Many people think that growing potatoes is easy. But in fact, this culture is quite capricious and puts forward serious requirements for the quality of the soil. To satisfy the whims of the plant, it is necessary to take care of the fertility of the soil in advance. This should be done almost immediately after harvest. What fertilizers to apply to the soil after potatoes, I will describe in detail below.
The importance of site preparation in the fall
If potatoes are planted in the same place every year, there will be no good harvest. One plant consumes 60 g of nitrogen, 30 g of phosphorus and 100 g of potassium during the growing season. Weeds also take some of the nutrients. Therefore, it must be remembered that the soil can get tired.
The most successful way to prepare the soil for the new season is combined enrichment. Agrochemicals and organic substances are used. Their combined use can increase the yield by 2-3 times.
To enrich the soil, 1-3 buckets of compost, humus or manure should be added for each square meter. Minerals are also added. The most commonly used superphosphate. For 1 sq. m you need 30 g. Additionally, it is worth adding potassium sulfate at the rate of 20 g per 1 sq. m.
Autumn and winter are just enough to transform all the nutrients into a form that is digestible for potatoes.
Potato-friendly green manure
The soil is still damp immediately after harvest. At this time, it should be planted. You can simply scatter grains of rye, oats or wheat over the surface of the area. Phacelia, vetch and mustard are also well suited as siderates. White mustard grows especially quickly. It contains a lot of nitrogen. In addition, white mustard does an excellent job with wireworms.
Siderata remain on the potato field for the whole winter. In the spring, they need to be buried in the ground using a flat cutter or digging up a site. Plants should be under a small layer of soil.
Fertilizers
Fertilizers must be applied to the ground in certain quantities. It all depends on the condition of the soil and the crop grown. For potatoes, you can use fertilizers, which are described below.
Cow dung
The main advantages of mullein are its high nutritional value and relatively low cost. On almost any farm, you can negotiate with the owners about the supply of this fertilizer. Mullein contains a lot of nitrogen, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.
Mullein is subdivided according to the degree of decomposition into the following types:
- rotted - it takes at least 6 months to educate him;
- half-ripe - it takes 3-4 months;
- fresh.
Fresh mullein contains a lot of ammonia. He also often has pathogenic microflora and worms. To get rid of parasites, it must be infused or composted. During composting, the temperature in the compost heap reaches 65 degrees, and the eggs of the worms die.
The most valuable is semi-rotten manure. It is nutritious and has a fine and loose structure.
Bird droppings
Poultry droppings are not inferior in nutritional value to complex fertilizers. In addition to minerals, it also contains bacteriophages that disinfect the soil, kill pathogenic fungi and bacteria.
With an autumn application for 1 sq. m requires about 2 kg of litter. After such enrichment of the land, potatoes will give a large harvest. One application is enough for 2-3 years.
Wood ash
Ash is rich in phosphorus, iron, manganese, boron. It must be applied to the soil if the area is clayey or loamy.
The ash is evenly distributed in a thin layer throughout the entire area. After that, you need to do a shallow digging.
Ash is also required for soils with a neutral or alkaline environment. It is not suitable for acidic soils, as it makes them even more acidic.
Compost
This is the most affordable fertilizer, since almost all organic waste is suitable for its preparation: root crop tops, hay, leaves, sawdust. To make the compost mature faster, special substances are used. To enrich the composition, additional mineral components are added.
Half-rotted compost is suitable for autumn application, since it will still have time to completely decompose during the winter. Fertilizer is applied according to the puff cake principle. It alternates with manure, straw or fresh grass. Sprinkle on top with a small layer of earth and sprinkle with water.
Phosphate fertilizers
Phosphorus dissolves in the earth the longest. This element takes several months to transform into the required form. That is why superphosphates are introduced in the fall.
Phosphorus must be added together with potassium. So he gets into the active phase better. Because of this, the finished products are phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
Nitrate fertilizers
Sodium nitrate can only be used on acidic soils. In autumn, it is brought into heavy loamy soils so that it has time to penetrate into deeper layers. To do this, you just need to scatter the substance over the site and dig up the ground onto a half bayonet of a shovel.
Ammonia fertilizers
Ammonium nitrate is the most important ingredient in potatoes. Its main advantages are high efficiency and speed. The next season, after adding ammonium nitrate to the soil, the potato yield will increase by 50-70%. Also, the culture will be more resistant to fungal diseases.
Usually ammonium nitrate is applied in the spring. But if the soil is severely depleted, it is additionally fertilized in the fall.
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