Description of the potato variety Zhukovsky early, features of cultivation and care
Potatoes Zhukovsky early is a high-yielding crop that forms tasty root vegetables of excellent quality. In addition, the variety is resistant to the most dangerous diseases, which significantly reduces the amount of care.
Description
Zhukovsky - early potato variety, which was brought out by a group of scientists at one agricultural firm in the Moscow region. After a lot of research in 1993, the culture was included in the register of the Russian Federation. From the moment of planting to harvesting, about 60 days pass. The variety is intended for growing in regions characterized by moderate temperatures and short summers.
The plant is medium-sized, moderately spreading. There are few stems in the bush. The aerial part of the plant is shiny, moderately covered with a short downy. The leaves are dark green, strongly dissected. At the onset of the flowering period, corollas of red-purple color appear on the stems.
The oval tubers are covered with a thin, smooth pink skin. The average weight of the fruit is 120 g. A small number of shallow eyes are scattered over the surface of the potato. The pulp is dense, juicy, not mealy. It does not darken at the cut site. The taste is pleasant, slightly sweet.
The breeders endowed the variety with high immunity to dangerous diseases, including potato cancer, rhizoctonia, scab. Features of the variety: tolerance to bacteriosis and resistance to cyst nematode attack. Potatoes tolerate cold weather and drought well.
Potatoes of the Zhukovsky early variety can be used to prepare all possible dishes. Under the influence of heat, the tubers quickly boil down and acquire a pleasant taste. With good care, 10–12 tons of potatoes can be harvested from 1 hectare.
Advantages and disadvantages
Like any garden crop, the Zhukovsky variety has strengths and weaknesses. The pluses of table potatoes include:
- Short ripening period.
- Good keeping quality. Under the right conditions, potatoes can be stored until mid-April.
- High immunity.
- Unpretentious care.
- Good tolerance to low and high temperatures.
The characteristic of the variety is slightly spoiled by such shortcomings:
- Loss of taste due to untimely cleaning.
- In a rainy summer, he suffers from late blight.
Soil preparation
A garden bed for potatoes is dug up in autumn and spring. The first digging, which is carried out by turning the earthen coma, is necessary to destroy the bacteria and pests that have accumulated during the season. On a plot with poor soil, before digging, a layer of manure or compost is laid out based on the calculation of 4-5 kg per 1 sq. m.
In the spring, the soil is dug to a depth of 15 cm, after which the surface is leveled with a rake. If no organic matter was introduced on the eve of the cold weather, the soil is fertilized with complex nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
Some gardeners apply fertilizer to the furrows before planting.
Preparation of planting material
Despite the fact that the ripening period of the variety is short, gardeners are trying to speed up the harvest even more by planting germinated tubers. The procedure is carried out one month before the expected landing date. The germination process takes place in several stages:
- Among the available planting material, the largest healthy specimens are selected. Rotten and damaged tubers are discarded.
- Potatoes are laid out in shallow containers or laid out on a burlap in a room where the temperature is above 5 degrees.
- In order for the sprouts to grow as soon as possible, the seeds are provided with diffused lighting, moderate humidity and regular ventilation.
- Those tubers that have deteriorated or do not form sprouts for a long time are thrown away.
As soon as the skin of the tubers turns green and the sprouts reach 1 cm in length, the potatoes are ready for planting. Please note that you cannot plant tubers with thin sprouts.
To obtain potatoes as soon as possible, instead of laying out the planting material on racks or containers, they are planted in a peat-humus mixture. So that the tubers do not dry out, the substrate is moistened as necessary. Due to these conditions, the sprouts appear 2 times faster than with the usual method. The only drawback of such germination is that the tubers must be planted very carefully, since many roots form on them.
Landing
Zhukovsky early potatoes are planted in the last decade of April - the first half of May. At the time of planting, the soil at a depth of 15–20 cm should be slightly damp. Landing is carried out in stable dry weather.
Depending on the location of the region, potatoes are planted according to the following schemes:
- Flat fit. The planting material is placed in holes 8–10 cm deep and covered with earth.
- On the ridges. The tubers are planted in grooves or holes. The emerging seedlings, the height of which has reached 5 cm, are spud. Then another 1-2 hilling is carried out until the tops grow to 15 cm. According to this scheme, it is recommended to plant early potato varieties in the northern regions, where freezing temperatures are often replaced by frosts.
Regardless of the chosen scheme, the distance between the rows should be 60–65 cm, and between the bushes - 25–30 cm. To make potatoes easy to spud, experienced gardeners recommend planting potatoes along a stretched rope.
Care
Despite the fact that the description of the Zhukovsky early potato variety contains information that the culture does not require any special conditions, in order for it to grow, the gardener still needs to make some effort.
Hilling
As soon as the seedlings make their way to the surface, the bushes spud. An earthen embankment 2-3 cm thick will protect young shoots from frost and stimulate the growth of the root system. If a strong drop in temperature is expected, the plantings are covered with agrofibre. To protect the bushes from falling apart, the potatoes are spud again during the flowering period.
Disease and pest control
In regions where hot days are often replaced by rains, to prevent fungal diseases, potatoes are sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid or a solution of copper sulfate (20 g per bucket of water).
If you want to grow an environmentally friendly vegetable, Colorado beetles are harvested by hand. To combat gluttonous insects, pesticides are used on large plantations.
Top dressing and watering
Since potatoes like to grow in a loose environment, the soil between the rows is often loosened and weeded out. Provided that a sufficient amount of nutrients has been introduced in the fall or spring, potatoes are not fed during the growing season.
If the plants look lethargic, they are fed with a solution of chicken droppings infused for 5 days (1:15). During the flowering period, the bushes are fed with a solution of potassium sulfate - 1 box of the substance is added to a bucket of water.
Water the plantings only under the condition of a long drought with a moderate amount of water. Ripening potatoes are not watered.
Harvesting
As soon as 2 months have passed from the date of planting, and this is approximately in the first half of July, they begin to dig the potatoes, having previously mowed the lodged tops. Since, due to the structure, the potatoes are not very susceptible to damage, harvesting is carried out in manual or automated mode. Dried potatoes are shaken off of adhered soil, sorted and put into wooden perforated boxes.
Reviews
The gardeners, who had to grow the early Zhukovsky variety, were divided into two camps. Some admire the high yield and short ripening period, while others are disappointed with the plant's immunity and the taste of the tubers. Both those and others agreed on one thing - during the rainy season, the potato cracks and loses its presentation.
If you grew the Zhukovsky early potato variety, leave feedback on the culture so that gardeners can weigh the pros and cons and make the right choice.
