How to fertilize potatoes when planting in holes

Achieving a bountiful potato harvest without using various fertilizers and following all the necessary care guidelines is virtually impossible. Therefore, choosing the right fertilizer can be considered the key to a good harvest.

If you're unsure which fertilizer to choose, helpful tips and gardening secrets will definitely help. Potatoes are a staple on our tables. Therefore, many people are interested in what fertilizers are available for them. Let's look at the main ones.

It's worth remembering that potatoes are a crop that will yield maximum yields if properly fertilized at the very beginning—at planting. Fertilization plays a key role in growing potatoes.

This is because potato plants very quickly absorb all the nutrients they need from the soil. Therefore, the soil must be sufficiently rich in these nutrients, otherwise the yield will be minimal.

Moreover, it's impossible to restore the nutrient deficiency in a single application. Therefore, fertilizing the bushes should be done in two stages: before autumn plowing, and directly into the hole before planting.

Learn more about the different types of fertilizers

Firstly, potatoes really need organic fertilizer. Compost, bird droppings, and manure are ideal.

Among mineral fertilizers, ammonium nitrate, urea, superphosphate, and potassium are worth mentioning. Phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers also show good results.

Secondly, you should never fertilize potatoes with preparations that contain chlorine, nitrogen or calcium.

Mineral fertilizers

Among the vast number of mineral fertilizers available, potatoes require potassium the most. Wood ash contains the highest concentration of this substance. Potatoes also need urea (carbamide).

In addition to wood ash, gardeners recommend using potassium chloride and ammonium nitrate. Nitrogen also plays an important role in bush development. By choosing the right dosage, you can achieve the tallest and most vigorous bushes. If this dose is exceeded, the growth will shift from the root systems to the leaf blades.

Organics

Organic fertilizers typically contain all the nutrients necessary for potatoes. Therefore, these types of fertilizers are considered the most important. Organic fertilizers are easily absorbed by plants and promote the accumulation of humus and carbon dioxide in the soil, which allows for the growth of the most vigorous tubers.

Such useful substances include rotted manure and fresh bird droppings. Various types of composted plant waste and green manure can also be used.

Manure

It must be applied to the soil in advance to ensure the soil is fully saturated with beneficial nutrients during the winter season. This is done before plowing by spreading the manure over the area at a rate of 5-10 kg per square meter.

It's also worth remembering that only dry, rotted manure can be added to the soil under potato plants. This should be done immediately before planting, at a rate of 250 g of compost per hole.

Chicken manure is also an excellent organic fertilizer. It promotes rapid tuber development. However, it should be diluted when applied to the soil, otherwise it can burn the roots of the plants.

The manure is diluted in water at a ratio of 1 to 10 and left for two to three days in a warm place. Then, the bushes are fertilized at the roots, at a rate of 1 liter of liquid per bush.

Features of spring feeding

Nitrogen is considered the most important element for potato growth. It is found in the greatest quantities in wood ash and manure. However, it's important to remember that early varieties require more of these elements than late varieties.

This is due to the fact that early-ripening potato varieties have the shortest growing season, and the plants simply cannot have time to “absorb” all the necessary organic substances.

Mineral fertilizers, on the other hand, act much more quickly and can provide plants with all the beneficial micronutrients they need for growth. This means they receive exactly the amount they need.

When planting potatoes, you can use several types of mineral fertilizers:

• Potassium sulfate – 2 kg. per 100 sq. m.;
• Ammonium nitrate or double superphosphate – 1 kg per 100 square meters;
• 5 kg of wood ash per 100 square meters;
• Nitrophoska and complex fertilizers – 4 kg per hectare.

All of the substances listed above should be added directly to each hole, following the recommended rates. Liquid fertilizers should be applied after the tops reach 10 cm.

What fertilizers should be used when planting potatoes?

According to the recommendations of experienced gardeners, it is best to add compost and manure, bone meal and wood ash, as well as various nutrients such as ammonium nitrate and urea with superphosphate.

What fertilizers should be applied in spring?

Since potato roots can only grow in the top layer of soil, fertilizer should be applied directly to the planting hole in the spring. It's important to follow the recommended dosage.

If you apply this type of fertilizing only on the surface of the soil, then all the tubers that grow first will simply turn green.

If the bushes are medium-sized and the soil is of average fertility, then it is worth adding no more than 2.5 kg of manure, and the same amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers.

In cases where soil fertility is at its lowest, it will be sufficient to add 100 kg of humus and 4 kg of superphosphate mixed with 1.5 kg of ammonium nitrate.

For example, if you choose organic fertilizer, you'll only need 750 g of dry manure and 200 g of wood ash for each hole containing a seedling. If you choose mineral fertilizer, you'll need 150 g of bone meal and 1 tbsp of nitrophoska.

All substances purchased from a farm store must be applied strictly in the quantities specified in the instructions.

What fertilizers should be applied after planting potatoes?

After planting, along with loosening and hilling the soil, it's important to fertilize the young bushes. During this period of development, they require nutrients most. The first fertilizing is done in June-July.

As soon as the first buds appear, to ensure flowering as quickly as possible, a second feeding should be carried out. Use 1 teaspoon of potassium sulfate and 2.5 tablespoons of wood ash per square meter.

The final feeding is done when the bushes are already flowering and is necessary for the fastest ripening of the fruit. Apply 2 tablespoons of superphosphate per 1 square meter.

If the bushes' growth is slow, thoroughly water the soil around each plant with an infusion of mullein and bird droppings. Be careful not to let the solution come into contact with the leaves.

Root and foliar feeding

Depending on the type of fertilizer, fertilizing should be done either through root or foliar application. The simplest option is to apply the fertilizer under the root. This method is applied immediately after loosening the soil to ensure the nutrients reach the roots more quickly.

Both organic and inorganic substances are used for this procedure. Let's consider some of the nuances of applying these fertilizers:

• Urea (1 tablespoon) or carbamide is also dissolved in a 10-liter bucket of water. This mixture is used to water plants after loosening the soil but before the first hilling;
• Fermented mullein is also suitable for watering shrubs. It should be dissolved at a rate of 1 liter per 10 liters of water;
• Herbal infusion is another fertilizing option, applied in June. To do this, soak a large amount of weeds in water, wait for the waste to ferment, and then water the plants around the perimeter of the hole.

Gardeners often use so-called agronomic chemicals. For example, ammonium nitrate at a rate of 25 g per 10 liters of water, or a mixture of potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus fertilizers in a 1:1:2 ratio.

Since potato plants require nutritional supplements at absolutely all stages of development, a one-time addition of the substance may not yield a positive result.

Therefore, gardeners use foliar feeding. This is usually done in the evening to avoid damaging or burning the plant. Although beneficial micronutrients enter the plant at different rates and through the leaf blades, some parts of the plant are better absorbed by the nutrients than others.

It's also important to always be mindful of the condition of the leaves. Healthy leaves will deliver micronutrients to the plant much faster than diseased ones. In any case, it's best to use fertilizers such as nettle infusion, humates, and phosphoric and urea acids.

If the soil is sandy loam or sandy, it's best to choose nitrogen-rich fertilizers. For example, a low-concentration urea mixture. Further fertilizing will be carried out as follows:

• The first is made with a urea-based solution two weeks after the first shoots appear. This solution will contain: potassium monophosphate (200 g), water (10 l), urea (150 g), and boric acid (10 g);
• This mixture is added in two stages and diluted;
• Subsequent feedings are carried out with an undiluted solution at intervals of 14 days.

This will maximize the activation of all processes occurring in the plant's various systems, as well as increase its resistance to the most common diseases.

For 1 liter of this solution, take 25 g of superphosphate, 3 g of potassium chloride, and the same amount of ammonium nitrate, plus 0.2 g of copper sulfate. Mix everything, let it steep for 4 hours, strain to the required volume, and apply it to the plant.

Phosphorus-based fertilizers can significantly increase potato yields and the starch content of each potato. This fertilizer can be applied to potato plants approximately 30 days before the planned harvest date.

To ensure the fruits are tasty and to prevent cavities from forming, it's worth applying fertilizers containing boron and manganese. These fertilizers are applied as part of a foliar fertilization program.

Humates are used to treat plants after they have at least five fully developed leaves. Intervals of at least 14 days should be observed between treatments.

Gardeners who prefer natural fertilizers prepare a nettle infusion. To do this, the stems and leaves of the plant are soaked in water and left to steep in a warm place. After 10 days, the solution can be applied to the bushes.

How to add soil

There are 3 methods of applying fertilizers to the soil:

1. Basic;
2. Pre-sowing;
3. As a fertilizer.

With the first method, fertilizers are added before tilling the soil, or directly during tilling before planting. Only by following this schedule can you achieve maximum plant nutrition.

When fertilizers are applied simultaneously with planting, this method is called pre-sowing.

Fertilization refers to the addition of special nutrient mixtures to plants during the growing season. This procedure is carried out either in the spring or fall.

In late autumn, before the first frosts, fresh manure, peat, and bird droppings are added to the soil. In the spring, fertilize with humus, manure, and compost. These elements are best added to dry soil.

Inorganic fertilizers can be used at any time of year. For example, nitrophoska is applied during deep tillage in the fall, and if the soil is too heavy, nitroammophoska is used.

Ammophos is suitable as a liquid fertilizer. It is used in the spring. These preparations are either sprayed on the bushes or added to the planting hole before planting the potato plants.

Technology

It's worth noting that all root feeding should only be done in clear weather. This is due to certain specific factors related to photosynthesis.

Gardeners know that potato plants' root systems develop in the upper layers of soil. Therefore, any fertilizer applied directly to the planting holes will reach the plants very quickly.

Regarding foliar fertilization, it's recommended to apply it in the evening or on cloudy days. Exposure to sunlight can cause the fertilizer to dry out quickly, which can lead to plant burns.

Furthermore, spray the bushes gently at least 2-3 hours before the expected rainfall. This will allow the fertilizer to be fully absorbed.

The technology for applying inorganic potato fertilizers is as follows:

• It is always worth adding 150-200 grams of wood ash to each hole beforehand, and then filling it with soil;
• After the first shoots appear, the first fertilization should be with urea at a rate of 40 g per 20 liters of water. Apply 500 ml under each bush;
• Plants require a second feeding after budding begins. To do this, dissolve 25 g of potassium sulfate in 15 liters of water and add 25 g of wood ash. Apply 1 liter of solution per plant.
• To ensure the tubers form as quickly as possible, feed the bushes with liquid mullein (300 g) and 2 tablespoons of superphosphate. Let this sit for 30 minutes, then water the plant with 500 ml.

Correctly calculates the required fertilizers

The amount of fertilizer applied will depend on the soil's fertility. If the soil is fertile, it's worth adding 2-2.5 kg of superphosphate and manure, as well as up to 2 kg of potassium per 100 square meters.

If the soil is of average fertility, we'll need more fertilizer. So, we'll need to add 3-4 kg of manure, the same amount of nitrogen-based fertilizer, 3 kg of potash, and 4.5 kg of phosphorus fertilizer.

If the soil is very depleted, we'll need even more fertilizer. That means we'll need to add 100 kg of manure, 1.5 kg of ammonium nitrate, and 3.5 kg of superphosphate fertilizer.

It's important to always remember that too many nutrients will not provide any benefit. Therefore, always strictly follow all recommendations regarding fertilizer application rates.