How to grow potatoes from seed at home?

We are used to growing tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and other vegetables from seeds. Why is it that most gardeners always propagate potatoes with tubers? Yes, this method is easier and more convenient, but didn't you yourself notice that every year the harvest becomes more modest, and the size of the tubers is smaller? Sometimes it turns out that in the spring it takes more potatoes to plant than it is possible to dig up in the fall.

Foreword

We are used to growing tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and other vegetables from seeds. Why is it that most gardeners always propagate potatoes with tubers? Yes, this method is easier and more convenient, but didn't you yourself notice that every year the harvest becomes more modest, and the size of the tubers is smaller?

Sometimes it turns out that in the spring it takes more potatoes to plant than it is possible to dig up in the fall.Even if you select the best tubers for planting and apply fertilizer to each hole, all the same, every year the potatoes degenerate, more and more viral, bacterial, fungal diseases, and taste deteriorates markedly.

Sometimes it turns out that in the spring it takes more potatoes to plant than it is possible to dig up in the fall.

To restore yields, you can choose one of two options: buy high-quality elite tubers every five years, or grow potatoes from seeds yourself. The second option is preferable not only for economic reasons, but also because, under the guise of elite planting material, ordinary tubers of low quality can be sold to you, and by their appearance you will not be able to determine whether they are in fact elite or not.

Video about growing potatoes from seeds

Why growing potatoes from seed is better:

• the cost of seeds is much lower than the cost of tubers;
• the seeds take up very little space; a basement or cellar is not needed to store them;
• potatoes grown from seeds do not initially have any diseases and are resistant to late blight and unfavorable environmental factors;
• the yield of potatoes is higher than when planted with tubers.

Growing potatoes with seeds: features and difficulties

Reproduction of potatoes using seeds will give you the opportunity to feel like a breeder, since the potatoes will not grow of the same type. Potato bushes will vary in yield, color and size of tubers, and disease resistance. Thus, you can immediately select the best tubers as planting material for the next year, focusing on the desired plant traits.

Propagating potatoes with seeds will make you feel like a breeder

However, it is worth noting the main difficulties that you will have to face when growing seedlings of potatoes from seeds:

• the root system of potato seedlings is formed slower and worse than that of the same tomatoes, it is necessary to provide the most loose soil or even grow first on sawdust until the seedlings reach a height of 3 cm;
• seedlings are very moody, react to the slightest inconvenience, and with a lack of light they stretch out strongly;
• without the regular use of biological products (trichodermina, planriz, black yeast), potato seedlings are very susceptible to diseases, especially black leg;
• potato seedlings are small and fragile; they will have to be transplanted with great care.

Detailed instructions on how to grow potatoes from seeds

Due to the peculiarities of the Russian climate, potato seeds must be grown in seedlings in a greenhouse, and not in the open field. You can purchase ready-made potato seeds or prepare them yourself. In the summer, berries are formed on many varieties of potatoes, which must be collected in gauze bags and hung in a bright, warm room for a while for ripening. The finished berries should become soft and lighter, then you can crush them in a cup, rinse the resulting seeds, dry and sprinkle on bags. Since the germination rate of potato seeds is low, it is better to prepare more of them. Seeds up to two years old germinate faster than older seeds.

The finished berries should become soft and lighter, then you can crush them in a cup, rinse the resulting seeds, dry them and sprinkle them into bags

Sowing seeds

Before sowing, it is recommended to soak the seeds in water for two days. Hardening with variable temperatures for 10 days is also effective: at night, the soaked seeds in trays are kept in the refrigerator at a temperature of +1 degrees, and during the day - indoors at room temperature.

Seeds are sown in boxes from late March to early April. Fill the boxes with a damp mixture of 1 part soil and 4 parts peat, adding fertilizer. Place the potato seeds in the ground in rows: 5 cm between the seeds and 10 cm between the rows. Sprinkle the seeds on top with a layer of sand of 0.5 cm, slightly compacting it so that they do not wash off when watering.

Cover the boxes with foil or glass and move to a warm place, you can go to a foil greenhouse. Seedlings should appear in a week or two. When you see two real leaves on the seedlings, you will need to dive the seedlings into small plastic cups with drainage holes or into peat pots. Water and weed the potato seedlings regularly, feed the plants with ammonium nitrate during rooting.

Planting in open ground

At the end of the frost, around the third decade of May, potato seedlings can be planted in open ground. Dig holes 10 cm deep, add 300 g of humus to them and pour (half a liter of water per hole). Bury the seedlings in the ground so that a stem with three upper leaves remains on the surface.

To protect young potato seedlings from possible temperature changes, cover the bed with plastic wrap. It will be possible to remove it when the plants get stronger and warm weather sets in. In dry weather, water the potatoes every two days, weed and loosen the soil regularly. Also, during the season, you will need to spud the potatoes twice.

Video about planting potatoes with seeds

Of course, from the very first year you will not get a high harvest of potatoes, which would be enough for the whole winter. In the first season, mini-tubers weighing from 10 to 50 g grow from potato seeds (in the same way as onion sets grow from onion seeds). With good care, you can get more tubers from one bush, up to a kilogram of tubers, and some tubers will reach 100 g. Even better will be the harvest when grown in a greenhouse.

From mini-tubers next year you will get super-elite potatoes of the highest quality (first reproduction), from which in the third year will grow super-elite potatoes of good quality, in the fourth year you will get elite potatoes, and from the fifth-sixth year you will already dig out ordinary potatoes, harvest will begin to decline again. Therefore, after five years, you can repeat the entire procedure for growing potatoes from seeds.

Not a single summer cottage is complete without a potato garden, perhaps you will not find a person who would not like tasty, aromatic potatoes! And the process of growing a culture is no secret - just know, throw the tubers into the holes and cover them with earth. But what about an opportunity like growing potatoes from seed? Do you think it's impossible? Nothing like this!

How to keep a variety

Experienced summer residents know that any variety of potatoes is gradually degenerating: taste deteriorates, yield decreases. This happens because potatoes are planted from year to year within the same variety, respectively, there is no renewal of the seed.

The easiest way out of the situation is to buy varietal planting material. But this is quite expensive, and besides, there are no guarantees that the purchased tubers will really be elite, and not just selected from the general harvest. But you can go the other way - learn how to grow potatoes from seeds in order to get seedlings of the crop on your own, at no special cost. Potato berries contain seeds that, fortunately, do not show signs of degeneration, do not carry hereditary information about crop diseases.

You can collect seed on your own in your beds, or you can purchase prepared, processed seeds in specialized agricultural stores.

The latter option is the most acceptable, since the resulting potato seedlings will be strong and resistant to negative environmental influences.

Growing from seeds video

From the video you will learn how to grow a root crop from seeds.

Features of agricultural technology

Potatoes grown from seeds at home differ in that the resulting bushes will not be of the same species. At the same time, on each package (if you bought the seeds) it is sure to indicate that you will receive a whole population, and the plants will have a different set of phytogens. So you yourself can select those that best suit you in terms of the qualities and conditions of cultivation. That is, in the process of growing potatoes with seeds, you act as an individual breeder.

Growing methods from seeds

Experienced farmers use two main methods of obtaining potatoes from seeds: sowing for seedlings and the non-seedling method. If you sow seed directly into the ground, you will get small roots in the fall, suitable only for planting next season. This method seems to be the simplest, since it does not require additional manipulations with the seedlings, but it should be remembered that the seeds have a low germination capacity, so the breeding period of the variety can stretch over a long period.

If you are planning to get seedlings, then all the manipulations will be very similar to the process of growing tomato seedlings, but there are several differences:

• potato seedlings are very fragile, so transplant or dive with extreme caution;
• for the normal development of potato seedlings, a looser soil and a longer period are needed;
• young seedlings are distinguished by their exactingness to the lighting regime, in many cases additional lighting may be necessary;
• potato seedlings are extremely susceptible to disease.

Seed preparation and planting

Potato seeds cannot be simply taken and sown in the ground: they must be germinated first. This should be done back in March by placing the seed in clean water for several days. In this case, it is not required to completely fill it with water: it is enough only to provide a humid environment.

A damp cotton cloth is best for this and needs to be moistened regularly. It is noteworthy that it is also important to observe the temperature regime - the germinated seeds should be kept warm, best of all - not far from the central heating battery.

In order to influence the efficiency of the germination of the seed, it will not be superfluous to treat it with any phyto-growth stimulant.

Another point that has a positive effect on future plants is the hardening of the seeds (for this, it is enough to put the bowl in the refrigerator for a certain time, and then return it to the heat).

Transplanting and growing seedlings

As soon as your seeds hatch, sow. For this, a special box is suitable, at least 10 cm deep, filled with a loose nutritious soil mixture. Sprouted seeds are carefully and carefully placed on the surface of the soil, leaving a distance of about 5 cm between them, and 10 cm between the rows.After that, sprinkle the seeds with earth just a little bit and sprinkle with water from a spray bottle. In principle, all initial watering should be done exclusively with a sprayer, otherwise you risk washing off weak and unrooted seeds. The surface of the box must be kept slightly damp at all times, while avoiding excess moisture. Before the emergence of seedlings, it is better to cover the container with crops with a film or glass, and leave it at rest in a warm and well-lit place. The first shoots can be seen no earlier than 10 days later.

When the seedlings grow up and form a pair of real leaves, you can start diving the plants into the peat cups, not forgetting to provide a drainage hole. Remember to rotate the seedlings regularly to prevent the plants from stretching or bending towards the light source.

While the seedlings are developing, they must be fed. For this, organic fertilizers are used at least once a month. Periodic hardening procedures will also be useful: from time to time leave a box with sprouts on the glassed-in balcony overnight. But just before planting in open ground, you can even leave potato bushes there for a week.

Planting in open ground

As soon as the last threat of night frosts has passed, you can start planting potatoes in open beds. This should be done in the third decade of May, when the weather is warm enough. Do not forget to prepare the soil - it must be carefully dug up and loosened, and organic fertilizer must be applied to the holes. Plants are planted in shallow (about 10 cm) wells, previously abundantly moistened. While compacting the plant, deepen it so that only the top three leaves remain above the surface. It is best to provide additional protection to the garden bed by organizing a small greenhouse. This will help young plants to root well and get stronger. The shelter is removed as soon as the seedlings begin to actively develop and finally get stronger. Further care consists in regular watering, loosening the soil and removing weeds. But you also need to watch out for possible attacks of insect pests.

Now you know how to grow potatoes from seeds, as you can see, it is not difficult at all, although somewhat troublesome. But the result is worth the effort, because you will get a unique variety that has the most suitable set of qualities and properties for you. So, do not be afraid of difficulties, and forward to a great harvest! You will see that you will definitely succeed, and the neighbors, summer residents, will organize a whole excursion tour to admire your potatoes!

Video "Planting in open ground"

From the video you will learn how to properly plant seeds in open ground.

Not everyone knows how to grow potatoes from seeds at home in order to reap a rich and generous harvest. It is worth considering the characteristics of the vegetable, you need to know when to sow seeds for seedlings, how to care for seedlings, how to grow good planting material from it ...

potato seedlings - pictured

How to increase the yield of potatoes

Of course, the owner of his own plot wants a good harvest of potatoes.In order for a decent amount of potatoes to grow on a small area of ​​land, you need to take care of increasing yields, namely:

• Strictly observe the timing of crop rotation
• Observe the agricultural technique of planting
• Change the seed periodically

If these simple requirements are followed exactly, it will be possible to collect at least a ton of potatoes from one hundred square meters. It is imperative to take into account the fact that potato tubers over time accumulate diseases and infections characteristic of this vegetable, and lose their taste. Productivity decreases over the years. To avoid this, it is necessary to replace the planting material. Purchasing potatoes for planting in horticultural farms will cost quite a lot.

Agricultural scientists argue that one of the most effective ways to get quality seed potatoes is to grow potatoes from seeds at home.

How to grow potatoes from seeds at home - instructions

Those gardeners who already know how to grow potatoes from seeds at home claim that this is a very interesting activity that also benefits. The berries that form on potato bushes contain seeds inside, but are not carriers of diseases. In other words, if a potato bush has grown from a seed, it can be considered optimal, even an elite planting material.

Potato seeds are sold in grocery stores, or they are prepared with your own hands. To implement the second option, it is necessary to collect the largest berries, they are also popularly called balabolki - put the berries on the windowsill and wait until they wither, then carefully remove the seeds.

Rinse the seeds well, let them dry and put them in a dry corner, where sunlight and other light does not penetrate, their due date will not come earlier than the last days of March. In order for a good seedling of potatoes to grow from seeds, it is important to follow a few rules:

• Only seeds no older than 2 years germinate and develop well
• Sprouted seeds are not advisable to dive, they may die
• The soil where potato seeds are planted must be free of pathogens

Before planting seeds, it is important to carry out initial preparation, which consists in processing with a solution of potassium permanganate, followed by rinsing and drying the seeds. The soil for growing seedlings should be loose, ideally if it is sieved.

For planting, it is better to use special cups in which holes are made for drainage. Experienced gardeners practice growing potato seedlings in pots. The containers with soil are placed in a pallet, 2/3 of prepared soil is poured into each, several seeds are laid on top of it and covered with a thin layer of sand. To prevent the soil from settling too much, you can sprinkle it with water from a sprayer. Cover the containers. The first shoots will appear in 15–20 days.

At this stage of germination of potato seeds, it is important to properly water them. It is impossible for moisture to get on the green part of the plant, so the best way of watering is through the pallet. The soil itself will absorb as much moisture as it currently requires.

If several seeds sprout in one cup, it is recommended to remove everything, leaving the strongest and strongest sprout. It is impossible to pull out the sprouts from the soil so as not to damage the main individual, therefore it is better to cut them with scissors at the root.

When the plants get stronger and gain strength, they must be transplanted into a larger container and continue to look after until the air warms up stably and the frost stops. On average, potato seedlings grow for about 2 months, and it takes 14 days to germinate. So, following the rules on how to grow potatoes from seeds at home, do not forget about the timing. The seed should be in the ground 75-80 days before the onset of warm, stable weather in the area.

Basic rules for caring for seed potatoes

If you have planted high-quality seedlings in well-prepared soil, the plant will grow quickly and rapidly take strength. In this case, the main task of the gardener becomes harvesting for planting potatoes with tubers. To do this, you need to collect everything, even the smallest potatoes. It is worth considering that tubers can only be taken from healthy plants.

In order for the plant to develop correctly, it must be properly watered. This should be done along the furrows, without touching the green part of the plant. During the summer, under normal weather conditions, it is necessary to water the crop twice. It is important not to overmoisten the vegetable.

The cleanliness of the bed or furrows is also important. The first step is to get rid of such a "neighbor" as quinoa, this weed is a favorable place for the development of an infection such as late blight.

If necessary or for preventive purposes, plantings can be treated with special preparations such as EM-1 Baikal, which include microorganisms that heal the soil, feed and pour tubers.

Now you know how to care for potato seedlings correctly, so that the results will not keep you waiting! With proper care, you will be able to collect at least 20 potatoes of different sizes from each vegetable bush. So that a full-fledged potato bush grows next year, even the smallest planting material will do. The main thing is to properly organize its storage.

Tubers selected for future planting in the spring must be kept in a room where sunlight penetrates until they acquire a greenish color.

The procedure for growing potatoes from seeds at home is not so simple. However, if you follow all the requirements for germinating seeds and caring for seedlings, you will find elite planting material.

Having engaged in updating potato varieties in their garden, some restless experimental gardeners decide to grow potatoes from seeds. This is a rather troublesome business, like growing any seedlings, but for the sake of obtaining healthy seed material, you can sweat for a year. For the difference in the yield of potatoes from an elite and from an ordinary tuber is enormous!

How to grow potatoes from seeds? Why is seed propagation beneficial and beneficial? What difficulties can you face when growing potato seedlings? Let's take a look at all the intricacies and secrets.

What does the reproduction of potatoes from seeds give?

Does a simple gardener really need all these experiments with reproduction? We are not breeders, not Michurins, we need a good harvest from potatoes every year and nothing else. And you can buy planting tubers in every market.

What are the advantages of growing potatoes from seeds?

Firstly, potato seeds are several times cheaper than mini-tubers or elite tubers. High-quality seed potatoes cannot be cheap, because obtaining meristem tubers, from which super-elite and elite planting material then grows, is a costly process. Moreover, in appearance, it will not work to distinguish elite tubers from ordinary seed tubers, which gives all unscrupulous sellers the opportunity to call anything "elite" anything. In the markets, as a rule, seed potatoes are sold in the best case of a third reproduction, and maybe even a fifth or tenth.

Secondly, potato seeds, unlike tubers, do not require a cold cellar for storage, take up little space and remain viable for a long time (6-10 years).

Thirdly, potato bushes and tubers grown from seeds are not susceptible to viral and bacterial diseases and are more resistant to unfavorable growing conditions.

Fourthly, the yield of seed potatoes is higher than that of those planted in the usual way. Of course, if you want to update the variety as soon as possible, then leave all the potatoes grown from seeds for planting next season.However, this is not at all necessary: ​​even when sown with seeds, a potato bush is able to grow tubers weighing 80-100 grams.

Finally, once-grown potatoes from seeds allow for the next 5-7 years to get good yields, selecting seed tubers as usual. Because in the first year after planting, they receive mini-tubers by seeds, in the second year - the super-elite, in the third - the super-elite, in the fourth - the elite, in the fifth - the first reproduction, etc.

Growing potatoes with seeds: instruction

Seed propagation of potatoes usually involves a seedling method of growing. This means you will need additional containers, soil, space on the windowsill and time.

Like any other seedlings, potatoes are best grown with a pick. At the first stage, in small plastic cups (for example, from under yoghurt), then - in half-liter glasses (for example, from under sour cream).

The soil for potato seedlings should be loose and fertile. It is best to take four parts of peat for one part of the land and add a biological product for diseases - trichodermin (5 grams per 5 liters of soil mixture). Alternatively, you can spill the soil with "Fitosporin" a few days before sowing. Unfortunately, potato seedlings are very sensitive and easily affected by the blackleg, so it's better to play it safe.

Some gardeners recommend growing potato seedlings in moistened sawdust before picking so that they grow roots better and faster.

Sowing potato seeds for seedlings is carried out in late February - early March. First, the seeds are germinated on a damp cloth in a plastic container with a lid. The cloth should always be kept damp, and the container lid should be opened from time to time to ventilate. For about 5-7 days, the seeds will sprout.

Sprouted seeds are carefully laid out on moist compacted soil and sprinkled with a layer of sand of one centimeter. Then it is carefully sprayed from a spray bottle, covered with a film and sent to a sunny windowsill. The soil (sawdust) is kept moist until shoots appear.

Potato seedlings are much more capricious than tomato and even eggplant - they need more light (they stretch out very quickly in case of a lack), more nutrients (they slowly build up the root system), a very loose substrate (the roots tend to "suffocate" in dense or waterlogged soil), it has more chances of getting sick with "black leg". Therefore, potato seedlings are watered very sparingly, from time to time they are sprayed with "Epin", once a month they are fed with complex fertilizer, and, if possible, they are supplemented with fluorescent lamps.

25 days after planting, potato seedlings dive into large pots, burying the cotyledon leaves. Towards the end of April, when the weather is warm, the potato seedlings can be moved to the balcony.

Planting potato seedlings in the ground and further care

Ideally, young potato seedlings should be planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse, and only in the second year tubers should be "moved" into open ground, but not everyone has such an opportunity. Therefore, in mid-May, when the soil has already warmed up well, and frosts are no longer expected, potato seedlings from seeds are usually planted in open ground. As usual, on a cloudy day or in the evening, plants (possibly already with small nodules) are planted in holes filled with ash with humus and spilled with water, at a distance of 40 centimeters from each other. With this planting scheme, there is a chance to get large tubers in the first year.

It is better to make holes for potato seedlings long, lay the stem horizontally and cover it with earth so that only the very tops of the plants remain on the surface. Then the potato bed is mulched with straw or last year's leaves, arcs are placed and covered with spunbond or other covering material.Potato seedlings are a big sissy, the shelter can be removed only in June, when summer weather is finally established.

In the future, caring for potatoes does not differ from the usual: hilling or mulching, watering, feeding. Potatoes should be fed twice: the first time - a couple of weeks after planting with an infusion of mullein (or grass) with ash, the second time - before flowering with potassium sulfate.

How to grow potatoes from seeds without seedlings

If you live in a southern area with a long summer, you can not tinker with seedlings on the windowsill, but try to grow potatoes from seeds in a seedless way. Most likely, there will not be large yields, but it is quite possible to get small tubers for seeds. Unfortunately, this method does not work in regions with short summers.

In mid-May, sprouted potato seeds are planted in a fertilized bed with loose soil (even better, in a warm bed). At a distance of 30-40 centimeters from each other, holes are dug with a depth of 10-12 centimeters. 2-3 seeds are planted in each hole and sprinkled with sand or coconut substrate or loose soil by half a centimeter.

As the plants grow, the soil is poured into the holes, and then hilling is carried out twice, as with ordinary potatoes. All other agricultural techniques are common: mulching, watering, top dressing. After the tops turn yellow, the potatoes are dug up and stored until next spring as seed material.

We wish you success and big harvests!

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