How to Manage Potatoes at the Seedling Stage? A Detailed Explanation of the Latest Management Points
Potato is an important food crop in China, and it is widely planted across the country. The potato goes through different growth stages throughout its entire growth period, among which the seedling stage is a very important one. Moreover, management during the seedling stage also has a great impact on the growth of potatoes, so how should we manage potatoes during the seedling stage? Below, the editor brings you the key management points for the potato seedling stage. Let's take a look!
1. Checking Seedlings and Replanting Missing Ones
After the potato seedlings successfully emerge, pay attention to promptly checking the growth of the potato seedlings and do a good job of thinning. When thinning, keep the robust seedlings and provide them with enough growing space. Also promptly remove weak seedlings, pest- and disease-damaged seedlings, and dead seedlings. If gaps with missing seedlings are found, healthy seedlings of the same growth should be replanted. If more than 28% of the seedlings are missing, some corn, green beans, etc. can be appropriately replanted in the gaps. This improves soil utilization, avoids excessive losses, and improves the economic benefits of planting.
2. Ventilation and Air Exchange
Under normal circumstances, the potato seedling stage should be in early summer, when the temperature gradually rises. Therefore, potatoes grown in greenhouses should be well ventilated. At around 9 a.m. each day, when the temperature is above 16 degrees, promptly open the vents for ventilation. Avoid the temperature inside the greenhouse exceeding 25 degrees; excessively high temperatures are very harmful to the growth of potato seedlings. If ventilation is not done well, it may scorch the seedling leaves. After emergence, check once every morning, and after the potato seedlings break through the soil, promptly open the film to harden the seedlings.
3. Water and Fertilizer Management
During the potato seedling stage, the growth capacity is not strong, but the speed of leaf unfolding is relatively fast, especially after entering the vine growth stage. The amount of stems and leaves increases sharply, and then side branches also begin to grow. Therefore, in order to ensure the growth of the seedlings during the vine growth stage, a round of watering and fertilizing should be carried out at the rosette stage, with urea as the main fertilizer. The main growing parts of the seedlings are the stems and leaves, and this is also an important period for tuber formation later on. At this time, the demand for nitrogen fertilizer is relatively high, so we should fertilize and water early to ensure sufficient nutrients and moisture and promote the growth of the seedlings.
4. Cultivation and Weeding
Cultivation and weeding is a management task that cannot be neglected at any growth stage of the potato. Cultivation can effectively improve soil permeability, enhance the soil's ability to absorb fertilizer, and promote nutrient uptake by the seedlings. Weeding can better concentrate nutrients on the seedlings, prevent weeds from robbing the seedlings of growth nutrients, which would hinder the growth of potato seedlings, reduce yield, and seriously affect planting benefits. Therefore, everyone must pay close attention when planting to avoid some losses that are difficult to recover from.
The above is a brief introduction to the key management points for the potato seedling stage. When planting potatoes, we must pay attention to doing these basic management tasks well, otherwise the impact will be very great. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and I hope it can be helpful to everyone!