Potato "Bellarosa": features and cultivation of varieties
Potatoes are considered a staple in many countries of the world, so they do not stop cultivating them to this day. Breeding the most productive varieties that are not afraid of diseases and pests is the highest priority. Due to the large varietal diversity of this vegetable crop, it is not always easy to choose the best option.
Potato "Bellarosa" is one of the fairly popular varieties, so you should learn more about its features and principles of cultivation.
Characteristic
Bellarosa potatoes were brought to us from Germany, it was there that breeders first received representatives of this variety. There are certain recommendations for planting a crop, but on the territory of Russia, Ukraine and Moldova, it sits everywhere and gives good results. If we talk about the characteristics of the plant, then the bush grows from 50 to 80 cm in height, and it is deepened into the ground when planted by no more than 20 cm. Flowering occurs with bluish-violet flowers of medium size, after which tubers begin to set.
If we compare this variety with other types, then the distinguishing feature will be the decorativeness of the beds and outwardly healthy plants, which subsequently give an excellent harvest.
The potato has a round or oval shape, the surface is noticeably rough, and the peel is dense. For this variety, the norm is a large number of tubers, which often reaches ten.A feature of the species is the presence of a cover of tubers of pink or scarlet color. This variety has a small number of eyes, they are almost invisible. A feature of the pulp is its density and color shade, which in its raw form has a pale yellow or rich cream color, which persists even after cooking any of the dishes.
The taste of the variety is good, many note the sweetish taste of the root crop, which is the hallmark of Bellarosa. After cooking, potatoes have a medium degree of friability, which allows them to be pleasant to eat. At the same time, the appearance of the dish is not lost at all. The taste itself is largely influenced by the presence of a certain amount of starch in the fruit. In this culture, its amount varies from 12 to 16%.
If we talk in more detail about the tubers, then "Bellarosa" grows large - 115-125 grams in one fruit. Sometimes there are giant representatives, the mass of which reaches 800 grams. The yield of the variety is high, up to 35 tons of potatoes are harvested per hectare, and under favorable conditions this figure can increase to 40 tons.
The presentation is one of the advantages, among which additionally highlight:
- high potato ripening time - in the southern regions it is possible to get two crops per season;
- big yields;
- resistance to lack of moisture;
- stable indicators of the most common diseases;
- high density of the peel, which does not damage the fruit;
- excellent presentation;
- excellent taste qualities;
- moderate crumbliness, which makes it good for both mashed potatoes and fried potatoes.
The variety also has certain disadvantages, which include:
- the possibility of damage by late blight;
- dependence on the amount of sunlight - with its obvious lack, the crop is small.
Due to the fact that the variety is easy to care for, is not afraid of dry weather and grows in any soil except heavy clay, its geography spreads more and more every year.
Landing
To grow Bellarosa potatoes, it is advisable to choose a place for it that receives constant sunlight. Using the same site for several years in a row will only bring negative results. It is necessary to plant a crop where before there was cabbage, cucumber, herbs or beets. It is not necessary to select a specific type of soil, because this root crop grows well under any conditions. If the land is extremely infertile and is all clay, potatoes will produce a crop, but the fruits will be small in size and not in optimal quantity.
Site preparation includes the autumn application of humus and dolomite flour, after which all the contents must be dug up well, at least 30 cm. This time, it is recommended to add additional mineral fertilizers in the form of ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, potassium, as well as chloride stone, which in the future will help protect plants from pest invasion. When the soil is ready, it is worth doing the seed. It must be placed in boxes in several layers or scattered so that the sun falls on them.
The temperature for this procedure should not exceed 15 degrees Celsius, and the tubers are arranged so that they are exposed to direct sunlight. Everything is kept in this state until the moment when the eyes begin to sprout on the potato, and the peel turns green.When everything is ready, you can start working with the soil before planting.
The best option would be to plant potatoes in holes to a depth of no more than 10 cm. Since the variety grows large, the distance between the holes should be about 40 cm, and 80 cm is left for row spacing. A small amount of ash and humus is poured into the holes.
In addition to this planting option, seeds can also be used, which is quite normal for varietal crops. Seed material is either bought or collected in advance and at the right time they begin to prepare it for planting. Seeds are placed in a soil that is 80% peat and 20% leafy soil. This procedure is best done in the last days of March. A mini-bed should have its own laws for planting seeds. So, the distance between each of them should be no more than 5 cm, and a gap of 10 cm is made between the rows.
Seeds are scattered on the surface of the prepared soil with an approximate distance between them, and sprinkled with sand 5 mm high on top. After a few weeks, young shoots with several leaves can be obtained, which already need to be planted in individual containers. The optimal time for planting young bushes in open ground is mid-May.
A distinctive feature of this method is the gradual increase in the size of potatoes and the number of crops from year to year. This is due to the fact that the bush becomes stronger, and in a year it will be able to show better results. Usually, first-year seedlings give no more than one kilogram of crop per bush, but then the situation changes for the better. You can use seedlings grown from the same seeds for five years in a row, and then you will need to change the seeds and grow new bushes.
Care
In order to get a good harvest from Bellarosa potato bushes, it is important to carry out all care activities correctly. This variety belongs to an undemanding variety, and the entire care process can be divided into such main stages as:
- loosening the soil where the tubers are planted;
- hilling the soil near the bushes;
- plant nutrition at different stages of its growth and development.
A feature of "Bellarosa" is drought resistance, therefore it is not necessary to water the bushes - those precipitations that fall on their own can fully provide the plant with moisture. It is imperative to loosen and hill the soil, this will give it lightness, so that moisture will be absorbed faster and evaporate more slowly. In addition, these activities make it possible to simultaneously get rid of any plants that begin to grow nearby.
It is necessary to loosen the soil no more than three times during the period of active growth and development of the bush. For the first time, it is worth loosening the ground a week after planting the seed, after another week, you need to repeat the process. When green sprouts begin to break out of the ground, the third loosening will be a necessary measure for caring for the crop.
To avoid the appearance of a large number of weeds, it is enough just to mulch the soil near the bushes. Hilling also has its significance - by creating mounds near the bush, adult plants will be more resistant and will not tend to the ground.
Potato "Bellarosa" is early ripening, and therefore, without additional application of magnesium to the soil, the crop will not be so large and uniform. If the root crop is planted in sandy soil, then it is extremely important to apply fertilizer under the bushes to compensate for the lack of nutrients in the ground.In this case, dolmite flour is popular, which will require 50 g per square meter.
To get high yields and good quality potatoes, it is worth feeding them throughout the development process. Even before shoots begin to appear, an infusion of mullein or chicken manure must be added to the soil. With the development of buds, you need to help the plant again, for which potassium sulfate and ash are used, which are mixed in one solution.
An additional important stage is flowering, the result of which will be the yield from the bush. During this period, the addition of mullein with superphosphate to the soil will be the best top dressing for potato crops.
In the process of growing bushes, you can use a variety of chemicals that are aimed at achieving larger yields, and also provide the necessary protection to plants from all kinds of pests. An important feature of the use of all additives to help the culture is that the optimal time for this will be the second day after the last rain. Any other periods of time will not give such a result, and, moreover, may lead to crop loss.
Diseases and pests
Potato is a fragile crop, as it is constantly attacked by various pests that spoil the bushes, and sometimes the tubers themselves, which greatly interferes with obtaining a normal crop. In addition to various insects, Bellarosa is threatened by many diseases that can both partially and completely destroy the plant. To avoid this, special preparations were invented that save this variety from problems.
Varietal crops that are created artificially have more developed immunity, and they are not afraid of almost all diseases.In the case of attacks by pests such as the Colorado potato beetle, aphids, wireworms, you need to apply "Boverin", "Fitoverm", "Agrovertin" or "Taboo", which do an excellent job with the task.
The most common diseases to which Bellarosa is immune are:
- scab;
- rhizoctonia;
- viruses Y and A;
- potato golden nematode;
- late blight;
- crayfish.
The presence of any of these diseases in a crop leads to partial or complete damage, which affects the yield. In order not to have problems of this nature, hybrid forms of potatoes with increased resistance were bred, which grow well in almost all conditions, on different soils, without additional irrigation, and at the same time are not subject to massive attacks of diseases and pests.
But it is best to carry out preventive treatment of the bushes in order to be sure that no problems will accompany the normal growth of potatoes, and the yield will be consistently high.
Storage
The process of storing potatoes "Bellarosa" has its own characteristics. So, about two weeks before harvesting, it is necessary to carry out a complete cutting of the tops of this crop. This is done in order to prevent the juice from entering the root crops, which in the future will ensure their long-term preservation. The digging process is carried out by standard methods, using a shovel or similar equipment. Next, the tubers must be laid out in boxes and dried for several days.
Before leaving the crop for winter storage, it must be sorted out. If next year it is planned to plant a new potato plantation, then the seed material is selected separately.In addition, chopped and partially spoiled potatoes must be separated from the main mass so that their spoilage does not affect the rest of the tubers. Such root crops are used first and are used at the discretion of the hostess.
For long-term storage of Bellarosa potatoes, you need to have a suitable temperature, which in no case should exceed 10 degrees Celsius, as well as the ability to ventilate the room. Under optimal conditions, the fruit will keep for six to eight months.
Since the potato variety is early ripening, there may be not one, but two harvests per season, so you need to properly maintain both the first and the second. If it is planned to receive fruits twice during the summer, then the approximate dates for this are July and September. With a single digging, the optimal date is August. To store large crops, you need to dig them out carefully, without excessive effort, so as not to beat the fruits. This lowers the timeframe in which potatoes can be eaten and sold. If the work is carried out on the fields where the combine is used, then harvesting is planned for the time period when the temperature level drops to 10-15 degrees Celsius during the day.
The storage process can have a variety of purposes, from stocking up for the winter for personal use, to selling to markets and large retail chains. In the first option, apart from drying and sorting, nothing more is required. If we are talking about larger tasks, then potatoes are divided into large, medium and small. For such stocks, the room must be adapted, with a temperature regime of -4 to +2 degrees.
Recommendations
The Bellarosa variety is early ripening - you can fully harvest in 60 days.If young potatoes are needed, then they are partially dug after 40 days. The advantage of potatoes is their drought resistance, therefore it is not worth arranging additional watering, because this will not give positive results. The only exception is a very arid climate, where rain is extremely rare, and the air temperature in summer is very high. But even in this case, you should not give moisture to this culture too often, because it is not suitable for it.
The finished crop must be properly harvested by first cutting the tops, and then kept for at least 10 days in boxes to dry completely. If there are no suitable containers for the procedure, you can pour all the root crops on the floor and wait for the due date. It is advisable to check the condition of the potatoes on the other hand so that they do not remain wet there, because this will contribute to the processes of decay and the crop will quickly disappear.
To obtain good and stable yields of Bellarosa, it is important not only to properly prepare the site for planting, but also to carefully choose it. The annual planting of the same crop greatly depletes the soil, and the possibility of obtaining the same amount of fruit is reduced. You can choose several areas where you can alternately plant fruits, or plant a variety where cucumbers, beets, cabbage or greens have grown before. If there are nightshade trees on the site, then planting potatoes in their place is highly discouraged.
The Bellarosa variety is in many ways superior to its counterparts, as evidenced not only by the results, but also by the reviews of those who tasted it or planted it on their site. Almost all are similar in that the yield of the variety is amazing - when planting 10 bags, you can get as many as 150.In addition, the absence of diseases and pests makes crop care as simple as possible. The ability of potatoes to grow in hot climates with a shortage of water has made this variety popular not only in many cities of Russia, but also far beyond its borders.
The use of "Bellarosa" as a selling potato pays off by more than 100%. Under optimal conditions, two crops can be harvested, and provide both seed for future years and a large amount of goods for sale.
Due to the excellent appearance and long shelf life, the process of sale and consumption can take place even before the next harvest. Potato "Bellarosa" currently occupies one of the leading places, which is absolutely deserved.
In the next video you will find an overview of the Bellarosa variety.