Potato Sonny, aka Bogatyr: description of the variety and tips for growing

Description of the variety, photos and reviews of the Sonnok potato convince us of its excellent commercial and nutritional qualities. Among crops grown for winter storage, it stands out for its ease of care and unpretentiousness to weather conditions. The Sonny potato is deservedly considered a national potato, because its breeding cannot be attributed to one breeder. The amateur variety is not included in the State Register and has not passed official tests, which did not prevent it from becoming one of the most popular in Russia.

Characteristics of the potato variety Sonny

The mid-late table potato variety Synok is also known to summer residents and farmers under the name Bogatyr. The culture combines most of the qualities necessary for the “folk” potato: the ability to bear fruit well with a minimum of care, excellent taste, versatility and excellent keeping quality.

Potato bushes grow low, about 0.5 m. The stems are strong and erect. The more fertile the soil, the denser and more spreading the bushes. The leaves have a typical potato shape, medium size, bright, with a wavy edge. The green mass of a healthy bush creates dense shade.

Flowering of the Sonnok potato begins with the appearance of large white buds, collected at the tops of the shoots into compact corollas. Blooming flowers fall off after 2 days. Few green fruits with seeds are produced.

Main characteristics of potatoes of the Synok variety:

• medium-sized fruits, average tuber weight – 80 g;
• the shape is round, slightly flattened, the size of the potatoes is equalized in one bush;
• the eyes are shallow, inconspicuous, concentrated at the apex;
• the peel is thin, creamy, with an inconspicuous mesh;
• The pulp is white, medium starchy.

The root system is well developed, but does not branch far beyond the circumference of the crown. Directly under the bush, from 10 to 30 small potatoes are formed. The number of tubers directly depends on the fertility of the soil and the use of agricultural techniques: hilling, loosening, watering.

How to properly care for the variety

The Bogatyr potato variety is not demanding in terms of care. It will survive if it is not weeded in a timely manner or if it is forgotten to water. Hilling is also considered optional for this species.

Features of watering

Plant potatoes and water them a week later - this method is used for the majority of varieties of this root vegetable. During the growing season, three waterings are enough for Sonny, and in case of severe drought, it can be increased as needed.

Feeding and fertilizing

Before planting, you should definitely add organic matter; any potato will be happy with this, but you should not throw manure along with the tuber. It is best to do this in advance in the fall, at least a month before planting.

Foliar feeding is also recommended before flowering and 15 days after. This helps the plant produce a richer and larger harvest.

Hilling and weeding

Gardeners are happy with the rule that Bogatyr dictates: it does not require hilling, since it ripens shallowly under the surface of the soil, and carrying out such work can damage the nascent crop.

Weeding will be required if there is an abundance of weeds, but the recommended planting allows the bushes to grow freely and spread their roots over a large area, which does not allow weeds to develop.

Taste qualities

From the emergence of seedlings to the start of harvesting, an average of 130 days pass. During this time, the tubers manage to accumulate many useful substances: vitamins, amino acids, fiber, proteins. The variety has a pronounced potato taste with an average starch content (about 14%). Which, when combined, produces aromatic pulp that is crumbly when cooked and retains its shape when frying or baking.

The variety is suitable for making French fries. Peeled tubers do not darken in air, maintaining an even white color when cut and frozen. When cooked in oil, the slices form a crispy crust.

Potatoes of the Sonnok variety in reviews always deserve only close to excellent ratings for taste. The high quality of tubers is maintained during long-term storage.

Chemical composition, trace elements and vitamins

It is impossible to imagine a diet without potatoes. It is consumed in salads, side dishes, soups and as an independent dish. And this is justified, since the vegetable contains proteins, fiber, and amino acids. The Sonny variety is no exception, characterized by a high content of vitamins and microelements.

Vitamin composition:

Microelements included:

• aluminum;
• boron;
• vanadium;
• iron;
• iodine;
• cobalt;
• lithium;
• manganese;
• copper;
• molybdenum;
• nickel;
• rubidium;
• selenium;
• fluorine;
• zinc;
• chromium.

Tubers of this variety contain a small amount of starch (13-14%), so they retain their shape when cooked. Not suitable for purees, but good for soups, stews and salads.

Pros and cons of the Sonny variety

The crop is cultivated throughout Russia and in adjacent countries. Greater yield losses are noted only in regions with the shortest, wettest summers. The popularity of potatoes is due to many exceptional qualities:

• resistance to high and low temperatures, significant daily fluctuations, drought;
• ease of storage and versatility in use;
• the possibility of long-term cultivation without replacing seed;
• resistance to major potato diseases;
• tolerance for lack of care.

The main criterion when choosing the Synok variety for planting for the winter is its ability for long-term storage.

The only drawback noted with the Synok variety is the lack of official certification, which is why there are discrepancies in the characteristics and descriptions of the potatoes. Continued use and independent selection of material by gardeners can modify some crop parameters.

Features of cultivation

The culture tolerates lack of care. But in order to achieve good yields, it is necessary to organize watering and fertilizing, observing the basic rules of agricultural technology:

1. Fertilizers are applied only if they were not covered during field preparation. You can use complex mineral fertilizer, wood ash, and organic matter.
2. Watering - only during drought (amply, once a week).
3. Hilling up is not necessary: ​​the bushes can be sprinkled only with a small layer 2 times per season, when the shoots reach 15–20 cm and 2 weeks after that. In the south, it is not recommended to hill up potatoes Sonny - because of this procedure, its roots may overheat.
4. Weeding and loosening - regularly.

Advice! If possible, it is better to mulch the rows with straw, sawdust or hay. This will retain moisture in the soil, choke out weeds and prevent more insect infestations.

Planting and caring for potatoes Sonny

The yield of a variety and the timing of its harvesting strongly depend on the time of planting. Most often, work is carried out in April or early May, focusing on soil temperature. As soon as the soil warms up to + 8 °C, the Sonny potatoes can be prepared for planting. There is no point in delaying work until warmer weather - the sooner the potatoes are planted, the better yield they can show.

Selection and preparation of a landing site

The variety is unpretentious to the composition of the soil. The only criterion that is critical for any potato is the acidity of the soil.

Advice! At elevated rates, you will need to add dolomite flour, chalk or slaked lime to the soil. The addition of crushed eggshells fertilizes and deoxidizes the soil well.

Rules for selecting and processing a site for the Synok variety:

1. They try to select an area where potatoes or tomatoes have not previously grown. Good predecessors are melons, legumes, alfalfa, rye, and meadow grasses.
2. The Synok variety shows the best yield in open, sunny areas. The soil must be dug up in the fall to a depth of 30 cm, removing weeds.
3. During digging, mineral and organic fertilizers are applied simultaneously. For 1 sq. m measure 10 kg of humus or rotted manure, 25 g of superphosphate, 10 g of potassium sulfate.
4. Chemical fertilizing can be replaced by adding wood ash in the amount of 0.5 kg per 1 square meter. m. Application of fresh manure or peat to potato beds is contraindicated.

Spring soil preparation involves deep loosening, leveling the area and marking rows.

Preparation of planting material

The Sonny variety does not degenerate with prolonged use of its own material. Tubers intended for spring planting are selected during harvesting for separate preparation and storage.

For 10 sq. m of area on average will require about 4-5 kg ​​of seed material. Healthy, regularly shaped potatoes are selected for planting next year. The size of the tubers is not critical; the main thing is to take material from the strongest and most developed bushes with the largest yield.

Attention! According to reviews from experienced gardeners, planting the Synok variety in parts of tubers gives the same results as whole potatoes. If it is necessary to use large specimens as seeds, it is permissible to cut them.

For rapid propagation from several potatoes, planting with germinated eyes is used.

Pre-planting preparation of seed potatoes:

1. Immediately after harvesting, potatoes sorted for seeds should be kept in the light until the skin turns green (from 3 to 5 days). Such tubers are stored better and are not prone to premature germination.
2. 30-40 days before planting, Sonnok potatoes are heated in a room with a temperature of about + 16 °C.
3. For germination, access to light and air is provided: potatoes are scattered in a layer of 2 tubers on the floor or placed in mesh bags.

Potatoes are sprayed with a spray bottle several times a week. At night, it is advisable to lower the temperature.

Important! Potatoes with strong sprouts up to 1 cm in length are considered high-quality planting material.

Landing rules

The description of the potato variety Synok recommends planting the crop according to a 35x70 cm pattern. In practice, an increase in yield has been noted when the rows are thickened. When planted densely, the interlocking potato tops cover the row-spacings with thick shade, which reduces moisture loss, reduces the growth of weeds, and saves space in the garden. The Sonny variety only benefits from this method of cultivation.

Potatoes are planted in holes or in rows, observing the following rules:

• make furrows along the entire length of the area, sprinkle them with ash;
• placement depth on light soils is up to 10 cm, on clay soils – up to 6 cm;
• potatoes are laid out in recesses and sprinkled with loose soil;
• The Sonny variety does not need to be watered when planting.

Advice! If the soil has not warmed up enough by May, you can put humus or last year’s leaves under each potato.

Rotted organic residues release heat and warm the tubers. It is useful to cover the beds with non-woven material or dark film until sprouts appear.

Watering and fertilizing

In the middle zone, natural precipitation is sufficient for normal crop formation. During drought, abundant single watering is recommended. For the Sonny variety, the best time for additional moisture is the flowering period, when tubers are laid. In hotter climates, watering is carried out no more than once every 15 days.

If the beds are prepared in advance with the application of fertilizers in the fall, then there is no need to fertilize the potatoes during the season.

Loosening and weeding

One of the advantages of the variety is its undemandingness to weeding and loosening. If possible, keep the soil clean until the tops close. After this, weeds appear rarely, and the soil dries out less.

It is important to remove the crust that forms on the surface before germination. Later, the beds cannot be loosened, because most of the tubers lie close to the surface.

Hilling

One of the techniques that increases potato yields is adding soil high to the base of the bush. Such hilling is contraindicated for the Synok variety due to overheating of the tops and the risk of damage to the surface roots on which the tubers are planted.

Some gardeners claim that by adding a little soil to the bushes, you can increase the yield. Low hilling does not harm the variety, but the Sonnok potato produces an excellent harvest without additional care.

Row spacing in beds with Sonok potatoes can be mulched with cut grass, protecting the soil from drying out and protecting the roots from overheating.

Landing

Loose soil is recommended for potatoes. Fertilizers are applied in the fall during digging - 7-8 kg of rotted compost and 35-45 g of phosphorus-potassium additive per 1 m2. The formation of a bountiful harvest occurs on slightly acidic loamy or sandy loam soils.

Tubers are germinated 25-30 days before planting. At the time of planting, the sprouts should be 1-1.5 cm long. The rooms where the seeds are laid out should be warm (14-16 degrees) and light. Before planting, it is advisable to treat the material with fungicides and spray it with Prestige or Intavir against the Colorado potato beetle.

Diseases and pests

The Synok variety is highly resistant to the following nightshade diseases:

• golden nematode;
• potato cancer;
• common scab;
• all types of bacterial wilt;
• blackleg;
• Alternaria blight.

Due to the long ripening period, Sonnok potatoes can be affected by late blight. Treatment with copper-containing compounds helps prevent the disease. All green parts of the plant affected by late blight must be removed from the site and burned.

Healthy, strong potato bushes Sonnok are rarely damaged by insects. The threat increases if hot weather persists for a long time or rains do not stop. Plant immunity weakens, typical potato pests may appear:

• potato moth;
• Colorado beetle;
• wireworm;
• mole cricket;
• aphid.

Treatment to get rid of each type of pest is carried out with specific insecticides. Insects are repelled by adding mineral fertilizers to the soil and pollination with ash.

Attention! Organic fertilizers, on the contrary, can attract soil pests.

Potato yield Sonny

Potatoes of the Synok variety are located in a diameter of 30 cm from the center of the bush with a depth of 2 to 20 cm. The compactness and shallowness of the tubers allows for machine and manual harvesting with minimal damage to the crop.

The photo of the Sonnok potato clearly shows the relative uniformity of fruit size in one bush. With high soil fertility and favorable weather conditions, each plant produces about 40 medium potatoes. The yield from one bush reaches 10 kg. Small and irregularly shaped tubers are quite rare.

With incomplete care and moderate soil fertility, the average yield rarely falls below 5 kg per bush. A decrease in fertility often affects the number of tubers, but not to the detriment of the size of the potatoes. The Sonny variety is rightfully considered economically profitable and always justifies the investment.

Advantages and disadvantages

Pros:

• high yields from 1 bush;
• uniformity of potatoes;
• excellent taste and product quality;
• adaptability to climate change;
• stable resistance to fungal pathogens;
• ease of mechanical processing and cleaning;
• transportability without damage;
• good keeping quality 92-95%;
• there is no tendency to change characteristics and degeneration.

Minuses:

• problems with the purchase of seed material (there is no originator-producer);
• small size potatoes.

Storage

Before storing the potato harvest, it is left in the open air until completely dry. After 2-3 hours, the adhering soil is shaken off the tubers and placed in boxes or bags.

Store Sonnok potatoes in cool, dark rooms with good ventilation: cellars, cellars, pantries. The optimal temperature for tubers is + 4 °C. It is not necessary to sort the potatoes cut when digging. Even if storage parameters cannot be fully maintained, 95% of the harvest can last until spring.

Seed potatoes of the Synok variety, selected during harvesting, are stored in the same way as tubers intended for food. Greened specimens fit well in bags and do not require special conditions.

How to harvest and store crops

The Sonny variety should be planted early and harvested as late as possible. In order not to provoke late blight disease, the tops should be removed half a month before harvesting. You can harvest potatoes after the bushes have turned yellow and drooped.

To store potatoes for food after harvesting, they should be dried in the shade, but for seed tubers it is better to use the sun.

Proper storage of potatoes

Note! Potatoes are not harvested after rain; choose the driest day possible; it is advisable that the soil is completely warmed up.

Potatoes should be stored in wooden boxes in a dry, dark, well-ventilated place. First you need to remove all rotten and damaged tubers.

The variety takes a long time to ripen, but it can be preserved until spring. Its keeping quality is high. They should be harvested immediately after drying and periodically monitor the appearance of rot or spoilage in the crop. Such potatoes should be removed immediately.

Reviews of potatoes Sonny

Marina Georgieva, 45 years old, Voronezh region.

I planted the Sonny variety for the first time this year. The impressions are only good. The shoots were early, powerful and very friendly. The tops quickly grew and thickly covered the beds, remaining green until they were dug up. I managed to water the potatoes once, but very generously, when there was no rain for a month. The results were surprising: one planted bucket yielded almost 100 kg of crop. I liked the taste: you can either boil it or fry it. It fits well and does not rot.

Vladimir Nagaev, 52 years old, Astrakhan.

The Sonny variety is not the only potato in my dacha. I always grow several varieties with different harvest times. Of the winter varieties, Sonny is the easiest to grow and reaches summer almost without loss. The potatoes are not large, but the harvest is always stable. The most convenient variety for those who do not have time to walk around the garden every day and hill up, loosen, and remove weeds. I think, given time, the harvests would be larger, but I’m happy with it anyway: 20 to 30 medium potatoes per bush is already a good result.