What to do if potatoes grow too long

What does it look like when potatoes grow leggy?

If potatoes grow too tall, the main stem and side branches grow too fast, and the internodes of the stems are slender, it is easy to cause the plants to lodging and mature late. In addition, the above-ground part grows too vigorously, resulting in a lack of nutrition in the underground tubers, resulting in late tuber formation, slow swelling, small size, and poor quality, affecting yield and quality.

The reason why potatoes grow too long

1. High planting density: The reason why potatoes grow too tall may be because the planting density is too high, the number of plants is too large, the branches and leaves shade each other, and the light is affected, which will cause the potato vines to grow too tall.

2. Excessive watering: Potatoes like a humid environment, but are not tolerant to waterlogging. If too much water is given, a large amount of water will be supplied to the stems and leaves, causing the potato vines to grow wildly and become too tall.

3. Improper fertilization: During the growth period of potatoes, it is necessary to pay attention to applying thin fertilizers frequently. If the fertilizer is too sufficient or there is too much nitrogen fertilizer, it will cause excessive growth.

How to deal with leggy potatoes

1. Pruning: When the potato vines grow too high, they need to be pruned. They cannot be allowed to grow freely, otherwise the nutrients supplied to the above-ground part will grow wildly and the underground tubers will be affected. The excessively growing parts need to be pinched off to reduce nutrient consumption. This can promote the growth of side branches and is also beneficial to the growth of underground tubers.

2. Drug control: Drugs can also be used to control the growth of potato vines to prevent them from growing too high. Growth regulators such as paclobutrazol and eclobutrazol can be sprayed for control. Spray once every seven days or so, and spraying twice in a row will control the growth.

3. Adjust maintenance: You also need to adjust the maintenance methods, reduce the application of nitrogen fertilizer, apply fertilizer reasonably at normal times, ensure the balance of various nutrients, control watering, avoid water accumulation, and keep the temperature not too high, keeping it within an appropriate range.