Chinese Method Of Growing Potatoes: Planting Methods And Technology Features

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Crop experiments: the Chinese way of growing potatoes

Potato dishes have won worldwide popularity for a long time. The delicious tubers of this South American plant have gradually conquered all continents over three centuries. Asian farmers have long favored traditional rice, but potatoes are now recognized as the number one staple in China. The creators of gunpowder came up with a creative approach to growing root crops. They not only develop new high-yielding varieties, but also developed an original planting technology. What is the peculiarity of the method and how to grow potatoes in Chinese?

Content

• 1 Traditional or new?

  1.1 What is the Chinese method of planting potatoes based on

• 2 Is it worth planting potatoes in Chinese: the pros and cons of the method

• 3 How to plant potatoes in Chinese

  • 3.1 Preparation of planting material
  • 3.2 Video: processing tubers before planting

  • 3.3 Potatoes in the pit

    • 3.3.1 We plant potatoes in the Chinese way
    • 3.3.2 Caring for potatoes in the pit

  • 3.4 Chinese potatoes in the beds

    • 3.4.1 In a trench
    • 3.4.2 Two crops
  • 3.5 Video: almost in Chinese - growing potatoes in a hole under a straw
  • 3.6 Potatoes under a film and in a greenhouse

• 4 How to care for potatoes planted in Chinese

  4.1 Video: planting potatoes according to the Chinese method

• 5 Reviews of potato growers about the Chinese method

Traditional or new?

Professional agronomists and ordinary summer residents note that the yield of potatoes depends not only on the quality of the seed or care, but also on how they are planted. Therefore, the number of planting methods for everyone's beloved root crop already has several dozen. Traditional methods: under a shovel, in holes and in ridges - require a large area, the cost of seed, effort and time to care for the beds. But they are simple and, apart from sprouted tubers, earth and a shovel, nothing is needed.

The traditional method of planting potatoes is a laborious task, but it does not always provide high yields.

Therefore, more and more gardeners are looking for new options for growing potatoes. Among them, the most popular are planting in trenches with straw, according to Mittlider and in vertical containers: bags, baskets, barrels and boxes. These methods allow you to greatly increase the yield from a limited area and at a lower cost. But the experimenter will need additional materials, and sometimes special equipment.

Planting in bags is one of the newest methods of growing potatoes, it gives a good result if there is not enough space for the beds

Not so long ago, the newest way of growing potatoes appeared - in Chinese. It is designed for a small area, a modest number of tubers and easy maintenance. Planting potatoes according to the Chinese method can really save land, seeds and energy. But he has not yet become popular. The fact is that the expected result - over 20 kg from one or two tubers - has not yet been received by Russian gardeners.

What is the Chinese method of planting potatoes based on?

How to grow the maximum amount of potatoes in the smallest area, with little seed investment? This problem was solved by Chinese agronomists, inventing their technology.

The planting method in Chinese is based on the peculiarity of potatoes to form underground shoots, they are called stolons. The thickenings at the end of the grown stolons are the tubers for which potatoes are grown. The logic is simple: the more underground stems, the higher the yield. When growing in traditional ways, hilling is mandatory. The soil is scooped up to the potato tops to stimulate the growth of the underground part. According to the Chinese method, hilling is not done. The potato bush is completely covered with soil mixed with nutrients or mulching materials (materials that regulate water and air regimes). Lay such layers several times as they grow. To do this, the tubers are planted at a considerable (up to half a meter) depth, in a hole or trench. The inventors of the Chinese method assure that when burying, that is, hilling, on the contrary, stolons will grow more actively. Due to this, the yield will increase.

Potatoes are becoming more and more popular in China, they have already replaced traditional rice.

Is it worth planting potatoes in Chinese: the pros and cons of the method

The Chinese method of growing potatoes is interesting and unusual. It has undoubted advantages:

• a small piece of land is enough;
• a small number of tubers will be enough for planting;
• weeding and hilling are not required;
• less often watering;
• effortlessly, it is possible to protect the bushes from the Colorado potato beetle.

However, a multi-layered garden bed in Chinese also has disadvantages. Digging a fairly large and deep hole or trench is not so easy for a physically weak person. And the biggest disadvantage is that this method does not guarantee a huge harvest, which is written about on the Internet. Russian gardeners most often collect from bushes planted according to the Chinese method, only slightly more tubers than with other cultivation methods. One tuber gives a yield of about 1.5–2 kg. There are several reasons for the failure: potato varieties are not suitable, agricultural technology is not followed, or Russian soil does not work according to Chinese rules. Why the theory is not supported by practice and whether it is worth planting potatoes this way can be found out by gardeners who are not afraid to experiment.

How to plant potatoes in Chinese

Agronomists from China warn that this technology is only suitable for high-yielding varieties. Celestial breeders have been successfully breeding such potatoes for more than 50 years. In addition, for a garden bed in Chinese you need a special land, very airy and loose, which is said to be like fluff. Without a hefty dose of fertilizer, nothing will come of it either. Therefore, before starting the experiment, evaluate your capabilities.

Chinese technology, as theorists assure, allows you to get a high yield without significant hassle

Preparation of planting material

The Chinese are attentive to the preparation of tubers for planting. Root vegetables the size of a chicken's egg are best suited.

Tubers for planting should be no larger than an egg

In order to activate the growth of the eyes, the potatoes are subjected to heat shock in spring. He is taken out of the coolness and darkness. Then they are laid out in a light and dark room, but away from batteries. The green sprouted tubers are ready for planting.

In order for the potato eyes to develop more actively, it is necessary to remove part of the pulp in the middle

Before germination, you need to do tuber carving. It is cut approximately in the middle, choosing the pulp to make it look like an hourglass. Or make a simple cut around the circumference of the tuber, no more than a centimeter deep. To prevent decay, the pulp must be treated with ash.

Video: processing tubers before planting

Potatoes in the pit

As connoisseurs of the Chinese method assure, at least 20 kg of root crops are formed from one or two tubers in each potato pit. Therefore, calculate how many potatoes you want to collect, and based on this, determine the number of seats and proceed.

We plant potatoes in the Chinese way

1. Dig a hole half a meter deep, about 70–90 cm in diameter.
2. At the bottom, mix loose soil, rotted manure or compost (one third of a bucket), add a handful of ash, bone meal and superphosphate, mix again.

3. Plant the sprouted tuber in the nutrient mixture, you can two or three.

   

   The tuber is planted in a mixture of fertilizers and loose soil

4. Sprinkle 10 cm of soil over the potatoes and pour.

   

   Topsoil should not be thicker than 10 cm

5. After the sprouts stretch up to 15 cm, carry out the first hilling on the contrary, adding soil to the pit. Leave no more than 5 cm of greenery on the surface.

   

   When hilling, leave about 5 cm of tops above the ground

6. When the tops grow back to 20 cm, cover it again with soil, leaving only the top leaves on the surface.

   

   As soon as the tops grow up, it must be filled up again.

7. Repeat the procedure until the planting hole is completely filled. Each time when hilling, feed the bush with compost, ash, reducing the dose compared to the first.

   

   Remember to fertilize the plant, but reduce the amount of nutrients

Care for potatoes in the pit

Potatoes planted in this way do not require much trouble. In dry and hot summers, the bush is watered about once a week. If it is raining and cool, it is enough to moisten it once when it starts to bloom. You can add top dressing to irrigation water: potassium salt (700 g per 10 l), infusion of bird droppings (1:20). This will increase the yield and the tubers will be larger.

A dense layer of soil prevents air from reaching the roots, so periodically loosen the soil on the surface of the pit.

Some of the potato buds can be removed so that the bush retains more nutrients and strength for the formation of tubers.

Chinese potatoes in the beds

Chinese potato beds, at first glance, are similar to traditional ones, but, on closer inspection, are very different from them. Inventive agronomists manage to combine different varieties and harvest several crops in one planting.

In the trench

If there is enough space in the garden, try planting Chinese-style potatoes in the trenches.

1. Dig a trench half a meter deep.
2. At the bottom, keeping a distance of 25–30 cm, make holes (30 cm deep, 50–60 cm in diameter).
3. Pour the mixture into the holes: a tablespoon of ash and superphosphate, a glass of fertile soil.
4. Put 2-3 prepared tubers in a loose and wet soil mixture, cover them with earth, water.
5. Cover the mounds at the bottom of the trench with straw. This mulch helps to retain moisture, does not allow the earth to crack. And the root system under the straw cover gets a lot of air and develops well.
6. Wait for the sprouts to rise by 15 cm, sprinkle them with soil with nutrients, and on top again with straw.
7. Apply the powder, reducing the amount of fertilizer, each time the bush reaches a height of 15-20 cm, until the mounds appear on the surface of the trench.

Straw mulch in the garden helps the bushes grow faster

Two harvests

In northern China, farmers use the potato planting method, which produces two crops from one garden bed. The first collection is carried out in June, and the second by the end of July. By the way, Russians who live in Siberia and the Far East have already adopted the experience of their neighbors and are actively using them.

In the Chinese garden, potatoes of different ripening periods are grown, digging up the first crop, you will spud the bushes planted later

1. Prepare a trench about one and a half meters wide, 35–40 cm deep, the length depends on the amount of planting material.
2. At the bottom, pour a layer (15 cm) of rotted manure, on top - the same amount of earth.
3. Along the trench at a distance of 60–65 cm, make two parallel furrows without touching the manure layer.
4. Place humus mixed with wood ash (2: 1) in the furrows.
5. Place the prepared tubers of early potato varieties on top, cover them with earth, add no more than 5 cm. This way you will quickly get seedlings. If the soil layer is more, the shoots will appear later.
6. Wait for the bushes to grow up to 15–20 cm, and carry out the first hilling.
7. A day or two after hilling, make 3 more furrows, along the edges and between the previous beds.
8. Pour a nutrient mixture (humus + ash) into them and plant medium-late potatoes.
9. When the harvest is ripe in the first beds, digging up potatoes, use the soil for hilling medium-late varieties. Thus, in a small area, it will be possible to grow two crops.

Video: almost in Chinese - growing potatoes in a pit under a straw

youtube.com/watch?v=xT7A6H4XJ-Q

Potatoes under a film and in a greenhouse

In the northern regions of China, the land in greenhouses for planting potatoes begins to be prepared in winter. Burning coals are placed in dug trenches to warm the soil for growing early varieties. The temperature is constantly monitored.

To harvest potatoes early, they are planted in a greenhouse.

When the ground warms up to 18-19 degrees, the tubers are planted. Usually in Chinese greenhouses, two protective layers are arranged. Above - a film stretched over arcs, which protects plants from the cold and the scorching sun, it is removed from time to time with the arrival of heat. And on the soil, a layer of some non-woven material is stretched (for example, agrospan, agrotex, lutrasil). It protects the roots of potato bushes, retains moisture, keeps warm and inhibits weed growth.

How to care for Chinese planted potatoes

Traditionally planted potatoes are time consuming to care for. It includes hilling, watering, loosening the soil, fertilizing plantings, controlling weeds and protecting against diseases and pests. Moreover, these works have to be done more than once during the season.

Maintaining a traditional potato garden is physically difficult

Potatoes planted using the Chinese method need almost the same care. However, it will take much less effort and time. Planting technology assumes that there will be fewer bushes. This means that it is easier to care for the beds. In addition, Chinese-style potatoes hardly need weeding.

Chinese beds need to be watered less often. The multi-layer structure retains moisture better. Plants will need the most water during the laying of tubers, the signal is the appearance of buds and flowering. If the weather is dry and hot at this point, water the potato bushes more abundantly and often. But don't overmoisten the soil. Check its condition beforehand. If the ground is dry to the depth of a finger (7–10 cm), it's time to water. On average, a potato bush planted in the traditional way consumes 6 liters of water per day, the early varieties are slightly less. Multilayer Chinese-style beds are more water-absorbing, so pour up to 10-12 liters under each plant. But the frequency of watering can be reduced. During the active growth of tubers, after setting the fruits, carry out one more feeding, in the heat increase the volume of water to 15–20 liters.

It is imperative to monitor the looseness of the soil, only in the fluffy soil you can grow a good crop of potatoes. After rain or watering, "puff up" the crust that has formed in the upper layer of the bed.

It is better to feed potato bushes with natural fertilizers: rotted manure, humus, poultry manure solution.

A rich harvest of Chinese-style potatoes can be harvested if you choose the right variety and strictly follow all the technology

The addition of ash during planting fertilizes the soil and perfectly protects potatoes from rotting in wet weather. It is also useful for her to powder the tops - this is the prevention of diseases and a remedy for the Colorado potato beetle. Onion hulls, poured into the soil or in the form of mulch, help keep tubers from being attacked by wireworms.

Video: planting potatoes according to the Chinese method

Reviews of potato growers about the Chinese method

Growing two dozen kilograms of potatoes on a tiny piece of land is a very tempting idea. But, as Russian gardeners write and show, few people managed to bring it to life. Only a few were able to get the huge harvest announced on the Internet from a multi-layer Chinese garden. But there are those who want to try this method. In their opinion, making an experimental potato pit or garden bed is not difficult and interesting. Who knows, suddenly, in a year or two, the method of growing potatoes in Chinese will take root on Russian soil.