Fodder potatoes and their cultivation

Fodder potatoes are actively used in animal husbandry, in particular, for feeding pigs and sheep. To do this, they use not only the surplus of tubers left after the sale, but even tops, peelings and damaged potatoes. All this perfectly replaces grain and other concentrated feed, and also becomes part of a balanced diet.

Growing potatoes

If we consider the varieties of potatoes, then as fodder they are most often used: Korenevsky, Woltmann, Lorkh and Berlichingen. This plant grows well on medium sandy and not too heavy loamy soil with a loose layer of at least 20 cm.

Before growing potatoes, be sure to pay attention to what crops grew on this site before him. So, root crops, winter crops, legumes and vegetables are considered the best predecessors of potatoes.

But in any case, potato fertilization is necessary. For these purposes, organic matter (compost, manure) is used, which is introduced in the fall. If the soil is light, then sometimes you can only do with mineral fertilizers. True, in this case there is a risk of getting a smaller harvest.

Potatoes, the cultivation of which includes knowledge of a number of nuances, are planted when the soil warms up to 8 degrees. The planting depth of tubers should be between 10 and 12 cm.

If you will be feeding sheep and cattle, then you need to include raw potatoes in the feed mixture. In this case, some features should be taken into account. For example, potatoes are added to the diet of sheep only at the final stage of their fattening.