Is it possible to mow potato tops after flowering?

Every gardener or homesteader has grown potatoes. They're arguably the most popular vegetable crop, both for planting and for eating. However, no matter how much study and practice one has spent on this seemingly straightforward vegetable crop, it's still not always possible to reap a decent harvest.

One possible cause could be large potato tops. Let's discuss this issue and explore what exactly causes the green tops to grow and how to combat it.

As you know, potato tops are of no use to humans, as they are not edible. However, this part is indispensable in the creation of high-quality organic fertilizers. They are usually composted or burned to ash. Furthermore, potato tops are used in both traditional and pharmaceutical medicine to create pest control products.
Unfortunately, potato tops have a very negative impact on the potato harvest. Experienced gardeners have found that the more tops a potato has, the lower and poorer the yield will be. This is because the plant has devoted all its natural energy to growing the leaves, not the tubers. However, it's worth noting that this correlation isn't always true and depends on many factors.

In our so-called "rating," excess nitrogen is the number one cause of greenery. This problem can arise when a gardener, with good intentions, overdoes the fertilizer application. Fertilizers contribute to the rapid and vigorous growth of green parts without the desired increase in tubers. Thanks to excess nitrogen, potato tops can grow over a meter in height, but unfortunately, without increasing the number or size of root vegetables.

If the tops have grown significantly due to nitrogen deficiency, further root development can be influenced. Adjusting the fertilizer regimen can help. The best and most effective solution is to add superphosphate to the potato's diet. Superphosphate generally doesn't reduce the size of the tops, but it does have a beneficial effect on the potato fruit. Scientifically, this type of fertilizer accelerates the "aging" process of the fruit and stimulates the rapid release of nutrients necessary for growth, or the tops, into the root vegetables.

To prepare this type of fertilizer at home, mix superphosphate with warm water at a ratio of 1 liter of water per 10 g of active ingredient. The resulting solution should be evenly distributed over all areas of the potato plantings. For 200 square meters of land, it is recommended to make 20 liters of this solution.
To avoid repeating similar mistakes in the future, remember that additional enrichment of the soil with nitrogen is not required if manure or humus was used as fertilizer during the preparation of future beds.

It's important to remember that potatoes are a self-sufficient vegetable that doesn't require excessive fertilizer. Even if both the tops and tubers are thriving thanks to fertilizer, the potatoes may not keep well and soon spoil. Experienced gardeners recommend applying any fertilizer strictly according to the instructions and suggest reducing the amount of fertilizer.

It's with noble intentions that many beginning gardeners plant large or even enormous tubers. However, this is detrimental to the subsequent harvest. The larger the tuber, the proportionally greater the nutrient supply. This benefits the green portion of the potato, but not the tubers. Just as with excess nitrogen, the large tops of the potato will slow down the development of the fruit, which will not yield the desired results.

When vegetative growth ends, the plant should develop tubers. This doesn't happen because fruit development has virtually stopped due to the end of the growing season, and the potato itself hasn't had time to develop.

To avoid making the same mistakes in the future, experienced gardeners strongly recommend choosing vegetables for planting that are no larger than a chicken egg.

Perhaps the most common problem that causes tall potato tops is a lack of natural light. Anyone who has ever grown seedlings in a garden or private home has observed a tendency that is directly related to light. If the emerging sprouts don't receive enough light, they begin to "stretch" toward the sun. This is why in the shade, potatoes will grow green but not tubers.
A similar effect will occur if, in an attempt to save space, potato beds are planted too close together, without adhering to the established distances. Potatoes are precisely the kind of plant that doesn't tolerate space savings. In this forced discomfort, the vegetable begins to devote all its energy to its tops, fighting for a place in the sun.
Another potential cost of saving space is the potato's exposure to various fungal diseases, which are difficult and time-consuming to combat. This is due to insufficient air circulation in established beds.
Only in the southern regions, even in semi-shaded areas, is there no problem with insufficient light. It is in these regions that large potatoes grow, even with tall tops.

While gardeners are directly to blame for excess nitrogen, planting large tubers, and close-packed beds, humans have no control over weather conditions. After all, it's precisely in warm, slightly rainy summers that any grass, like potato tops, grows like crazy.
No gardener can predict weather conditions, so there's only one proven method for preserving the harvest. After the potatoes have finished flowering, wait a few days, or preferably a week, and then trample down the tops until they cover the entire soil. This will prevent them from taking the remaining nutrients from the tubers and growing even larger. This simple action will transfer all the growth energy to the nascent tubers, giving the gardener a rich and desirable harvest.

Before planting any vegetable crop, be it potatoes or tomatoes, it's important to understand the plant's life cycle and how to care for it. This will help prevent various diseases, avoid a large pest infestation, and ensure a healthy harvest. Potatoes are a vegetable that requires minimal care, making them a popular choice for beginning gardeners.
No matter how simple planting may be, it's important to know a few subtleties to avoid being left without your favorite vegetable. One thing to watch out for is the potato tops growing longer than 80 cm. If the tops are just beginning to actively grow green, you need to determine the cause and take appropriate action.
If the tops exceed one meter, this is a major sign of high nitrogen levels in the soil. As described earlier, it's necessary to adjust the amount and frequency of fertilizer application, and prepare a superphosphate solution. This won't reduce the amount of tops, but it will significantly slow down, and all the nutrients will be transferred to the tubers.
To avoid this problem proactively, it's important to create a proper fertilizer schedule from the start. It should look something like this:

• The first time the fertilizer is applied should not be before the first shoots of greenery appear.
• It is recommended to use fertilizers based on ammonium nitrate or urea. The solution is diluted at a rate of 15-20 g of active ingredient per 15 liters of water. However, remember that during the initial treatment, in the fall or spring, do not use any fertilizers to increase nitrogen in the soil.
• Further fertilizing is carried out only after hilling. A second fertilization is carried out only after the potato plants reach a height of 25 cm. Nitrophoska is typically used, scattering 25 g between the potato rows. Once the second fertilization is completed successfully, further fertilization is not necessary.

Experienced gardeners typically nourish the soil with various nutrients during the summer, using foliar feeding. However, it's important to remember that foliar feeding should be combined with insect repellent spraying.

As strange as it may sound, large potato tops are largely the work of gardeners. Whether out of good intentions or ignorance, in the early years people want to do everything they can to get large, dense potato tubers. But when chasing the desired result, the opposite often happens—a poor harvest and too much greenery.
To avoid this fate, it's important to remember the basic recommendations for planting and caring for potatoes. Here are the basic planting rules:

1. the size of the potato for planting does not exceed the size of a chicken egg;
2. at the time of planting, the soil should be warmed up to at least 12-15 degrees Celsius;
3. It is necessary to fertilize potatoes strictly according to the instructions so as not to “overfeed” them;
4. When planting, the distance between holes should be 25-30 cm.

Of course, these are not all the rules, but without following these recommendations, the tops will grow and the harvest will be meager.

Experienced gardeners have shown that the height of the tops doesn't always influence the future harvest. This is because different potato varieties behave differently during growth. To accurately determine the appropriate topping level, it's necessary to research the desired variety and establish acceptable care limits.
For example, potato varieties like 'Nakra' and 'Adretta' have fairly tall tops. A 50-80 cm top bush is normal for them. You should only be concerned if a potato variety you know suddenly starts to sprout greenery, although this shouldn't happen.
Of course, the only problem with tops isn't the abundance of greenery. Sometimes, on the contrary, there aren't enough tops, which causes even more anxiety.
If you're planting this potato variety for the first time, don't worry too much before the first harvest. As mentioned earlier, each variety behaves differently, and what's normal for one may well be abnormal for another. The characteristics of each variety vary dramatically, and there are varieties where the greens never exceed 40-50 cm.
However, this doesn't mean they have a lower yield. Some potato varieties, where the green tops don't grow to enormous sizes, can yield up to 25 potatoes from a single bed at a time. The "Red Scarlett" variety falls into this category. However, even such a well-known and popular potato variety as "Udacha" isn't known for its abundant green tops. Small green tops are a characteristic of the variety, not a defect or a problem, provided you know it's expected.
If you know the tops should be larger, you need to take immediate action to save the crop. Most often, underdeveloped tops are due to a phosphorus deficiency in the soil. This leads to a reduced or even total loss of the harvest.
To confirm the "presumptive diagnosis" is correct, perform a simple step: dig up one of the less developed beds to check the tubers. After removing one potato tuber, cut it in half. If the potato has a purple tint inside, this means the soil is depleted of phosphorus and needs to be fertilized.
For example, the superphosphate described above also nourishes the soil. However, there's a significant difference: it's not the soil that needs to be treated, but the leaves. This is how you can revive your potatoes and directly enrich them with phosphorus.
So, don't worry too much about too little or too much tops. Remember that each variety behaves differently and requires specific care. Don't rush to buy all the fertilizer and water them with everything you can find. Give your potatoes a rest, and you'll see wonderful results.

Be that as it may, the question arises: is it necessary to mow potato tops? Just 50 years ago, mowing or cutting off the tops wasn't even an issue, as potatoes grew practically without human intervention. They were simply watered when necessary and treated for Colorado beetles. And the final stage was digging up the potatoes with large tubers.
After some time, gardeners began mowing the tops as an experiment, but they did so only before digging, most likely simply for convenience. On the one hand, it's easier to dig, as the greenery doesn't get in the way. On the other hand, it's extra work, a waste of time and effort, and ultimately makes the beds less visible. Some sources still recommend mowing the tops before harvesting.

Today, potato tops are routinely cut and burned to preserve the future harvest. This is because the disease known as late blight persists in seemingly ordinary greenery. Simply mowing and burying the tops will transfer the blight to the soil and have a detrimental effect on the future potato harvest. This disease can only be eradicated by burning.
Only after all the potato grass has been mown do the nutrients pass directly into the tubers, thereby allowing the tubers to ripen better.
To make the skin of your favorite vegetable thicker, cutting off the tops will help. After mowing, the fruit remains in the ground for several days, enriching itself with beneficial minerals.
However, if you've cut off the tops, never dig up the potatoes immediately. This will cause them to rot quickly and eventually crack.

According to gardening literature, it's recommended to remove the tops about a week before the expected harvest. Some recommend letting the fruit "rest" for about two weeks, but the decision is entirely up to you.
It also depends on the potato variety, as each requires harvesting at a specific time. Most often, they are harvested in late August or early September. Harvesting earlier is not recommended because the tubers haven't yet developed sufficiently. It's best to begin digging only after the tops have completely died. However, even later is not recommended, as the potatoes will begin to re-grow leaves, devoting their last energy to restoring the plant.
If the tops have already died, don't delay digging them up. You can keep the potatoes in the ground for a maximum of three weeks after they die. Otherwise, the quality of the tubers will decline and they won't survive the winter.

Reviews

Natalia, Petropavlovsk:

"I was planting potatoes for the first time. I'd never gotten around to it before, and I didn't really want to bother. At first, everything was fine; I fertilized them a few times, until I noticed the tops were growing like crazy. It was beautiful on one hand, but scary on the other. I went online to find out why and what to do. I spent a long time trying to figure it out, thinking I'd never grow potatoes and that a garden wasn't really my thing. This website came to the rescue. I made a superphosphate solution, and it seemed to help. Of course, the potatoes weren't perfect, but they were better than I thought. Thanks to this website for the support!"

Maxim, Moscow:

"For me, potatoes are my life. I've been planting potatoes for six years now and never really considered whether I should mow the tops. On the one hand, I should, it's better the way it is, but on the other, I've never done it before, so why change anything? But finally, I decided to give it a try. On August 25th, I mowed all the tops and didn't harvest until September 6th. As surprised as I was, the skins really are thicker this way and survived the winter without even rotting. Now I know what to do. I never thought I'd change anything in my old age."

Oleg, Kirov:

"The only new thing I learned was how to assemble it properly. It doesn't seem like a difficult task, but even that has its subtleties. Thanks for helping!"