Fertilizing potatoes before hilling

Potatoes have been popular among our citizens since time immemorial, as many favorite dishes are prepared using this vegetable, be it first courses, side dishes, or original appetizers and salads.

That's why almost no garden can function without a dedicated plot for growing potatoes. Naturally, anyone who tends such a garden is interested in producing a bountiful harvest of high-quality, attractive vegetables, so fertilizing potatoes is a pressing issue for many residents of our country. The quality of the harvest is influenced by climate, soil structure, its composition, and even the region in which the plot is located. To create the most comfortable growing environment for potatoes, it's essential to know what to feed them with, and we'll discuss this in detail in our article.

Root feeding during flowering: organic fertilizers

For potatoes to grow and develop properly, they require various nutrients, often in increased quantities, as the dry substance of a potato contains a wide variety of chemical elements. There are approximately twenty-six of them, but nitrogen, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and potassium are considered the most essential for the vegetable's development. The need for these elements peaks during the flowering period, and after the tops begin to die back, this need gradually decreases.

So, what should you feed your potatoes during flowering? There are several options that will help provide the vegetable with everything it needs while it's actively blooming. Experts prefer using organic or mineral fertilizers, as this type of feeding during flowering actually increases yields.

Foliar feeding of potatoes

You can support the development of the vegetable not only by irrigating its roots but also through the leaves of the tops, as they can absorb nutrients necessary for the development of the root system. Foliar feeding can begin after the first four or five leaves appear. Foliar feeding of potatoes during flowering is most effective during the budding period, as at this stage, additional sources of phosphorus and potassium are essential for the vegetable.

Fact: Foliar feeding of potatoes after emergence is faster than root feeding in terms of mineral absorption, so the effect will be noticeable soon. This type of feeding is best used for young shoots—they absorb the nutrient solution very quickly. Just be careful not to make it too concentrated, as this can cause burns.

Before fertilizing potatoes, it's important to check the weather forecast for the coming days. Spraying before rain is not only pointless but can also be harmful to the soil. Rain will wash the fertilizer into the soil, which will absorb it, which can lead to an oversaturation of the soil with nitrate-containing substances.

So, what should you fertilize potatoes with during flowering? The choice of fertilizer directly depends on the soil composition and the condition of the plants themselves. For example, if the leaves are slightly yellowed, a nitrogen-rich fertilizer is needed, while plants with a purple tint clearly require phosphorus. Ammonium nitrate, urea, ammonium sulfate, various superphosphates, or potassium salt are commonly used for fertilization.

Foliar feeding of potatoes

Before fertilizing potatoes, it's important to familiarize yourself with the rules for foliar feeding; otherwise, you could cause irreparable damage to the plants. Here are a few basic principles for spraying potatoes:

1. It is necessary to monitor the air temperature not only during the day, but also at night. If the thermometer drops below zero at night, then you should avoid treating the plants for the next few days.
2. Before fertilizing potatoes for the first time before flowering, you need to wait two weeks from the moment the vegetable was planted.
3. To avoid thermal burn, avoid spraying on sunny days. A cloudy, overcast day, but not rainy, is ideal. You can spray early in the morning or when the sun begins to set. It will take at least two hours for the fertilizer to be absorbed.
4. Before fertilizing potatoes before flowering, it's necessary to calculate the optimal amount of fertilizer for that particular variety. Early-ripening varieties require more fertilizer than mid-season varieties, while early-ripening varieties require more frequent application due to their high nutrient consumption.

Let's look at several effective foliar feeding methods for potatoes.

• Urea fertilizer. To fertilize potatoes before flowering, prepare a solution of five liters of water, one hundred grams of urea, five grams of boric acid, and one hundred and fifty grams of potassium. For the first application, dilute the resulting solution by half; subsequent sprays are carried out undiluted. Treatment can begin two weeks after the first shoots appear, and repeat every fourteen days.
• Phosphorus fertilizer. If you're wondering what to feed your potatoes after flowering, phosphorus fertilizer is the way to go. To treat 10 square meters, dilute 100 grams of superphosphate in 10 liters of water.
• Fertilizing with humates. For treatment, you'll need a special solution of Humate+7 at a rate of three liters per 100 square meters. You can begin spraying after the fourth leaf appears;
• Nettle infusion. Nettle infusion is an excellent fertilizer for potatoes before flowering, as it contains nitrogen, iron, and calcium—everything necessary for a good harvest. To prepare the fertilizer, soak the nettle stems and tops in water and keep them in a warm place until the solution has completely fermented. After straining the infusion, you can begin cultivating the field, which should be repeated regularly, every ten days.

Fertilizing potatoes with mineral fertilizers

Mineral fertilizers can be used not only in spring but also in autumn. Experts recommend the following regarding proper application: "In autumn, superphosphates are needed at a rate of one kilogram per 100 square meters, as well as two kilograms of potassium sulfate per 100 square meters. In spring, one kilogram of ammonium nitrate and urea per 100 square meters." However, there are many different methods and opinions regarding how to improve yields with mineral fertilizers, using various solutions, agrochemicals, and mixtures. Let's look at some mineral fertilizers that are popular among experienced farmers.

1. Ammonium nitrate. This fertilizer is considered a basic fertilizer. For root feeding, it is used at a rate of 10-20 grams per 10 liters of water per square meter. For foliar application, 50 grams of ammonium nitrate per 100 liters of water is required. This will allow you to treat 100 square meters of potato field, saturating the soil and, directly, the plants, with the necessary nitrogen.
2. Urea (carbamide). For root dressing, urea should be applied to the soil before planting vegetables. Two kilograms of urea are needed per 100 square meters of plot. For root dressing, one kilogram of fertilizer is sufficient for the same area.

3. Ash. As mentioned earlier, potatoes often require potassium fertilizers, and ash is an excellent substitute. There's a special method for fertilizing soil with ash, which consists of five steps.

• In the autumn, after the harvest has been collected, it is necessary to add about one hundred grams of ash per square meter to the clay soil, while the fertilizer should be distributed evenly and immediately covered with earth;
• Just before planting potatoes, you need to sprinkle them with ash: you will need a kilogram of ash for one bag;
• In the spring, when planting vegetables, you'll also need to sprinkle ash into each hole. Two matchboxes per hole will suffice, and the ash should be thoroughly mixed with the soil.
• What to feed potatoes with when hilling is ash, two tablespoons of ash should be poured under each bush;
• Repeated hilling also requires the addition of ash. Fifty grams of fertilizer per bush is sufficient.

4. Potassium sulfate. This fertilizer is essential for enriching the soil and plants with potassium. When cultivating potatoes, it is most often recommended to add it to the soil during tillage at a rate of 30-35 grams per square meter. This can be done in the spring, before planting, or in the fall, after harvesting – both will be equally effective. If you're wondering what to feed your potatoes in June, consider a potassium sulfate solution. Simply dilute the fertilizer at a rate of 30 grams per bucket of water and water the field.
5. Double superphosphate. Phosphorus is essential for healthy fruit development, and is often deficient during the period when potatoes begin to bloom and fruit is just developing. Double superphosphate is highly water-soluble, and its application rates depend directly on soil conditions.

• If we are talking about cultivated land, then it will be necessary to add about twenty grams of fertilizer per square meter of soil during its spring or autumn digging, but for uncultivated land the rate should be increased to thirty grams per similar area;
• Double sulfate can be used to feed plants by dissolving thirty grams of fertilizer in ten liters of water. After the crystals have completely dissolved, water the potato field.

The best fertilizer for potatoes when hilling

Before hilling potatoes, many people wonder what fertilizer to use to improve the growth and development of the tubers. Experts identify two particularly interesting and effective solutions that should be applied to the plants before hilling. The first is a urea solution. One tablespoon of fertilizer per ten liters of water is sufficient, and no more than half a liter of the resulting fertilizer should be poured under each plant. The second option is to dissolve half a liter of liquefied manure or poultry droppings in a bucket and water the plants in the same manner, 500 grams per plant.

Additionally, before hilling potatoes, it's advisable to sprinkle mineral or organic fertilizer between the rows, approximately five centimeters from the stems, and then drip the fertilizer under the plant itself during hilling. The following mixture is optimal: superphosphate (about 6 grams), potassium (about 4 grams), and ammonium nitrate (up to 3 grams).

How to feed potatoes for tuber growth?

To achieve a large potato harvest, it's crucial to maintain a balanced diet, as each micronutrient has a distinct effect on the root crop. Nitrogen is essential for large potatoes and a bountiful harvest, but precise fertilizer dosing and careful timing of nitrogen application are essential. Foliar phosphate application can also influence potato size, but early in the season, root phosphate fertilizer is also needed to ensure optimal growth.

Calcium is the main component involved in potato cell division and expansion, and plays a vital role in vegetable growth, while potassium directly impacts yield. A magnesium deficiency can reduce not only tuber size but also overall yield. Using fertilizers in a one-sided manner can have a one-sided effect. For example, potato weight can be increased by adding potassium and nitrogen, but without phosphorus, the yield will be low.

• If daylight hours are limited in your area, try to plant potatoes as early as possible to extend the growing season;
• plant physiologically mature potatoes that will sprout quickly;
• Feed, water and protect plants so that the foliage cover is preserved as long as possible;
• Choose the most comfortable air and soil temperature for planting potatoes.

Folk remedies for feeding potatoes

The oldest and most effective folk fertilizers for potatoes are considered to be slurry, nettles, wood ash, bird droppings, and compost. These are the fertilizers our great-grandparents used back when specialized gardening stores and expensive agrochemicals were unheard of.

Humus is considered a very effective fertilizer. It should be added to the soil before it's plowed before the winter cold sets in, and by spring, all the nutrients in the humus will remain in the soil itself. Another popular method for fertilizing potatoes is as follows: Before planting, each tuber should be treated with a special solution made from potassium humate and water. Three grams of humate per liter is sufficient. Apply the solution using a sprayer.

Every gardener chooses the most suitable fertilizing method for themselves. The choice can be influenced by soil composition, the potato variety being grown, and the desired outcome. For example, one farmer may want to maximize yield, while another may want to grow a small but large crop. Fertilizing plants should be approached responsibly, as improper proportions and methods can harm the entire harvest.