germinated before planting for 20-30 days at a temperature of 12-15 °C. However, if it is not possible to remove potatoes from storage in early dates and it is difficult to maintain the entire period required temperature(for example, in case of frost), you can start warming up the tubers later, 15-20 days before planting, but at a higher (room) temperature. IN as a last resort, if potatoes need to be planted urgently, they are heated for 3-5 days at a temperature of 20-35 ° C, placed near heating devices, and with sufficient high humidity(the tubers are periodically sprinkled with water).

​Thermal heating is done when there are 3–4 days left before planting. The tubers are brought into a room where high temperature conditions can be created - +30–+35 °C. Such heating contributes to a sharp increase in enzymatic activity, accelerating the germination of all roots of the root crop and, as a result, increasing the yield.​

​This germination gives the best results with consistent changes in temperature. That is, for the first 7 days, the temperature in the room with the tubers must be maintained at 20–22 °C, after which they are kept at +7–+8 °C for the remaining 4 weeks. In the first week, high temperature causes the awakening of the buds, but prolonged exposure leads to increased and unproductive consumption of tuber nutrients for the respiration of emerging sprouts. Therefore, the temperature is greatly reduced, which helps to strengthen and thicken the latter.

Preparation of selected seeds: methods

​preparing their slices;​

Potatoes suitable for planting should be selected immediately after harvesting, and they should be stored separately from the rest intended for food. Moreover, the quantity seed material Initially there should be more than what is supposed to be planted, so that in the spring there is something to sort it from and select better tubers, rejecting those that are rotten and unsuitable for other reasons. To store seeds, it is necessary to create better conditions than for other potatoes. The most common flaw in seed storage is premature potato germination. Long white sprouts have to be broken off, sometimes several times during the winter.​

• You can also use a combined method of germinating potatoes before planting. To do this, the tubers are first placed in the light, and then in boxes and sprinkled with compost or peat humus mixture up to 4 centimeters thick. Before roots appear on the tubers, the temperature in the germination room must be maintained within 20 - 22 degrees. And when the roots appear, you need to fertilize with a solution at the rate of 20-30 grams of ammonium nitrate, 60 grams of superphosphate, 20-30 grams of potassium salt per 10 liters of water. After three days, you can feed the potatoes again with this solution. The germination period usually lasts for 7 - 10 days.​
• ​When germinated for a month, under the influence of heat and light, the process of accumulation of soluble nutrient substances located in the buds of the eyes of potato tubers is activated, ensuring the germination of these buds. When the dormant buds of the eyes germinate, thick green sprouts are formed.​
• To store potatoes after harvesting, you need to prepare a dry and cool place. The temperature should be maintained no higher than 4 degrees. It can be pre-treated with chemicals that prevent the development of mold and bacteria. As a rule, planting material is collected in wooden boxes and placed in cellars, stacked. The room is equipped with fluorescent lamps.​
• ​Cut tubers should be laid out in one layer with the cuts facing up for drying and speedy suberinization.​
• ​So, if you are a follower of bioorganic farming, then treat the tubers with biological preparations throughout vernalization according to the attached recommendations, but if you trust official science, soak the tubers for 1 hour or spray them with a fertilizer solution. It has been proven that treating tubers in a solution of mineral fertilizers accelerates germination, enhances vegetation and tuber formation, and increases productivity. Fertilizers also stimulate the breakdown of nutrients contained in
• ​If you plan to harvest young potatoes for food purposes, disinfectants cannot be used!​
• Air humidity during the germination period should be in the range of 85-95%, this is necessary so that the tubers do not dry out. For supporting optimal humidity potatoes can be sprayed or damp burlap placed indoors.​
• ​Vernalization is a complex of pre-planting agrotechnical practices​

​During germination, short, thick, dark green sprouts form on the tubers, as shown in the video, about 1 cm long, which do not break off during the process of carrying and planting. On their lower part, the rudiments of roots appear - white tubercles. P

The traditional method of germination is in the light

​warming up;​

But even once performed, such a procedure leads to a reduction in potato yield by at least 15–20%, and in some years much more. Such tubers are sown weakened and usually sprout 3–5 days later; then the sprouted plants are 10–12 days late in flowering and are often susceptible to disease and degeneration. main reason premature germination of tubers - failure to comply with the required temperature conditions in the storage (basement, cellar) and poor ventilation in it. To create the best conditions for storing potatoes in the cellar, it is necessary to constantly maintain a temperature of +1–+2 °C.​

​With the help of potato seedlings, you can get a harvest as early as possible. To do this, it is necessary to plant healthy tubers in pots 10x10x10 cm, leaving the thickness of the earthen walls at least 1.5 - 2 cm. When planting the tubers in pots, they are sprinkled with a layer of humus up to 2 centimeters thick, after which the pots are placed in a greenhouse. Potato seedlings are planted in the ground when the plants reach a height of 6 - 8 centimeters.​

​Potatoes grown from sprouted tubers are 12 to 15 days ahead of normal ones in development and growth, thanks to which young plants are better able to use spring moisture and fertilizers added to the soil and acquire noticeable resistance to damage from potato diseases, especially late blight. Thus, germinating potatoes before planting subsequently ensures maximum yield. ​Experienced gardeners, gardeners or farmers involved in growing this crop can tell you how to properly sprout potatoes. First of all, after long-term storage in a cool place, seed material must be transferred to another room where there is diffused sunlight and a higher temperature. If you did not have wooden boxes for storing them, you can replace them with other containers. For example, plastic bags. It is necessary to make holes in them with a diameter of 1.2-1.5 cm for the tubers to breathe. Each bag should contain four to five kilograms of potatoes. This method is suitable for tubers that have not yet sprouted. They appear after 25-30 days. Before germinating potatoes for planting, the tubers must “wake up”. Sprouts that have reached 2-3 centimeters are suitable. If both strong and weak shoots develop on one tuber, then it is better to remove the thread-like shoots or completely discard such a tuber. It will not provide a high yield. To make potatoes germinate faster, you can create a shock temperature for them. It can range from 18 to 20 degrees Celsius. During the rest of the period it is reduced to 10-14 degrees. If germination takes place in conditions close to home, then indoor temperature regime will help delay the process of sprouting. They will appear only after 35-40 days.​

​Your planting material, including those cut into segments, will more likely form a higher yield and will be less susceptible to degeneration (which is important for the longevity of the variety) if you carry out combined germination. To do this, after the usual germination in the light, 3-7 days before planting, the tubers are placed in boxes or in a greenhouse, sprinkled with layers of moistened sawdust (preferably rotted), peat chips or humus. You can simply cover the tubers with moist substrate in the boxes where they were germinated. In such conditions, potatoes begin to form a root system and, if planted in open ground, will immediately begin to grow. However, the development of sprouts should be controlled, preventing them from overgrowing (length no more than 1.5-2 cm), for which purpose the temperature in the room is lowered if necessary. During wet growing, it is recommended to carry out 1-2 fertilizing with a fertilizer solution, for example, of the following composition: urea - 30 g, potassium monophosphate - 30 g or superphosphate and potassium sulfate - 20 g each, copper sulfate - 5 g, water - up to 10 l. ​

​maternal​

Germination in bags and nutrient mixture

​And if you have already found the time to spray the tubers, then what will stop you from making an inexpensive tank mixture of a disinfectant, microelements and a growth regulator? Such treatment will significantly increase the future harvest, sometimes by 50% or more. The mixture should be prepared and the tubers should be treated with it immediately before planting and according to the factory instructions for each disinfectant and growth regulator (the best and inexpensive ones are El-1, fumar, poteytin, emistim-S, epin, immunocytophyte, etc. You can use them as microelements use ready-made drugs(for example, Reacom-SR-potatoes, Ecolist-standard, Nutrivant plus, Urea-Kb). You can expect the greatest increase in yield from the use of microelements in biologically active form in the form of chelates (metal complexonates), for example, the drug Reacom potato. But if it is not possible to purchase branded trace element concentrates, then you can prepare such a solution yourself: 0.15 g of boric acid, 0.2 g of copper sulfate and 0.2 g of potassium permanganate are dissolved in 1 liter of tank mixture (all components can be purchased in a pharmacy and hardware store).​

​Pre-landing preparation​

​(warming, treatment with disinfectant and nutrient solutions, growth regulators, landscaping and germination in the light), significantly increasing potato yield. Practice shows that these relatively inexpensive and low-labor measures are no less effective than choosing a variety, fertilizing the soil, timeliness and appropriateness of agricultural technology, and protecting plants from diseases and pests.​

​After planting the tubers in the soil, such sprouts quickly adapt to the new environment and soon switch to feeding from their own grown roots.​

Drying and warming up, or what to do when you haven’t had time to germinate?

​landscaping;​

​Only full-fledged tubers should be selected as seed material. All tubers affected by wet or dry rot, scab and other diseases, as well as ugly, irregular shape, unsuitable for landing. An ugly, unusual shape of root crops is a sign of degeneration - which is why such potatoes cannot be used for planting. You should also select only tubers whose weight is 30–90 g. Too small and too large are also not suitable.​

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How to properly prepare potato seeds for planting, vernalization

​Additionally, you can influence planting potato tubers by treating them with nutritious solutions of mineral fertilizers, ash, microelements and special substances to activate growth. Such treatment will help replenish the reserves of nutrients that are easily accessible to young seedlings, and consequently, their active development and growth. Mineral beneficial elements, having penetrated inside the tuber, have a stimulating effect on the breakdown of nutrients, which during this breakdown are converted into water-soluble substances, and therefore into forms easily digestible by plants. This type of treatment accelerates the appearance of the first shoots and the first flowering of potatoes by about 3 - 5 days. To carry out this treatment, you need to take 35 - 40 grams of superphosphate and the same amount of ammonium nitrate per 1 liter. On the day of planting potatoes in open ground, the tubers should be placed in a container with a solution for 1 hour and then planted. During germination, it is necessary to cull disease-affected tubers. A particularly good effect is obtained when germinating mid-season and mid-late productive varieties. In this case, mid-ripening varieties can produce a marketable harvest at the same time as early-ripening varieties, and late-ripening varieties, when germinated correctly, ripen noticeably faster.​

​It is recommended to cut the potatoes into pieces before planting. This is most often used for large tubers. If the potato weighs from 160 to 200 grams, then it is enough to cut it into four parts. Each piece (weighing 40 grams) must have one or two eyes. This operation can be carried out a week before planting or a month and a half. When cutting, be sure to sterilize the knife in a Lysol solution or in ash. At the site of the cut, a protective film. This approach helps solve several problems at once. The mother tuber, which serves for the development of a new plant, rots faster, more stems appear, and the resulting harvest is larger.​

Minimum program

​Immediately before planting, as already noted, the tubers must be pickled and treated with a growth stimulator and microfertilizers. Stimulants will not cause any harm if treatment with one of them is carried out both at the beginning of vernalization and before stocking for wet rearing. For “advanced” potato growers, we recommend a more complex composition of microelements: boric acid, ammonium heptomolybdate, zinc, magnesium, manganese and copper sulfates - 0.5 g each, cobalt chloride, potassium iodide, iron and aluminum sulfates - 0.15 g each, dissolved in 1 liter of tank mixture.​ ​tuber, into digestible forms.​​If growing potatoes is your favorite pastime, hobby, and the desire to get the best result from your work coincides with your capabilities, the range of operations

​begins with sorting out tubers that have overwintered in storage. Obviously diseased and simply questionable tubers are unsuitable for planting. If a variety has been cultivated in your garden for more than a year, then in order for it to preserve valuable varietal characteristics in the future, you should select tubers of a typical shape and color for this variety for planting, and separate out varietal impurities. Pre-planting preparation of potato tubers does not take very much time, but you need to prepare in advance and start on time. Sometimes life circumstances develop in such a way that it is impossible to follow all the recommendations of scientists. There are two vernalization programs - a minimum program, which should be completed in any case (otherwise it is better to abandon planting potatoes altogether) and a maximum program, which can be fully implemented only by true potato enthusiasts who spare no time or effort for their favorite crop , no funds. What is very important: the minimum program can be successfully enriched with any of the technological operations of the maximum program. In the future, this will bring an increase in yield and extend the longevity of the variety. During the germination period, the tubers must be carefully turned over once every 6–7 days. At the same time, you cannot roughly stir them up, because the eyes may break off, and this will greatly reduce the yield. It is also necessary to ensure that the germinated sprouts do not stretch too much and are not longer than 1 cm. In order for them to become short and thick, at night it is necessary to reduce the temperature to +4–+6 °C.​

​germination;​

​If you use the first ones for planting, then few stems will sprout from them, and the resulting harvest will be small. And if you plant too large potatoes, then the part that is above the ground will develop much faster than the underground part - the roots. And when the tuber runs out of nutrients, the root system will not be able to provide nutrition to the entire plant and, first of all, to its aboveground part. Then the development of the potato bush will stop until the roots grow.

​A additional processing Potato tubers 0.01% solution of copper sulfate, manganese, boron stimulates development and growth, significantly increases the starch content in mature tubers. Dusting potato tubers with ash (5 - 10 grams of ash per 1 kilogram of planting material) provides good year increase in yield by 15 -17%.​ ​For example, such mid-season varieties as Golubizna, Lugovoy, Lorch improved, on average from germination for 30 days give the following increase in yield - from 170 to 240 kilograms per hundred square meters, depending on the variety.​
The effect of light on tubers is the most effective way to germinate potatoes for planting and ensure a high yield in the future. Seed material is poured into boxes in one layer and placed outside under a canopy. They need to be covered with a film on top, which will ensure the preservation of moisture and heat. They are kept like this for two weeks. Under the influence of scattered rays of the sun, many sprouts appear, reaching from three to five millimeters. Chlorophyll begins to accumulate in the tubers and they turn green. This process helps strengthen the root system and foliage development of the future plant. The sprouts appear with many small leaves and are strongly rooted. They do not break off when landing.​
​After all these procedures, you can proceed with a clear conscience​
​Recipe for a solution for soaking tubers: urea or ammonium nitrate - 400 g, potassium monophosphate - 200 g or a pre-prepared infusion of 400 g of superphosphate, boric acid - 15 g, copper sulfate - 2 g, potassium manganese - 0.5 g , water - up to 10 l. You can soak several batches of potatoes in the solution (it is better to do this in nets) until they lose their color or become dirty.​
​pre-planting preparation of tubers​

Tubers are also calibrated by fraction (large, medium, small). This is necessary in order to achieve uniform stem growth, illumination and soil nutrition of the plants. But if you plant potatoes by hand and are not in a hurry, then you can simply change the distance between the tubers in the row depending on the number of sprouted sprouts (at the rate of 5 cm for each sprout formed).​

​Mandatory preparation operations​

​Sprouted potatoes can be sorted into a separate box located in a dark, cool room, and the rest must be brought to the desired state of sprouts. It is better, of course, to correctly calculate the timing of germination in order to match the time of planting. Root crops with thin shoots will have to be put aside - it’s better not to plant them.​ ​stimulating cuts;​
​Preparing potatoes for planting should begin at the end of March, 30–40 days before planting. And they start by sorting out the seed. At the same time, all tubers that did not survive storage are rejected - spoiled, rotten, diseased and untimely sprouted. Then, full-fledged healthy tubers must be sorted into 3 types: large, weighing 70–90 g, medium – 50–70 g and small – 30–50 g.​

Maximum program

​See you, dear friends!​​When germinating tubers in warm rooms it is necessary to maintain a temperature of plus 12 to plus 14 degrees. Temperatures above these values ​​can only be maintained in the first three to four days. Higher temperatures in the first days of germination stimulate the conversion of stored nutrients into a state that is available for absorption by young seedlings. But keep in mind that if tubers are kept for a longer period of time at elevated temperatures, there will be an unproductive breakdown of most nutrients, and there will also be an increased consumption of these substances for moisture evaporation and respiration. The quality of seed tubers deteriorates, fungal and sometimes viral infections develop.​ ​Since germinating potatoes before planting is necessary to increase productivity, you should not ignore the process of treating planting material with special fertilizers and compounds. A very effective method is to soak tubers in a solution of superphosphate and ammonium nitrate. They take four kilograms per hundred liters of water and mix. Then the tubers are dipped into the resulting solution and left for three hours. Similar processing promotes the appearance of sprouts, early plant development, the formation of powerful bushes and increased productivity. Before planting, the tubers are soaked for one hour. Seed material that germinates in the light is sprayed with the same solution 1-2 days before planting. After this, it is recommended to cover it with film. If the boxes are on open place, then it can be black to protect from the sun. The PP drug “Fitop-Flora-S” is also used. It’s quite simple to figure out how to germinate potatoes using it. Before planting, you need to dig a hole in the area. Lay a film in it and scatter the potatoes. Then it needs to be sprayed with fertilizer, covered with film on top and left for an hour and a half. This treatment helps strengthen the tubers’ immune system. You can increase the time of soaking the seed until sprouts appear.​

​for planting potatoes​ It is more convenient to moisten a large amount of planting material using a plastic watering can or sprayer. For this purpose, I recommend a solution of the following composition: urea or ammonium nitrate - 40 g, potassium monophosphate - 20 g or superphosphate infusion 40 g, boric acid - 15 g, copper sulfate - 0.2 g, potassium permanganate - 0.1 g , water - up to 1 liter. This solution can be sprayed on 50-75 kg of tubers. Treatments can be repeated every week throughout vernalization. The tubers are periodically turned over so that they turn green and nutrients flow into them from all sides.​
​should be significantly expanded.​

Potatoes should germinate in the light, regardless of whether they have been greened since the fall. In the dark, the tuber forms long and brittle shoots; many of them will be damaged when planted. Therefore, it is unacceptable to germinate seed tubers in bulk, in baskets, boxes, etc. ​seed potatoes for planting​​Potatoes can be sprouted in small plastic bags. In the transparent “T-shirts” you need to make a dozen holes, the size of which should be 2 times smaller than the tubers. This is necessary for ventilation of root crops. Place 8-12 potatoes in each bag. Then the “T-shirts” are tied and hung in a bright place. Due to the greenhouse effect formed in the bags, the tubers germinate very quickly. With this method, you need to be attentive to ventilation and lighting.​

​treatment with mineral fertilizers and growth substances;​​The best seed material is the middle fraction. When using all 3 types, they must be planted separately, in separate beds, since the frequency of planting and the distance between the rows of large, medium and small tubers should be different. In addition, potatoes from seeding material of different sizes will germinate and develop in different ways. different terms, and therefore necessary processing(watering, hilling, harvesting) should not be done for it at the same time. Many people still mistakenly believe that growing potatoes is a very simple task. I planted it, hilled it, watered it, and harvested it in the fall, and the resulting harvest is measured in no other way than: more than last year, or less. If the latter happens, or the harvested tubers are sick or of poor quality, they say that the potatoes did not grow, and everything is attributed primarily to the weather, well, and also to “unsuccessful seeds.” And all the troubles primarily lie in the lack of preparation of seed material.​

​Potatoes for sprouting can simply be spread out in a thin layer in shallow boxes.​

​One more effective option How to germinate potatoes for planting - use wet sawdust. They can be replaced with peat, humus or chopped moss. The wet substrate is poured into wooden boxes. Its thickness should not be more than five centimeters. Seed material is placed on top of it. In this case, the tubers are placed tightly to each other, with the eyes directed upward. Then the potatoes are covered with another layer of substrate. Finally, mineral fertilizers must be applied. To prepare the solution you will need ten liters of water, 60 grams of superphosphate, 20 grams of potassium chloride, 30 grams of ammonium nitrate. This method allows you to germinate tubers within 15-20 days. In the room where seed material is stored, the temperature must be maintained between + 15 and +20 °C. After two weeks, a good root system will develop. Here is another effective method for germinating potatoes for planting: it is recommended to make cuts on the tubers. They will stimulate the appearance of sprouts. They are performed in two ways. An incision is made either across the tuber, leaving a small jumper of 1 centimeter, or along the ring to a depth of 1.5 centimeters. This method allows you to redistribute useful material, coming to the eyes. The result of such an operation will be the appearance of a large number of sprouts. Moreover, they are distributed evenly throughout the tuber.

​, knowing that the beloved culture initially received a good start for its further development.​

The experience of gardeners shows that sprouting potatoes (vernalization) is important stage on the way to obtaining a quality harvest. This planting material has a number of advantages:

• light hardening of tubers due to their greening with the formation of solanine;
• resistance to fungi and bacteria increases;
• in the juice of such tubers, the growth of bacteria that cause rot is slowed down;
• resistance to viral infection increases;
• Due to the coarser foliage, such potatoes are less affected by aphids that carry other diseases.

Check out general provisions on growing potatoes in our infographics ⇓.

(click to enlarge)

Preparatory stages before planting potatoes

The timing of the stages is given in the table.

If there is not enough time, the second stage is sometimes omitted. But this affects the timing of obtaining the first young potatoes and the ripening of the crop as a whole. Among the common methods of sprouting potatoes are the following:

• In the dark;
• in the light;
• in plastic bags;
• in a humid environment;
• in greenhouses.

Rating of germination methods according to their effectiveness

The most common methods of vernalization of potato tubers before planting are tabulated in descending order of effectiveness:

Tip #1. Instead of sawdust, wet humus or peat (aired) is also used.

Sprouting potatoes in bags: technology

For this method, it is enough to make holes in the bags for the tubers to breathe, place 7-9 potatoes in them and hang them in a bright, dry room (not in direct sunlight!) with good ventilation. Every 3-5 days, the packages are unrolled so that they are illuminated evenly.

Growing sprouts in the light

In this way, potatoes are germinated, laid in one layer or in several (in boxes). In the second option, to save space, the boxes are placed on top of each other, making sure that there are gaps between them for ventilation. The boxes are convenient and reasonable to use; the potatoes will be transferred to the planting site in them - there will be no need to additionally transfer them into containers for this, which will save the sprouts from damage.

A layer of moistened peat is placed on the bottom of the boxes, and potatoes are placed tightly together on top. To ensure uniform lighting and germination, the boxes are swapped and rotated every 4-5 days. This germination will take 5-7 weeks.

Wet germination

This method is good because it allows you to halve the time required for the formation of seedlings suitable for transplantation. It does not require special lighting, although it does not require creating artificial darkness. The tubers are laid in layers in the same boxes or directly on the floor (if this is not a living space), interspersed with layers of moistened sawdust.

The sawdust is not allowed to dry out. The good thing about this method is that the tubers do not need to be constantly turned towards the light. However, it leaves heaps of garbage. Therefore, they use it either in non-residential premises or in boxes or pallets.

The sawdust is moistened with water or a nutrient composition that includes nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compounds. In the second option, the tubers will receive better nutrition and grow stronger.

Germination of tubers in greenhouses

This method combines the advantages of germination in bags (a greenhouse effect is created) and germination in the light (in boxes). In addition, in such conditions, tubers germinate adapted to the conditions in which they will grow.

When sprouting potatoes, turn them over in boxes every 3-5 days and change their places. When germinating in greenhouses, potatoes placed in boxes in one layer have an advantage, since in closed ground they lack light.

This is the least popular method of sprouting potatoes, since it has more negative aspects than positive ones:

• at high temperatures in the room, the sprouts become very elongated and weaken;
• no light hardening occurs;
• the sprouts become fragile and brittle;
• Such tubers are inferior in growth vigor and supply of nutrients to those sprouted by other methods.

Germinating potato seedlings in plastic bottles

This is the next stage of preparing potatoes for planting. At this time, the first leaves and roots form from the seedlings, which allows the seedlings to take root faster and grow more actively after planting. permanent place. For him, respectively. They take tubers that have undergone vernalization. Seedlings are germinated in a substrate treated with potassium-phosphorus-nitrogen composition. Suitable for this:

• peat;
• sawdust;
• humus.

The latter does not need to be fertilized additionally. Transparent plastic two-liter bottles are suitable as growing containers. The top part is cut off (9-10 cm), and several holes are made in the bottom part with a hot nail for air circulation and drainage.

Pour a glass of the prepared mixture into the bottom of the bottle, place the sprouted potatoes with the sprouts up, again sprinkle with a glass of substrate, sand (layer 1-1.5 cm) and water. Moisten the substrate weekly to keep it constantly moist. Germinate seedlings on a windowsill at 15-17 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is higher, the seedlings will stretch. It should reach 14-18 cm in height by the time it is transplanted into the ground.

Tip #2. Do not store potatoes grown this way for use as seed. Next year it will awaken to growth by the end of the calendar winter.

If there is little seed material, it can be propagated by cutting the sprouted tubers into several parts, each of which contains sprouts, 2-3 days before planting. The knife is dipped in a disinfectant solution (potassium permanganate, phytosporin). Leave the cut tubers for the specified period so that a dense crust forms on the surface damaged by the knife. Otherwise, freshly cut potatoes, once in the ground, will produce juice, which provokes the development of rot and mold.

This method is used by gardeners quite rarely, and completely undeservedly. Since this stage is intermediate between vernalization and planting potatoes in the ground. It allows the seedlings to awaken to further development, and a completely unique microclimate is formed in the clay container, helping to contain pathogenic microorganisms.

This is the main difference between the method and plastic bottles, which create only a certain greenhouse effect. In this case, the formation of roots and the first leaves occurs. That is, the further growing season is reduced, and developed, healthy and strong plants are planted in the ground, which allows you to get not only an early, but also a heavy harvest.

To do this, soil fertilized with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus compounds is poured into clay pots (you can replace them wood ash), and plant 1 sprouted potato in each pot. After this, water the planting and place the pot on a well-lit window.

Answers to frequently asked questions about sprouting potatoes

Question No. 1. After reading about the benefits of sprouting, I decided to try it. I selected small tubers, as usual I select seed material. I sprouted them in boxes and planted them out. But the expectations were not met: neither the stems nor the subsequent harvest were as great as they promise in articles about the benefits of germination. Did I have a bad variety?

Most likely, you chose a bad method of selecting seed potatoes. Contrary to popular belief, only the largest and healthiest tubers should be selected for planting. They are able to provide maximum nutrition for the future harvest.

Question No. 2. I sprouted potatoes in a plastic bag. I put it in the sun to enhance the greenhouse effect. But my potatoes in bags were grafted, and the sprouts turned out to be very fragile and half of them broke off when transported to the planting site. I didn’t dare plant such seed material...

You need to germinate potatoes in the light, but not under direct sunlight. sun rays. You didn't just increase the greenhouse effect. Your tubers are simply “cooked” in a hot, humid environment. They did the right thing by not planting such “seeds.”

Question No. 3. I sprouted potatoes in bags. The sprouts turned out strong. But when transferred to the garden bed, many of them broke. Why?

With this method, a lot of sprouts always break if you carry the potatoes in bags. It was necessary to lay a solid foundation under them ( a metal sheet, For example).

Question No. 4. I sprouted potatoes in the light. But at the time of planting it was still cold, and as a result the sprouts outgrew. How to guess the landing date?

Guessing the exact timing is quite difficult in an unstable, changing climate. If this happens, move the potatoes to a cool, dark place. In such conditions, it will grow much more slowly, so it will not develop to a critical state.

Question No. 5. I am sprouting potatoes in a box; there was a dense base under the potatoes. But the problem is the same as most gardeners have: many sprouts broke during transportation to the planting site. Maybe there is no need to do germination?

The benefits of sprouting are obvious. Your mistake is that the potatoes were apparently not packed tightly. When carrying the container, the potatoes came into contact with each other and rolled freely around the box, which led to damage.

Serious mistakes when sprouting potatoes

1. Germination is too early. Gardeners think that the sooner you germinate potatoes, the sooner they can be planted and, accordingly, get a harvest. However, in reality, such planting material often outgrows due to cold weather outside the window. Potatoes should be planted for germination no earlier than the end of February.
2. Planting unhardened potatoes. Hardening is necessary because it will help the tubers quickly adapt to the conditions. open ground and sprout faster.
3. Germination in the dark in a room that is too warm. This inevitably leads to sprouts stretching and outgrowing. Ideally, these should be slightly elongated rosette buds with roots appearing at the base.