Life hacks from experienced farmers: why pick flowers from potatoes and what does it give?

Gardeners have been arguing for generations about whether it is necessary to remove flower stalks on potatoes. Breeders develop varieties with a short flowering phase and a small number of buds.

Experienced farmers will help you understand this issue, telling you whether it is necessary to pick off the inflorescences of potatoes, how best to do this so as not to harm the plant and get a good harvest.

Is it necessary to pick flowers from potatoes?

Gardeners constantly argue about the advisability of removing flower stalks. Let's consider the issue from a biological point of view.

Why do this, what does it give?

Potato propagated by seeds, which are formed after flowering, and vegetatively - using tubers.

After the emergence of seedlings, the active growth of the green mass of the bushes begins. And under the soil layer, colorless thin shoots are formed - stolons, at the ends of which tubers subsequently form.

Approximately a month and a half after germination, the potatoes produce buds. On early varieties this occurs after 27-35 days, on late varieties - after 46-48 days. By the time of flowering, individual tubers reach the size of a pea, and in some varieties, the size of a chicken egg.

Research by agronomist scientists has led to the conclusion that the bush spends from 45 to 50% of nutrients on the development of root crops, 25% is sent to the leaves and 25% is required for flowering and seed ripening. It was this fact that became the main argument for removing flower stalks.

By cutting off flowers on potatoes, farmers eliminate one of the links in nutrient consumption: the plant enters the active growing season, the bush begins to grow additional stolons, and, accordingly, new ones. tubers.

Reference. Before flowering potatoes, loosen the soil, this will allow the stolons to grow more freely and actively.

The number of green shoots and leaves also increases, which helps the plant obtain more energy through photosynthesis. The growing season is also lengthening. In central Russia, potato bushes may not get bogged down until September. With well-organized care and preventive protection against late blight, plants are able to increase the mass of tubers for a long time.

What is the relationship between flowering and productivity?

Experiments conducted by farmers have shown that in most potato varieties, cutting off flower stalks leads to an increase in the number of tubers on the bush and an increase in yield.

The essence of the experiment:

• the area with planted potatoes is divided into two parts; The plants are given the same care.
• in the first section, all inflorescences are removed, and in the second, the plants are given the opportunity to actively bloom and form berries with seeds.
• After harvesting the potatoes, control weighing of the tubers is carried out.

According to the results of the experiment, the total mass of tubers from the first plot was 20% higher than in the control plot, where the flowers were not cut and the seeds were ripe.

Studies have also shown that removing inflorescences increases the starchiness of tubers by 0.8 - 2.5%. This significantly improves the taste of potatoes.

When to pick flowers

The period of removal of inflorescences is considered important from the point of view of yield for the plant.

Farmers noticed the following fact. If you remove buds from a potato, the plant tends to quickly restore them, actively growing new ones in an effort to set seeds.. It spends a significant amount of nutrition and energy on this process to the detriment of the formation of stolons and the increase in the size of tubers.

Remove flower stalks only when the flowers on them have already bloomed. Potatoes, like tomatoes, are self-pollinating plants. When the pollination process has passed and ovaries begin to form, the plant receives a hormonal signal about this. It stops wasting energy on budding and completely switches to vegetative propagation.

How to do it right

Incorrectly or untimely cut inflorescences can lead to the development of a fungal or viral infection. Follow the rules:

1. Choose to remove flowers in the evening, in dry and windless weather.
2. Prepare sharp garden tools for cutting - a knife or scissors. Do not break off flower stalks with your hands, since a large wound surface takes a long time to heal, which significantly increases the risk of infection of the plant, and the smell of the sap attracts pests.
3. Remove flowers with extreme caution so as not to harm the plants. Cut off the entire cluster of flowers, not individual buds or flowers.
4. Move carefully across the field, being careful not to damage the plants or compact the soil if it is wet.

If the moment of pruning is missed and the plant has already flowered, remove the berries that appear, not giving them the opportunity to take food from the bush.

What happens if you don't pick flowers?

If you don't pick off flower stalks, you won't get a 20% increase in potato yield. This is especially important for the following situations:

• if the soil under the potatoes is dense and poor, the tubers will not have enough nutrients;
• if there is a lack of moisture in dry areas.

In large farm fields, it is difficult to carry out the procedure for removing flower stalks. They use other means to increase crop yield. As a rule, these are intensive fertilizers using minerals.

However, in small areas, picking flowers as an environmentally friendly way to increase the yield is not difficult, and the result will please you.

Interesting fact. In ancient times, picking flowers was dictated by safety requirements. In Europe, potatoes were originally grown as a beautifully flowering ornamental plant - sometimes people ate its berries, not knowing that they were poisonous.

Tips and tricks

Experienced farmers have trimmed potato flower stalks on their plots more than once and share their recommendations:

1. Before carrying out the procedure, prepare a disinfectant solution and periodically treat the blades with it to prevent the transmission of diseases and fungi through garden tools.
2. Do not trim flower stalks in cold weather or during periods of high humidity - this will create favorable conditions for the development of late blight.
3. In parallel with removing flowers, inspect the bushes for the presence of pests and diseases. Prepare a jar in advance to collect the Colorado potato beetle or its larvae - during the flowering period it often attacks potatoes.

Reviews

Reviews from summer residents from different regions indicate that the method works when applied correctly:

Irina, Vologda: “When growing potatoes, I once tried to pick the flowers. I always plant the same variety. It usually grows 12-15 tubers. I tore off the flowers on half of the planted rows.In the fall, I discovered that on one bush, where the flowers were torn off, 20 root crops formed, although slightly smaller in size than always. I was satisfied."

Stanislav, Tula: “Last year I decided to cut the flowers from the potatoes into parts of the boletus. While digging, he noted that there were more tubers in these rows than usual. The cutting process itself is not complicated, but it was hard to figure it out in good weather. It rained a lot. Next year I’ll try again to reliably see if the yield increases using this method.”

It will be interesting:

Advantages and disadvantages of growing potatoes using Dutch technology

Pros and cons of planting potatoes in ridges

Technology for preparing potatoes for planting

Conclusion

Removing flowers from potatoes allows the plant to focus all its energy on growing additional stolons and larger tubers, which leads to increased crop yield. Pick flowers that have already bloomed and pollinated using sterile garden tools.