Potatoes White Rose: variety description, photos, reviews

The history of the origin of the Bellarosa potato variety

The birthplace of potatoes is the city of Luneburg, located in Germany.
Experts managed to develop a successful potato variety from seed, which is loved by gardeners almost all over the globe. Bellarosa came to Russia only in 2004, and two years later the variety successfully passed all tests and tests, after which it was officially recognized and entered into the State Register. Photo of Bellarosa potato variety:

In our country, Bellarosa has taken root so much that today its name can be heard modified in a way that is more understandable to us, namely White Rose, White Dew.

Reviews from gardeners

Many gardeners devote most of their garden to planting potatoes. In particular, most people choose the Bela Rosa variety. Reviews from gardeners about this variety are mostly positive. Many gardeners note the pleasant taste of this variety and its unpretentiousness in growing on a site with any soil. Some note that this variety is ideal for preparing any culinary masterpieces. In addition, experienced gardeners believe that “white dew” is an excellent variety of potato, which is distinguished by an excellent harvest and increased resistance to various diseases and pests.

Potatoes with the beautiful name “White Rose” are considered one of the best varieties. In some sources you can find the name “Bellarose” or “Bella Rosa”. The essence does not change from this. Potatoes are grown in huge quantities here in Russia and they know a lot about root vegetables. If rice is a valuable product for Asians, then potatoes and bread are valuable for Slavs. It is for this reason that any gardener in our country carefully chooses the variety to grow. Let's talk about what White Rose potatoes are. A description of the variety, photos, and reviews from summer residents will be presented below to create a complete picture.

Description of the variety

Early potato Bellarosa (Solanum tuberosum) is classified as a modern breeding variety. It was bred and patented in the German city of Luneburg, it was entered into the Ukrainian state register in 2004, and the Russian one in 2006. The variety gained popularity due to its taste, unpretentiousness to growing conditions and high yield.

On a note! Bellarosa does not change color during heat treatment. Dishes made from it turn out appetizing and beautiful.

How to harvest and store crops

In order for the harvested tubers to remain intact, they must meet certain criteria. Unmoistened, healthy fruits, cleared of sprouts and soil cover, are stored for storage.

The selection of suitable tubers affects the safety of the entire stock

In addition to their short-term preservation, tubers infected with various types of rot and fungus can also destroy the rest of the reserves. Frostbitten, crushed and heavily damaged potatoes are also not recommended for storage.

During storage, small tears in the peel heal, protecting the inner layer from microorganisms. This occurs most intensively in the first month after harvesting at air humidity of approximately 90-95% and a general temperature of 12 to 18 °C. Later, it is recommended to lower the humidity.

The optimal storage temperature for potatoes is from 2 to 4 °C. Supporters of these values ​​explain their advantage by the fact that this temperature is closest to that necessary for the germination and vital activity of tubers. While the common lower 0 and 1 °C, according to their description, can cause hollowing and darkening. At temperatures above 4 °C, the fruits begin to sprout.

If, for some reason, the potato mass contains diseased or defective tubers that do not meet the selection criteria, they are selected. The rest should be stored at temperatures ranging from 1 to 2 °C to avoid the spread of infections.

Storage features and keeping quality of the Bellarosa variety

Bellarosa potatoes, despite the short ripening period, have high shelf life values. They range from 93 to 96%. Tubers spoiled during storage usually make up no more than 6% of the total. The conditions necessary for this do not differ from the requirements for other types. According to reviews from gardeners, the taste of the variety only improves during its storage.

Note! Bellarosa not only has a high preservation rate. Subject to proper growing conditions, its marketability can be up to 99%.

Characteristic

Every year, more and more new varieties, including potatoes, appear on store shelves. Not so long ago, about ten years ago, “White Rose” potatoes of German selection were imported into Russia and allowed for cultivation. The manufacturer is from Germany. It ensures consistently good quality of seed material over this period.

This variety is famous for:

• commercial qualities (up to 99%);
• safety (up to 93%);
• taste qualities.

When grown correctly, "White Rose" produces a stable and high yield. We'll talk about how to do this a little later. The characteristics of the White Rose variety are indicated in a detailed table for the convenience of readers.

Table

In Russia, “White Rose” is grown almost everywhere; in the southern regions you can get two harvests per season. That is why, when growing varieties on an industrial scale, this is exactly what they do.

The variety is unpretentious in cultivation; it tolerates drought well, which will not affect the yield in any way. This quality is important for owners of large plots that are not equipped with an automatic watering system.

The taste is excellent; after cooking, the potatoes become a little crumbly. Since the White Rose tubers themselves are very dense, when dug up, 99% of the crop will remain intact. This is very important, because it is at this stage that a large percentage of root vegetables of other varieties spoil. Another plus is resistance to diseases and viruses, but it’s better to talk about this property separately.

Disease resistance

The Bella Rosa potato variety is resistant to a wide range of diseases, which is typical for modern varieties and hybrids. Manufacturers are trying to develop a plant that will produce a rich harvest, despite the vagaries of the weather and a huge number of viruses and diseases. They have a negative impact on productivity, the type of root crops and their characteristics. All this is done to ensure that the gardener’s work results in a rich harvest.

"Bella Rose" is resistant to diseases and viruses such as:

• potato cancer;
• late blight;
• golden nematode;
• bacterial rot;
• viruses type A, U;
• leafroll virus;
• glandular spotting;
• blackleg.

The White Rose potato is almost never attacked by insects, it grows very well, which frees the summer resident from additional difficulties. And we all know how difficult it is to grow potatoes.

Rules for growing Bella Rosa tomatoes: planting seedlings and transplanting to a permanent place

Typically, this variety is grown by seedlings - in this case, it is possible to obtain harvests several weeks earlier than the period indicated in the description.

Sowing Bella Rosa tomato seeds for seedlings is carried out in March - a couple of months before transplanting the seedlings to a permanent place. Specific planting dates are calculated depending on weather conditions in the growing regions.

It is important to know!

Since the variety does not tolerate low temperatures and is not intended for cultivation in greenhouse conditions, Bella dew is not recommended for planting in regions with harsh climates.

Seed preparation

Seeds of this variety cannot be collected from bushes in the garden - the plants grown from them will not retain positive parental characteristics. Therefore, seed material must be purchased annually from specialized stores.

How to germinate tomato seeds

Such seeds undergo pre-sowing treatment in companies that sell them. Therefore, at home, they only soak tomato seed material in damp gauze for germination. Growth stimulants can be added to the water.

Preparation of nutrient substrate

Nutrient substrate for growing tomato seedlings is usually purchased in specialized stores. But you can cook it at home. To do this, in the fall, gardeners stock up on garden soil, humus or compost, coarse river sand and peat. In the spring, all these components are mixed, wood ash and sphagnum moss are added to make the soil loose.

INTERESTING! Iodine for tomatoes against late blight

Home-prepared soil mixture for seedlings should be disinfected before use. To do this, it is calcined in an oven heated to 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sowing tomato seeds for seedlings

The prepared substrate is laid out in containers, grooves no more than 1 cm deep are made in it. The distance between the grooves is about 2.5 cm. The seed material is laid out in the grooves at a distance of a couple of centimeters from each other. Then the ground is leveled and watered with a spray bottle.

The top of the container with Bella Rosa tomato seedlings is covered with polyethylene and transferred to a dark, warm room until the sprouts appear.

Typically, seed material begins to actively germinate 5-6 days after sowing.

Further care of Bella Rosa seedlings

After the shoots emerge, the polyethylene must be removed and the containers moved to a well-lit place. In the future, caring for Bella Rosa seedlings consists of regular watering and fertilizing.

Video about tomato seedlings

Tomatoes are watered as the soil dries with warm filtered water. If the water is cold, then such watering can provoke the development of blackleg or root rot in seedlings.

After the seedlings have a pair of permanent leaves, they should be picked into separate containers. 10-12 days after picking, the first fertilizing of Bella Rosa tomatoes is applied to the soil.

Usually urea or other fertilizers containing nitrogen are used for this.

. 12-14 days before transplanting plants to a permanent place, a second feeding should be done. Its composition does not differ from the first feeding.

On a note!

10-12 days before planting the seedlings in the beds, they are hardened off. To do this, the tomato plants are taken out onto the balcony or loggia for a short time at first, but gradually the time the plants stay outside increases.

Transplantation to a permanent place

The area for planting tomatoes is prepared in advance. Compost is added to the depleted soil before digging in the autumn - 7-8 kg for each square of area. In spring, 20 g of potassium salt and superphosphate are added to the planting holes.

When replanting, you need to remember that no more than 4 Bella Rosa tomato bushes should grow on each square of area.

Bella Rosa tomato seedlings are transplanted into open ground in mid-May, when it warms up well.

. The plants are transferred to the planting holes together with a lump of earth; if necessary, soil is added to the holes, compacted and watered. Then the root zone of the plants should be mulched.

Pros and cons of potatoes

The early potato variety, beloved by Russian summer residents, has undeniable advantages:

• rapid ripening of large tubers;
• high productivity;
• obtaining two harvests per season under suitable climatic conditions;
• high taste and nutritional qualities;
• the ability to develop normally and bear fruit without additional irrigation;
• unpretentiousness of the crop to the composition of the soil, with the exception of clay;
• strong immunity that resists diseases and pests;
• resistance to degeneration;
• average starch content, thick tuber skin, facilitating transportation and long-term storage.

The disadvantages for gardeners include inconvenience during harvesting, since in one bush the tubers can be located at a considerable distance from each other. When re-growing the White Dew variety, the plant is affected by late blight, Colorado potato beetle, and wireworm.

Advantages and disadvantages

Bellarosa potatoes are distinguished by one feature, which some gardeners consider a disadvantage: numerous tubers ripen in a non-compact manner, far from the growing point. When digging by hand, this feature causes inconvenience: the fruits are placed on the tip of the shovel, cut, and go unnoticed.

The disadvantage is susceptibility to attack by wireworms and the Colorado potato beetle. Preventive treatment of planting material with special means before sowing helps to avoid pest invasion.

Bellarosa potatoes have many advantages:

1. good yield, especially when applying fertilizers and sufficient watering;
2. resistance to many fungi, viruses, physiological diseases;
3. unpretentiousness to growing conditions:
   grows in poor and mineral-rich soil;
4. tolerates heat and rain-waterlogged soil;
5. withstands cold weather.
6. high productivity even in the absence of an irrigation system (this quality is especially important if there is no constant opportunity to monitor the potato plantation);
7. long-term storage and transportability due to the thick peel, not subject to punctures and peeling.

On a note. Early varieties are intended for food consumption; they are not grown for the purpose of storing for the winter. However, according to experts, the Bellarosa potato variety can be left for storage. Of the total mass of the harvest, only 4-6% of the tubers are discarded, the rest retain their density, do not dry out and do not lose their taste.

Planting and care

According to consumer reviews, the Bellarosa variety is planted in various ways:

• into the ground,
• straw,
• on the ridges,
• into the holes.

At any planting, potatoes give excellent germination.

A good result is provided by the soil after buckwheat, oats, and mustard. Pre-planting these crops before potatoes enriches the soil with the necessary nutrients.

Preparing for landing

Bellarosa is planted in the ground at the end of April, if weather conditions permit (later in the northern regions). Before sowing, the tubers are allowed to germinate, this speeds up the process of shoot emergence. To do this, at the end of March (about 2 weeks before planting) preparatory measures are carried out:

• tubers are inspected for the presence of eyes (rotten, shriveled, moldy specimens are not used);
• the selected material is placed in a dry room with a temperature not lower than 13-15 degrees Celsius;
• polyethylene is laid out on the floor, potatoes are distributed on it in one layer;
• a vitamin-prophylactic biologically active solution is diluted in water (to accelerate growth, increase immunity, protect against pests) and evenly spray the planting material;
• When the sprouts have reached 2-4 cm, the potatoes are planted.

On a note. Spraying tubers is not a mandatory procedure, but doing it can make the growing process easier. At the same time, you don’t have to worry about treating a grown potato plantation with insecticides due to damage by Colorado potato beetle larvae.

Landing

You can visually determine the readiness of the soil for planting:

• there should be no snow crust on the surface;
• the humidity level should not be too high (your feet will not get stuck in the mud);
• when compressed, the earthen lump crumbles into lumps (but does not turn into dust).

The hole layout is standard:

Sequence of planting work:

Watering and hilling

The plantation does not need to be watered often. It is enough to water 3 times, but generously:

The soil between the young bushes is loosened, removing weeds. Hilling up Bellarosa begins after the tops reach a height of 15 cm. To do this, using a hand hoe, soil is raked to the base of the bush on both sides, forming parallel ridges.

Fertilizer

To obtain a bountiful harvest, the soil is fertilized according to the following scheme:

• the first fertilizer is applied before sowing (immediately during planting);
• after the green leaves appear, fertilize with infusion of chicken manure (organic nitrogen fertilizer);
• before flowering, treat with urea or infusion of ash;
• During flowering, you can add a phosphate composition.

Recommendation. Fertilizer is applied to well-moistened soil. The best option is after rain or heavy watering.

Pest and disease control

The characteristics of Bellarosa potatoes allow you not to worry about damage from viral and fungal diseases. To preserve tubers and crops from attack by beetles, mole crickets, and wireworms, preventive treatment before planting is sufficient. If such an event has not been carried out, spraying with special means is used only before flowering.

Care after landing (video)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=dtp7ICVRuiw%3Frel%3D0

Features of cultivation

To get a good harvest, you need to know how to prepare an area for potatoes, how to process tubers before planting and how to care for grown bushes.

Soil and seed preparation

Preparation begins at the site selection stage. The beds should be located in a well-lit place, protected from the winds; shading is unacceptable.

In autumn, the soil should be loosened and fertilized with humus or compost in an amount of 5 kilograms per square meter.

In the spring, the site is dug up again. They do not spare fertilizers, but do not apply excessive amounts. Here it is important to maintain a middle ground: on the one hand, the plant loves feeding. With their help, it will grow better and acquire immunity to diseases and pests. On the other hand, if there is an excess of fertilizers, the potato tubers rot.

Important! Potatoes deplete the soil, so crop rotation is necessary. Good predecessors for potatoes are: cucumbers, beets, cabbage. And also: legumes, pumpkin, onions, garlic. To avoid damage by diseases and pests, you should not plant it in an area where crops of the nightshade family previously grew: tomatoes, sorghum, sunflowers.

Planting material is prepared two weeks before planting. To do this, the tubers are placed in wooden boxes or left in bulk indoors. It is necessary to provide the potatoes with access to sunlight and the correct temperature conditions (about 15 degrees Celsius). Under such conditions, the tubers are left to germinate. Immediately before planting, smooth, healthy potatoes are selected, and defective material is thrown away.

In more detail: how to properly prepare potatoes for planting: germination and treatment of tubers from diseases and pests, read this article.

Landing

Potatoes have powerful bushes and large root crops, so you should not plant them too close to each other. A distance of 30-40 centimeters is considered optimal. Between the rows leave 0.7-0.9 meters.

For planting, holes are dug 10 centimeters deep. A teaspoon of potassium and phosphorus fertilizers is placed in each cavity. You can use 15 g of nitrophoska or a mixture of 0.7 kg of humus with 5 tablespoons of ash. Then you need to lay out the tubers in the holes and cover them with soil. No need to water.

For more information about planting potatoes in open ground in spring: terms, rules and recommendations for obtaining a rich harvest, read this article

How and how to fertilize potatoes in the spring, when planting in a hole, in summer and autumn, rules for preparing a potato bed

Features of care

The Bellarosa variety , like any other, requires regular weeding and loosening, which provides the root crops with the necessary amount of air.

A total of three loosenings are required:

• a week after landing;
• a week after the first loosening;
• as soon as the first shoots appear.

Bellarosa all the necessary moisture from the soil and precipitation, so additional watering is unnecessary.

The key to a good harvest is timely feeding. It is carried out at least three times.

• As soon as young shoots appear, they are fed with chicken droppings or manure.
• Before flowering, plants are fertilized with urea. Wood ash (100g) or potassium sulfate (10g) is also used.
• When the potatoes begin to bloom, a mixture of 200 g of mullein with 2 tbsp is added to the soil. spoons of superphosphate per 10 liters. This is necessary to stimulate the growth of tubers.

All fertilizing is carried out strictly on moist soil. For example, immediately after rain. Otherwise, the potato roots will get burned.

The next part of plant care is hilling. With proper hilling, the earth around each bush forms a small elevation, which prevents the shoots from bending towards the ground.

At the same time, weeding and loosening are carried out. The soil begins to breathe, and the root system is enriched with oxygen. It also simplifies the plant's access to water.

The first hilling is carried out when the plant reaches 15 centimeters in height. After two weeks, the procedure is repeated. In the future, the bushes are hilled up as needed (as soon as the ground is leveled again and has lost its looseness).

More details on how to hill up potatoes: when, how to hill up correctly and what to use can be read in this article

If you neglect hilling, the yield will decrease significantly (down to -30%).

A week before harvesting, the tops should be cut off. This will allow the juices to nourish the tubers, which will make them tastier and healthier, and will also increase the shelf life of the potatoes.

After harvesting, the root vegetables are distributed into wooden boxes and left to dry for a week. The harvest is then sorted and stored.

Diseases and pests

The Bellarosa variety was specially bred to be resistant to most diseases and pests. However, it cannot be completely protected from the Colorado potato beetle.

If the insects have not had time to breed, they are traditionally collected by hand in a jar of kerosene. However, if there is a massive pest invasion, you cannot do without chemical treatment of the area. Fortunately, due to its precocity, Bellarosa often manages to avoid insect attacks.

You can read about Treatment of potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle: folk and chemical means of pest control

It is best to prevent the appearance of Colorado potato beetles and spray the plants with Aktara in advance. And in order to increase the immunity of potatoes, several treatments with Fitosporin are carried out.

Learn more about How to fight late blight on potatoes: effective chemical and folk remedies, late blight-resistant varieties

How to increase productivity

To get a high yield, follow the rules of planting and fertilizing the crop. Experienced farmers advise taking all factors into account.

• Landing dates. Potatoes are planted in the ground when it warms up to +12°C, that is, around mid-to-late April. The exact planting dates depend on the region and weather conditions. If there is a danger of frost, it is better to cover young shoots with film.
• Selection of seed material. There is no need to take the largest tubers; it is better to give preference to medium-sized root vegetables. They should be smooth and have many “eyes”.
• Germination. The sprouts will hatch faster if, in the second week of germination, the tubers are treated with an ash solution. To do this, mix 400 grams of ash with 4 liters of water and leave for a day.
• Prevention. To disinfect planting material, it is kept for half an hour in a weak solution of potassium permanganate and sprinkled with ash.
• Accuracy. Sprouted potatoes should not be thrown into the holes, but placed. A careless attitude can break the sprouts and thereby slow down the development of the plant.
• Pest protection. The variety is not very susceptible to pest attacks, but it is better to play it safe and cover the bottom of the holes with onion peels. This will protect the crop from wireworms.
• Location of beds. It is recommended to lay furrows from north to south. This ensures uniform lighting and warming of the earth throughout the day.
• Heat requirements. The most intensive period of growth occurs when the temperature rises to +22°C. Potatoes can withstand frosts down to -2°C, but they will affect the development of root crops in the same way as too high temperatures (from +25°C).
• Additional fertilizers. Before the first hilling, the plants are fed with a teaspoon of ammonium nitrate mixed with 1.5 cups of humus. An infusion of mullein in a ratio of 1:10 has proven to be an effective fertilizer. Bellarosa variety is its need for magnesium. It is necessary for the formation of tubers and is responsible for disease resistance. Plants grown on sandstones need magnesium fertilizing most of all. Neutral and slightly acidic soils are enriched with magnesium sulfate, and acidic soils are fertilized with dolomite flour at the rate of 50 g per square meter.
• Additional care. To retain moisture and prevent weed growth, mulching is necessary. Hay or sawdust is suitable as mulch.

Thus, growing the Belarosa potato variety on the plot is not particularly difficult. The variety is unpretentious, does not require care and at the same time allows you to harvest a rich harvest of selected potatoes. All you need is to follow the planting technology and provide the plant with minimal attention and care.

Watch the video! Potato harvest

Diseases and pests

Bellarosa is highly resistant, so this variety is not afraid of any diseases inherent in other potato varieties. And any mechanical damage to the tubers quickly disappears, being covered with peel.

If there are pests on the plant, for example, the Colorado potato beetle, then the bushes should be treated with Fitoverm, Agravertin or Boverin. The drug Tabu also helps well against Colorado potato beetles, aphids and wireworms.

Why does the variety sometimes not throw out inflorescences?

Gardeners who plant the Bellarosa variety for the first season may encounter the fact that some plants do not have flowers. In other varieties these are bad signs. They mean that the bushes are weak or are suffering from something. This potato is different - it is within the normal range.

Whether a plant blooms or not has little effect on the future harvest. Very early ripening variety. Potatoes set and grow quickly, and due to such rapid development, flowers do not always appear. Plants have excellent resistance to many common diseases. Colorado beetles do not have time to hatch in large numbers and devour plant leaves.

Another reason why there are no flowers is that when it is above +22 °C outside, the plants shed buds with flowers. This is too high a temperature for them. They bloom well when +19-22 °C

Harvesting

A week before harvesting, it is recommended to mow the tops and remove them from the field. Such an event will be an additional measure to prevent late blight. Dig up Bellarosa bushes, well away from the base. Then there will be a better chance of finding all the tubers in the ground and not damaging them. From the most productive bushes, set aside tubers the size of a chicken egg (35–55 g) for seeds.

Select only whole potatoes for storage. Place them in air-permeable containers: nets, baskets, boxes. Before moving to a cellar or other storage, let the harvest sit for a week in a dark and ventilated place, such as under a shed or in a barn. The tubers will dry out, their skin will harden, become more resistant to mechanical damage, and the risk of rot will decrease. Potatoes with defects should be sent immediately to the kitchen for cooking.

The purpose of the variety is table. Starch content - 12.6–15.7%. Bellarosa potatoes make a delicious puree; they do not dissolve in soups and are suitable for stewing with meat and other vegetables.