Potato Scarb is a mid-season variety, resistant to diseases, unpretentious in care. But to obtain high yields, eliminate adverse conditions, pest attacks, gardeners use some tricks. In the future, this helps to get even marketable tubers. The article reveals detailed recommendations for growing Scrub potatoes.
Variety Origin History
Skarb potato was bred in Belarus by Z.A. Semenova, L.I. Pishchenko, E.G. Ryndina and A.E. Zuykov. Breeders bred the variety at the Research Institute of Potato and Horticulture in 1997.
In 2002, the variety was officially included in the state register of Russia. It became allowed to import it into the country, grow and sell planting material. The best way to plant tubers in the Ural, Volga-Vyatka, Central, North-Western regions of the Russian Federation. Scarb potatoes are popular in Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine.
Description and characteristic
Variety Skarb is a medium-late variety. From the moment of the first seedlings, ripening occurs on 80-90 days. Bushes are compact, medium height. Very strong and are formed from thick shoots. A little green foliage of a dark color appears on the stems, oval-elongated, with smooth edges.
A distinctive feature of potatoes is their high palatability. The root crop does not boil and does not darken during heat treatment. The peel of the vegetable is light golden, smooth, smooth. It has small, shallow eyes that are evenly spaced across the entire surface.
From one bush gardeners collect 12-18 potatoes. The average weight of one tuber reaches up to 200 grams. From one hectare of area receive 50-60 tons of the crop. Potatoes are oval, resistant to mechanical damage. The pulp is bright yellow, tender, uniform. Potatoes contain about 17% starch.
Detailed characteristics of the variety | |
Name | Scarb |
Ripening period | 80-90 days |
general characteristics | mid-ripening variety with good yield and excellent taste, presentation |
Productivity | up to 650 kg / ha |
The number of tubers in the bush | 18-20 |
The mass of commodity tubers | up to 200 g |
Starch content | 12-17% |
Keeping | 93% |
Pulp color | yellow |
Skin color | yellow |
Disease resistance | the bushes are highly resistant to all major nightshade diseases |
Preferred growing regions | suitable for growing on any type of soil |
The plant is unpretentious and can grow in areas where different climatic conditions. It can tolerate drought gently, but does not respond well to waterlogging. It is especially dangerous if the plants receive a lot of moisture at the initial stage of development.
Advantages and disadvantages
Skarb potatoes have many advantages and disadvantages. Before planting, gardeners must study them, taking into account all the possible difficulties that may await in the process of growing and care:
pros | Minuses |
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Preparation for landing
It is most optimal to plant potatoes on sandy and sandy loamy soils - the variety gives them the largest harvests. Scarb is a potato that does not tolerate spring stagnation of water, therefore it is not recommended to grow it in lowlands and on heavy clay soils. It is advisable to plant potatoes in well-lit areas protected from the north and east winds. Give preference to flat areas or with a slight slope to the south and south-west.
A planting field begins to be prepared in the fall. The variety prefers soil where there is access to oxygen. Gardeners dig up the soil on a bayonet shovel, turn the layer. Before this, 200 g of wood ash, 5-10 kg of manure or humus are scattered on each square meter of the site. In the absence of the opportunity to purchase a lot of organic fertilizers and in order to save, it is applied in the wells in the spring (20 g of ash and a handful of humus are required per plant). In the spring, after drying of the earth, the site is loosened with a rake.
Potato tubers are transferred to heat 3-4 weeks before planting. Since the autumn, small potatoes have been selected for seeds. It is undesirable to use cut, large fruits for planting - this can cause a slowdown in the appearance of sprouts.
It is important to inspect each potato, excluding infected tubers or root crops with severe damage. To process the selected seeds as a preventive measure:
- copper sulfate (1 tsp. in a bucket of water);
- "Prestige" (dilute with water in a ratio of 1:20);
- "Hom" (10 g of water 40 g).
Spread the seed tubers in several layers in boxes or sprinkle on the floor in a bright room, where the temperature is + 18-25 degrees. Once a week, turn over the potatoes and spray with water - this will protect the tubers from sagging.
Planting potatoes
Potatoes are planted to a depth of 8-10 cm at a distance of 30-35 cm from each other. At least 60 cm are left between rows for further convenience when caring for the crop. Potatoes are planted by digging holes or trenches. The rows are arranged in a direction from south to north - this contributes to better warming and lighting of the plantings.
If the plot has not been fertilized since the fall, organic matter, superphosphate and potassium salt are added to each well. Then, tubers are sprouted up into the holes or trenches and covered with a layer of soil.
Care
After the first sprouts appear, planting potatoes needs proper care, because the yield and quality of root crops depends on this.
Loosening and weeding
Over the entire growing season, the soil is loosened only three times, combining with weeding. About a week after planting in the garden where potatoes are planted, they are raked. So you can get rid of young weeds.
Then, after the appearance of sprouts, the area between the rows is loosened repeatedly - this helps to facilitate access of water and air to the roots of the potato.
Watering
Skarb potatoes need high-quality and full watering. It is especially necessary at the vegetation stage and in the formation of tubers. Water the plants twice a week. About 2 weeks before the start of the harvest, the plants are watered.
Hilling
Hilling is the process of backfilling the bottom of a plant with fresh, loose soil. This allows you to increase productivity by 20%. Hilling is carried out early in the morning or in the evening after rain. The weather should be cloudy or cloudy. Over the entire season, the hilling of potatoes is carried out three times: after germination to a height of 10 cm, a few weeks after the first procedure, during flowering.
Hilling is necessary for better formation of new roots and tubers. The soil receives a sufficient amount of oxygen, due to which the growth of root crops increases.
You may be interested to know how to facilitate the process of hilling potatoes using a manual hiller.
Top dressing
The aerial part of the plants is sprayed or fertilizer is applied to the wells. During the growing season, the procedure is carried out three times:
- Education tops. A solution is prepared at the rate of 300 g of ash per 10 l of water. The plant is sprayed. Or an infusion is prepared from weeds and plants are watered with it.
- When forming buds. Potatoes are watered with a solution of 60 g of ash, 20 g of potassium sulfate, diluted in 10 l of water. This is enough for 1 square meter.
- During flowering. Under each bush, 40 g of superphosphate is added. Plants are also watered with a solution prepared from 40 g of nitrophoska and 200 g of mullein, diluted in 10 l of water. One plant takes 500 ml of fertilizer.
When applying dry fertilizer bush spud. After watering or rain, the mixture will dissolve in the soil. With proper and timely top dressing, potato yields and disease resistance increase.
Pest and Disease Control
Scarb potatoes are characterized by increased resistance to certain diseases. But often faced with late blight, scab and twisting of leaves. To avoid crop loss, gardeners use preventive measures and treatment methods:
Disease | Symptoms | Prevention and treatment |
Late blight | Dark spots appear on leaves and stems. Over time, the aboveground part of the plants blackens and dries. On tubers there is a germination of brown, rough spots. Potatoes should not be eaten. The disease actively spreads in rain and warm weather or with artificial sprinkling. During winter storage, a fungal disease may not occur, but as soon as the tubers get into the heat, they will immediately begin to blacken. | It is important to observe crop rotation, not to grow potatoes on one site for more than three consecutive years. Seeds are inspected twice: before germination and before planting. If you plant potatoes in the same area where last year the root crop was ill with late blight, young bushes are pre-sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate at the rate of 20 g per 10 liters of water. Repeat the procedure after 7-10 days. For prevention and treatment, fungicides are used:
Prevention is carried out during the period of budding. Treatment of the plant begins at the first sign of the disease. Repeat the procedure every 7-10 days. The last processing is carried out 20 days before harvesting potatoes. In the autumn, remove small tubers, tops, and burn from the field. |
Common scab | The manifestation of the disease begins on the tubers - ulcers increase and cover the entire surface. The pulp does not change outwardly, but its taste becomes not so pleasant. The starch content is reduced. During winter storage, infected tubers are affected by dry and wet rot. | Crop rotation is required, growing and smelling green manure: lupine, mustard, wiki, clover. Acid fertilizers are also used, for example, ammonium sulfate (per one hundredth 600 g). The gardener must discard the infected tubers, the rest should be treated with the Maxim preparation before planting (4 g per 10 kg of potatoes). During the growth period of the bushes they are treated with Fito Plus (1 packet per 3 liters of water). In the budding phase, plants are sprayed with Zircon growth stimulator (13 drops per 10 liters of water). |
Leaf curl | The lower leaves not only curl, but also become stiff. The upper foliage is deformed. The plant seems weak, lethargic. Mesh necrosis is observed in the tuber section. Seeds germinate for a long time, sprouts are thin. Productivity is reduced to 50%. | Crop rotation and pest control are required. It is important to provide the potato with proper care, creating the conditions that the variety needs (do not overmoisten, loosen, germinate for a long time). It makes no sense to fight the disease with chemical and biological drugs - they are not effective. Sick bushes are dug up and removed from the site. |
Harvesting and how to store it properly?
For 15-20 days before harvesting, the plants are stopped watering, and their aerial part is mowed, leaving the stems short without green mass. Leaves are collected and burned. Cleaning is recommended in dry and warm weather.
Potatoes must be thoroughly dried and sorted. Tubers with mechanical damage or root crops with signs of disease are laid separately. The selected potatoes are taken out for several weeks in a dry room for full ripening.
Then the tubers are transferred to a room where the air temperature is + 2-5 degrees, humidity - 80-85%. Potatoes for planting are stacked in separate wooden boxes.
For more information on the proper storage of potatoes for eating during the winter or for the subsequent planting of tubers in the spring - look here.
Reviews of farmers and gardeners
On the Internet you can find a lot of reviews about Scrub potatoes. Some have a positive effect on it, while others are of the opinion that there are other good varieties that are better than Scrub.
Marina, 45 years old, gardener. On my plot, the largest part is occupied by Scrub potatoes. I am engaged in landing early in the second half of April. Bushes are powerful, sprawling, with dense foliage. Occasionally engaged in hilling and collecting Colorado beetles. By the way, these pests every year less and less. Harvested already in mid-August. Sometimes from one bush I collect half a bucket of tubers. I like the taste and appearance of potatoes. I make mashed potatoes from it, add it to soups and salads.
Anna, 25 years old, live in a private house.I have been cultivating Scarb potatoes for a very long time. I liked it, due to the sweet taste and a yellowish tint of pulp and peel. I can say with confidence that the variety is unpretentious if you make compost or humus in time and don’t forget to carry out the hilling of the plant. I like mashed potatoes from this variety.
Ivan, 32 years old, farmer. A neighbor advised me to plant Scarb potatoes on the site. It attracted me to the long-term storage and preservation of all its qualities: it does not spoil externally, it remains just as tasty. This year, I didn’t even have to dig young potatoes, because there were so many crops that last year’s root crops had eaten until the autumn.
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Potato Scarb got its name for a reason, it is considered by many to be a real treasure. The variety is unpretentious in care, if you take care of all the important procedures in a timely manner. In addition, from one hectare they get an excellent crop. The fruits are stored for a long time, withstand transportation over long distances without losing their presentation.
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Ukraine. City: Kryvyi Rih
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