When to plant autumn potatoes?

Autumn is a critical time for large-scale planting activities. This period is suitable for planting many varieties of vegetables , such as autumn potatoes , autumn beans and autumn cucumbers. So when should autumn potatoes be planted? Let’s take a look below.

1. When to plant autumn potatoes?

The planting time of autumn potatoes varies from region to region. Generally speaking, in southern regions, such as Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, Guizhou and other places, potatoes can be planted after the autumn rice harvest. They are usually sown in mid-to-late October to November and harvested between February and March of the following year. In the Central Plains regions, such as Shandong and Hebei, it is suitable to plant autumn potatoes in August, and they can be harvested from October to early November.

2. Autumn potato planting technology

1. Choose the variety

Choose early-maturing varieties with a short growing period, such as Zaodabai, Ningshu No. 5, Wanzhe No. 1, Huanghuai Baipi, Zhongshu No. 3, etc.

2. Seed potato processing

The autumn potato sowing and germination period is under high temperature and high humidity conditions. Cutting the potato pieces can easily cause the seed potatoes to rot, which is not conducive to the cultivation of full and strong seedlings. Try to use small potatoes weighing 20 to 30 grams for sowing, and cut large potatoes into pieces with the top bud as the center. Before sowing, the refrigerated seed potatoes are treated with variable temperature and scattered light according to their dormancy characteristics and physiological age to promote the seed potatoes to break dormancy and form short and strong buds. Before sowing, the seeds are soaked in 1‰ to 2‰ potassium permanganate solution for 3-5 minutes, or mixed with coating agents or wood ash to kill bacteria and disinfect, prevent diseases and insects.

3. Planting

Potatoes like loose and fertile soil, so before planting, the planting land should be carefully and deeply plowed, and sufficient base fertilizer should be applied. 4 cubic meters of soil and miscellaneous fertilizer and 80 kilograms of potato-specific compound fertilizer should be applied per mu, and ridges should be made, and the potato tubers should be planted on the ridges. The size of the ridges depends on soil fertility and climatic conditions. Generally, the ridge is 70 cm wide and 15 cm high, with two rows planted in each ridge. When planting, first dig an 8 cm trench, place the seed blocks in the trench with a spacing of 30 cm between plants, then water and cover with soil.

5. Cultivation

After all the potato seedlings have emerged, tillage and loosening of the soil are carried out to promote root expansion and remove weeds. Before the plants close the rows, inter-row cultivation needs to be carried out several times to keep the ground free of weeds and the soil loose.

6. Fertilizer and water regulation

Potatoes are a crop that requires a lot of fertilizer, so it is necessary to supplement nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers in time during the growth process, apply less nitrogen fertilizer and more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Functional fertilizers can be applied to supplement the nutrients needed by the roots, increase the soil organic matter content, and increase potato yields. During the entire growth period of potatoes, fertilization should follow the principle of "attacking before, maintaining in the middle, and controlling at the end". When the seedlings are clustered, apply quick-acting fertilizer again to promote the seedlings. Apply 20 kilograms of compound fertilizer per mu. The second time is after the seedlings bud, apply 30 kilograms of low-nitrogen compound fertilizer per mu. Combine fertilization with watering. Normally, potatoes do not need too much water. Use potassium dihydrogen phosphate + brassinolide for spraying at the same time. When potato plants are in bud, spray 50 grams of 15% paclobutrazol or 50 kilograms of water per mu. This can prevent the plants from growing too tall, accelerate the expansion of potatoes, and increase yield.

7. Prevent diseases and pests

Focus on preventing damage from late blight, bacterial wilt, 28-spotted ladybugs and other pests and diseases, and use pesticides in a timely manner when discovered.

That’s it