Winter Greenhouse Three-Film Potato Planting Technique: High Yield, Early Market, Good Returns

AbstractGreenhouse construction: choose a plot with loose soil for building the large arch greenhouse and small arch greenhouses. Plowing and fertilizing: carry out deep plowing and apply fertilizer rationally before planting. Variety: early-maturing varieties with a short dormancy period should be selected. Seed selection and soaking: it is advisable to choose small potatoes or cut pieces of large potatoes, soak and sprout them before sowing, and plant once young sprouts have grown. Sowing: in late December, plant about 5000 plants per mu and complete the three-film covering. Field management: pay attention to temperature and humidity, fertilizing, watering and pest and disease control.

The three films of winter greenhouses refer to the large arch greenhouse, the small arch greenhouse and the plastic mulch film. Winter greenhouse three-film potatoes are generally sprouted and sown in December and can be harvested by the end of March the following year. With this planting method, the yield per mu can reach as high as about 7000-8000 jin, and the time to market is about one month earlier than that of potatoes grown with the early-spring plastic mulch method, with considerable economic returns. The specific winter greenhouse three-film potato planting technique is introduced below.

I. Site selection and greenhouse construction specifications

First, choose a plot with loose soil, sufficient water sources and good drainage for building the greenhouse. The large arch greenhouse is about 60m long, about 6m wide and about 2-2.5m high. Inside the large arch greenhouse, build two small arch greenhouses about 0.8-1.2m high and about 2.40m wide. The spacing between the small arch greenhouses and the large arch greenhouse is 35cm, and the spacing between the two small arch greenhouses is 50cm, which can serve as a walkway and also facilitate later management.  

II. Planting specifications

Mark out areas inside each small arch greenhouse. Each planting strip is about 2.4m, and the plowed land can be made into beds with four ridges for planting.

III. Plowing and fertilizing

The greenhouse plot is generally deep-plowed to about 20-25cm, and the soil is leveled and raked fine. Combined with land preparation, apply about 4000 jin of decomposed organic fertilizer, about 40 jin of diammonium phosphate, and about 400-500 jin of plant ash per mu.

IV. Variety selection

For winter greenhouse three-film potato planting, in terms of variety selection, it is suitable to choose early-maturing varieties with a short dormancy period, early fruiting and strong resistance to rotting. For example: Kexin No. 13, Luyin No. 1 and other varieties.

V. Seed selection and soaking  

1. Seed selection: for sowing, it is suitable to choose about 100 jin of small potatoes, as these are less likely to rot after sowing and grow more vigorously. Cut pieces of large potatoes can also be used for sowing.

2. Soaking: about 15-20 days before sowing, place the potatoes to be sown in a 0.01% gibberellin solution and soak for about 3-5 minutes, then remove them, dry them and place them in a warm bed at 15-18 degrees C to sprout, maintaining 60%-70% air humidity. After 20 days, when the young sprouts grow to 1-1.5cm, they can be planted. 

VI. Sowing at the right time  

1. Sowing time: winter three-film potato planting can be carried out in late December. After the sown potatoes have sprouted, choose clear and windless weather for sowing.  

2. Sowing density: since winter potatoes with three-film covering are mostly grown as an early-maturing crop, generally about 5000 plants can be planted per mu, with a row spacing of 60cm × 18-20cm.  

3. Sowing method: when sowing, level and rake the soil fine, open furrows in each bed at a row spacing of 60cm with a furrow depth of about 3cm. After opening the furrows, pour a small amount of water into them, then sow at a plant spacing of 18-20cm. After sowing, form ridges and cover with 8cm of soil, then cover well with plastic mulch film, and finally put up the small arch greenhouse. This completes the three-film covering.

VII. Field management 

1. Temperature and humidity: since the weather is relatively cold at sowing time, the temperature inside the small greenhouse should suitably be maintained at about 18-20 degrees C during the day and about 10-15 degrees C at night, which is beneficial for potato emergence. If cold, windy and snowy weather occurs, a small amount of straw matting can be placed over the outside of the small arch greenhouse to maintain the greenhouse temperature.  

2. Fertilizing: if there are signs of fertilizer deficiency during the growing period, fertilizing can be carried out together with watering, applying about 10 jin of urea per mu.  

3. Watering: during the growing period, the soil must be kept moist. After the vine-growing stage, sufficient water must be ensured, which is beneficial for the growth of stems and leaves. When the soil shows signs of drought, furrow irrigation can be used to water in time. Since plastic mulch film is used to cover the potatoes, generally when the seedlings push through the soil, the film should be cut open in time to promote potato emergence. When the potatoes show buds, remove the buds in time and irrigate heavily, which is beneficial for the growth and development of the potatoes.

VIII. Pest and disease control  

1. Early blight: 64% Shaduvum wettable powder at 500 times dilution can be used for control, or Bordeaux mixture 1:1:200 can be used for control.

2. Late blight: 72% Kelu wettable powder at 700-800 times dilution can be used for control.  

3. Aphids or other diseases: 50% omethoate at 600 times dilution can be used for control.

IX. Timely harvesting  

In late March, when the plant leaves have basically turned yellow and the potatoes have fully expanded, harvest in time according to market conditions. Generally, the high yield of potatoes per mu can reach about 7000-8000 jin.