What is the best medicine for disinfecting sweet potato cellars? How to disinfect sweet potato cellars before storage?

What medicine is used to disinfect the sweet potato cellar?

The more common method of disinfecting sweet potato cellars is to dissolve 2% lime water and apply it on the four walls of the sweet potato cellar, which can have a sterilizing and disinfecting effect.

In addition, we have also used carbendazim and sulfur suspension for disinfection, and some friends have used sulfur to fumigate the sweet potato cellar . Such practices can play a certain role in sterilization and disinfection, and reduce the occurrence of sweet potato rot during storage.

First, 20 days before the sweet potatoes are put into the cellar, the debris in the potato cellar should be removed and the potato cellar should be thoroughly disinfected. For example, many people use sulfur fumigation or spray methyl thiophanate and other fungicides to disinfect the whole cellar.

How to store sweet potatoes in a sweet potato cellar

1. Stop watering

First of all, sweet potatoes should be prepared for storage before harvesting. The first is the issue of watering. Generally, watering of sweet potatoes should be stopped two weeks before harvesting.

2. Choose the right time to harvest

It is best to harvest sweet potatoes on a sunny day . After harvesting, the sweet potatoes should be dried for about 3 hours to reduce the moisture content of the sweet potatoes themselves.

In addition, the sweet potatoes that need to be stored in the cellar must be selected and in good condition without any external injuries, rot or insect pests.

3. Storage temperature

After the sweet potatoes are stored in the cellar, the biggest impact on their storage is the temperature. The most suitable storage temperature is between 10 and 14 degrees . When it exceeds 15 degrees, the sweet potatoes are prone to sprouting or rotting. Moreover, when the temperature is too low, the sweet potatoes will be frozen and then rot.

4. Keep ventilation in the cellar

In the first two or three days after the sweet potatoes are put into the cellar, the temperature of the sweet potato cellar will rise due to the respiration of the sweet potatoes. At this time, you need to pay attention to timely ventilation and gradually control the temperature to around 12 degrees.

5. Insulation measures

When the temperature of the sweet potato cellar is low in the later stage of storage, it is best to take appropriate insulation measures . For example, cover the mouth of the sweet potato cellar with plastic cloth and use electric blankets to increase the temperature.

6. Notes

In addition, we should pay attention to maintaining the appropriate humidity in the sweet potato cellar. The most suitable humidity is about 82% to 90% . In the early stage of sweet potato storage, due to high temperature and more ventilation, it is easy to cause insufficient humidity in the sweet potato cellar. In this case, we can spray water appropriately to increase humidity, but be careful not to spray water on the sweet potatoes.

In addition, be careful not to let the cellar get stuffy . In winter, you can ventilate the wine cellar for 5 to 10 minutes every three or four days. Don't keep the cellar covered after storing it.