Fan-shaped potato growing method: step-by-step hilling, reviews

Fan-shaped hilling of potatoes is a method that many gardeners use to protect the crop and ensure ideal growing conditions while minimizing the impact of negative external factors.Hilling comes in different forms and requires the use of various auxiliary materials, each with its own characteristics and advantages. Fan hilling is most often performed using straw. Straw is an ideal material for retaining moisture and providing additional nutrition to potatoes.

Advantages and disadvantages of hilling

Proponents of this method believe that covering stems with soil encourages additional roots, which guarantees tuber formation. However, tuber formation depends on soil moisture levels. The soil must be moist at the time of hilling and subsequently, which guarantees additional tuber development and a higher yield. Not everyone has the opportunity to water their beds. For this reason, gardeners resort to a trick called straw hilling.

Fan-mounted hilling can be harmful during dry periods. A certain percentage of moisture evaporates daily from a flat soil surface. After hilling, evaporation levels triple in hot weather. In hot weather, hilled potatoes will overheat, leading to slow tuber development and stunted fruit development.

When hilling, gardeners create a deep furrow, pushing soil away from the row spacing and toward the bushes. Tubers form densely packed directly beneath the bush, minimizing both the quantity and quality of fruit. Gardeners should only use hilling in a well-lit area, as the material reduces the amount of sunlight reaching the soil beneath the bush. Fortunately, this problem only applies to standard hilling, not fan-shaped hilling.

How to perform fan hilling

Fan-shaped hilling of potatoes is easy to do, especially if you use instructional videos.

1. You need to cover the plant bush starting from the center, and not like with regular hilling, where the work starts from the edges.
2. All shoots are laid out in a fan shape.
3. Mulch is placed on top, which helps each shoot grow side shoots, which will have sufficient space between rows. This type of hilling allows the potatoes to fully absorb nutrients, which affects the quality of the harvest. If fan-shaped hilling is done correctly, the yield will increase by 1.5 to 2 times.
4. When mulching, the ends of the bush stick out in different directions, leaving only the tops of the bush. These will extend upward, looking down on the bush. This positioning of the tops will form a "nest." The placement of the shoots solves the problem of hilling—it ensures sufficient light. The bush will have enough light to begin to bush out profusely, which will increase the yield.

Gardeners who use fan-mounted soil know that when planting, it's important to leave at least 60 cm between each plant. This allows for easy fan-shaped spreading of the shoots, increasing the quality and quantity of the harvest. Fan-mounted soil for potatoes, according to reviews, leads to a consistent harvest, with large, even tubers.

Using straw as a hilling material ensures constant, but not excessive, moisture. This retains moisture, preventing potatoes from overheating when fan-shaped hilling. The spongy structure of the soil under the straw is preserved, preventing it from becoming damp and soggy, which could potentially lead to various diseases.

Gardeners also noticed a significant reduction in pest attacks on crops cultivated using the fan-cultivated method. Fan-cultivated potato cultivation is known to suppress the growth of numerous weeds, which attract various pests and insects that feed on potato tops or tubers, infecting them with viruses.

Reviews

Sergey:

"I've been using fan-shaped hilling for three years now. The potatoes are generally large and deformed. The yield only started to increase over time, once I got the hang of the hilling technique and stopped making mistakes."

Paul:

"Thanks to fan-hilling, I doubled my potato yield. My wife and I bought a plot of land, but the soil wasn't prepared. A neighbor suggested growing potatoes using fan-hilling. We weren't sure about the results, but we ended up harvesting almost 140 buckets per 100 square meters."

Maria:

"I don't have much free time to go to the dacha and monitor the soil moisture. I used to do regular hilling, but the results weren't the best. This year, I tried the fan method for the first time. So far, I'm happy with it. The main thing is to remember to leave plenty of space between the holes to make it easier to place the bushes and mulch."

Anna:

"We're planting a few potatoes; the plot doesn't allow for more. We'd like to grow a variety of crops. We tried fan-hilling once, and the yield increased by half. It's a real miracle! It's just important to remember to loosen the soil."