Treatment of potatoes before planting from diseases and pests

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Published: 06/22/2019

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Late blight is a dangerous fungal infection that affects vegetables of the Solanaceae family. Getting rid of it requires a lot of time and effort, so gardeners try to prevent the onset of the disease by carrying out timely prevention. Copper sulfate against late blight has been used for decades and, despite the emergence of various modern fungicides, continues to remain one of the popular remedies.

• 1 How copper sulfate is used 1.1 Advantages and disadvantages
• 1.2 Precautions

Processing potatoes before planting to increase yield

Despite all the efforts of gardeners to increase potato yields, it is still not possible to avoid crop loss. The cause may be infected planting material, on the surface of which pathogens remain. In addition, larvae of the Colorado potato and May beetles, as well as wireworms, remain in the soil on the site since autumn. All this leads to the fact that the plants get sick, as a result of which the green mass does not increase, they lack nutrition, the tubers grow small with a small amount in the nest.

The larvae of Colorado potato beetles eat the tops, and the plants again lack nutrition. And the wireworm spoils the tubers, as a result they lose their presentation and deteriorate faster during storage. Therefore, when preparing material for planting, one of the important preventive measures is dressing the seed material. These measures will help increase productivity sometimes by up to 30-50%, because the plants grow healthy and are not affected by pests.

The need to spray potatoes

During their growth and development, potato bushes are attacked by insects, they begin to get sick, they grow in unfavorable weather, this affects the quantity and quality of the harvest. Therefore, if you properly and promptly treat with copper sulfate before planting potatoes, you will avoid a large number of problems.

By treating tubers before planting you can:

• increase the resistance of bushes to diseases;
• repel insects;
• increase the amount of potato harvest;
• improve the taste of potatoes.

There are many methods for processing tuber crops before planting, but you need to remember that such processing helps to grow up to 9 powerful sprouts on a tuber crop, as a result, up to 15 potatoes can be harvested from each bush. The treatment also ensures that 1/3 of the harvest does not become diseased. Spraying copper sulfate on tubers increases immunity, plants resist stress better, stolons grow more actively, and as a result, new healthy tubers grow.

Processing time for potatoes before planting

It is impossible to give specific dates for the start of crop dressing. It all depends on the region where the crop is grown and weather conditions. For germination, potatoes are taken out of pits and cellars 30-45 days before planting in the ground. Pre-sowing treatment is carried out 2-3 days before planting in the ground. But if you carry out the treatment before planting, this will not be a violation.

The main criteria for planting our main vegetable that we should focus on are soil temperature and moisture. The soil temperature should by this time be +7+8º at a depth of 10-12 cm, and the humidity should not exceed 75%.

Phytosporin for orchids

Orchids, as you know, are delicate and capricious plants. The most unpretentious of them - phalaenopsis - often get sick in the city, and growing cattleya, odontoglossum, dendrobium or vanda in an apartment before flowering is a feat for an amateur gardener. Phytosporin is a good helper in this, both as a preventative and as a therapeutic agent for orchids, but it should be used in different ways than for ordinary indoor and garden plants.

For preventive watering and spraying of orchids with Fitosporin, you need a manual sprayer, which produces a not strong, but very fine “foggy” stream. You can recognize one (not necessarily very expensive) by its collapsible metal head (on the left in the figure). If you unscrew it, it turns out that the nozzle is very narrow, 0.1-0.2 mm, and a turned spiral part is hidden in the head - a turbulator.

Treating potatoes with Prestige against Colorado potato beetles and wireworms

To protect potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle and wireworm, many gardeners use chemical insecticides such as Prestige or Tabu during pre-sowing treatment. Prestige is a drug from the German company Bayer CropScience, and Tabu is its Russian analogue, more concentrated.

The active ingredient in Prestige and Taboo is the same - imidacloprid. This is a systemic pesticide of contact-intestinal action, which, when entering the body of a larva or adult insect, causes paralysis and then death. The substance does not accumulate in growing vegetables. But Prestige also contains the substance pencycuron. This is a contact fungicide, has a long-term protective effect, which stops the germination of fungal mycelium, protecting against fungal diseases. Moreover, it does not get into the plant itself, but remains only on the tubers and in the soil nearby. Simply put, Prestige protects potatoes from pests and diseases, and Taboo only protects them from pests. This is their only difference.

How to use Prestige

The drug is available for sale in packages of 30, 60, 150, 500 ml. Before use, you must make a working solution. To do this, 60 ml of the drug is diluted in 600 ml of water. This amount of solution is enough to process 60 kg of root vegetables. If the packaging is large, then the exact amount of the product can be measured using a medical syringe. The working solution turns out to be a bright red saturated color.

Having made the working solution, spread the potatoes in one layer on the film and spray them with a spray bottle, turn them over and spray them on the other side. Leave the tubers to dry. Treatment can be carried out 1-2 days before planting in the ground.

You can spray the seed material just before planting, nothing bad will happen. But we must keep in mind that the indicator paint is poorly washed off from buckets or gloves, so after pickling the tubers they are difficult to wash off and perhaps because of this they will become unusable. If this moment does not bother you, then you can spray it immediately before putting it in the soil.

Analogues of Prestige

With a similar mechanism of action and application, its analogues are commercially available:

• Taboo,
• Commander.
• Rector,
• Matador,
• Prestigator.

Before use, carefully read the instructions for use. Since these are potent chemicals, handle them with caution, using personal protective equipment (gloves, goggles, respirators).

Application of vitriol

During pre-planting preparation, it is important to treat seed potatoes against fungal diseases and late blight. Copper sulfate is the best remedy.

The solution cannot be stored; it must be used after preparation no later than ten hours before.

There are several options for using vitriol solution to process potatoes. Let's take a closer look at them.

First cast

You need to pour 10 liters of water into a bucket, add a teaspoon of powdered copper sulfate. The water will turn blue. Then the same amount of potassium permanganate and boric acid.

The sprouted tubers are carefully placed in a net so as not to damage the sprouts and dipped in the prepared solution for a quarter of an hour. While the tubers are raw, they are sprinkled with dry wood ash. It sticks well. This is a kind of additional fertilizer.

Second cast

For this solution you will need a matchbox of copper sulfate and one gram of potassium permanganate. They are dissolved in 10 liters of water. The solution can be sprayed onto the tubers before planting or placed in a bucket for a few minutes. You can also roll it in ash.

Third cast

The next composition, which is also used to treat seed material, is more saturated. It is used before preparing tubers for germination. The presence of a complex of fertilizers in combination with copper sulfate destroys possible potato diseases and provides strength for the full development of sprouts.

The solution consists of:

• 60 grams of superphosphate;
• 40 grams of urea;
• 5 grams of copper sulfate;
• 10 grams of boric acid;
• 1 gram of potassium permanganate;
• 10 liters of hot water.

Related article: Verticillin for the Colorado potato beetle: dosage

Mix all ingredients. They dissolve well in hot water. When the solution has cooled, you need to dip the seed potatoes into it and let it sit for 30 minutes. After the tubers have dried, they are laid out for germination.

Bordeaux mixture

Copper sulfate is used to prepare Bordeaux mixture. This solution can have different concentrations: it all depends on the application. To process seed potatoes, a one percent composition is required.

To prepare the product you will need 100 grams of vitriol, the same amount of quicklime per 10 grams of warm water. The solution is prepared in two containers, dividing the water in half. In one the lime is slaked, in the other the blue powder is dissolved.

This process is clearly visible in the photo.

Bordeaux mixture destroys:

• black scab;
• black leg;
• fungal diseases.

The Colorado potato beetle and wireworm do not like tubers treated with a solution.

Bordeaux mixture is a low-toxic drug that is safe for humans.

Many novice gardeners are interested in how to treat tubers before planting. Immediately before planting, the sprouted potatoes are laid out in one layer on a large piece of cellophane and each tuber is simply sprayed. Naturally, you need to wear protective clothing when working.

Burgundy liquid

Unfortunately, with the advent of new chemicals, Russians forgot about one effective remedy - Burgundy liquid. In addition to protection, it provides calcium to the treated plants.

To prepare, you will need ingredients available to every Russian:

• powdered vitriol – 100 grams;
• liquid soap – 40 grams. You can take laundry soap (an excellent antiseptic), grate it and add water;
• soda ash - 90 grams.

The ingredients are for 10 liters of water. We divide it in half. Vitriol is diluted in one vessel, soda and soap in another. The blue solution is poured into the soda solution. Treat seed potatoes with vitriol solution 7 days before planting.

Treatment of potato tubers against diseases with Fitosporin

Fitosporin is a new generation natural biofungicide used for the prevention and treatment of plants from fungal and bacterial diseases. It has no analogues in terms of concentration of beneficial bacteria and quality. The main active component is the live spore bacterium Bacillus subtilis - Bacillus subtilis. The effectiveness of Fitosporin-M is also enhanced by the Gumi fertility elixir. The product is perfect for pre-sowing treatment of potatoes, while protecting the seed from diseases and accelerating the germination of tubers.

The drug is sold in packages in the form of a paste. To prepare the stock solution, you need to dilute the paste in a 1:2 ratio with water, stir thoroughly to obtain a homogeneous solution. And a working solution is prepared from the mother liquor. For pre-sowing treatment, spray with a solution prepared at the rate of 4 tbsp. l. (60 ml) stock solution per 300 ml (1.5 cups) water. From the resulting amount of solution, you can spray 10 kg of tubers.

The potatoes are scattered on oilcloth and evenly sprayed with the prepared solution, allowed to dry, avoiding direct sunlight. Treatment can be carried out 1-2 days before or immediately before planting.

Growth stimulation treatment

The last stage of pre-planting treatment of potatoes is spraying the germinated tubers with solutions of growth stimulants or well-known fertilizers (urea or ash). For pre-sowing treatment, potatoes are laid out in one layer on the floor and one side is sprayed first, then turned over and processed again.

Mineral preparations are used:

1. Epin. The effect of it is expressed in accelerating the growth of shoots and leaves, stimulating metabolic processes in them, and enhanced root formation. Also in reducing the time required for tuber formation and increasing plant productivity. Treat tubers with the preparation 1 day before planting. The working solution is prepared as follows: take 0.25 liters of water and 1 ml of Epin, mix and spray the tubers from a spray bottle. This volume of solution should be enough for 50 medium potatoes. Additionally, potatoes are processed after germination.
2. Baikal. Refers to microbiological growth stimulants. It not only nourishes the tubers, but also contributes to the formation of humus in the soil. Incompatible with fungicides. To treat potatoes with this stimulant, you need to prepare a solution of 1 liter of water and 25 drops of the drug. Soak the tubers in the resulting liquid for 3-4 hours, then immediately plant them in the beds. To enhance the effect, you need to re-apply the stimulant after the potato shoots appear.
3. Succinic acid. The use of this substance increases resistance to diseases, sudden changes in temperature, promotes the growth of roots, aerial parts, and abundant flowering. Directions for use: prepare a 0.01% solution, spray the tubers with it, cover them with film for a couple of hours and then immediately plant them.
4. Potassium or sodium humate (in liquid form). Spray the potatoes with a spray bottle before planting 2 times.

In addition to these specialized growth stimulants, for complex treatment you can use conventional mineral fertilizers, which also have a stimulating effect: nitrophoska and urea. You need to take 1 tsp of them, dissolve them in 3 liters of water and spray the potatoes with this solution.

In order for sprouts to germinate faster, potatoes can be treated with sprout germination stimulants:

1. Poteytin. The treatment is carried out to increase the resistance of potatoes to sudden changes in temperature and humidity, as well as to prevent infection with fungal diseases. In addition, the drug accelerates the formation of seedlings and increases yield by 25%. Treatment solution: 1 ml Poteytin per 0.75 liters of water. It should be enough for 60 kg of potatoes.
2. Micon. It contains trace elements zinc, boron, molybdenum, manganese and others. Tubers saturated with these elements germinate faster.
3. Vympel-K. This is a complex consisting of succinic and humic acids. It stimulates the growth of bushes, enhances their adaptogenic properties, resistance to high and low temperatures, prevents the development of diseases, and activates beneficial soil microflora. Treat the tubers before planting with a 2-3% solution of this drug.

Treatment of potatoes with any growth stimulants is carried out 1 or 2 days before planting the tubers in the beds.

Pre-sowing treatment of potato tubers with various preparations is one of the most important stages of agricultural technology for this vegetable. Its goal is to prevent infection by diseases and their spread among healthy plants, attack by pests, and also accelerate the germination of buds. All this becomes possible thanks to specially developed drugs that have a fungicidal, insecticidal and stimulating effect on tubers.

Chemical means for protecting potatoes before planting

Chemical remedies most often have a prolonged effect for 20-45 days. Active poisons of the drugs disintegrate within a few weeks, which is especially dangerous for early varieties. But if you decide to treat the seed against pests and diseases, then use universal means

• Prestige,
• Taboo,
• Commander,
• Aktara.

When using these products, strictly adhere to the instructions for use.

The following preparations can also be used for dressing potatoes.

Copper sulfate - 1 tbsp. l. dilute in 6 liters of water, dip the tubers into the prepared solution for 2-3 minutes, then allow them to dry.

Potassium permanganate . Prepare a solution at the rate of 10 g of product per 10 liters of water, stir well so that the crystals dissolve. And then the vegetable is immersed in the solution for 30 minutes.

TMTD VSK is a contact fungicide; it does not penetrate the plant, but it suppresses growth and kills mycelial spores on the surface of tubers. Treatment is carried out before planting. The product is mixed in equal quantities with water and the working solution is sprayed at the rate of 200 ml per 10 kg of potatoes.

Prestigator is both a fungicide and a pesticide, an analogue of Prestige. To prepare a working solution, 10 ml of the product is diluted in 10 liters of water. The working solution is sprayed on the planting material 2-3 hours before planting. Consumption rate – 100 ml per 10 kg of tubers.

Burgundy liquid for potatoes

Unfortunately, many new formulations have now been developed and people have forgotten about a rather effective solution - Burgundy liquid. In addition to repelling pests and increasing immunity, it saturates potatoes with calcium.

Pour water into 2 buckets, 5 liters into each bucket. Pour 100 g of copper sulfate into 1 bucket. And in bucket 2, pour 40 g of grated laundry soap and 90 g of soda ash. Then pour the bluish solution of copper sulfate into the solution of soap and soda. Spray the resulting solution onto the tubers 7 days before placing them in the ground.

Attention! Burgundy liquid is toxic due to the fumes from soda ash.

Protection measures

Copper sulfate is classified as hazard class 3. Therefore, you need to read the instructions before use. The advantage of the mixture is that plants do not get used to it. When creating the product and spraying tubers, children and animals should not be allowed close. Don't eat or smoke. Wear special clothing so that it covers your entire body. Wear goggles, a protective mask, and rubber gloves.

Do not dilute copper sulfate in containers that you will then use for cooking. After spraying, you need to thoroughly wash your hands and face with soap, rinse your mouth and nose with water. Remove and wash clothes. In the room in which you spray the liquid on the potatoes, the air temperature should not exceed 25°.

If you spray tubers outside, choose dry weather without wind.

In case of poisoning

If you are poisoned, you should leave the room outside and breathe fresh air. Be sure to rinse your mouth and wash your face and hands with soap. Call a doctor. If you accidentally spill the mixture on your skin, dilute the soap in warm water and wash the mixture off your skin. It is not recommended to wash it off with a washcloth.

If the mixture gets into your eyes, rinse them with water to reduce the concentration of copper sulfate. First, drink cool milk, eat egg yolks. Next, drink activated charcoal.

Drink plenty of drinks. You should not take medications yourself if you are poisoned without a doctor’s prescription.

How to treat potato tubers with potassium permanganate

When treating potatoes with Prestige or Tabu, we use strong chemicals - insecticides. They kill not only the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle and wireworm. But it’s worth thinking about how big it will grow later if it’s treated with such strong agents? The proposed remedy will do much less harm, but at the same time will protect the seed from further development of diseases and damage by insects.

To prepare it for 10 liters of water, take:

• 1 tsp. margartsovka,
• 2 tsp. boric acid,
• 3 tsp. (or 1 tbsp.) copper sulfate.

Add them to the water and stir well. Potassium permanganate will protect potatoes from wireworms, copper sulfate will protect them from fungal diseases, and boric acid is a growth regulator and will make the vegetable germinate faster.

For greater effect, you can add 1 liter of mullein to the solution. It contains many microelements, enzymes and humates, which will also be beneficial for the vegetable.

Then place the box with potatoes on a wide basin or bathtub, and water the tubers from a watering can so that they are all moistened with the prepared solution. The solution will wet the entire surface of the tubers and flow into the basin through the holes in the box.

The solution can be poured back into the watering can and poured over another box of potatoes.

There is no need to soak the potatoes in the solution, since they already have sprouts on them that can burn during processing. Place the box with the processed vegetables in the sun or under a canopy so that the vegetables dry.

Work can be carried out no earlier than 5 days before disembarkation. By the time of planting, the potatoes should turn a little green so that nutrients are more attracted to the sprouts.

Methods for preparing potatoes for planting

There are several ways to prepare potatoes before planting. The choice depends on the goals and existing conditions.

Germination

Sprouting tubers before planting awakens the buds and reduces the likelihood of late blight. There are several variations of the method.

Dry germination in the light

In a lighted room, lay out the tubers in boxes or pallets. In the first 10 days, a temperature of +18...+20°C is required, then it is lowered to +12...+14°C. The potatoes are periodically turned over for 20-40 days. During this time, strong shoots 2-3 cm long grow, which will survive transportation.

The method allows you to increase productivity by up to 40%. If there is not enough space, the tubers are placed in bags or nets and hung in a lighted place, but so that they are not exposed to sunlight. 5-6 holes are made in plastic bags for ventilation. Turn it over on the other side several times throughout the entire period to ensure even illumination.

Wet germination

The tubers are placed in a container with a moist substrate. Peat, sphagnum moss, humus, and sawdust are used as materials. At a temperature of +12...+15°C, keep in a dark place for 15 days.

Potatoes do not dry out and retain moisture, and sprouts and roots receive more nutrients. The substrate is moistened with a solution of 50 g of superphosphate and 30 g of potassium sulfate, diluted in 10 liters of water.

Combined method

This method is used to obtain the earliest possible harvest. Stages:

1. Germinate using dry method for 2-3 weeks at a temperature of +12...+14°C.
2. Place in boxes with wet bedding and keep for 7-10 days at a temperature of +20...+22°C, avoiding drying out.
3. When the roots appear, treat with a solution of 10 liters of water, 30 g of nitrate, 30 g of potassium and 50 g of superphosphate.
4. After the leaves appear, the tubers are planted.

The potato harvest will be excellent - tested in practice!!!

Drying

The method is relevant if the tubers have not yet emerged from the dormant state by the beginning of spring. They are evenly distributed on a flat, illuminated surface, where the temperature does not drop below +20°C. After 2 weeks, the tubers will wrinkle and eyes will appear. Such seed material is suitable for planting.

Note! When withered, sprouts do not have time to form.

Warming up

The method will help out if there is little time left for preparation. 3-5 days before the intended planting, the tubers are transferred from storage to a warm room with a temperature of +12...+15°C. After 5-6 hours it is increased by 2°C. Then they also do this every 2 hours until the temperature reaches +30°C.

It is enough to keep the potatoes warm for 3 days to activate shoot growth.

Vernalization

The concept of vernalization refers to a set of measures for the preparation of planting material in order to increase the yield. Among the stages of the process are landscaping, germination, treatment with disinfectants and stimulants. Vernalized potatoes germinate 12-15 days earlier and are less susceptible to diseases and pest attacks.

Landscaping is carried out in the fall. The tubers are kept in boxes in the light until they acquire a dark green color. Then they put it away for storage in the cellar.

Important! Green potatoes are more shelf-stable, mice do not eat them, and mold does not appear on them.

For spring germination, any suitable method is chosen, based on the number of tubers, area occupied and time available.

Treatment of potatoes against late blight before planting

Some gardeners ask and ask whether it is possible to treat late blight before planting? Late blight on potatoes is a threat to most of the crop. Warmth and moisture are the optimal environment for the development of fungal infections. Spores of the causative agent of late blight live in the soil and remain on the tubers. They can be carried by water flows or wind, and remain on last year's plant debris. Fighting the disease is difficult, but necessary.

Dry weather and hot sun rays prevent the development of late blight. But it is difficult to predict in advance what the weather will be like in summer. For the purpose of prevention, it is advisable to treat tubers at the pre-sowing stage. This will help prevent the proliferation of spores at first. Fitosporin will cope well with this task.

To prevent massive crop loss, gardeners need to use potato varieties that are resistant to late blight. In addition, for preventive purposes, it is necessary to treat the soil in advance. Pre-sowing treatment is carried out using chemicals - fungicides, biological and folk remedies.

How to use vitriol at different periods of plant life?

During the growing season, owners of summer cottages use copper sulfate, for example, to disinfect the soil, which is intended for planting young seedlings.

Copper sulfate also helps as a preventive measure against gray and white rot. To do this, young trees are sprayed before the first buds appear.

Gardeners often wash with a solution of copper sulfate, thereby preventing the development of fungal diseases:

• potato tubers,
• seeds,
• roots.

In summer, copper sulfate is also used for spraying trees and shrubs, preventing late blight, strengthening tomato bushes, and treating fresh cuttings of trees and shrubs.

In the fall, vitriol is necessary for cultivating the soil and adding it to compost pits in order to form a useful substance, which is then used as plant nutrition.

Biological agents for processing potatoes

Biological remedies are considered natural antibiotics. They inhibit and suppress harmful microflora and fungi, and strengthen plant immunity. I have already talked about Fitosporin, and now briefly about other biological products used for treatment before planting.

Drug Maxim . This is a natural fungicide-antibiotic that inhibits and kills harmful bacteria. It is designed to protect plants from diseases that are transmitted with soil and seeds. After application to bulbs, tubers, roots and stems, particles of the product form a protective film around them. Pathogenic organisms cannot penetrate this barrier, so plants are not affected by diseases. A protective barrier also forms near the rhizome of the plant.

The drug is diluted at the rate of 4 ml per 100 ml (or 40 ml per 10 l) of water. This amount is enough to spray 10 kg of tubers. The effect of the drug lasts for 12 weeks. The working solution is sprayed onto the potatoes or immersed in a net in the solution for 1 hour, then allowed to dry.

Immunocytophyte is a biostimulant that strengthens the resistance of vegetables to 150 ml of water. The resulting working solution is sprayed onto the tubers 2-3 days before planting in the ground.

Agate -25K also refers to biofungicides. The working solution is prepared at the rate of 1 g of product per 4 liters of water. The treatment is also carried out 2-3 days before planting the tubers in the ground.

Use of copper sulfate

This fungicide is used in the garden, as well as at home, to protect plants from a number of diseases:

• Alternaria
• ascochyta blight
• moniliosis
• scab
• grape mildew
• spotting
• white spot (septoria)
• downy mildew
• rust
• late blight, etc.

In addition, when spraying against diseases, copper sulfate is a simultaneous foliar feeding. Copper deficiency usually occurs in plants growing on acidic sandy and peaty soils.

Other uses of copper sulfate:

• as an antiseptic against mold and rot on wooden structures
• for soil disinfection

If this fungicide was actively used in the spring-summer period, then it is better not to use it before winter so as not to oversaturate the soil with copper ions.

How to treat potatoes before planting against wireworms and Colorado potato beetles

In addition to chemical and biological preparations, you can treat potatoes using folk remedies.

Garlic infusion . It is prepared at the rate of 1 kg of garlic pulp per 10 liters of water. Infuse for 2-3 hours, and the strained infusion is poured or sprayed on all sides of the planting material. Or, the root vegetables are dipped into the solution for 2 hours, and then the tubers are dried.

Whey + ammonia . To do this, add 1 liter of whey to 9 liters of water and add 40 ml of a 10% aqueous ammonia solution to the same.

Infusion of birch ash . Fine ash is poured with warm water and left for a day. Then the tubers, placed in a net, are dipped in the infusion for 5 minutes, then dried. For the best effect, they are dusted in wood ash with the addition of tobacco dust.

Pest Prevention

Treatment of potatoes before planting against the Colorado potato beetle will help avoid the invasion of voracious insects and minimize damage to the crop. It is carried out with special fungicide preparations. The following remedies are popular among summer residents.

• "Matador Grand" It protects potatoes from wireworms, beetles, whiteflies, aphids, flea beetles, moths, cicadas, late blight, downy mildew, rhizoctonia and a number of other diseases. They process the tubers “on tables”. Having spread them in 1 layer, they are sprayed with a solution of the drug. After drying, the potatoes are turned over and the other side is processed. The solution is prepared at the rate of 30 ml of the drug per 200 ml of water. When the potatoes are completely dry, they can be planted;
• "Prestige" (100 ml) in combination with "Maxim" (70 ml). 100 potatoes are treated with this dosage.

Both methods are not suitable for protecting early varieties of crops. They have a long-lasting effect, remaining in tubers for up to 60-70 days and making their consumption undesirable. It is better to treat early-ripening varieties of potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle with the preparations “Taboo” (it will also help get rid of wireworms and aphids), “Cruiser” or the like. Their validity is limited to 45 days.

There are several ways to protect crops from wireworms with Tabu:

• spray the tubers “on the tables” with it;
• cultivate the soil - the bottom of the planting hole or furrow. For 1 hectare, 1-2 liters of fungicide solution are used.

There are many chemical compounds, the use of which on seed tubers will allow you not to be afraid of wireworms: “Prestige”, “Commander”, “Nuprid 600”, “Pikus”, “Imidor”. They have a comprehensive protective effect, increasing plant immunity and protecting the future harvest from fungal diseases and a whole range of pests: wireworms, mole crickets, aphids, beetles, cutworms.

Safety during processing

According to GOST 12.1.007, copper sulfate is a drug of the second class of hazard and third class of toxicity. Penetrating into human organs during operation, it can cause gastrointestinal disorders. Therefore, safety precautions should be observed when working with the drug.

The dosage of drugs containing copper sulfate must strictly comply with the requirements of the instructions for their use.

Before you start working with copper sulfate, you should take care of work clothes, gloves and shoes that are easy to clean. Goggles and a respirator will be useful.

1. Do not prepare the solution in a container that is used as an object for storing food or drinking water.
2. To prevent the evaporation of a dangerous chemical, it should be used at atmospheric temperatures below +30 ºС.
3. When working with a solution of the substance, the presence of unprotected people or animals should be avoided.
4. Do not cultivate the soil or plants in windy weather or when crops are flowering.
5. Do not pour the solution into bodies of water, as it is highly toxic to the aquatic environment.
6. After finishing working with the substance, you must wash your hands.

Compliance with the rules will prevent the negative impact of copper sulfate on humans.

Why sprout potatoes?

Tubers planted without germination will have difficulty germinating due to underdeveloped sprouts. Such seedlings have a longer growing season and their growth is slower. For the timely awakening of the buds and their formation of stable shoots, appropriate conditions will be needed.

During the germination process, future shoots grow and strengthen

Processing potatoes before germination will require laying out tubers in one layer without slides of 10/12 kg on flat surfaces such as shelves, boxes or racks at a temperature of 18/20 ° C.

So they are stored for no more than a week; after the buds awaken, the potatoes are laid out in the same way in a room with access to sunlight at a temperature of 10/12 ° C.

Important! If the temperature is not lowered, the seedlings may begin to deteriorate, and the shoots they may sprout will become longer and more fragile during this time.

When kept under the sun's rays, the seedlings are turned to the light on the other side weekly, removing rotten or diseased potatoes from the seedlings.

Why is the soil treated with copper sulfate?

Fungal diseases, rot, rust, late blight, fusarium, and scab cause significant damage to plant crops. If the soil is not disinfected before planting, the yield may decrease significantly.

It is copper sulfate that is used to disinfect soil. The drug also effectively destroys gnawing and sucking pests and helps increase plant resistance to diseases. The activity of the substance increases in alkaline soils.