Potato top dressing timing and which fertilizer to use, explained in one article

SummarySeedling stage: generally combined with intertillage and hilling, apply 20-10-20+TE Moore seedling water-soluble fertilizer diluted with water per mu by drenching. After flowering: in fields with potassium-deficient soil in the south, potassium fertilizer can be added; in fields with phosphorus-deficient soil in the north, phosphorus fertilizer can be added. Late growth stage: spray sugar alcohol medium and trace elements boron, copper, etc.

1. Potato top dressing timing

1. Seedling stage

During the potato seedling stage, nitrogen fertilizer needs to be applied as top dressing. Generally, it can be combined with intertillage and hilling, and 20-10-20+TE Moore seedling water-soluble fertilizer diluted with water is applied per mu by drenching, which helps preserve the seedlings. The traditional method is root application of urea, but it is not conducive to plant absorption.

2. After flowering

(1) After potato flowering, high-potassium fertilizer needs to be applied as top dressing. In fields with potassium-deficient soil in the south, potassium fertilizer can be added; in fields with phosphorus-deficient soil in the north, phosphorus fertilizer can be added.

(2) However, potatoes have a relatively large demand for potassium, which should also be taken seriously. When tubers begin to grow, high-potassium water-soluble fertilizer 15-15-30+TE can be applied as top dressing, flushed once about every 15 days, which helps promote tuber expansion.

3. Late growth stage

(1) In the late growth stage of potatoes, if nutrient deficiency symptoms appear, foliar top dressing can be carried out, generally spraying sugar alcohol medium and trace elements such as boron and copper. Among them, boron helps tuber enlargement and can also prevent cracking, and has a special effect on improving the net photosynthetic productivity of the plant.

(2) Copper can increase protein content, help increase plant respiration, and increase chlorophyll content, and has a good effect on delaying leaf senescence and enhancing drought resistance.

2. Potato variety classification

1. Colored potatoes include purple, red, black, yellow, rainbow, etc. China has bred colored high-quality potatoes mainly in purple and red. Old purple and red potato varieties have been crossed with excellent high-yield potato varieties, and more than 100 different lines of colored potatoes have been improved and selected.

2. Compared with old varieties, the improved colored potatoes have relatively small eyes, good appearance, and strong disease resistance, and the yield per mu can reach 1000-1500kg.

3. Colored potatoes can also be developed as specialty foods. Because colored potatoes themselves contain antioxidant components, after high-temperature frying, colored potato chips can still maintain their natural color. In addition, purple potatoes are not sensitive to light, and fried potato chips can maintain their original color for a long time.

4. The reason black potatoes appear black-purple is that they contain a large amount of anthocyanins, and anthocyanins have anti-aging effects. They also have the characteristics of a well-developed main stem, few branches, strong growth vigor, and strong disease resistance. The yield per mu can reach 1500kg, about 20% higher than ordinary potato varieties.

5. At the same time, because the disease resistance of black potato varieties is improved, the dosage of pesticides used in production is greatly reduced, which is conducive to producing pollution-free and hazard-free green food.