When is the best month to plant potatoes?

Potatoes prefer a cool climate, the suitable growth temperature is 15-25℃, they are not resistant to high temperatures, and are mainly propagated through tubers, but can also be propagated through seeds, but tuber propagation is more common. So when is the best month to plant potatoes?

When is the best month to plant potatoes?

The best time to plant potatoes is usually divided into two main periods, spring and fall:

1. Spring Planting

In northern regions, spring planting usually takes place from March to April each year. This period of time happens to be the time when the temperature rises in spring and the soil gradually warms up, which is conducive to the germination and growth of potatoes.

2. Autumn Planting

The most suitable time for autumn planting is from September to October each year. Potatoes planted in the fall can grow slowly as temperatures gradually drop, resulting in a more uniform size and richer nutritional content.

Precautions for planting potatoes in spring

1. Soil selection

Potatoes prefer fertile, loose, well-drained soil. The ideal soil is slightly acidic sandy loam or loam, with a pH value between 5.5-6.0. Avoid planting potatoes in soils that are highly acidic or alkaline, poor in fertility, heavy in clay, sandy, or prone to waterlogging.

2. Land preparation and fertilization

Choose land with fertile soil, deep soil layer, loose soil and good air permeability. Before sowing, stubble should be removed and deep plowing should be carried out. The plowing depth should reach 20 cm, and 2000 kg/mu of decomposed organic fertilizer should be applied. At the same time, more than 20 kg of compound fertilizer (the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is 1:0.5:2) should be applied according to the soil moisture conditions.

3. Seed potato processing

Select suitable high-quality varieties, carry out germination treatment, maintain the temperature at 15-20℃, and sow directly after the short and strong buds are produced. Before sowing, mix the seeds with wood ash, thiophanate-methyl and new lipid film to promote the healing of the cut edges as soon as possible, reduce seed rot, increase potassium and prevent diseases.

4. Reasonable density and timely sowing

After sowing, the ground should be sprayed with new lipid film in time to keep warm and retain moisture, prevent the soil from becoming hardened, and increase the germination rate. After the seedlings emerge, the soil should be cultivated in time, mainly to weed and loosen the soil, and a small amount of soil should be added to the roots of the seedlings.

5. Field management

Loosen the soil and build ridges in time, water, cultivate and weed at the right time, and apply fertilizer appropriately. Spray potatoes with Diguo Zhuangdiling at appropriate times before flowering, during tuber formation and expansion stages to effectively control the excessive growth of branches and leaves above the ground, accelerate the ultra-fast expansion of underground tubers, and enhance the ability to resist insect pests.

6. Prevent and control pests and diseases

Apply 3-4 bottles of chlorpyrifos per mu when sowing or before tuber formation to eliminate underground pests, and spray new lipid film to improve the efficacy of the drug. For pests and diseases such as aphids, ladybugs, early blight, late blight, etc., targeted pesticides can be sprayed to kill them according to plant protection requirements.

7. Planting depth

The recommended depth for potato sowing is 10-12 cm and covered with 2-3 cm of thin soil after sowing. For spring sowing, early-maturing varieties or areas with heavy rainfall, shallow sowing should be done to facilitate germination.

8. Sowing method

Sowing the seeds upwards helps the potato roots penetrate deeper into the soil, enhances drought resistance, and promotes early growth and increases the size of the potatoes. Sowing seeds with the sprouts pointing downwards can make the potatoes germinate earlier and increase the number of potatoes, but the size of individual potatoes may be slightly smaller.

9. Break the film and release the seedlings in time

For potatoes grown using film mulching technology, when the seedlings emerge from the soil and grow 1 to 2 true leaves, or when the seedlings push up the film, the film must be broken and the seedlings released in time to avoid damage to the seedlings from high temperatures.

10. Fertilization management

The base fertilizer applied is mainly organic fertilizer or farmyard manure. It is recommended to apply 3,000 to 5,000 kilograms of decomposed farmyard manure per mu, combined with 30 to 40 kilograms of sulfur-based compound fertilizer with a nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium ratio of 12-15-18, and 20 to 25 kilograms of superphosphate. During the seedling stage, topdressing is mainly nitrogen fertilizer to promote seedling growth.

In general, the climatic conditions in different regions are different, so the specific planting time may vary. For example, spring planting in the Northeast and Northwest regions may be from mid-to-late April to early May, while autumn planting in the South may be from October to November. Therefore, when planting potatoes, the specific planting time should be determined according to local climatic conditions.