Is it necessary to pluck flowers from potatoes to increase the yield?

While it's believed that removing potato blossoms promotes yield growth, there's also a different theory: this method actually harms the plant and reduces yield. Is this really true?

Should I pick off potato flowers during flowering?

For potatoes, the period of tuber formation coincides with the flowering period. During this period, half of all nutrients are absorbed by the tubers, while the other half is utilized by the leaves and flowers. Therefore, it's understandable for those concerned about damaging the plant by removing the flowers. Often, the plot is very large, and gardeners don't want to do useless, or even harmful, work.

Potatoes are a flowering plant. Flowering is the most important time for potato crops. This is when tubers form, and proper care during flowering ensures a rich harvest. During this time, when buds are forming, potato plants require additional watering (except during rainy summers). Gardeners often deadhead their inflorescences during this period to reduce the plant's energy spent on seed formation.

The problem of varietal degeneration is directly related to flower removal. To maintain varietal characteristics, a plant must go through its entire life cycle—flowering, fruit formation, and ripening. By removing flowers, the gardener deprives the plant of one of these cycles. As a result, the variety degenerates. In subsequent years, yields decline, and potato tubers become smaller.

Should I remove potato flowers to increase the yield?

The primary goal of any plant species is reproduction, and if potato buds are removed during this period, the plant begins actively pumping nutrients upward to form new flowers. Thus, the onset of tuber formation is delayed by almost two weeks.

A similar situation occurs when removing flowers. Once flowering is complete, the petals fade and seed pods begin to form on the plant, accumulating nutrients in the tubers. Therefore, removing the fruit that forms after flowering will increase the potato yield.

Why should you pick off potato flowers?

Plucking flowers increases yield only on certain potato varieties and under certain conditions.

For gardeners who decide to remove flowers, there are several tips:

• Some potato varieties may flower but do not produce seeds, so nutrients are not expended on their ripening; removing flowers in this case is impractical and will lead to unnecessary injury to the plant;
• When removing flowers, the gardener can trample down the soil between the rows, which will lead to a lack of moisture and air in the soil;
• When picking flowers, there is a risk of plants becoming infected from a person or from another sick plant.

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Reviews

Ivan, 42 years old.

My parents always picked the flowers off their potatoes. They yielded a good harvest. I tried picking the flowers, but the next year, it didn't work. I didn't notice much of a boost in yield. Now I've decided not to bother with picking the flowers anymore; I have a large garden.

Svetlana, 30 years old.

Everyone wants to grow good potatoes. The potato plucking method is correct and necessary; it guarantees larger tubers. The potatoes should be removed or pulled off by hand, or, better yet, cut with scissors.

Olga, 36 years old.

I tried pinching off the inflorescence, but the bottom leaf of the potato started to dry out, resulting in a poor harvest. Now I'll try cutting off the ovaries (they're usually green, for those who don't know).