How to fertilize potatoes for the best harvest

 

Remember how in the movie "Girls," sweet little Toska stood up for potatoes and passionately demonstrated the enormous variety of dishes that can be made from this wonderful root vegetable? But few people know how to properly fertilize potatoes to ensure they grow well, which is why they end up with meager harvests and avoid planting much of them, preferring to buy them at stores and markets. Let's find out how to fertilize potatoes to ensure a healthy harvest.

 

How and when to apply fertilizer

To grow a wonderful, heart-pleasing harvest, you need to know what fertilizer to apply to potatoes when planting and during autumn digging. Organic options are crucial for a good harvest. On heavy clay soils, it's recommended to add humus in the fall; on light sandy soils, rotted manure; and then add compost in the spring. All this good stuff should be dug in immediately to prevent the fertilizer from drying out and losing its beneficial properties.

General fertilization of a plot requires a significant amount of fertilizer, so it's much more economical to apply it directly to the planting holes during tubers planting. This requires organic fertilizers along with mineral fertilizers. Moreover, different mixtures are applied for early and late potatoes. This is because early potatoes use up nutrients very quickly and require immediate application of wood ash and humus, while manure and ash are added to the holes for late varieties.

By the way, if you the moles prevailed - see how to deal with them to save the harvest.

Mineral fertilizers – which are better?

Tubers need nitrogen, but keep in mind that it produces a large amount of green mass at the expense of tuber growth. Therefore, it's important not to overdo it and to simultaneously add phosphorus and potassium. For early potatoes, apply potassium chloride and superphosphate, supplementing with ammonium nitrate at a rate of no more than 60g per square meter. If you're adding fertilizer directly into the planting holes, reduce the dosage by half.

Bird droppings are excellent for potatoes, but they shouldn't be used in their pure form—it will burn the tubers. It's best to dry them, dilute them 15 times with water, and then add a liter per hole. For early potatoes, it's also a good idea to add meadow peat with added ash in the fall.

Green manures, which can completely replace manure, are excellent. When your plots of land become clear in the fall, sow mustard and lupine there; if wireworms are scarce, you can even use winter rye. Mow, chop, and dig the green mass before it blooms. In the spring, you'll have a wonderful field for planting potatoes and other crops. This is the cheapest type of fertilizer, natural and safe, and no further fertilizer is required after planting. Moreover, potatoes usually absorb what they need immediately, and afterward, additional feeding is practically unnecessary.

See also how prepare potatoes for planting.

 

Do no harm!

Fertilizers are good, but in moderation. Because nitrogen, as we've already discussed, in large quantities can only produce huge bushes instead of tubers, too much phosphorus reduces starch production, and manure can lead to scab and the development of cockchafer larvae, which thrive on young potato shoots. It's important to choose the right fertilizers, as everyone's soil and climate are different.

 

Complex fertilizers for potatoes

Many prefer to avoid unnecessary fuss and use complex fertilizers that have the best impact on the quality and yield of their harvest. Some gardeners use Kemira Potato, for example. While it offers the ideal balance of nutrients, it's also expensive, so many prefer more affordable options. Bird droppings, compost, slurry, humus, and wood ash provide a full spectrum of fertilizers for potatoes. Many rave about the specialized fertilizer "Bulba," which not only contains a wide range of nutrients, but also combats wireworms and is effective against late blight.

 

Wood ash and other fertilizers for adding to the hole

Many gardeners recommend using ash—not just from any wood, but specifically from fruit trees. It contains a wealth of minerals and microelements, making it incredibly beneficial for more than just potatoes. Ash can be sprinkled on the tops of the trees on damp days to prevent rot. In the spring, prune the branches, let them dry, and you'll have excellent ash for planting.

Prestige - when and how to use it for potatoes

You can use "Prestige" if you want to protect your crop, but only for late potatoes; it's not suitable for early ones, as the poison won't have time to dissipate; it takes two months for it to clear. Yes, it will protect against wireworms, voracious cockchafer larvae, fungi and rot, scab, and the Colorado potato beetle. But it's up to you to decide whether your crop deserves this risk.

 

How to fertilize potatoes - reviews

 

Anton: I bring manure from the farm once every three or even four years, spread it in the fall and plow it, and for several years I don’t bother at all - the harvest is excellent!

Marina: My uncle prunes his potato bushes as soon as they finish flowering, and the harvest is always excellent. He says that this method is what helps him get such a good harvest.

TamaraI only use "Bulba"—I buy 5 kg packages. I sprinkle a little bit into each hole when planting—it's a wonderful, all-in-one fertilizer, in my opinion, and it's hassle-free!

IvanEvery year we add peat and manure compost directly onto the potato tubers—it's never let us down! And we keep the weeds at bay, as they suck up all the juices, leaving little for the potatoes.

MichaelI mix chicken manure with leaves and ash, let it rot in a barrel, and then use it as a fertilizer for my garden in the fall—it's a wonderful remedy! But ammonium nitrate is bad; it gradually accumulates in your body, so I don't recommend it!

To summarize, each soil requires its own approach. After listening to our advice and feedback from gardeners, you will draw the right conclusions and choose the optimal fertilizer for potatoes when planting in a hole and for autumn plowing.
Read more - Growing potatoes wisely without weeding or hilling - good harvest!