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Post by gilbert on Mar 31, 2016 10:03:05 GMT -5
So, there are lots of different ways to cut potato seed. How do you do it?
Do you cut them in pieces with three eyes each? With one eye each? By weight/ size? Don't cut them at all?
Do you let them "cure" after being cut?
Do you coat them with sulfur?
Etc.
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Post by reed on Mar 31, 2016 10:34:00 GMT -5
I'm also curious how the pros do it.
Unless it is a large potato with lots of eyes I don't cut them at all. I used to cut most of them and plant in a solid row maybe 4 - 6 inches apart. A few years ago I started planting either whole or large pieces (with 3 or 4 eyes) spaced a foot or so apart. I guess I only cut them if like I said it is big and I can't plant it without too many eyes pointing down, I don't have any real scientific evidence to support doing it this way but it works pretty good for me.
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Post by paquebot on Mar 31, 2016 11:06:52 GMT -5
Three eyes or 30, doesn't make much difference for production as only 3 eyes are going to become active on most varieties. Potato knows that if too many sprout there won't be enough nutrients to support so many. If I have to cut, I want at least 2 per piece. When I save tubers just for planting back, I save those which are halfway between a hen or a pigeon egg. Those are never cut.
Although some gardeners will say to just cut and drop. That doesn't always work in today's gardens which may have a lot of compost added. Bacteria in the compost ay look at that fresh cut and think that it's just more lunch. Sulfur used to be the most common way to prevent that but just letting the pieces dry for a couple days is just as effective.
Martin
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Post by billw on Mar 31, 2016 13:15:02 GMT -5
This has been studied and the ideal weight was found to be about 2 ounces for best production. So, I go for two ounces. As with all tuber-grown plants, I replant my best, so I almost always have to cut. I avoid planting small potatoes, even though they are convenient, since the mutation rate it potato is high enough that you may end up selecting for different tuber size. Similarly, I avoid planting huge potatoes if the ideal size for the variety is smaller.
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Post by raymondo on Mar 31, 2016 14:45:00 GMT -5
Like reed, I only cut if the potato is large. I must say that I have not been very discriminating when selecting tubers for planting. I almost always plant from bought tubers so someone else has already done some selection for me I guess. I go for tubers I don't have to cut normally. |
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