Potatoes Golubizna - a variety from domestic breeders

If you need to grow potatoes in the Central, Central Black Earth, Volga-Vyatka or North Caucasus regions, you can choose Blue for planting. This is a medium-late variety that produces the first harvest 100 days after the appearance of the first shoots. We suggest you familiarize yourself with its characteristics, planting and cultivation features below.

Description and characteristics of the variety

The variety was bred by Russian breeders of the State Scientific Institution VNIIKH named after. A. G. Lorch in 1993. Potatoes received this name for their bright blue inflorescences. Planting a plant in a garden bed looks very beautiful, resembling a cornflower field from a distance. Blueberry is popular among gardeners because it easily adapts to weather changes, is resistant to many diseases, and with proper care produces a high yield. The characteristics of the variety are presented in detail in the table below:

History of potato breeding Golubizna

Golubizna
The variety was developed in Russia about 30 years ago, and in 1993 it was included in the register of breeding achievements. The patent for the variety belongs to the All-Russian Research Institute of Potato Farming named after. Lorch, after whom the potato variety Lorch . When the described plants begin to bloom, you get the impression that you are looking at a cornflower flowerbed, which is why the variety got its name.

Did you know? The largest potato that has been grown to date weighed 11 kg. The variety is zoned in the central and northern regions, but this does not prevent it from being successfully cultivated in the southern regions.

What is the best time to plant potatoes?

The most suitable time for planting Blue is considered to be the period from May 1 to May 10. If the spring is warm, planting can be done earlier. In general, when choosing a planting date, it is worth taking into account weather conditions - the soil temperature should be at least 6-7 degrees. Potatoes easily adapt to cool soil, maximizing the absorption of all nutrients from it. If the temperature is higher, the tubers will absorb only nitrates.

If you are even a little late with the planting time, this will affect the quantity of the harvest and the taste of the ripened potatoes.

Features of growing the variety

Potatoes “Golubizna” received a lot of positive feedback from many summer residents for its excellent characteristics of the variety. Having decided to grow it in your beds, it is worth getting acquainted with the characteristics of the variety.

Landing place

The planting site should be open, well lit and warmed by the sun. You should not designate areas under trees or canopies for this purpose. Lowlands where such phenomena as fog and stagnant water are common are also not suitable.

Be sure to consider crop rotation when planting potatoes. Ideal for it would be places where cucumbers, cabbage, any legumes and all cruciferous vegetables used to grow. Do not plant potatoes to replace tomatoes and peppers.

The variety “Golubizna” is distinguished by its unpretentiousness to the soil. It grows successfully in all regions of the country and has the excellent ability to adapt to different conditions. Grows well in sandy and loamy soils with a loose texture. The main condition for good germination is a soil temperature of at least 7 degrees Celsius. Potatoes love fertile soils and will be very grateful for preliminary mineral fertilizer of the beds before planting.

Preparing the site for planting

First of all, the gardener must choose the right area for planting potatoes. To do this, you should proceed from the following rules:

• the area should be well illuminated by the sun, since in partial shade and shade it will not be possible to get a good harvest;
• the area must be protected from drafts;
• Peat, sod-podzolic and chernozem soils are considered the most suitable for potatoes, and they should be loose and light, but soil with an alkaline reaction is unacceptable;
• the best predecessors of Blueberry are winter and leguminous crops, annual grasses and flax.

Tubers should not be planted if the soil is excessively waterlogged, since in this case the soil will become dense and heavy, so the fruit will not be able to develop in it.

It is recommended to prepare a place for potatoes in the autumn, as soon as the crop is harvested. The area must be dug up and mineral or organic fertilizers applied. It is advisable to get rid of wheatgrass weeds. Another way to prepare for spring planting of potatoes is to sow green manure in the following order:

1. Level the soil using a rake.
2. Sow mustard and phacelia seeds. They need to be scattered everywhere and covered with earth using a rake.
3. In spring, cover the green manure with a layer of soil about 10 cm.

Green manures are green fertilizers that are an excellent feed for potatoes planted in spring.

Features of growing potatoes

The Golubizna variety begins to degenerate after 5-7 years. But if there is no desire to change the potatoes to another variety, it is possible to rejuvenate and update the ones you love. To do this, potatoes are grown from seeds.

How to collect seeds

When the flowering of the plant ends, green bell-like fruits form on the bushes:

1. They are collected before the leaves turn yellow, while the bush is healthy.
2. The bells are scattered in a warm place where they ripen.
3. Over time, the fruits soften. Then they are cut and the seeds are removed. Dry and store until spring.

Description and characteristics of the Molly potato variety, planting rules and care

Read

When and how to sow

At the beginning of spring (March), potato seeds are sown in containers. The small tubers will ripen late in the summer. The soil for sowing is prepared in advance. The ground should be soft and airy. Mix soil from the garden, prepared in the fall, with peat and sprinkle with mineral fertilizers. Then they are disinfected. Calcinate in the oven, pour boiling water over it.

To avoid infection of seedlings with blackleg, soil disinfection procedures are required. If you don’t have time to thoroughly prepare the soil, you can buy ready-made soil in the store.

Seeds should also be prepared. They are soaked for two days:

1. Before sowing, the soil is moistened.
2. The seeds are scattered on top, then lightly pressed in. The interval between them is 3.5 cm. The distance between rows is at least 12 cm.
3. Cover with a transparent lid: plastic film or glass.
4. Place in a warm place so that the temperature is not lower than 25 °C.

After 2 weeks, sprouts appear.

How to grow potato seedlings

After the sprouts appear, open the containers and place them in the light:

1. When 2 true leaves grow, the seedlings are planted. Transplant each seedling into a separate container (for example, a plastic cup), in which a drainage hole is made. Some gardeners plant sprouts in peat pots.
2. Healthy seedlings require plenty of light to grow. Since the daylight hours are short in March, an additional lighting lamp will not hurt.
3. Water the seedlings with warm water. The soil needs to be moistened, but the water should not stagnate.
4. The seedlings are fed with saltpeter for the first time 2 weeks after diving. They dive at least 2 times, since the seedling needs to be hilled up and buried.
5. The second time they are fed with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium - mineral fertilizer.

Planting in open ground and care

Young seedlings are planted in the garden when the ground is well warmed by the sun, when there is confidence that there will be no more frosts. The interval between planting holes is left at least 30 cm. Gardeners noticed that with infrequent planting, not only small tubers grew, but also several large potatoes.

Preparation of seed material

It is necessary to pay special attention to preparing tubers for planting, because the yield of the crop also depends on this. The following steps are required:

1. About a month before planting, remove the planting material from a storage place, for example, a cellar.
2. Sort through the tubers, choosing only healthy ones, because otherwise, diseased root crops can infect the majority of the crop with diseases. In addition to the quality of the fruit, you need to pay attention to their size and approximate weight. For planting, it is advisable to choose large potatoes weighing from 50 to 100 g.
3. Place the potatoes selected for planting in boxes in 2-3 layers, and then transfer them to a warm and lighted place so that shoots appear from the eyes. The vernalization process takes about 30-40 days.
4. Immediately before planting the tubers, disinfect them. To do this, prepare a weak solution of potassium permanganate with the addition of copper sulfate. Immerse the potatoes in the solution for half an hour and then dry them. Large fruits can additionally be divided into 2-3 parts.

It is necessary to work with potatoes carefully so as not to tear off the sprouts, because in this case the plant’s yield will decrease by about 20%.

Diseases and pests

“Blue” quite successfully resists many diseases (cancer, rot, mosaic virus), but not late blight. In case of disease, the plant is treated with Bordeaux mixture (one percent solution) or a special product sold in the store. Pests include the Colorado potato beetle, wireworm, mole cricket and golden nematode. Against beetles and mole crickets, special means are required, which are used according to the instructions - “Commander” and “Medvetox”.

To get rid of the wireworm, the soil will have to be dug up along with its habitat (wheatgrass). You can prevent a nematode attack by adding Nematorin to the soil before planting and regularly removing weeds.

Planting methods

There are two ways to plant this variety:

• Comb . It is used in areas where there is high humidity and heavy rainfall, that is, it is suitable for heavy soils. It is necessary to form rows of ridges 20 cm high, and then place the tubers in them.
• Gryadovyi . It is used in arid climates, that is, suitable for dry soils. It is necessary to prepare ridges 1 m wide in 2 rows, and then plant root crops in them.

Regardless of the specific method, the following general rules should be taken into account:

• The distance between the rows should be 70 cm, but in humid regions 90 cm can be maintained. Directly between the holes you need to maintain 30-35 cm.
• In moist loamy soils, deepen the tubers by 6-8 cm, in light soils - by 6 cm, and in heavy soils - by 4-6 cm. In the case of hot climates, on light soils, you can prepare holes 10-12 cm deep.
• If the tubers have not undergone vernalization, in moist soil, potatoes without sprouts can be planted to a depth of 8 cm, but in dry areas it is necessary to plant deeper by 12 cm.
• In each hole, place a handful of a mixture of 1 cup manure or compost, 1/2 cup ash and 1 tbsp. l. bird droppings powder. This mixture needs to be mixed with soil and covered with 2 cm of soil, and then lay the tuber with the top up, cover with soil and level the soil using a rake.

Advantages and disadvantages: is it worth planting?

To understand whether it is worth planting a vegetable crop of this variety on a personal plot, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with all the possible advantages and disadvantages of this potato, and only then make a decision.

1. The variety is undemanding to soil composition, grows well and bears fruit in both light, fertile and heavy, clayey soil.
2. The culture is characterized by being unpretentious in care and easily tolerates temperature changes, heat and drought.
3. Excellent yield and taste characteristics.
4. Possibility of universal use of ripened root vegetables.
5. Increased natural immunity to damage from fungi, viruses and bacteria.
6. Under the right storage conditions, the harvested crop easily retains its presentation and taste until spring.
7. Thanks to their thick skin, Golubizna potatoes are easily transported over long distances.

Disadvantages include low resistance to nematodes and hollowness of rhizomes. During the formation process, the tubers acquire a shape and size that is not characteristic of the variety, and voids form inside the root crops.

Planting care

After the potatoes have been planted, proper care of the plant is required to obtain a good harvest.

Watering

The variety is considered drought-resistant, so frequent watering is not required. It is enough to irrigate it in dry and hot weather. It is recommended to carry out 3 waterings during the entire growing season.

Loosening and hilling

Potatoes need to be loosened and hilled to increase oxygen access to the roots and promote their additional germination, which will make the plant stronger and allow for a better harvest.

Loosening should be done after rain or watering, so that there is no dense crust that prevents the roots from breathing. Hilling up should be done for the first time after rain with the appearance of the first shoots, and for the second time when the tops reach a height of 20 cm.

How to properly hill potatoes is described here.

Fertilizing

The crop is fed when the first shoots appear, during budding and flowering. So, a total of three fertilizers are applied:

1. First . The plant is watered with a solution obtained by dissolving 1 tbsp in 10 liters of water. l. urea and bird droppings, as well as 0.5 liters of mullein.
2. Second . Potatoes are fed with a mixture of 1 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate and 2-3 tbsp. l. wood ash in a bucket of water.
3. Third . For the last feeding, use a mixture of 2 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 1 cup of mullein per bucket of water.

Regardless of the composition of the fertilizer, the plant is watered at the rate of 500 ml of solution per 1 bush.

During the active growth phase, the plant needs a large amount of nitrogen, so in June you can apply root fertilizer in the form of a tincture, which is prepared as follows:

1. Take equal parts nettle tops and banana peels.
2. Fill with water and let it brew for several days.
3. Dilute the resulting tincture in water until a light brown solution is obtained and pour over the wells.

In June, you can also apply foliar fertilizing. To do this, you need to water the green mass of the plant with nettle infusion.

Weeding

During the period of potato growth, it is necessary to weed out the weeds, since fungal spores and various insects may remain on them, which will later threaten the potatoes. In addition, many herbs draw nutrients from the soil, so the potatoes do not receive enough of them and develop poorly.

Diseases and pests

Blueberry is not afraid of scab, various types of rot, cancer, rhizoctonia and alternaria, but the following diseases and pests pose a threat to it:

• Late blight . The plant is attacked in damp and cool weather. In this case, it is recommended to treat the potatoes with a composition of 150 g of slaked lime and 100 g of copper sulfate per bucket of water. You can also add a special fungicide, Hom, to a container of water.
• Chlorosis . The disease is identified by darkened leaf veins and their wrinkled appearance. For treatment, you can treat the plant with a solution of potassium permanganate (about 5 g of potassium permanganate per bucket of water).
• Colorado potato beetle . Among the most common potato pests is the Colorado potato beetle. The fight against it can be effectively carried out with the help of special drugs, among which are Dilor and Commander. They spray the tops several times during the entire growing season. To avoid having to deal with pests, many gardeners prefer to treat the seed with such means as Prestige and Tabu.
• Medvedka . To get rid of such a pest, the plant can be treated with a drug called Medvetox. You must act strictly according to the instructions.

It is advisable to treat plants at the first signs of disease, but there is no need to do this less than 3 weeks before harvesting, remembering the toxicity of the drugs.

Blueberry Yield

Productivity of Blue
Among the advantages of Blue, the leading place is occupied by high productivity. Subject to proper growing conditions, farmers harvest 50 tons per hectare.

In order for the bushes to produce a lot of fruits, for them to form correctly and ripen, you need to make some efforts:

• plant the plants not too densely;
• loosen and hill up seedlings, removing weeds;
• apply fertilizers before planting, feed growing potatoes before flowering;
• water generously 3-5 times per season;
• carry out prevention against viruses, fungal infections, pests.

What experienced gardeners advise you to pay attention to is planting and care. It is important not to forget to weed and hill up potato bushes in a timely manner. Potatoes of the Golubizna variety are hilled twice. The first time - after the emergence of seedlings, the second time, when the plants rise above the ground to a height of 20 cm. Although potatoes are indifferent to moisture, watering will not hurt in dry summers.

Preparations for harvest begin at the end of August. The “beacon” for starting harvesting is the tops. As soon as it dries and falls to the ground, it is mowed. And after 2 weeks they begin to dig up potatoes . Before storing the Golubizna variety for winter storage , the tubers need to be dried. Root vegetables are stored at a temperature of +2+4 degrees.

Harvest and storage

Potatoes can be harvested in late August - early September. To accurately determine the time of harvesting, you need to pay attention to the tops. It should look a little wilted and the leaves should not be a deep green color. In this case, 2 weeks before harvesting, it is recommended to cut the tops at approximately 15 cm.

It is best to dig up potatoes on a sunny day so that they dry thoroughly and the remaining soil can be easily removed from them. In any case, the crop must be harvested before the soil begins to freeze. This is best done with a fork - you need to carefully dig up the bush from the side and lightly pull it by the tops. First throw the root vegetables into a bucket and then pour them onto the covering material located on the ground to dry.

After the tubers have dried, it is advisable to sort them out. You need to set aside the potatoes for consumption and immediately select the tubers as seeds for the next season. It is necessary to pay attention to ensure that the tubers are not affected by diseases and look smooth and even. If the fruits have even small cracks, fork punctures or scratches, they should be set aside for immediate consumption.

To increase the shelf life, you need to poison the potatoes with copper sulfate. It needs to be diluted at the rate of 2 g per bucket of water, and then used to spray root vegetables.

It is best to store potatoes in the cellar. The optimal temperature is considered to be +1…+4°C. At a lower temperature, the tubers will freeze and their quality will suffer, and at a higher temperature, they will begin to sprout and lose nutrients. Potatoes should be kept in boxes up to 1.5 m high. It is important that air gets to the potatoes and excess moisture evaporates.

In order to protect the fruits from rotting, it is worth lining the leaves of plants between their layers, which serve as a kind of protection against spoilage. These can be leaves of fern, rowan, wormwood or sage. In addition, it is worth inspecting the potatoes monthly in order to remove rotten roots in a timely manner.

Blueberry rejuvenation: growing from seeds and mini-tubers

Every year, potatoes can become smaller and yields can fall, since each next generation of root crops has a richer set of diseases than the previous one. In this case, you can update the variety by growing it from botanical seeds. We will find out how to do this further.

Collecting seeds

After the Blueberry blooms, green fruits remain that must be found and collected before the leaves begin to yellow. Next, they need to be placed on a warm windowsill to ripen. When the fruits become soft, they need to be cut and seeds removed from them, which need to be dried and stored until spring.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

The collected seeds should be sown for seedlings as follows:

1. Prepare and disinfect the soil, and then water it. If you water immediately after sowing, the water will draw the seeds deeper, so they will not be able to break through to the surface.
2. Place the seeds in a row, pressing lightly into the soil with a toothpick.
3. Cover the planting with a lid, polyethylene or glass.
4. Transfer the seedlings to a warm place (at least 25 degrees). It is advisable to keep it on the windowsill.

Seedling care

To grow seedlings on a windowsill, you need to consider the following rules:

• the emerging shoots will have roots on the surface, so they should be sprinkled with loose soil right up to the leaves or transplanted into another container with the lower part of the stem with roots buried;
• water the seedlings carefully using a thin stream along the walls of the container or from a syringe under each root so that water does not get on the leaves and stems;
• provide potato seedlings with bright light, including through lighting, otherwise the plant will stretch out, lie on damp soil and die from the black leg;
• from March until planting in open ground, when the threat of frost has passed, carry out 2-3 diggings with deepening or sprinkling with earth without replanting (hilling up).

Planting seedlings in open ground

When sub-zero temperatures no longer occur at night, you can transplant the seedlings into open ground. Otherwise, the planting will need to be covered with protective material in case of frost. Seedlings can be planted according to any scheme. For example, you can throw several roots into one hole, and the distance between them is 15-30 cm.

Unlike potatoes from tubers, seedlings do not need to be earthed up entirely, otherwise they will not be able to break through the layer of soil to the surface. In addition, to obtain a good harvest of mini-tubers, it is recommended to carry out regular watering, loosening and introduce fertilizing, including in the form of drugs with an anti-stress effect, which include:

• Epin;
• Fertika Lux;
• Energen;
• Novosil.

Collection and storage of mini-tubers

As a rule, one bush grown from seed produces 20-30 seed tubers the size of a quail egg. They are the super-elite Blue material. They can be collected in August - September, when the tops begin to turn yellow.

The collected potatoes need to be treated with a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate, and then scattered for drying and gardening. You can do this on a windowsill or in a garden in partial shade under a canopy. In any case, the place should be dry, warm, well lit and ventilated. After a week, the seed can be collected and transferred to the basement or cellar for storage. In the spring, mini-tubers need to be taken out and planted in open ground in the same way as regular tubers.

An alternative way to rejuvenate

If the plant did not produce botanical seeds, because all the flowers fell off and the fruits did not set, you can try this method of rejuvenation:

1. Immediately after flowering, cut 1-2 stems from the strongest bushes.
2. Remove the tops and bases from the stems.
3. Transfer the stems to a dark place, placing a layer of straw up to 20 cm high under them.

By autumn, in the axils of the leaves it will be possible to find healthy material - small tubers the size of a pea.

In order not to grow the Blueberry super-elite from seeds, planting material can be purchased in the store, but at an inflated price.

Reviews

Lyubov, Izhevsk

I am satisfied with Blueberry only because of its yield: there has never been a year where it failed. Drought, constant rain, cold summer - it doesn't matter.

Potatoes are always large, numerous, round in shape, grow in heaps, and are taken out of the ground along with the tops. They store well and do not germinate for a long time. About the Colorado potato beetle - everything is right, this variety is the last thing he will like!

The largest potatoes have voids inside. I use Blue only for purees, because... It crumbles when cooked or fried. To plant the tubers, due to their size, they must first be cut into several parts, sprinkled and dried.

Evgeniya

This is our third year growing Blueberry potatoes. I really like the potatoes - tasty, boiled very well 20 minutes before mashing, large, white-fleshed. The skin of blueberries is rough. I saw that farmers at our market sell Blueberries that look similar, but with smooth skin, but I didn’t dare buy them. We specially ordered super-elite seeds, we are growing them for the third year, everything is fine so far, they have not degenerated. The variety is rather late , we plant it on May 10-15, we dig in early September.

Andrey, Bryansk

I bought potatoes of the Golubizna variety the year before last (in the fall) at the agricultural center. The seller promised that it was super-elite. I planted them on a level with all the potatoes in one area with fertilizing with azofoska. The soil is loamy and not every potato produces a good harvest on this soil.

You have to use trial and error. I planted tuber crops in early May - the usual time for our region. It rose relatively smoothly. The bushes are medium in height and spreading, dark green. By the end of August, the tops began to turn black and yellow and were mowed down. I dug it up at the end of August. The result for the first year was relatively good (taking into account the past summer and the quality of the seed tubers).

In one bush there were several (5 - round and slightly elongated potatoes of medium size and slightly larger than average, as well as several small ones. But not in all bushes. There were also unsuccessful ones. I blame the quality of the seed - they were pretty crushed during delivery. The potatoes tasted good It turned out to be tasty. The only pity is that the flesh is not yellow, but beige. But not white either - which is good. Next year I set aside high-quality seed material for sowing. I hope it won’t let you down!

Anna Vasilievna, Rostov region.

We have been growing potatoes for as long as I can remember. We tried many varieties. Blue is one of my favorites. Last year there was no rain after flowering and nothing - the tubers formed large, the harvest was excellent, one of the best. The potatoes are white, and they bloom so beautifully, the flowers, like cornflowers, are a decoration for the garden.

Oksana

Golubizna potatoes are an excellent variety, productive, with even tubers. Another feature of the variety is that it tolerates planting well with cut tubers. I read scientific studies about planting cut tubers, it is described that different varieties react to cutting differently, some need to be cut lengthwise, others across. And Blueberry can be cut lengthwise and crosswise, and the yield increases. This year I will conduct an experiment.

Pros and cons of the variety

This potato variety is very popular among gardeners due to the following positive characteristics:

• does not respond to changes in temperature conditions;
• tolerates drought well, as it has a developed root system;
• has stable immunity to many diseases, including viral ones;
• gives a high yield - up to 500 c/ha;
• grows on different types of soil.

As for the disadvantages of the variety, we can highlight low resistance to fungal diseases such as late blight and nematode. In addition, under unfavorable weather conditions, hollow formations, that is, hollowness, may appear in the tubers.

Golubizna is a variety that was bred by Russian breeders. During the growing season, the plant looks very aesthetically pleasing, as it blooms with blue flowers. It is popular among gardeners due to its immunity against many diseases. In addition, the variety gives a high yield and grows on different types of soil. Ripened potatoes have excellent taste and crumbly structure.

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Characteristics of Blueberry potatoes

Characteristics of the Golubizna potato
It has been noted that the Golubizna potato variety is valued by summer residents, while agricultural technicians like it less. Why summer residents? Potato beds, even planted in the middle of the plot, look quite respectable, without spoiling the landscape with their ordinary appearance.

The bushes of this variety are medium in size, compact tops, large leaves of bright green color, shimmering blue. The flowering period lasts 2 weeks, the plant is covered with light blue inflorescences. These factors gave rise to the unusual name.

In order for the harvest to please you with quantity and quality, you need to study the plant’s habits and know its preferences. Start with the soil. Golubizna potatoes grow well on loam and sandy soil.