Potato variety - Sante: description, qualities, planting and care

Description of potatoes

Sante is a mid-early potato variety. From the moment of planting to harvesting, 80-90 days pass. It is distinguished by good yield and long storage of collected root crops.

The Sante variety has increased resistance to diseases such as potato canker, golden nematode, and various viruses. It is characterized by moderate susceptibility to late blight of tops and tubers. Under unfavorable conditions, rhizoctonia or blackleg may strike.

A distinctive feature of the variety is its high taste. Potatoes have a pleasant rich taste, without being too dry or watery. Due to the small amount of starch, the tubers do not overcook and retain their shape.

Processing and cooking potatoes do not affect the color of the pulp in any way - it does not darken. This variety is considered ideal for making chips, seasoning soups, deep-frying, stuffing and baking. Used for vegetable mixtures. The variety is popular for restaurant cuisine - it cooks quickly and looks attractive. But Santa is not recommended for making mashed potatoes.

Dutch universal potato variety "Sante"

Potatoes “Sante”, or “Sante”, were included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements more than twenty years ago and are approved for use in Russia in the Northern Federal District, Northwestern Federal District, Central Federal District, as well as the Volga-Vyatka, Lower Volga, Ural, Western Siberian and Far Eastern regions. The originator of the variety is AGRICO UA

Description of the variety

Potatoes "Sante" are a mid-early variety that ripen in 80-90 days. The bushes are tall, from erect to semi-erect. The stems are well leafy. The corolla of small flowers is white with a slight purple tint. The tubers are oval in shape, with yellow skin and relatively small eyes. When cut, the pulp is light yellow in color and contains no more than 14% starch.

Advantages and disadvantages

The culinary value of “Sante” has long been appreciated by fast food restaurants. The Dutch potato variety "Sante" has good taste. Its characteristics allow us to highly appreciate the following positive qualities:

• high and very consistent yield;
• guaranteed nematode resistance;
• the presence of immunity to late blight of tubers and tops, as well as to other most common viral infections;
• suitability for processing into French fries and chips;
• excellent taste and marketability of tubers.

The total yield produced by the variety three months after planting is about 1 kg per bush.

Landing rules

Potatoes of the “Sante” variety are especially widespread in the Central Federal District. Seed potatoes used for planting must comply with GOST R 53136-2008. Planting of seed material is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the technology for growing this vegetable crop in open ground:

• The area for potatoes of the "Sante" variety should have good lighting, and it is best if it is provided with light and fertile, well-ventilated soil.
• It is necessary to prepare the soil for planting in the fall, when deep digging of the site is carried out, as well as the introduction of a sufficient amount of fertilizers that will provide sufficient nutrition to the plants throughout the entire growing season.

Also read: Growing beans: from choosing a variety to storing the crop

• In the spring, additional soil preparation for planting is required, including removing weeds and loosening the top layer of soil. The rows should be placed from north to south and aligned along a stretched cord.
• Planting is carried out after the soil has warmed up to a depth of 10 cm and the soil temperature at such a depth will be about 8 ° C. In central Russia, planting can be carried out in April-May, adhering to a sowing pattern of 60 x 35 cm at a depth when planting potato tubers sowing 8-10 cm.
• If the humidity level is too high or the groundwater level is close, it is recommended to cultivate the “Sante” variety of potatoes on ridges or using the ridge method.

A very effective way to increase productivity is to apply fertilizers such as humus and ash directly when planting in planting holes.

Features of care

Potatoes "Sante" cannot be considered very demanding both in terms of soil composition and plant care:

1. After planting, the surface must be leveled with a rake, and throughout the entire growing period it is necessary to regularly clear the plantings of weeds.
2. Timely harrowing of plantings helps prevent excessive drying of the soil and helps destroy weeds, as well as improve air exchange in the soil. Potatoes should be harrowed approximately twice during the entire growing period.
3. Hilling up potatoes is one of the main types of inter-row cultivation, but it is effective only if there is a sufficient amount of moisture in the soil.
4. Irrigation measures carried out at the budding or flowering stage of potatoes are the most powerful stimulus for the formation of a large number of tubers when growing the “Sante” variety.

A very important measure is carrying out treatments to protect against diseases. Against the Colorado potato beetle, you can use spraying the tops with “Taran” at a rate of up to 5 liters per 100 square meters or with “Confidor Extra” at a rate of 200-400 liters per hectare. The potato variety “Sante” is susceptible to rhizoctonia, so the plantings should be treated with “Fitosporin-M” and “Alirin-B”.

After reading the corresponding article on our portal, you can get acquainted with the varietal characteristics of the Natasha potato.

Characteristics

Potato yield depends directly on soil fertility, weather and where the variety grows. But farmers note high yields: 275-500 centners of potatoes are harvested from one hectare of area.

The bushes are compact, small, of medium height. The root system is well developed, due to which the tubers develop abundantly. There is a minimum of green mass on the plant. From one bush, gardeners harvest up to 20 potatoes, weighing 150 grams each.

The tubers are the same size, have a yellowish, thin but dense skin, which is reliably protected from mechanical damage. Thanks to this, there are no difficulties when transporting potatoes: the presentation is preserved, attractive to buyers.

The tubers have many superficial, shallow eyes. The potatoes are easy to peel and remain smooth. When cut, it has a pleasant yellow tint. A special feature of the variety is the minimum percentage of starch content - 12-15%. The variety is rich in vitamin C, microelements, B vitamins and amino acids.

Disease resistance

When studying potatoes, Santa is helped by the characteristics of the variety and reviews from gardeners. It is experienced gardeners who note Santa’s high resistance to various dangerous diseases. The problem rarely occurs when copper-containing preparations are used for preventive purposes. Santana potatoes are loved by many because of their high resistance to various diseases, including various viruses, potato cancer, and late blight of tubers. In rare cases, blackleg or rhizoctonia may develop.

The risk of development is noticeably reduced when radish potatoes are planted before planting. Santa is not afraid of pests if you do the weeding in time, remove the weeds and inspect the greenery of the plant for insects. Aphids most often develop on greenery, which can, like other parasites, be eliminated using insecticides. Hilling up is an excellent method of preventing pest infestation.

Origin

The Sante potato was developed by Dutch breeders. The variety was added to the State Register in 1993. The variety is intended for planting in the Central, Far Eastern, Lower Volga, Volga-Vyatka, Ural, West Siberian, Northern, North-Western regions.

Used for cultivation on an industrial scale, as well as in farms and private farms. The harvested crop is perfectly stored and can withstand transportation over long distances. Commercial qualities are not lost for several months after harvest.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Before planting potatoes, carefully consider their advantages and disadvantages in order to understand what difficulties may await you during planting and caring for plants:

Care

The variety is quite unpretentious and does not make any demands on the agronomist. But, nevertheless, with proper care, the chance of getting a high-quality harvest increases significantly. In order for the tuber to be large and tasty, you need to:

1. After planting the material, it is necessary to level the surface with a rake. Next, you need to ensure that the garden is not dominated by weeds. They greatly inhibit potatoes.
2. It is necessary to periodically loosen the soil to enrich the soil with oxygen.
3. Don't forget about hilling. Hilling up allows you not only to get rid of weeds and warm the potato shoots, but also to increase the retention of moisture in the soil when watering the potatoes.

How to grow it correctly?

To harvest a rich harvest, gardeners need to follow simple agricultural practices. For planting, choose flat areas without slopes. The soil is prepared in the fall: it is dug up and fertilizer is applied. Applying fresh manure in the spring can cause disease development.

Potatoes need potassium and phosphorus fertilizers, but an excess of potassium, on the contrary, affects the reduction in yield.

In the fall, seed material is prepared. For the future harvest, it is important to select the tubers correctly: they should be medium in size, no larger than a chicken egg. Often very small potatoes are left for seeds, which are not suitable for food. This leads to degeneration of the Sante variety and deterioration in yield indicators.

In the fall, after harvesting, the seed material is left in the light for several hours to green the tubers. This way they will be better preserved and rodents will not touch them. To obtain an earlier harvest, it is recommended to germinate strong, friendly shoots before planting.

In 3-4 weeks, seed potatoes are taken out of the basement and laid out in a lighted room where the temperature is at least +15 degrees. The tubers are placed in boxes or bags with holes and scattered on the floor.

Before planting, the sprouts should be no more than 5 centimeters. Be sure to ensure that there is enough light when germinating tubers, otherwise the sprouts will stretch, turn white and lose viability.

High temperature can speed up the formation of seedlings, but it can also weaken the tuber itself. When planting the Santa variety, it is important to maintain some consistency. Since the variety has a developed root system, the tubers are planted at a distance of 35-40 cm from each other. The distance between rows should be at least 50-60 cm.

By observing the recommended distances between plants, it will be possible to preserve the soil reserve during hilling, and the potato bushes will feel great, because the variety has a positive attitude towards light penetration.

A depth of 5 cm is carried out when planting potatoes in clayey, dense soils, at a depth of 13-15 cm - when placing tubers in sandy soils.

Potatoes of the Santa variety are planted when frosts pass and the soil warms up to +9 degrees. At lower temperatures, plant growth stops, so it will be difficult to wait for a good harvest from plantings that are lagging behind in development. The optimal conditions for the growth and development of Sante variety plants are considered to be a temperature of no more than +28 degrees, moderate humidity.

Landing Features

To get a large and high-quality harvest of Santa potatoes, you need to follow the planting rules.

Selecting a site and preparing it for planting

Try to choose a flat and well-lit area for planting potatoes. Shading will adversely affect the growth of bushes. They will be elongated and frail, and will produce a small harvest of small tubers.

To plant potatoes you need light areas; in the shade the harvest will not please you

If the area is located in a lowland and is regularly flooded, then you need to build grooves through which excess moisture will be drained. The fact is that the potato root system is extremely sensitive to large accumulations of water. Once established, tubers that have been in water for several hours will rot.

For normal tuberization, potatoes require fertile soils with good looseness, providing sufficient air and water permeability. Loamy and sandy loam soils have the necessary fine-lumpy structure.

Experienced gardeners add sawdust to dense soils as a loosening agent. After 3–4 years, the organic material decomposes completely, leaving the soil loose, light and nutritious.

The preparatory period before planting should begin in the fall:

1. Clear the area of ​​remaining vegetation.
2. Scatter manure over the surface - even slightly decomposed organic matter can be used for autumn digging. For 1 m2, 4 to 6 kg is enough. You need to dig to a depth of at least 30 cm. Large clods of earth should be left intact; they will disintegrate themselves under the influence of precipitation and wind. In addition, this will help destroy pests that have settled for the winter in the upper soil layers.
3. In the spring, you need to dig up the ground again, but to a shallower depth - up to 15 cm. At the same time, remove the roots of perennial weeds that may have remained after the first treatment. To saturate the soil with useful substances, nitrogen-containing fertilizers or mineral complexes are applied during spring digging. But don't overdo it. A lot of fertilizer does not mean good quality tubers. The rate must correspond to the instructions on the packaging.

During digging, nutrients are added to the soil

Areas where green manure crops are sown in the fall - lupine or mustard - have very good results. Over the winter, the regrown green mass will fall down, and in the spring you just need to embed it in the ground when digging.

How to properly care?

Potatoes Santa is a variety that requires a constant supply of oxygen to the roots, so regular loosening of the soil is important. 5-6 days after planting, gardeners loosen the soil, which not only provides air, but also removes weeds. After each watering or rain, the procedure is repeated, but only after moisture has been absorbed.

When the first shoots reach 8-10 cm in height, they are hilled for the first time. Repeat the process after 20 days. Hilling is carried out in dry weather early in the morning or after sunset. Before and after hilling, the soil is watered moderately. Abundant watering is carried out three times a season: after sprouts appear, after buds appear and after flowering.

You can find more information about proper hilling of potatoes here.

In dry and hot summers, water the potatoes more often, paying attention to the condition of the tops: if the leaves begin to fade, it means the plant needs watering. The plant needs to be fed a month after planting.

For 10 square meters of area you will need the following number of components:

• 100 g urea;
• 100 potassium sulfate or chloride;
• 200 g superphosphate.

The ingredients are diluted in water and the solution is poured over the potatoes. The Sante variety reacts positively to bird droppings: 10 square meters of area will require 2 kg of dry droppings diluted in 20 liters of water.

Reproduction methods

The crop is propagated by seed tubers. And if there is a shortage of planting material, you can divide it into several parts. But this method is associated with the risk of tubers rotting.

And to prevent this, during the division process you need to adhere to the following rules:

• Cut the tubers with a sharp and sterilized knife.
• Moisten the tool with a dark solution of potassium permanganate after each divided potato.
• Cut the tubers so that at least 2-3 sprouts remain on each section.
• Dry the planting material in a cool, dry place for 2-3 days.
• During planting, sprinkle the divisions with crushed chalk or wood ash.

It is also important not to water the bed before and after planting, as moisture will cause the cut areas to rot.

You can obtain planting material from seeds. This process is simple, but takes a lot of time.

Growing potatoes from seeds

After flowering, small berries containing seeds are formed on the potato.

They can be used to propagate crops, and to do this, just follow simple instructions:

1. When the tops begin to dry out, collect the berries and place them on a light and warm windowsill to ripen.
2. By mid-November - early December, the fruits will soften and lighten. At this time, cut them and remove the pulp and seeds.
3. Grind the mixture through a thin cotton cloth and rinse with low pressure of water. The seeds should not be in contact with moisture for more than 5 minutes.
4. Place the grains on paper and leave in a cool, dry place. After drying, pour them into a paper bag and store in a dry cabinet.

The seeds of the crop should be sown in mid-late March. You will need to prepare a planting container with a height of up to 5 cm and drainage holes. You also need to purchase a substrate intended for growing vegetable seedlings.

The procedure itself must be performed according to the following algorithm:

1. 30 minutes before sowing, cover the saucer with a napkin, place the seeds on it, and spill them with the Fitosporin-M solution.
2. Fill the container with substrate and pour plenty of warm water over it.
3. Draw shallow grooves at 5 cm intervals.
4. Using a toothpick, distribute the seeds into the recesses at a distance of 5 mm. You cannot sprinkle or moisten the planting material.
5. Cover the container with glass and send it to a warm place with diffused lighting.

It is important to protect the planting from drafts, and also to ventilate it daily by opening the lid for 10-15 minutes.

Caring for seedlings and planting in open ground

Seedlings will appear in 6-12 days. They need to be provided with regular but moderate watering, which must be done through drainage holes. To do this, the container must be placed in a basin with warm and settled water for 15-20 minutes. It is better to keep the planting on a lighted windowsill; if the weather is cloudy, then the seedlings must be illuminated with photo lamps.

You can plant plants in the garden from the second half of May.

Instructions:

1. Dig holes with dimensions of 15*15 cm with a distance of 35-40 cm, the interval between rows is 70-80 cm.
2. Add 200 ml of humus, 1 tbsp. l. ash, 0.5 tsp. ground eggshells. Mix the fertilizers thoroughly with the soil.
3. Place the seedlings in the recesses at an angle of 35-45°.
4. Fill the voids with soil and water the planting generously.
5. Mulch the area with straw or peat.

For the first time, cover the planting with spunbond or regular film to prevent the seedlings from freezing. After 2-3 weeks, feed the seedlings with mullein infusion. During flowering, add potassium sulfate to the soil. The harvest should be dug up at the usual time. But the resulting tubers will need to be used for planting next year. Then the harvest will be impressive.

Diseases and pests: control and prevention

The Sante variety is characterized by increased resistance to many serious diseases. It is not afraid of tobacco mosaic viruses, wrinkling or curling of leaves, potato cancer, and cyst nematode. Gardeners also note moderate resistance to late blight. To prevent planting, they are treated with preparations containing copper.

Infestations can be avoided by periodically changing planting areas. It is better if you plant potatoes on soil where legumes, cabbage, and meadow grasses previously grew.

Potatoes are not protected from attacks by the Colorado potato beetle or aphids. Pests are destroyed by spraying with chemicals. Damage to potatoes by wireworms, potato moths and mole crickets is also possible. Modern weeding and hilling help to avoid the appearance of insects. Wireworms are eliminated by treating tubers before planting.

How to collect and where to store the crop?

After harvesting, the resulting potatoes are left on the ground for several hours to dry. Then it is transferred to storage places: basement, cellar, etc. The temperature in the room should be no more than +2-5 degrees. Relative air humidity – 70%.

By following simple rules, gardeners receive a generous and rich harvest, large and healthy tubers, distinguished by excellent taste. Potatoes are stored in nets, wooden boxes, or on the floor, after making a hole in the ground and laying out straw.

The unpretentiousness of the variety, good yield and resistance to long-term storage are the main advantages due to which private gardeners and professional farmers prefer Santa potatoes.

Advice from professionals

Experienced gardeners who have been growing Santa potatoes for many years share simple recommendations that allow them to get excellent results and high yields:

• The Sante variety prefers penetration of sunlight, so it is important to choose well-lit areas for planting, not shaded ones.
• They prefer soil enriched with oxygen - it should be light and fertile.
• It is best to plant potatoes in an area where the predecessor was cabbage, legumes, phacelia, and radish.
• Before planting in the autumn, the area must be dug up. Digging is also done before planting. It is recommended to apply mineral fertilizers.
• Potatoes are planted only after frost has passed. Planting begins at the end of April-beginning of May, but it is optimal to carry out the planting process after the May holidays, because during this period the soil is already warmed up to 10 cm in depth.
• Be sure to get rid of weeds. Carry out the harrowing procedure twice a season. Do not forget about watering the plants, especially during the flowering period. The main thing is not to overdo it to avoid rotting of the tubers.
• Timely destroy pests, including the Colorado potato beetle. If necessary, treat with insecticidal agents.
• Start harvesting within 80 days from the moment the first shoots appear. It is advisable not to delay harvesting potatoes, otherwise insects may damage the tubers.

Subtleties of growing Sante

To get a decent harvest, you must follow several rules for growing the Sante variety. Important points are: correct choice of site, timing of planting in the soil, preparation of planting material and planting scheme.

Selecting a site and preparing it for planting

The Sante variety loves well-lit places, dry, fertile, loose soil. Site preparation begins in the fall. They dig it up, remove all weeds and stones, and apply mineral fertilizers. Leave it for the winter. In the spring, the site is dug up again, fresh weeds and stones are removed.

Landing time

Potatoes are planted after the night frosts have subsided. This period falls at the end of April or beginning of May. The most optimal period is considered to be the time after the May holidays. By this time, the soil has time to warm up 10 centimeters in depth, and night frosts will not return.

Crop rotation

The optimal predecessors for Sante are:

• legumes;
• cabbage of any variety and type;
• cucumbers;
• pumpkin;
• zucchini;
• radish;
• phacelia.

Legumes enrich the soil with nitrogen, which has a beneficial effect on the subsequent cultivation of potatoes. The soil can be pre-sowed with oats; it cleanses the soil of harmful substances.

You should not plant potatoes after:

• pepper;
• eggplant;
• tomatoes.

These crops are close relatives of potatoes, have the same diseases and attract the same harmful insects.

Important! Potatoes cannot be grown in the same place for 3 years. How and with what to mulch potatoes correctly

How and with what to mulch potatoes correctly

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Selection of seed material and its preparation

Planting material is selected in the fall during harvest. Choose strong, smooth, round, medium-sized tubers. They are stored separately from potatoes collected for consumption. Periodically, the seed material is sorted to select spoiled tubers. Store potatoes in a cool place until spring.

Before the start of the season, prepare the tubers for planting:

• Tubers are sorted and damaged and rotten ones are removed.
• The fruits are placed in a bowl of water to wash away any remaining soil.
• Give it time to dry.
• Lay out in an even layer in a room with good lighting.
• Maintain air temperature at 15°C.
• Every week the potatoes are turned on different sides.
• The room is periodically ventilated, but no draft is allowed.
• To accelerate the formation of sprouts, the tubers are sprayed with water once a week.

The finished seed material looks like this:

• The tubers have a dense skin.
• The color becomes green.
• Sprouts 0.5-1 cm long are formed.

Do not increase the temperature in the room. This will speed up the growth of the sprouts, but the tuber itself will weaken. With insufficient lighting, the sprouts stretch out, which negatively affects the future harvest. Preparation of planting material is carried out 2 weeks before transferring to the soil.

Planting scheme

Seeds are planted at a distance of 35-40 centimeters from each other. There should be a distance of 60 cm between the rows. According to this scheme, each bush will receive a sufficient amount of moisture and nutrition. Each planting tuber is deepened 8-10 cm into the soil. If the soil is dense, heavy, and wet, then deepen it 2-3 cm higher.

If the site is characterized by frequent flooding, then planting is carried out according to the “ridge” pattern. Raised beds are formed. Plant the seeds at a distance of 40 centimeters from each other. The bush grows at the end of the bed, which allows it not to be flooded and allows excess moisture to remain in the furrows between the beds.

Reviews

Reviews about the Santa variety potatoes are positive. Many gardeners note its ease of care, lack of need for regular watering, high yield, and resistance to mechanical damage.

★★★★★
Alexey, 34 years old, gardener. As soon as I planted potatoes to Santa (it was recommended to me by a neighbor in the country), I expected the bushes to be low and compact, but they turned out to be powerful and strong.
I have grown Scarlett potatoes before, but they are not as large as Santa. I have already decided that only this will be grown. I noticed excellent development of tubers with proper use of fertilizing. The results exceeded all my expectations. ★★★★★
Ivan, 44 years old, grows and sells potatoes. What I liked was the versatility of the variety.
Sante is excellent at storing and transporting over long distances, which is very important for my business. The tubers are resistant to mechanical damage and do not lose their presentation. I've been growing potatoes for three years now and have never been disappointed. In the first year there were late frosts, I was upset, I thought that everything would be lost, but it passed, mulching saved me. ★★★★★
Alina, 37 years old, lives in a private house. I heard about Santa’s potatoes from a neighbor, but he complained a lot about them, saying they were attacked by pests and suffered from late blight of the tops.
I took a risk and decided to plant potatoes on my plot, which is still empty. I liked the variety, because every year (I have grown it for 4 seasons in a row) it produces a high yield. At the same time, there is practically no need to care for the crop. Hide

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Sante potatoes are considered one of the best varieties of the crop. It has many advantages and a minimum of disadvantages, the yield is high, and the taste is excellent. The main thing is to follow the rules of planting, growing and care, then the result will exceed all expectations.

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Related video: how to prepare Santa potatoes for sprouting

Potatoes of the Sante variety have many positive qualities - they are tasty, suitable for preparing many dishes, easy to care for and resistant to most dangerous diseases. However, when planting potatoes on unsuitable soil or violating agricultural cultivation techniques, there is a risk of getting complete disappointment instead of a rich harvest. Therefore, if the characteristics of your site do not allow you to grow Santa, it is better to stop at some other variety.

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