Is it worth planting Uladar potatoes: what are the pros and cons of the variety?

In Russia, Uladar potatoes have been grown since 2011. This is a famous Belarusian variety, not inferior in popularity to Zhuravinka and Skarbu. It is noteworthy that its origin is connected with the film The Lord of the Rings. “Uladar” translated from Belarusian means “ruler, ruler.” Potatoes fully live up to their name. The characteristics of the variety are impressive.

Characteristics of the variety

Advantages and disadvantages

All plants are viewed from this angle; the Uladar potato is no exception. Agronomists believe that the future lies with varieties such as Uladar.

Among the advantages are:

• Unpretentiousness to the soil. However, in light or medium soil it feels better, indicating an increase in the number of tubers in each hole. In heavy soil, yields are noticeably reduced.
• One of the important advantages is resistance to traditional potato diseases.
• Given their ability to travel long distances, potatoes are specially grown for export.

There is no need to list the disadvantages of potatoes for a long time:

• Tendency to late blight.
• Mandatory watering during dry periods.
• The need for insecticides in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle.

Planting
In April, work related to planting begins. Owners of summer cottages sort through planting material, removing dubious-looking tubers. Potatoes are placed in boxes in two or three layers for germination and left in a bright room at an average temperature of 15°C. After some time, tender shoots will appear on them.

Before planting, it is recommended to treat root crops with special insecticides against insects. As a rule, these are proven means Prestige and Commander.

Growth stimulants Mival and Zircon, which are sprayed on planting material, have a good effect on the future harvest. Detailed instructions for use are on the packages.

Uladar potatoes prefer peat, black soil and sandy loam soils. But this does not mean that Uladar will not grow in other soils. But lowlands and places filled with water are not for him. Ideal precursors for the plant are flax, lupine, legumes and grain crops.

Root crops are planted in May. The signal to start will be the soil warming up to +7°C. The actions of agricultural technicians are as follows:

• Potatoes are placed in moist soil to a depth of 8-10 cm. Clay soil requires a shallower depth - 6-7 cm.
• Potato sprouts are directed upwards.
• The planting scheme looks traditional. The width between bushes is at least 35 cm, between rows - at least 60 cm.
• The soil is carefully poured into the furrows so as not to wash away the potato roots.

Description of the variety

Uladar potatoes are one of the best varieties of Belarusian selection. It allows you to get an early harvest in temperate climates, and in hot regions, harvesting is carried out twice. The potatoes look very attractive - golden in color, with creamy flesh. All root vegetables are aligned and have a streamlined shape.

Photo:

Description of the variety:

1. The bushes of the plant are not very tall with fleshy large stems up to 60 cm high. The tops are brightly colored, the leaves are green, medium in size, slightly wavy at the edges. The average number of stolons is 18-20 pieces. The Uladar potato blooms with purple flowers, sometimes reddish in color.
2. Uladar is a high-yielding variety. From 1 hectare of land you can harvest 401 kg of potatoes on average. The maximum productivity of the variety is 424-500 kg/hundred.
3. The potatoes are quite starchy. Starch content ranges from 11.5 to 17.8%. It can be fried and boiled.

Farmer reviews

There are many positive reviews from gardeners about this variety. Its high yield and excellent taste are often noted. But there are comments that potato bushes are highly susceptible to attacks by the Colorado potato beetle.

Eduard, Kopeysk: “I’ve been growing this variety for the fifth year in a row. I don’t even think about changing it to another. The yield is good, there are no problems with care. The only negative is that the Colorado potato beetle loves to eat leaves. We have to tinker with the selection of protective equipment.”

Marianna, Kamyshlov: “I consider Uladar one of the best varieties. It produces a large harvest. True, it doesn’t make a very good puree. We fry it or add it to soup. The tubers are well stored and have an excellent presentation, as in the photo on the Internet.”

Vladimir, Noyabrsk: “For me, Uladar is a gift of fate. I live in the northern zone, and winter comes early here. I want to plant potatoes, but they don’t have time to ripen. But now there are no problems. The variety is early ripening, we harvest before the cold weather.”

Advantages and disadvantages

The variety has many advantages, but there are also disadvantages, which are noted mainly by summer residents.

Nuances of cultivation and possible difficulties

When growing Uladar potatoes, it is necessary to carry out basic agrotechnical measures, but many gardeners and summer residents make common mistakes, due to which the final yield of tubers is reduced by 20-40%.

Experienced farmers recommend paying attention to the following nuances:

• Potato plantings are too dense. Beginning gardeners often choose small tubers and plant them tightly, thereby saving free space. Farmers recommend maintaining a distance of 65 cm between rows so that the tubers can develop normally.
• Wrong choice of fertilizer. It is forbidden to use fresh manure, which easily burns the root system of plants and provokes the development of fungal diseases. Nitrogen fertilizers must be limited, since otherwise it will not be the tubers that will develop, but the tops.
• Planting potatoes in a poorly lit area. If there is a lack of sunlight, the tubers practically stop their growth during the growing season, and the leaves of the bushes turn yellow. There is a high probability of plant death. Potatoes should be planted only in well-lit areas.

Additionally, many gardeners make the most common mistake - they plant potatoes in the same place for many years. As a result, the crop yield gradually decreases, and the soil loses all its nutrients.

It is not recommended to plant potatoes next to peppers, tomatoes and eggplants, as these vegetables belong to the Solanaceae family, which means that they share common pests and diseases. Farmers also recommend buying new tubers every 3 years to be used as starting planting material.

Early ripening potatoes Uladar are easy to grow, have an attractive presentation and are resistant to moderate mechanical damage. Tubers are stored well until next year (with virtually no losses) only when the air temperature in the room is between +2 and +4 C. Additionally, a ventilation system must be equipped.

The scientific description of the variety, as well as numerous photographs of potatoes at different stages of development, indicate that with timely watering, weeding and hilling, the crop grows well and ultimately produces an excellent harvest. The dug up tubers can be boiled, baked and fried. Potatoes do not boil over and have a pleasant aroma and taste.

How is it stored?

Despite the fact that Uladar is an early variety and is not intended for long-term storage, in reality it often lies and does not deteriorate until spring. The keeping quality of potatoes is estimated at 94%.

Late harvest of potatoes is used for storage for the winter. Recommended storage conditions are temperature +7+10 degrees and relative humidity 80%. When the temperature drops, the pulp may darken during heat treatment, and when the temperature rises, the risk of putrefactive processes increases. In winter, they try to use the reserves of Uladar potatoes first.

Landing

Uladar potatoes are sprouted to obtain strong sprouts up to 1.5-2 cm long. This will take 2.5-3 weeks. The temperature is maintained at 11-15 degrees. The tubers are pre-disinfected (1% potassium permanganate, 40% formaldehyde, Fundazol, Acrobat). The following drugs are recommended for stimulation:

• Alirin;
• Albite;
• Silk;
• Gamair.

The size of the seed material should not exceed 5-6 cm in length, the optimal weight is 50-80 g. Larger tubers are cut into 2-3 parts, each with more than 3-4 eyes. The sections are dusted with ash powder.

The soil for potatoes is fertilized during autumn plowing, humus is plowed to a depth of 7-10 cm (40 kg per 1 hundred square meters). In the spring, the beds are harrowed, ash and phosphorus-potassium compounds are added. You can pour fertilizer into the hole when planting:

• 15 g Kemira;
• 200 g compost;
• 1 tbsp. l. ash.

The placement of the pits is at a distance of 30 cm, the distance between the rows is 70 cm.

When to plant and dig Uladar potatoes?

The variety is resistant to low temperatures down to +6 degrees. Potato seeds are planted in late April or mid-May if spring is late. To get root crops as early as possible, the ground is covered with film to quickly warm it up. Film tunnels are also used.

The harvest lasts from July to the end of August. To store root crops, they are dug up in dry weather, at a time when the tops have completely withered, but the stem has retained its green color. The tubers are cleared of soil and dried, then sorted and stored in a dry, dark and cool place.

Yield and storage

If the potatoes are dug up ahead of schedule, then the thin-skinned tubers will not be able to be stored for a long time. But at the same time, if the harvest time was missed and the potatoes lay in the ground for too long, then there is a high probability that they will rot.

Farmers recommend mowing the tops 2-3 weeks before the expected digging of the tubers, leaving the stems, the height of which should be within 12 cm. The mowed tops must be burned.

Such actions are the prevention of diseases, and the potato peels ripen better. This is due to the fact that the tops can draw all the nutrients from the existing tubers, which is why the vegetables will be less tasty when cooked.

It is necessary to dig up potatoes as carefully as possible so as not to damage them. The collected tubers should be laid out on dry cardboard, a piece of fabric or paper in a dark, well-ventilated room. It is recommended to sort out the dug potatoes. Damaged tubers should be discarded.

Large, smooth potatoes should be set aside in order to later use them as planting material. Seed tubers should be washed well and left in a well-lit room for 48 hours. Potatoes should turn green so that they can be stored better.

Tubers of the early-ripening Uladar variety are best stored in frost-free cellars, in which the air temperature ranges from +2 to +4 C. At lower temperatures, potato starch is converted into sugar, which is why the vegetable acquires a sweetish taste.

To store the crop, all surfaces in the cellar must be treated with lime and copper sulfate within 2 weeks. The boxes can additionally be sprayed with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Tubers should be stored in wooden boxes, which should first be treated with fungicidal preparations that are safe for human health. For example, Anti-rot, Fitosporin. Sprigs of wormwood and rowan leaves should be placed between the potatoes.

Features of agricultural technology

Agricultural technology for growing potatoes of the Uladar variety involves the use of light and medium soils (in terms of granulometric composition). The recommended planting density is 50-55 thousand tubers per 1 hectare. When growing seeds for planting, tubers are planted thicker - 60-65 thousand per hectare of land.

• Seed material is germinated for 3 weeks at a temperature of +18 degrees.
• The Uladar variety can be planted in a furrow, in a ridge, or under a shovel. The optimal backlog depth is 5-7 cm (15 cm at the ridge).
• Recommended soil acidity is 5.5-6 units.
• The bottom of the holes is sprinkled with ash. It is also recommended to apply mineral fertilizers. Directly when planting, you can put 10 g of Bulba fertilizer in each hole.
• After planting, the tubers are covered with loose soil. It is especially good to use a soil mixture of humus, ash and peat.
• Shoots appear after 2 or 3 weeks (when planted in a ridge).
• The Uladar variety does not require special care. Standard agrotechnical rules apply to it: watering once every 3 weeks (taking into account precipitation), maintaining the soil in a loose and moist state. When watering, you need to moisten the beds to a depth of 30 cm.

The tubers of the Uladar variety develop well with sufficient soil fertility and moisture, best at a temperature of +22+25 degrees.

Care

One of the important conditions for the Uladar potato variety is oxygen. Knowing this, gardeners earth up Uladar several times during the growing season. They begin as soon as the seedlings extend by 5-8 cm.

The best time for work is early morning or evening. In hot weather, it is not recommended to hill up and rake soil to potato bushes. Warm soil will affect the plant by weakening the stems.

The second time Uladar is hilled before flowering, when the plants have grown to 20 cm. The height of the hill between the bushes should be at least 15 cm. The third time they take the hoe when the potatoes rise above the ground by 28-30 cm. The hills at this time should be at least 20 cm.

“Is it possible not to carry out hilling?” - such questions are often asked. Each owner of hundreds of acres decides for himself. It is estimated that the yield in this case will decrease by 20-25%.

Uladar is not demanding on moisture, but prolonged drought will affect the harvest. This is especially important during the formation of potato tubers.

A distinctive feature of the Uladar variety is the intensive formation of tubers in the first half of the growing season. At this time, the plant needs enhanced feeding. According to the degree of need for mineral fertilizing, Uladar potatoes are classified as class No. 1.

Questions and answers

What are Uladar potatoes more suitable for, boiling or frying?

Uladar potatoes are considered universal. Its pulp is moderately dense and watery. It softens slightly and becomes brittle at the end of cooking. It keeps well in chunks in soup. When fried, it remains soft inside and forms a crispy crust. It is considered one of the best when fried, ideal for making chips, French fries, potato pancakes and salads.

What is the energy value of Uladar potatoes?

The increased starch content makes potatoes quite nutritious and high in calories. 100 g of product contains 77 kcal. In addition, it is rich in beta-carotene, which gives the pulp a yellowish tint. The chemical composition contains a lot of magnesium, silicon, potassium, phosphorus, iodine, iron and boron.

The Uladar potato variety has a good reputation. It is easy to care for, does not suffer from infections, and insects rarely land on the bushes. For large yields, it requires compliance with agricultural technology. Its main advantages are a short ripening period and high quality tubers.

Pests and diseases

The Uladar potato variety is resistant to diseases typical of root crops, such as:

• potato cancer;
• potato nematode;
• common scab;
• fusarium rot.

Potatoes are immune to Alternaria blight. Rhizoctoniosis poses a danger to potato root crops. For preventive purposes, before planting, potato tubers are treated with the fungicide Maxim.

Pests pose a serious danger to the Uladar potato variety. In mid-summer, many Colorado potato beetle larvae and beetles are found on the leaves. There is no way to get rid of it manually. We have to resort to insecticides.

What are the delicious varieties of potatoes?

On the European continent, potatoes have long been divided into 4 groups:

1. A - these are tubers that have dense and non-mealy pulp. Such potatoes do not get soggy when cooked, which means they will be good in salads and hash.
2. B - such potatoes are considered universal. Here the tubers are moderately dense and mealy, which almost do not become soft during the cooking process. Suitable for cooking soups, and can also be safely fried.
3. C - potatoes from this group are perfectly boiled, and therefore they are mashed, boiled whole for serving, and also fried. At the same time, the tubers are soft and the mealiness is moderate.
4. D - these potatoes are usually soft in consistency, and they always boil perfectly. It is only suitable for making purees or baking in the oven. It is not at all suitable for frying and making soups.