Unpretentious but productive red potato variety Labella

The Labella potato variety attracts the attention of gardeners and consumers with its smooth tubers, pink skin color, ease of care, and stable immunity to viruses and fungi. High productivity allows you to grow crops for sale and for own use.

We have prepared information for you about standard planting technology and growing under hay. You will learn about the advantages and disadvantages of the variety, methods of controlling insect pests, and rules for storing crops.

Origin and distinctive features of the variety

Breeders from the Dutch company DEN HARTIGH BV worked on the creation of the Labella variety. In 2011, the culture was included in the State Register of Russia.

Patent holders:

• German Seed Alliance;
• Solana RUS LLC;
• JSC APK "Belorechensky";
• SEC "Agrofirm "Elite Potato";
• CJSC "Samara-Solana"

The photo shows potatoes of the Labella variety.

Description and characteristics of the culture are collected in the table.

Agricultural technology varieties

Potatoes are planted in mid-April or early May, taking into account the weather conditions of each region. The variety is characterized by increased drought resistance, but is afraid of frost. Even with a slight drop in air temperature at night (down to –2…–3°C), the bushes may die.

Agrotechnical requirements are standard. It is important to water the beds on time, loosen the soil crust, remove weeds without waiting for rooting, hill up, feed with organic and mineral compounds, and inspect the bushes to quickly identify diseases and insects.

Dates, scheme and rules of planting

The Labella variety is planted following standard technology:

1. Previously selected tubers are removed from storage and placed in sunlight 3 weeks before planting. The material is sorted and treated in disinfectant solutions with manganese or copper sulfate.
2. For planting, use a variety of healthy seeds. Large tubers are cut into pieces, the cut is sprinkled with wood ash, and right before embedding in the ground, they are soaked for half an hour in growth stimulants “Epine”, “Zircon”, “Potain”, “Bioglobin” (optional).
3. Potatoes grow best in loose and nutritious soil (loamy, sandy loam). Heavy soil is loosened using river sand, peat or sawdust. The soil, poor in organic matter and minerals, is dug up in the fall and fertilized with manure. In the spring, additional loosening is carried out. Too acidic soil is deacidified by adding slaked lime, dolomite flour or ash. The optimal pH of soil for potatoes is 5.2–5.7. Litmus paper is used to determine pH.
4. Holes 6–8 cm deep are dug in the area. Tubers are laid out at a distance of 30–40 cm. The beds are placed at intervals of 60–70 cm.

Care

Rules for caring for plantings:

1. Labella potatoes easily tolerate a lack of water, so they are watered only during periods of prolonged drought. 13–15 liters of water are poured under each bush.
2. Loosening and weeding are carried out without fail in order to saturate the rhizome with oxygen and remove weeds.
3. Hilling stimulates the formation of additional roots (stolons), increases the number of tubers and their quality, and protects the plant from spring frosts. Primary hilling is carried out as soon as the bush has stretched 20 cm, throwing a ridge 8–10 cm high. The procedure is repeated after flowering.
4. At the first symptoms of fungal diseases, protective spraying is carried out with Bordeaux mixture, copper oxychloride in combination with superphosphate.
5. Harvesting is done on time because delay reduces yield and quality of produce.

Potato plantings are fertilized according to the following scheme:

• the first portion is applied when planting (10 g of urea or “Solution” per 10 liters of water);
• the second - during the period of bud appearance (10 g of potassium sulfate, 30 g of wood ash per 10 liters of water);
• the third - at the flowering stage (500 ml of mullein, 15 g of urea per 10 liters of water).

Reference. Fertilizing is combined with watering or done after rain.

Nuances of cultivation and possible difficulties

To cultivate Labella potatoes, they use the “natural farming” method - planting under hay.

Advantages of the method:

1. No loosening, weeding, hilling or fertilizing is required.
2. Inside the hay, a constant temperature that is comfortable for the plant is maintained and beneficial microflora develops.
3. The products are environmentally friendly - no chemicals are used to process the plantings.
4. The seedlings are reliably protected from night frosts.
5. The bushes are not affected by the Colorado potato beetle or wireworm.
6. The soil receives sufficient nutrition under potato plantings.
7. Clean, dry crop that is easy to harvest.

Among the disadvantages:

1. Risk of tubers being eaten by field mice.
2. The need to produce large quantities of hay.
3. Rotting of tubers and the appearance of slugs due to excess moisture.

Technological process:

1. Harvesting approximately 20–30 m³ of hay, straw, or sowing green manure followed by mowing.
2. Gardening and germination of tubers before planting.
3. Treatment of seeds with stimulants “Heteroauxin”, “Epin-extra” and protective solution “Emistim” to increase resistance to late blight and viruses.
4. Moistening the soil with warm water.
5. Surface loosening of the soil and formation of furrows 5–7 cm deep. The distance between rows is 65–70 cm.
6. Laying planting material in recesses dusted with ash at a distance of 40 cm.
7. Evenly distribute hay in a layer of 20 cm, straw - no more than 40 cm.
8. Planting blackroot on a plot to repel mice.

The site does not need to be watered throughout the growing season. During drought, it is recommended to equip a drip irrigation system to replenish the plantings with moisture no more than once a month.

When the sprouts stretch 5–7 cm, another layer of mulch 15–20 cm high is laid on top. Straw acts as a natural fertilizer, so there is no need to use other fertilizers. Mulch blocks the growth of weeds, saving gardeners from weeding.

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Diseases and pests

The Labella variety is resistant to viral and fungal diseases, but experts recommend not neglecting prevention methods.

Measures to prevent diseases and pest attacks:

• compliance with crop rotation;
• landing rarefaction;
• lack of tomatoes and eggplants in the neighborhood;
• pre-planting treatment of tubers in potassium permanganate, copper sulfate, Fitosporin, Emistim;
• timely harvesting of weeds, tops and crops;
• planting green manure (rapeseed, flax, corn, rye, wheat, oats, legumes, mustard);
• extermination of insect pests.

Potato bushes are most often affected by wireworms (larvae of the click beetle) and the Colorado potato beetle. “NO Colorado potato beetle!” is recognized as one of the best drugs for combating the striped pest!

The biological product contains Indian azadirachta oil. The organic composition is completely safe for plants, humans and bees. The product blocks the ability of adults to reproduce and inhibits the development of larvae.

During the season, three treatments are carried out with an aqueous solution of 1:40. The first spraying of tubers is before planting, the second is immediately after emergence, the third is 14 days after the second. 10 ml of product is enough for one hundred square meters.

Chemical preparations are also effective:

• "Prestige";
• "Bankol";
• "Confidor";
• "Commander".

If there are a small number of beetles on the bushes, manual collection is used or bait is installed. For example, old tubers are cut into pieces, soaked in a chlorophos solution for 24 hours, then scattered on the site. This is done in the evening or in cloudy weather, since the tubers dry out in the sun and no longer attract the pest. The manipulation is repeated after harvesting in order to finally “finish off the enemy.”

Wireworms - the larvae of the click beetle - cause a lot of trouble for gardeners, gnawing tunnels in tubers. The pest prefers to hide in young seedlings of corn, barley, and wheat. 14 days before planting potatoes, these crops are sown on the site, having previously treated the seeds with any insecticide. Then the plants are dug up along with the pest.

Ground eggshells laid out around the perimeter of the area, a weak solution of potassium permanganate and an infusion of nettle with dandelion (0.5 kg of freshly cut grass/10 liters of water) at the root will help repel wireworms.

Collection, storage and use of crops

Tubers of the Labella variety are resistant to mechanical damage. The wounds that appear during the digging process quickly heal, and the potatoes retain their presentation.

Harvest storage:

1. The tubers are cleared of soil and laid out in a dark place to dry.
2. Potatoes are inspected for putrefactive lesions, placed in boxes, nets, bags, and several apples or beets are placed on top. This proximity prevents germination and rotting of fruits.
3. On an insulated balcony or loggia, the harvest is stored in boxes with polystyrene foam or a foil screen, “balcony cellars.”
4. The fruits are sorted from time to time, discarding rotten and green tubers.
5. Potatoes can withstand any heat treatment and do not fall apart into mush. It is suitable for preparing boiled, stewed, baked, fried dishes. The pulp does not darken after cooking.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of the variety:

• ease of care;
• drought resistance;
• early ripeness;
• excellent taste;
• high level of transportation;
• long shelf life;
• strong immunity;
• optimal level of starch;
• no need for careful sorting of the crop.

The disadvantage is the instability of the crop before frost.

Regions suitable for cultivation

The Labella variety initially received permission for cultivation in the Central, North Caucasus, Middle Volga, and Ural regions. Over time, the geography of cultivation has expanded, and now potatoes can be found in almost every corner of the country with a temperate and warm climate.

Reviews

Reviews of Labella potatoes are positive. The variety is valued for its pronounced potato taste and aroma, disease resistance and ease of care.

Irina, Moscow: «For a long time I was looking for a variety that tasted like the potatoes from my childhood. I saw these pink, smooth tubers with yellow flesh at my neighbor’s dacha and asked me to share. When I tasted the potatoes, I realized: this is what I need. The Labella variety is quite productive and unpretentious in care, easy to grow, and does not suffer from anything. I advise everyone to try growing it on their own plot.”

Vladislav, Stavropol: “I’ve been growing Labella for several years in a row. The variety is liked for its stable immunity to many diseases. At least in my area the bushes have never gotten sick. The tubers have dark pink skin and yellow flesh. They boil slightly in water and are more suitable for frying and baking.

Galina, Magnitogorsk: “For me, this is the best potato court; I don’t plant anything else besides it. The tubers are smooth, do not suffer from anything, you don’t even need to sort them, the taste is excellent. When cooked, the potatoes do not boil into a paste, but retain their shape.”

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Conclusion

Dutch Labella potatoes have won a national vocation due to their high yield, drought resistance, pleasant taste and ease of care. Resistance to most nightshade diseases greatly simplifies the crop's agricultural practices, which boil down to preventive measures (crop rotation, disinfection of tubers before planting, extermination of insects, removal of weeds).

The tubers contain a small amount of starch, which allows the product to be widely used in cooking. The harvest does not require sorting, it is stored for a long time in a cool place, and damage that occurs during digging quickly heals.