Probably, each of us, buying potatoes, asks a lot of questions to the seller about the variety, taste, the best way of cooking. This is not surprising, today there are a great variety of potato varieties for any gastronomic taste, but among this variety there are clear favorites, one of which will be discussed.
Description
When choosing a potato variety for planting, gardeners are guided by standard criteria: yield, disease resistance, taste, appearance. For the last two decades, the Rocco potato has been particularly popular, and we’ll dwell on its description in order to understand what makes it so attractive and what are its features.
The variety "Rocco" is mid-season, high-yielding table potatoesfirst bred in Holland. "Rocco" is famous for its excellent taste, which explains its popularity around the world. To distinguish the potatoes of this variety in appearance is not difficult.
Shoots
The plant is an erect shrub of medium height with numerous shoots. The shoots have purple flowers and small wavy leaves. Very often, flowering may be absent.
Gardeners also grow such varieties of potatoes: "Adretta", "Bluishna", "Queen Anna", "Luck", "Irbitsky", "Gala", "Kiwi".
Fruit
Fruits of potatoes have the correct oval shape, smooth, with gentle light pulp, the peel of tubers can have color from violet to brown-red color.
Characteristic variety
The potato variety "Rocco" has an attractive characteristic for vegetable growers. This subspecies refers to mid-season potato varieties, which means that its growing season is about 100 days (the period may vary depending on weather and climatic conditions).
"Rocco" is resistant to viral diseases, has a very high yield. So, 400-600 centners can be collected per hectare on average tuber crops (up to 12 tubers develop on one bush). Tubers have a high starch content - 16-20%.
Did you know? Due to the increased starch content, it is potato varieties "Rocco" often used in industrial production in the preparation of chips and potato snacks.This subspecies is not very capricious in care, it tolerates both dry weather and heavy rain equally well, thanks to which it has been successfully cultivated for more than 25 years in different countries of the world.
Advantages and disadvantages
Compared with other potato varieties, "Rocco" has gained wide popularity among summer residents. This increased interest is due to a large number of advantages and the almost complete lack of disadvantages:
- Potatoes have an excellent presentation, are well transported and can be stored for a long time (more than 6 months).
- Tubers do not lose their shape and do not change the color of the pulp during heat treatment, have a sweetish pleasant taste.
- The plant is very resistant to viruses and other diseases, unpretentious in the care, tolerates weather changes.
Of the significant shortcomings can be identified only the tendency to late blight (brown rot), as a result of which the bush leaves first suffer, and then the tubers.
Did you know? Late blight caused a great famine in Ireland, which killed the fourth part of the country's population from 1845 to 1849.Fortunately, nowadays there is a huge amount of tools that will help fight this disease and preserve the harvest.
Planting potatoes
In order for the crop to be pleased with its volumes, it is necessary to seriously approach the issue of choosing a site for planting potatoes, taking into account the characteristics of the variety and caring for them.
Site selection
The site should be smooth, clean, well blown from all sides. At the preparation stage, the area must be cleared of weeds, debris, dry grass. The soil for planting varieties "Rocco" will suit any - sandy, sod, black soil.
The main condition for the preparation of the soil is its thorough loosening, the soil must be lush so that the roots actively develop and the tubers have the correct shape.
Landing dates are determined by the degree of warming of the soil column (the temperature should be + 7 ... +8 ° C) and vary depending on the climate of the area. In most countries with a temperate climate, the optimal period is from the end of April to the beginning of May. In colder areas, the landing time is adjusted and shifted to a later, but not later than May.
Important! A delay in planting potatoes for two weeks or more can halve the amount of future harvest!
Landing pattern
Often experienced gardeners have in their arsenal several ways of organizing potato beds, we will focus on one of the most rapid and simple.
Basic method "under the shovel"The essence of which is as follows: at the site furrows are made about 5 cm deep, the distance between them should be at least 70 cm, the tubers are planted in the furrows with an interval of 30 cm, then covered with excavated soil. Closer planting can significantly complicate further care of the beds.
Learn how to make a potato planter with your own hands.
Important! Before planting, you need to carefully sort the tubers and hold them open for a few days so that small eyes appear.It is worth noting that the basic method is not suitable for all varieties. Shallow planting depths can cause potato rot due to excessive moisture. However, for the variety "Rocco" such conditions are only beneficial, since abundant watering is one of the most important conditions for its cultivation.
Care features
So, you have successfully coped with the planting of potatoes, now you need to carefully care for the beds, so we will consider further the features of this process.
Many gardeners practice hilling potatoes. This technique can be done with the help of a motoblock or a hand-made homemade hiller.
How to water
Potato "Rocco", as noted earlier, refers to moisture-loving varieties, so the most important task is to ensure abundant and regular watering, at least 3-4 times a week. A good effect for preserving the necessary moisture is achieved by using tools to create a mulch layer.
Soil care and dressing
An important point is the careful care of the soil, weeding beds from weeds and regular loosening of the soil, which will ensure good air circulation. A prerequisite for a bountiful potato crop is fertilizing the soil and feeding the plant itself.
There are good as the old proven folk methods, and specially designed tools. Traditionally, fertilizing is produced by organic and mineral fertilizers. A sufficient amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the soil dividing the tubers were more resistant to external factors.
Disease protection
Like any other plant, potatoes are susceptible to various viruses and diseases, and may also be affected by pests. If before, copper sulfate was considered the traditional universal way of protection against all evils, today there is a huge choice of modern fungicides and insecticides of the new generation.
Potatoes are attacked by such pests as the Colorado potato beetle, the wireworm, the larvae of the May beetle, the bearfish, the nematode, the aphid, the scoop. From the diseases that affect the potato, it is necessary to allocate late blight, Alternaria, scab.
Did you know? When planting potatoes, it is recommended to pour a handful of wood ash into each well, this contributes to the growth of starch content in tubers and increases the yield.
Harvest
The most exciting time for the gardener is autumn, the time of harvest. Harvesting must be carried out in a timely manner so that the fruits do not begin to deteriorate and rot. In order to determine when you can dig up potatoes, you need to monitor the status of the tops.
With the beginning of the drying of the tops of flowers begins active growth of tubers. Full dying off tops says that the crop can be harvested, but it is recommended to make a preliminary digging to make sure that the tubers are mature. After the dying of the tops, it is necessary to dig up the potatoes before it rains.
Usually the harvest season is at the end of August and lasts until the second half of September. Pre-harvest desirable mow and clean dry topsto avoid possible infection of tubers.
After the potatoes have been dug, they should be laid out on a pad in one layer to dry before being stored in boxes. From the harvest, you need to select a small number of potatoes, which will be used next year for planting.
As far as can be judged by the description, the potato "Rocco" is rightfully the favorite among popular table varieties. It is appreciated for its unpretentiousness and excellent taste, which will appeal to even the most experienced gourmets, and with proper care, it will delight you with an impressive harvest.
