Description of the Scarb potato variety, features of cultivation and care
Skarb potatoes are considered one of the popular varieties that are grown today on the backyards of many Russian gardeners. The advantage of a horticultural crop is the ability to obtain stable yield indicators when grown even in difficult climatic conditions. To get the full benefit from the variety, you must follow the basic rules of cultivation, which you should learn about before starting the gardening season.
Description of the variety
The name of the garden culture is translated from Ukrainian and literally means "belongings" or "wealth". The species was first bred in 2002, and it was the result of the labors of Belarusian breeders.
The variety belongs to a variety of mid-season crops. The average ripening period is 80 to 90 days from the moment the first shoots appear. The bushes do not differ in their large size, have leafy plates of dark green color and form white inflorescences at the time of flowering.
The fruits are oval in shape and have a smooth golden skin. It has yellow flesh in the cut. The description indicates the starch content in tubers in the range from 12 to 17%. Potatoes acquire the friability property only after prolonged cooking, and due to their yellow color, they are ideal for making mashed potatoes and chips.
With proper cultivation techniques, an average of 10 to 14 tubers are removed from one bush. The average weight of one vegetable is 150 to 250 grams. Gardeners' reviews confirm that from one hundred square meters of a personal plot you can get up to 50 kilograms of potatoes with sufficient soil fertility.
Growing
The Scarb potato variety prefers sandy and sandy loam soils. It does not tolerate stagnant water, so it is not suitable for growing in low-lying areas and clay soils. It is preferable for planting to choose sunny places that are protected from the north and east by plantings in the form of bushes and trees.
The planting site must be prepared in the autumn. The variety shows better yields in oxygen-rich soil with good oxygen carrying capacity. To ensure this quality, the soil is dug onto the bayonet of the shovel. The soil is enriched with manure, humus, wood ash.
A feature of the variety is that the beginning of seed preparation for planting, compared to other potato varieties, begins earlier. The minimum period is 3 weeks, that is, for such a period before disembarkation, the planting material must be removed from the storage location. Cutting the tubers for planting is not recommended, since this method of cultivation significantly slows down the growth of sprouts. Features of the preparation of planting material:
- reject seeds with defects;
- treat with special preparations for the prevention of diseases and growth stimulation with copper sulfate in a proportion of 1 tsp. products for 10 liters of water or another product with a similar effect;
- sprinkle potatoes into a layer of no more than 2 tubers.
The room for preparing seeds for planting should be light with a temperature from +18 to +25 C. Every 7 days, spraying with warm water is carried out to exclude sagging seeds. Planting work begins when the soil reaches a temperature of +15 C. Tubers are planted according to the following scheme:
- planting depth - from 6 to 8 cm;
- the distance between each hole is from 22 to 25 cm;
- the width between the rows is from 60 to 80 cm.
If there is a threat of frost and sprouts appear, then the rows are spudded, and the shoots are completely covered with earth. Such measures prevent freezing of potatoes and promote the formation of additional roots.
Care features
Scarb is considered a drought-resistant variety, therefore, the soil does not need to be moistened if there is sufficient natural rainfall. In the first stages, care consists in removing weeds and carrying out hilling. The first loosening of the soil is carried out when the potatoes reach a height of 10 to 15 cm, while completely filling the tops. The second hilling is done when the bushes germinate another 10 cm.
In hot weather conditions, hilling work is carried out in the morning, after the soil has cooled down properly. When the shoots are covered with hot soil, the tops are severely injured and the yield indicators of the variety decrease.
Additional watering is carried out during the flowering period of potatoes. Each bush should have 3 to 4 liters of water. Moistening must be carried out 14 days before harvesting, while for each plant the rate is from 3 to 4 liters.
Advantages and disadvantages
The variety has a whole range of advantages, and a high yield rate is not the main one. Characteristics of the advantages of the variety:
- crop stability;
- good taste;
- ability for long-term storage;
- unpretentiousness to growing conditions;
- resistance to putrefactive damage.
Proper yield indicators can be obtained only in the case of preliminary preparation of seeds before planting. To do this, 3 or 4 weeks before the planned planting, the tubers are taken out of the cellar and placed in a warmer room. Among the shortcomings, some gardeners record the unstable emergence of shoots after planting and uneven flowering of the tops.
Pests and diseases
The potato variety has good resistance to black leg disease, wet rot, nematode. The variety is most susceptible to the following diseases:
- late blight;
- scab;
- twisting of sheet plates.
To reduce the risk of such diseases, it is required to observe crop rotation, that is, you cannot grow a variety in the same place for several years. After harvest, careful selection of seeds is required to remove defective tubers.
If earlier at the planting site the problem of late blight was identified, then when the tops of growth reach 10 to 15 cm, they are sprayed with copper sulfate at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. for 10 liters of water. A good prevention of the disease is the treatment of plantings with fungicides - Agiba-Pik, Ridomil.
For the prevention of the appearance of pests in the form of aphids, it is not recommended to place plantings next to plums, viburnum. To attract natural enemies of many harmful insects, dill, chamomile, coriander can be planted among the potato rows. Ladybugs are considered the most dangerous for the enemies of potatoes.
Harvesting and storage
Harvesting can be started 80-90 days after the first shoots appear.An indicator of the possibility of harvesting potatoes is the yellowing of the leaves and the lack of ability of the peel of the tubers to peel off. This quality can be easily checked by pressing the nail platinum on the surface of the tuber.
After harvesting, it is required to withstand a sanitary period to identify sick and defective root crops. After digging, the tubers are kept in an open, ventilated place for 2 hours, then they are removed under a canopy for 7 days. Only healthy are selected for storage potato tubers no damage, defects, and chips from a shovel. The crop is placed in a cool room.
It is recommended to immediately carry out work on sorting the tubers. You should not select large potatoes for planting material. It is periodically required to check the tubers, and remove fruits with signs of incipient rotting.
Reviews of gardeners
Anatoly, 47 years old:
“Good high-yielding variety, but slightly inferior to Dutch varieties. Potatoes do not require special care, the planting procedure is standard, care consists in the timely hilling and feeding. There are no complaints about the quality and appearance of the tubers. "
Alexandra, 32 years old:
“Excellent variety in terms of the excellent taste of potatoes. Puree from it turns out to be soft and acquires a pleasant yellow tint. When frying, the potatoes do not boil and have a beautiful golden crust. One of the few varieties that is able to maintain its qualities until the next harvest. At the same time, the skin remains as smooth, and does not become flabby like many other varieties of potatoes. "
Marina, 43 years old:
“One of my favorite varieties, it is very easy to clean due to its flat, smooth surface. The eyes are small enough and do not interfere with peeling. The variety shows itself well in terms of yield. Even in hot summer, up to 10 pieces of good tubers were removed from one bush on average ”.
