Fan hilling: step by step algorithm
Fan hilling got its name from the fact that potato sprouts are laid out "in a fan". Then the stems are covered from above. Within a few days, the regrown shoots will be freed from the "straw captivity" and will turn green on the surface.
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The point of the technique is that plant shoots separated from each other do not need to compete for moisture and light. Hilling is carried out after the young potato tops grow up to 15-20 centimeters, before flowering.
Rolling hilling involves the use of various auxiliary materials (for example, loose soil, hay, weeds and green manure). The ideal is straw, which not only "holds" moisture well, but also serves as a "supplier" of nutrients for root crops.
IMPORTANT! All manipulations must be carried out carefully, without injuring the aerial part of the plants and their roots.
Let's get started:
- Spread the shoots with your hands and fan them in different directions.
- Fill the soil in the center of the bush, leaving only shoots with leaves on top.
- Put mulch on top: this way each shoot will acquire stepsons. After that, the tops of the bush will be sticking out in different directions, they will bathe in the sun's rays, actively branch, and outwardly, when viewed from above, resemble a bird's nest.
TIP! In order to decompose the shoots in this way, even at the stage of planting potatoes, you need to provide a decent distance from one bush to another - 50-60 centimeters.
pros
- The straw trick is probably an invention of gardeners who do not have the ability to regularly water the beds. But tubers thrive in moist soil. Hilling straw helps to solve this problem: the material provides constant, but not excessive moisture, and the plant does not suffer from overheating.
- The straw head helps to preserve the spongy structure of the soil. In it, the potatoes feel comfortable: they will not be too damp, and this circumstance will protect them from various diseases.
- The nutrients contained in the straw further stimulate the development of the root system and the formation of tubers.
- Tubers do not "cluster" in tightness under a bush, as is the case with normal hilling, but grow freely. Therefore, they are large, even, smooth and in large quantities.
- The bush itself receives a lot of sunlight due to the distribution of the shoots.
- Potatoes do not "fall" into captivity of weeds that attract pests, which "feast on" both potato tops and tubers, share infections and viruses with potatoes.
Minuses
- Labor intensity. Each plant will need care, which makes the technique acceptable for small areas.
- The method is not suitable for dry conditions. In a drought, potatoes "under a fur coat" will overheat, due to which the development of fruits slows down or stops altogether.
Do you use fan hilling of potatoes?
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Read about the terms and rules for hilling potatoes in the following article:Hilling potatoes: terms, rules, when and how to hilling