Potato yield and its taste largely depend on how the soil was prepared. Experienced gardeners know this and begin work immediately after harvesting the crop, without postponing the event until the spring.
We’ll tell you what points you need to pay attention to when fertilizing the soil for potatoes in the fall. Let's talk about which substances can be added before winter, and which ones are best avoided at this time of year. We will give the consumption standards for organic and mineral fertilizers.
How to treat the soil against late blight in the fall?
Fungicides for late blight
- Copper sulfate - 50 g of powder, previously dissolved in a glass of water, is diluted in 5 liters of water. ...
- Colloidal sulfur - 30 g is diluted in 10 liters of water and spilled on the soil over an area of 100 square meters. ...
- Oxychom - 10 g is diluted in 10 liters of water, for therapeutic treatment this amount is used per 10 square meters.
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Features of fertilizing different soils in autumn
When selecting organic and mineral fertilizers, you need to pay attention to soil parameters - its acidity, structure, presence and thickness of the humus layer, level of fertility. The intensity of use of the site for agricultural purposes will also matter. Let's look at the nuances for different types of soil.
Features for black soil
Chernozem practically does not require fertilization. If the principles of crop rotation were followed on the site and mineral fertilizers and pesticides were not used, then the humus level here will be about 15%. This value is sufficient for the normal development of potatoes.
On depleted chernozems, with a humus content of 4%, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers can be used. It is recommended to apply manure every 2–3 years, and compost or humus annually. At least once every 5 years, the plot must be sown with green manure. Then it will be possible to successfully grow potatoes.
Features for loams
Loams are fertile soils with good moisture capacity and air conductivity. The top layers of soil will be loose enough to grow potatoes without problems, but heavy blocks will accumulate at depth. In order not to turn them over to the surface, deep plowing is not used.
Fertilizers that work well on such soil are manure, compost and sodium nitrate. These fertilizers are applied in compliance with the norms. It is better to fertilize loamy soil in the fall so that by spring the nutrients become easily available for absorption.
Features for clay soil
Clay soils are the worst for potatoes. More often they have an acidic reaction, are very dense, and do not allow air and water to pass through. Fertilizing such land in the fall is mandatory, but only after receiving the results of an acidity test.
If you need to lower the pH, on clay soils use:
- dolomite flour;
- fluffy;
- ground chalk
Wood ash can be added only if it is not planned to use organic matter and nitrogenous fertilizers.
To increase the fertility of clay soil, you can use humus or compost. Sowing the area with green manure will improve its structure and nutritional value.
To increase breathability, add peat at the rate of 10 kg/sq.m.
Features for sandy soils
If sandy soils are properly fertilized, they are ideal for growing potatoes. Such soil is very loose, perfectly permeable to air, but cannot retain moisture and warms up quickly.
Here you can use the following as autumn fertilizer for potatoes:
- Peat - up to 10 kg/sq.m.
- Compost - 8–10 kg/sq.m.
- Calimagnesia - 3-4 kg per hundred square meters before digging or plowing.
At annual intervals, you can apply rotted manure in the fall for deep plowing. This measure will increase the moisture capacity of the soil and protect it from overheating, which is undesirable for potato tubers.
Organic matter must be added annually. In sandy soil it does not have a long-term effect, it is quickly absorbed by plants and washed away.
What fertilizers are prohibited for application in the fall?
It is forbidden to apply fertilizers to potatoes that can become a source of infection - fresh manure, compost with weed seeds, rotten nightshade tops.
It is also undesirable to introduce in the fall:
- wood ash - some of it will be washed away before spring and the desired effect will not be achieved;
- unrotted pork manure;
- lime or chalk when using nitrogen fertilizers (reduce their effectiveness);
- ammonium nitrate with peat or straw, including that used as bedding for animals, can spontaneously ignite;
- sodium nitrate - quickly washed out of the soil.
When fertilizing the soil in the fall with humus or manure, as well as chicken droppings, the use of other nitrogenous fertilizers is not advisable. Excess nitrogen in the soil is unacceptable.
Choosing a landing site
In order for the tubers to germinate well and not rot, you need to choose the right place. Potatoes do not tolerate excess moisture and stagnant water. If the site is located on a hill, this is good. If in a lowland where water stands for a long time in the spring, then you need to think about how to drain it. These could be drainage ditches or imported soil to level the area.
The ideal soil for potatoes is loose . These are soils mixed with sand. This is both a plus and a minus, since sandy and sandy loam soils do not retain nutrients well, especially potassium, which the crop needs in large quantities.
The soil for potatoes should be prepared in the fall for several reasons:
- time must pass for the soil to rest and the applied fertilizers to pass into an accessible form;
- During the winter, harmful microflora can be destroyed with the help of chemicals introduced in the fall;
- If you use fresh manure as a top dressing, it will rot over the winter and the nutrients will be available to the plants.
The highest yields can be obtained by developing the site for the first time. The nutrient content in the soil is high and the plants feel good. It is also important that there are no microorganisms in the soil that attack the tubers. The longer a plant remains in one place, the greater the risk of soil contamination by fungal diseases.
When developing a new area for planting, the yields will be high at first
It is not advisable to plant potatoes after:
These species share common pests, so the situation will only get worse. You will have to make every effort to cure the soil of pathogens.
Potatoes grow well after:
- beans and other legumes;
- cabbage;
- cucumbers
If you have time and desire, after harvesting you can sow the area with green manure. But not just any kind, but those that not only accumulate nutrients in the soil, but also disinfect it:
Green manure destroys fungal flora and insect larvae, loosens the soil, and enriches it with useful microelements.
Features of autumn feeding after harvesting
Fertilizers that are applied during the growing season are not suitable for autumn feeding, as they are used to accelerate growth, weight gain and maturation of the crop. Autumn fertilizers are needed to improve the soil structure in the garden. Therefore, after harvesting, the soil must be saturated with potassium and phosphorus, and nitrogen fertilizers must be left for planting and growing the vegetable.
Attention!
Some gardeners claim that the best fertilizer for autumn fertilizing is fresh manure, which will “ripen” during the winter. During crop growth, such fertilizers cannot be used, as they can burn the plants.
Treating a potato field with copper sulfate. About copper sulfate
One of the most popular and affordable means for disinfecting greenhouses is copper sulfate. This is a blue or dark blue powder that dissolves well in water. It is not very toxic for warm-blooded animals. This substance has an antiseptic and disinfecting effect on plants and soil, especially in spring.
A solution of copper sulfate is used to treat greenhouses and soil, usually in the spring. The active ingredient of the product is copper sulfate, which also enriches the soil, which leads to an increase in the quality and quantity of the crop. However, you should not use such a solution for the soil in winter, so as not to oversaturate the soil with copper.
The process of preparing the soil and greenhouse for planting in the spring consists of two stages. The first stage is carried out in the fall: all plants are removed from the greenhouse, the soil is freed from the root system of the plants. The second floor of preparing the soil and greenhouse for planting is carried out in the spring.
For spring treatment, various chemicals are used, the most common of which is a solution of copper sulfate.
It can be used to treat walls and any wooden structures in greenhouses and hotbeds; it can be used to treat the soil and the plants themselves.
For competent, effective and safe treatment with copper sulfate, you need to prepare the necessary materials.
Necessary materials and tools for treating a greenhouse with copper sulfate:
- 2. Rubber gloves to protect the skin of your hands from exposure to copper ions, since they are still toxic.
- 3. Copper sulfate.
- 4. Container for the solution (preferably plastic buckets of 10 or 15 liters).
- 5. Spray bottle. You can use an old air freshener spray bottle, it is light and convenient.
- 6. Brush, sponge, napkins, rags.
- 7. Respirator for respiratory protection.
- 8. Safety glasses. When treating the ceiling of a greenhouse or greenhouse, the solution may get into your eyes. To avoid this, it is better to wear safety glasses; they should fit tightly to the skin of your face.
1. Water. It must be heated to a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius.
Competent summer residents, farmers and gardeners have been treating the soil and the greenhouse itself with this solution for many years, since such treatment is more effective and does not require large financial costs. This process is also simple and does not take much time and effort. To obtain maximum results, you need to know a few simple rules for working with copper sulfate and adhere to the correct dosage of the substance.
Let's sum it up
Now you know about fertilizing the land for potatoes in the fall. If everything is done according to science, then it is advisable to first determine the type of soil and its acidity. This is especially true if mineral fertilizers are supposed to be used - their dosage is given taking into account these parameters.
Organics can only be used if they are rotted and do not contain nightshade tops and weed seeds, especially perennials. In small areas, you can make a humus layer in trenches, then in the spring all that remains is to add ash.
Choosing a place to plant potatoes in the fall
There is a fairly common misconception that potatoes can be planted anywhere and they will grow well. However, there are a number of rules, following which you can get a good harvest. Potatoes are a light-loving crop; only a well-lit area is suitable for it. Without sufficient lighting, the above-ground part will stretch out and turn yellow, so you can’t count on a large harvest. After all, tubers consume what the tops accumulate. As a perennial plant, potatoes, having accumulated the required amount of nutrients in the tubers, will sprout again.
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An aspect that is important to pay attention to is the weak root system of potatoes:
- Therefore, for normal development, the crop requires loose, oxygen-enriched soils that will not interfere with the growth of roots and stolons.
- To get a good harvest, potatoes need to be planted on loamy, fertile, light super-sandy loose soils. Heavy clay soils are not suitable for growing this crop; compost, sand and manure must be added to such soil.
- It is important that there is no stagnation of water.
- Lime or wood ash is added to acidic soils at the rate of 15 kg per 100 sq.m.
Try to protect the area for growing potatoes from the north and northeast with trees or shrubs. It is desirable that the site has a slope towards the south or south-west. Every two years it is advisable to change the planting location, giving the soil a rest.
It is not recommended to plant potatoes in areas where tomatoes, strawberries, peppers or eggplant grew. It is preferable that the predecessors of potatoes are cabbage, pumpkin, legumes, cucumbers, carrots and beets.
Preparing organic trenches for potatoes
Natural farming methods have never failed anyone. Potatoes love a thick layer of humus. And the best option to provide the plant with the necessary conditions is to plant the tubers in organic trenches. You need to start preparing them in the fall.
To do this, trenches are dug 40 cm deep and 60 cm wide. Organic waste is placed at the bottom. For better decomposition and enrichment with soil bacteria, they are shed with Siyanie-3. Organic matter has time to decompose within a few months. And for potatoes in the spring there is a delicious, delicious bed ready.
