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Tips for Growing Healthy Potato Plants

By: Johann Erickson, Fri Dec 9th, 2005 10:11:10 PM

Potatoes are great plants to add to any garden, however, they often require a little more attention than other vegetables. Potato plants need a certain type of soil to grow as well as a strong commitment to pest and disease control.

When growing potatoes, first make sure you have the right soil for abundant growth. Your soil needs to be of a sandy loam texture, organically rich and tilled properly if previously inhabited by a cover crop such as wheat or rye. You can sometimes improvise for clay soil by eliminating drainage problems and adding manure or compost for organic conditioning. Potatoes usually require a substantial amount of fertilizer and pH balancing for the soil.

Potato Seeds The potato seed is not an actual seed, but stem tissue called "tuber". The tuber forms during mid-season of a potato plant's growth and is inedible. If growing multiple potato plants, plant your potato tubers at least four inches deep and twelve inches apart.

5 Quick Tips for Healthy Potato Plants

After planting your potato tuber, you'll want to take steps to ensure proper growth and development.

Here are five tips to help you grow great potatoes:

1. Avoid Chemical Weed Control - Use shallow cultivation to remove weeds around your potato plants and to avoid cutting or damaging the roots. After your plant grows at least six inches tall, build a hill of soil at the base of the plant. Keep adding to the hill of soil as the plant grows to prevent shallow tubers from greening.
2. Controlling Pests - Use only approved insecticides to protect your potato plants. Maintain your pest control routine from the time you see the first plants emerging from the ground until just a few weeks before harvesting time. You'll want to protect your potato plants at all times because they can be damaged easily.
3. Buying Potato Seed - Always buy certified potato seed whenever possible. Disease is common in potato seeds and buying certified seed will help decrease the potential for disease in your crop.
4. Using Round Seed - Use only round, size-graded potato seeds if possible to prevent seedpiece breakdown. Although round seed usually costs more, the advantages often justify the higher costs.
5. Determining Potato Maturity - Your potato plants are mature when the skin is firmly set on the tuber and can't be rubbed off with your thumb. Harvesting should be done a couple of weeks after the vines have died down to prevent bruising or rotting during storage. If you harvest your potatoes in hot temperatures, place them in a dark, cool area immediately after picking to prevent rotting.

About the author: Johann Erickson is the owner of Online Discount Mart and TV Products 4 Less.

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