What to do if potatoes rot in the cellar, why this happens and how to prevent the problem

Quite often, vegetable growers are faced with the problem of potatoes rotting after harvesting. This occurs due to the development of pathogenic microorganisms. If planted, harvested and stored incorrectly, the harvest will be lost. Therefore, it is important to know what to do if potatoes rot in the cellar. We will talk about this in our article.

Reasons why potatoes rot

Harvesting vegetables in rainy or damp weather, inattention when inspecting the crop, digging too early or too late are the main reasons rotten potatoes.

Important! To prevent rotting, the room is periodically ventilated.

In the cellar, vegetables quickly rot at high humidity, inappropriate temperature, poor ventilation, and storage in bags with low air permeability.

Diseases

Rotting is caused by some dangerous diseases: late blight, bacterial rot, black scab.

Late blight

The fungal disease appears as dark spots on the tubers. When cut, you can see that the black rot goes inside the potato.

Late blight occurs during the growing season, and is activated already in the cellar if the temperature exceeds the norm.

Basic control measures:

• potatoes are sorted, infected tubers are removed;
• normalize the temperature in the room;
• healthy vegetables are treated with biological products (for example, “Gamair”).

Potatoes are dug up only in sunny, dry weather and poured into boxes layer about 1 m.

Wet bacterial rot

Tubers with this disease become covered within a couple of days with patches of gray mucus with a terrible smell. Temperatures above +20°C and humidity above 90% provoke the development of the disease.

To get rid of rot, do the following:

• the crop is sorted and rotten tubers are thrown away;
• normalize humidity and temperature in cellar;
• diseased areas on vegetables are cut off, the cut area is treated with alcohol;
• The potatoes are inspected periodically.

Black scab

Fungal disease causes small black dots (sclerotia) and cracks on tubers. Rhizoctonia does not affect the taste of vegetables and is usually associated with late harvest.

Attention! The scab is passed on to the next generation of the crop.

Disposal and prevention measures:

• tubers are sorted and damaged ones are thrown away;
• the crop is treated with Ditan M-45 (200 g per 5 liters of water, the solution is enough for 100 kg of potatoes);
• normalize storage conditions.

How to store potatoes in the basement

To the harvest was stored in the cellar for a long time, follow the basic rules:

1. They begin to prepare the room about a month before planting vegetables: it is cleared of debris, inspected for cracks and holes, washed with soapy water, treated with a 10% solution of copper sulfate, dried well, and ventilated for several days. The cellar is additionally insulated from winter frosts, the floor is covered with lime to get rid of excess moisture.
2. The potatoes are dried for 5–15 days after being cleared of soil, sorted, and infected, mechanically damaged and unsuitable for storage specimens are removed.
3. Make sure that the temperature in the basement is within +2...+4°C, and the air humidity is about 90%.

Tubers are periodically inspected for the presence of suspicious spots and growths.

Important! Potatoes are sensitive to changes in the environment, so they are kept in wooden boxes or bins with felt cloth at the bottom, sealed containers or bags. Plastic bags and tight, airtight bags will not work.

How to process potatoes

Before placing vegetables cleared of soil in the cellar, they are treated with chalk or wood ash. Among the chemicals used are “Fitosporin”, “Anti-rot”, copper sulfate, and Bordeaux mixture.

All containers for vegetables are pre-disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Why do potatoes rot immediately after harvesting?

Immediately after harvest, the crop rots due to exposure to pathogenic fungi and bacteria. To prevent the problem, it is important not only to be attentive to the preparation of vegetables and storage space, but also to follow the agricultural practices of growing the crop:

• plants are planted at a temperature not exceeding +15°C;
• the soil must be fertile (it will be difficult for potatoes in clay soil);
• seed tubers are cultivated whole or in slices, which are dried in advance and rolled in ash;
• the area is regularly weeded to remove weeds;
• monitor the soil moisture level.

If the potato is already sick, proceed as follows:

1. The harvest is sorted, rotten and damaged tubers are removed.
2. Healthy specimens are treated with contact fungicide "Ditan M-45".
3. Vegetables and cellar are well dried.
4. If new fungal or bacterial formations appear on the potatoes, the procedures are repeated.

Why do potatoes become covered with white mold?

The appearance of mold is associated with improper storage conditions for vegetables.

Prevention measures:

• selection of varieties with strong immunity and high keeping quality;
• periodic ventilation of the cellar;
• humidity and temperature control;
• disinfection of tubers and premises;
• adding only mature vegetables;
• insulation of the basement from groundwater;
• regular inspection of tubers for the presence of suspicious formations.

If mold appears during storage, take the following measures:

1. The harvest is removed from the room and kept under an ultraviolet lamp for 5-6 hours.
2. The walls, ceilings and bottom of the cellar are cleaned with lime mortar.
3. Infected tubers are thrown away.
4. To reduce air humidity, place a container with slaked lime. The vegetables themselves are sprinkled with sawdust or wood ash.

Sometimes smoke bombs are used indoors.

Tips and tricks

When planting a crop, choose a variety suitable for long-term storage: Picasso, Asterix and others.

Potatoes are not kept with other vegetables except beets: they are laid out in 1-2 layers on the tubers to remove excess moisture.

To reduce the temperature in the cellar during spring warming, place several pre-frozen bottles of water.

Conclusion

When choosing the right variety, preparing the tubers and cellar, maintaining optimal temperature and humidity, the crop will not lose its quality until spring.

If the vegetables have already begun to rot or become moldy, they are sorted out, disinfected along with the room, and everything is dried well. Do not neglect the basic rules for growing and storing crops, and then the risk of problems will be minimal.