All you should know about ‘how do potatoes grow’

How do potatoes grow?For learners of indoor growing potatoes,this article I would share my potatoes growing experience,briefly narrating:

• How to grow different types of potatoes(such as how to grow red potatoes/fingerling potatoes/yukon gold potatoes/purple potatoes/sweet potatoes)
• Interesting potato growing methods:how to grow potatoes in water/how to grow sweet potatoes from scraps/do sweet potato vines grow sweet potatoes/how to grow sweet potatoes from tubers/how to grow sweet potatoes from a sweet potato/grow potatoes in straw bales/
• General tutorials of growing potatoes:how to grow sweet potatoes in containers/grow potatoes in buckets/in a bag/in a barrell/

By the way,answer some frequently asked questions of ‘how do potatoes grow’.

For easily reading and searching questions you want to learn about,tape ‘ctrl+F’:

Frequently Questions and Answers of ‘how do potatoes grow’

‘how do potatoes grow’Q1:Do potatoes grow underground?

How do potatoes grow?Do potatoes grow underground?Do sweet potatoes grow underground?

A potato we eat is a stem, not a fruit. The closer its roots are to the soil, the more nutrients and water they can absorb. Potatoes can fix the rhizomes when they grow in the soil. In fact, potatoes can be grown without soil, as long as they have nutrients and water.

Why do potatoes grow underground?

We eat the stems of potatoes. Whether potatoes grow on the ground or underground is is not a definite result. It can be selected. Normally, potatoes are  always planted in the soil for easy absorption and storage of nutrients. It is the best way for potatoes to grow. It is also a way for potatoes to protect themselves, which is why potatoes grow in the soil.

‘how do potatoes grow’Q2:How deep do potatoes grow?

The most suitable depth for planting potatoes is 10cm.Bury the potatoes with 3-4cm of soil. However, the actual planting depth is also related to the size and age of the potatoes. If the potatoes are relatively old, the planting depth can be 6-7cm. The shallowness can avoid the consumption of nutrients, which can also ensure that the potatoes can emerge faster. Moreover, upper seeding should be carried out when the soil temperature is low, and deep cultivation can be carried out when the temperature is high, and the grow depth can be 10-12cm.

‘how do potatoes grow’Q3:How many potatoes grow from one plant?

Normally 5-6 ones,but if you very experienced,20 ones you may harvest from one plant.

‘how do potatoes grow’Q4:Can you grow potatoes in winter?

How do potatoes grow in winter?Can you grow potatoes in winter?

Yes,sure!

Planting potatoes in winter should be done before December.When the temperature drops to zero,it is hard of germinating and growing for the potatoes. When planting potatoes, bury the seeds in loose, air-permeable and nutrient-rich soil, and then water the plants once. So that the humidity in the soil is about 70%, and then cover the potatoes with film mulching to keep warm and moisturize.

How do potatoes grow in winter?

1. Planting time

Planting potatoes in winter should be carried out from October to December, and should not exceed mid-December at the latest. Otherwise, when the temperature drops to zero, it will be difficult for potato seeds to germinate and grow underground stems. If potatoes are planted in a greenhouse, you only need to finish sowing before the frost.

2.Tear the soil

Before planting potatoes, first select a sunny field for it, then use a hoe to dig two or three times deeply, and add fine sand, quicklime and decomposed fertilizer to it in order to eliminate bacteria in the field and increase the looseness and fertilizer content of the soil.

3.Watering

After planting the potatoes, water them once to keep the humidity inside the soil is between 65% and 80%. Note that before watering, you need to make the water temperature the same as the temperature at the time. Antifreeze water damages potato seeds.

4.Film mulching to keep warm

After watering the potatoes, cover the surface with a thick plastic film to keep the plants warm and cold, while reducing the rate of water loss in the soil to avoid frequent watering of the potatoes in winter, which may cause frostbite on the plants.

‘how do potatoes grow’Q5:Do potatoes grow from seeds?

Do potatoes grow from seeds?

The method of reproduction of potatoes is asexual reproduction, which is to cut the potatoes into pieces by sprouts and then plant them, so it actually has no seeds. Potato planting time should be determined according to the temperature. Spring planting is most suitable from March to April each year, autumn planting is more appropriate from September to October each year, and winter planting can be around December each year. Before planting, the site should be prepared in advance, and the plots with sufficient sunlight and good drainage should be selected for maintenance.

Where do potatoes grow?

Where do potatoes grow?

Potatoes prefer a cool growth environment and are generally planted in a low temperature environment. When growing, there must be a loose and air-permeable environment, which is conducive to the formation of underground potato pieces, and the temperature needs to be maintained at 15-25 during the curing period. This is more conducive to its growth and development. During the maintenance period, watering and fertilizing should be carried out according to the growth situation, and the soil should be kept moist at ordinary times, and there should be a suitable light environment.

Do potatoes grow on trees?

No.

Can potatoes grow in shade?

It shouldn’t work if there is no sunlight at all, you can experiment on a small area first!

How much space do potatoes need to grow?

How much space do potatoes need to grow?

The number of potatoes you can grow in a container depends on the size of the container. When calculating how many gallons of space you need, follow the rule that each potato plant requires approximately 2.5 gallons. So a 5-gallon bucket can hold two potato plants, and a 10-gallon bag can hold four potatoes plants. It all depends on how many potatoes you want to harvest.

Month

Jan

Feb

March

April

May

June

July

August

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Cold area

Sowing

Sowing

Harvest

Harvest

Warm area

Sowing

Sowing

Harvest

Harvest

Sowing

Harvest

Central Region

Sowing

Sowing

Harvest

Harvest

Sowing

Sowing

Harvest

Harvest

Site preparation

Digging/Top dressing/Add soil/Thinning

Digging/Top dressing/Add soil

Site preparation

Digging/Top dressing/Add soil/Thinning

How do potatoes grow?grow different types of potatoes

How to grow red potatoes?

Learn more about potatoes grow tutorials

1. How to grow red potatoes?Soil selection and site preparation

How to grow red potatoes?The first requirement for the growth of red potatoes is to ensure that the soil is sufficiently loose, because the tubers of red potatoes are relatively large which would cost the consumption of oxygen increasing.

Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the soil is soft enough and has strong permeability. The pH value of the soil should be controlled at about 5.2-7.8. Red potatoes have strong resistance to salt and alkali. Therefore, when choosing the soil, we must ensure that the terrain is high, soft and deep, and well drained and irrigated. Then carry out site preparation, the depth of site preparation shall not be less than 25 cm, do a good job of suppression and protection, improve the permeability of the soil and the ability to retain water and fertilizer.

2. Stem selection and sowing

When preparing the site, apply sufficient base fertilizer. The base fertilizer is mainly fully decomposed farmyard manure. Control the amount of fertilizer at about 4kg/㎡, and it must be evenly sprayed and provided with sufficient nutrition. After the site preparation, choose the red potatoes stems with no damage, no pests and diseases, and high yield. Half a month before sowing, put them in the room to make the stems enter the dormant period for sprouting. After ‘bud forcing’(accelerating germination),the local temperature can rise to above 8 degrees to start planting. The planting time is around April 4th. Pay attention to control the planting density and performing ridge planting. Do not sow too densely to prevent the plants from blocking each other for which would affect light absorption.

3. How to grow red potatoes?Water and fertilizer management

Red potatoes have a high water requirement and need to be watered more than 5 times during the entire growth period. However, you should pay attention to the amount and method of watering, and small water drip irrigation is the main method. Water the seedlings in time after they emerge from the soil to promote the growth of the seedlings, and then do a good job of watering during the budding and flowering stages and other stages with high water demand to avoid water shortages that affect the growth of red potatoes.

In addition, timely topdressing is required. Red potatoes have a large demand for potassium. Therefore, when topdressing, increase the proportion of potassium in the fertilizer, control the amount of nitrogen, and prevent the plants from growing excessively. The main top dressing period is the budding stage, tuber formation stage and swelling stage. In these three stages,the nutritional requirements of red potatoes are the largest.

4. Field management

Sufficiently loose and permeable soil is very helpful for the growth of red potatoes and the formation and expansion of tubers, so intertillage and weeding work is very important. We will do the first weeding work after seedling emergence, because the seedlings are not big at this time, weeds are easy to be found, shallow hoeing can achieve the goal of removing the weed. Then, when the seedlings grow to about 24 centimeters, intertillage and weeding will be carried out again to promote the growth of red potatoes and accelerate the development of tubers. The flower buds of red potatoes are useless, and during the growth stage, the ground plants will rob the tubers of nutrients, so we must remove the flower buds in time to promote the growth of the tubers and reduce the consumption of buckwheat.

How to grow purple potatoes?

How to grow purple potatoes?

The whole growth stage of purple potato is about 93 days, which belongs to the mid-late maturity varieties. It is resistant to drought, cold, adaptability and storage. It is resistant to early blight, late blight, ring rot, black shank and viral diseases. Seedlings of purple potato are upright, dark purple, lush and full of vitality.

Generally speaking,

• the purple potatoes plant height is about 60-70 cm
• the main stem is developed which is 1.3-1.4 cm thick,dark purple
• the cross section is prismatic
• the number of branches is small
• the petiole is purple
• the corolla is purple
• the petals are deep purple

The potato slices are rectangular, the skin is smooth, the potato flesh is dark purple, and the quality is good. Each plant has 6-8 tubers and a single weight of 120-300 grams.

Fertilizer and nutrient mix for purple potatoes grow

It is recommended to choose:

• sandy loam with flat and dry terrain
• convenient drainage and irrigation
• loose soil
• deep and fertile soil

Plow 25-30cm deep before winter, prepare site and apply full basic fertilizer in early spring. Purple potato is a high-yield fertilizer crop. For every 100 kg of fresh potatoes, 0.5 kg of nitrogen, 0.2 kg of phosphorus and 0.95 kg of potassium are required. Combined with site preparation, 5-8 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 1kg of superphosphate, 0.1 kg of potassium sulfate and 0.1kg of urea are applied per ㎡.

Stem selection and sowing for purple potatoes

20-30 days before planting (usually around mid-January), purple potatoes stem(seeds) for growing should be selected:

• with no disease
• no wounds
• smooth skin
• fresh skin
• many buds and eyes
• uniform size

Approximately 0.2 kilograms of purple potatoes stem(seeds) are needed per ㎡. When planting purple potatoes, it heats up and accelerates germination. After sprouting, the potatoes are cut into about 25g to ensure 1-2 strong buds. Put the cut potato chips into 5500 times 50% carbendazim solution, soak for 5-10 minutes, remove and dry in the shade, dry for 3-5 days to make the buds green and strong.

Generally speaking, when the ground temperature of 10 cm depth stabilizes at 5 degrees Celsius, you can start sowing, and the purple potatoes stem(seeds) can be sown from mid-to-late March to early April. Early seedlings are susceptible to freezing damage and cannot be marketed early, which affects the efficiency of planting. Can plant pruple potatoes about 15 days in advance with double-ridge and high-border plastic mulching cultivation. Purple potatoes should be planted in rows, with a row spacing of 0.4m, leaving about 6 seedlings per ㎡. When planting, according to the row spacing of the plants, use a hole opener to make 8-10 cm deep holes, then place the seeds upward, and seal the film holes with fine soil.

How to grow purple potatoes?Planting management is very important.

After the purple potatoes are planted together, their growth stage is only about 65 days. On-site management should emphasize an word of ‘early’, and master the principle of pre-promotion and post-control.

Technical management should be:

• Timely
• early tillage
• early topdressing
• early watering

After flowering, according to the weather, soil moisture and plant growth, proper topdressing should be done, and a small amount of water should be used frequently.In this way you would find the balance of planting growing and purple potatoes stem(what we eat) growing,avoiding that a plant grow above the ground much stronger then the stems.

During the budding period, attention should be paid to removing buds to reduce nutrient loss and promote the growth of potatoes. When the plant height is 15-20 cm, it should be properly controlled to prevent overgrowth and lodging and increase the yield of medium and large potatoes(stem).

Pests and Diseases of Purple Potato

Purple potato is prone to late blight and virus disease. Pests are mainly grubs, mole crickets and cutworms, which need to be controlled in time. You should pay attention to avoid purple potato continuous cropping and on the other hand eggplant, pepper, sweet potato and other solanaceous fruit crop rotation. Wheat, corn, Chinese cabbage, radish and other crops are the best first crops.

How to grow sweet potatoes in containers?

How deep do sweet potatoes grow?Select the right containers

How to grow sweet potatoes in containers?

The first is to choose a suitable planting container. Sweet potatoes grow underground, so the roots require more space. Therefore, the selected container must have sufficient width and depth. The depth is best to reach 50 cm (at least 40 cm), and the width is determined by the number of sweet potato seedlings planted:

• The length and width of the container for single seedling planting should be 30 cm.
• The length and width of the container for planting multiple seedlings is determined by the spacing between the plants.The plant spacing is generally 20 to 30 cm, the row spacing is generally 30 to 40 cm, the row spacing of wide-leaf potatoes is larger, and the row spacing of small-leaf potatoes is smaller).

Sweet potatoes have a certain degree of cold tolerance, but they are not resistant to waterlogging. Therefore, the bottom of the container must be a hole.

The selection of cultivation substrate for sweet potatoes

Then the selection of the cultivation substrate is also very important. It is generally recommended to choose soil as the cultivation substrate. If it is inconvenient to obtain soil, you can also use fillers such as sawdust. Non-soil cultivation substrates require higher fertilization and management. Sweet potatoes like fertile and loose soil, especially sandy soil. The sweet potatoes that are planted in this way look good, so try to choose the humus of woods or dense grass, or sandy soil with high fertilizer efficiency. You can also mix fine sand with fertile and safe silt to get sandy soil.

Setting growing space for sweet potatoes

After fill the soil into a container, it is necessary to choose a suitable place. The main ingredient of sweet potatoes is starch, which requires a lot of light to make potatoes, (grow sweet potatoes indoors?balcony is better)so the container must be placed on the roof or balcony with sufficient light, otherwise the light will not be good or there will be insufficient potatoes. In addition, there must be enough space for potato vines to climb.

Time of sweet potatoes colonization and harvest

If you want to eat mainly leaves, sweet potatoes can be grown in spring, summer and autumn. If you want to eat stems, plant sweet potatoes mainly in spring and summer. For spring planting, start planting in April and May and harvest three to four months later; in summer, plant the plant from August to September and harvest three months later.

Before planting, first select and cut potato sprouts. The potato sprouts are between 20 and 30 cm long and must have at least 6 bud nodes. In addition, in order to stimulate the growth of potatoes, try to remove the roots on the sprout nodes of the potato sprouts.

Fertilizer mixture of ‘how do potatoes grow’

Before planting, put base fertilizer at the bottom of the container, and put a few compound fertilizers in the upper part of the container. When planting, the sweet potato seedlings are laid flat and buried 5 cm deep under the soil, exposing two or three bud nodes on the ground. After planting, water once a day in the morning and evening for a week.You can also move the flower pot to a cool place and water once every two days. After a week, you can water the soil depending on whether the soil is dry or wet. After two weeks, if the growth is weak, top dressing can be done once.If grows well, top dressing is not necessary. One month after the next planting, fertilize it once, and finally wait for the harvest!

How do potatoes grow?Interesting grow methods!

How do potatoes grow?We have many methods to share,have you ever grow potatoes in water?

How to grow potatoes in straw bales?

These 3 questions will be answered below.

Interesting potato growing methods:/how to grow sweet potatoes from scraps/do sweet potato vines grow sweet potatoes/how to grow sweet potatoes from tubers/how to grow sweet potatoes from a sweet potato

Will be recommended in next articles.

‘how do potatoes grow’?How to grow potatoes in water?

How to grow potatoes in water?

1. The first step of hydroponic potatoes: germination.

The method of hydroponic potatoes needs to put fresh and plump potatoes in a plastic bag first, and keep them sealed until they germinate. The storage place needs to be in a backlit and cool place, so as to facilitate the sprouting of the potatoes.

2. Add water to the plate.

For hydroponic potatoes, you can choose a plate container, then add some clean water to it, and place the potatoes neatly on the plate. A decorative pebbles can be placed next to the plate, which can not only play a role in setting off, but also support the potatoes.

3. Cover the potatoes with paper towels.

In the early stage of hydroponics, it is best to cover the potatoes with paper towels. The paper is completely in contact with clean water, which can play a moisturizing effect, while also creating a warm environment to promote the growth of potato sprouts. You can remove the paper towels after discovering that the potatoes have grown small, thin roots.

4. Post-conservation of hydroponic potatoes.

Hydroponic potatoes must maintain sufficient water. Change the water every 5 days or so. In summer, bacteria and viruses multiply faster. At this time, you can change the water every 3 days to avoid root rot. A few drops of nutrient solution can be added during the flowering stage to make it bloom more vigorously.

What you should pay attention to with hydroponic potatoes?

1. Temperature.

The suitable growth temperature for hydroponic potatoes is between 5-30 degrees. In other words, as long as the temperature is more comfortable for people, plants will feel comfortable, and they can grow normally. Even in winter, they can flourish and give us vitality.

• Light.

Focus on scattered light. Scattered light is the natural light coming in from windows and other places, and it is naturally scattered indoors. Generally, the growth of plants only needs to have proper light, and it does not have to be exposed to the sun. In summer, you should try to avoid direct sunlight.

• Nutrient solution.

Generally, you can just use the special nutrient solution for hydroponics on the market. According to the instructions, you can formulate the appropriate concentration. For example, if it is diluted 400 times or 1000 times, the ratio must not be mistaken. When preparing, put the tap water for two hours to half a day, wait until its temperature is close to room temperature and the chlorine in the water evaporates, and then add the concentrated nutrient solution in proportion to become a nutrient solution that can grow hydroponic potatoes.

‘how do potatoes grow’?Grow potatoes in straw bales?

‘Grow potatoes in straw bales’ is directly ditched into a border after the rice is harvested. The seed potatoes are placed on the soil and covered with straw throughout the entire process. With proper fertilization and management measures, it is an item Light-weight potato cultivation technology with low labor and cost, high-yield and high-efficiency.

1. Straw mulch

For ‘Grow potatoes in straw bales’, it is advisable to choose a neutral or slightly acidic rice field with deep tillage, fertile and loose soil, good drainage and irrigation, and rich in organic matter.

After the rice is harvested, the rice stubs should not be too high or too low, preferably 15-20cm. Before planting, ditch the border and determine the width of the border according to the length of the straw and the quality of drainage.

Generally, it is 1.3-1.5m, the width of the trench is 20-25cm, and the depth of the trench is 15cm. The soil dug up during trenching should not be piled on the edge of the ditch. It should be evenly thrown in the middle of the border, and the border surface should be arched back to facilitate drainage. Properly weed before sowing, but do not apply herbicides.

2. Seed potato preparation for ‘Grow potatoes in straw bales’

① Variety selection. Generally, potato varieties with fast swelling, early setting, short growth period and disease resistance are selected.

②Cut potato seeds into pieces. The potato seeds are cut into pieces before bud forcing, the purpose is to save the potato seeds and break the dormancy. Seed potatoes smaller than 40g can be sprouted whole, and those larger than 40g can be cut into pieces to make sure that each cut piece is about 30-40g, there are more than 1 strong buds, and the cut is more than 1cm away from the bud eye. After completion, soak in 50% carbendazim wettable powder 300 times liquid for about 5 minutes, and dry.

③Bud forcing of potato seeds. Bud forcing can be carried out by hotbed, greenhouse or film mulching. You can also soak the potato pieces with a solution of 85% gibberellin 1 g and 100 kg of water for 15 minutes, and then use wet sand for bud forcing. Soil or sand can be stacked up to 3-4 layers, too thick will damage the buds. During the germination period, keep the temperature of 15-18℃. If the temperature is too high, the buds will be slender. Do not water too much. If the humidity is too high, the potatoes will rot easily. When the buds are about 2cm long, they can be taken out and planted.

4. After sowing and fertilizer,start to cover grass

Immediately after the seed potatoes are placed, they shall be neatly and evenly covered with straw (about 3 m2 of straw for a 1 m2 potato field). You can use two-way coverage perpendicular to the border surface. Use about 1250 kg of straw per acre, leaving no gaps, and lightly pat it firmly. The thickness is generally 10-12cm. The straw is too thick, not only the emergence of the seedlings is slow, but also the stem base is slender and weak. If the straw is too thin, it is easy to leak light and increase the rate of green potatoes. After the straw mulch is over, use the mud of the clear ditch to press the straw into several spots to prevent the straw from being disturbed by the strong wind.

5. Moisture Management

‘Grow potatoes in straw bales’ does not require top dressing and cultivating weeding, but water management must be done.

Generally speaking, natural precipitation can basically meet the requirements of this technology, but because the new rice straw absorbs less water, the absorption speed is slow, and it is easy to dry, so that the potato seedlings are exposed to drought.

Especially during the expansion period of potato chunks, the transpiration of the above-ground part is vigorous, and the underground stems grow rapidly. At this time, the water demand is the most. Small water should be used for irrigation along the border to make the water slowly enter the border and drain and dry in time to keep the soil moist. Promote tuber swelling, but also conducive to the rot of straw.

6. Timely harvest for ‘Grow potatoes in straw bales’

For early-maturing varieties, it usually takes 60-70 days from the emergence of potatoes to harvest. When the stems and leaves are yellow, the harvest can be started. ‘Grow potatoes in straw bales’, 70% of the potato chunks are above the soil layer below the straw. When harvesting, you can pick potatoes as long as you remove the straw. The potato pieces can be harvested all at once, or harvested in batches. The straw is removed, the big potato pieces are first picked, and then the grass is covered to let the small potato pieces continue to grow.