Many people who grow potatoes are increasingly choosing a healthy and precocious variety of Bellarose. And this is not in vain, because it has exceptional resistance to pests and diseases, it is easy to grow and does not require any special conditions and care. To get a good harvest, you just need to know a few rules and secrets.
A bit about the history of the variety
Bellarose has been around for over 18 years. In 2000, he was bred by German breeders, but initially they believed that Bellarosa could be grown only in eastern Europe. However, after a short period of time, breeders were convinced that potatoes are growing well in other countries. So, in Russia this variety is most actively grown in the Urals, namely in its south, north-west and central part.
Grade description
One of the distinguishing features of Bellarosa is that the crop looks healthy, and during the flowering period, the crop also performs a decorative function on the site.
Shoots
Shoots of this variety appear evenly, their maximum height is 80 cm. The stems of Bellarosa are thick and strong, and the leaves are juicy with slightly wavy edges. During flowering, red-violet flowers appear on the bushes.
Fruit
When the plant fades, potato tubers begin to appear on the roots. Usually their number does not exceed 10 pieces under one bush. Fruits are most often all the same size, their weight is about 200 grams. However, sometimes very large ones are also found - about 800 g.
The potato is oval or slightly round, has a pink-red skin with a rough surface of medium thickness. On the tubers are very small buds - eyes. The fruit itself under the peel is light yellow or cream. Another feature of Bellarosa is that the potato has a sweetish flavor.
This variety is suitable for both cooking and frying: the starch content in it is 15%. During cooking, Bellarosa does not darken like other varieties of potatoes.
Grade characteristics
The main characteristics of the variety:
- Precocity. Literally 60 days after planting potatoes harvested. And you can dig up the tubers for 40-45 days already.
- In southern Russia, you can grow Bellarosa twice a year, and, therefore, to harvest twice. In early July, the first fruits are harvested and immediately planted again in the same place, and the second crop is harvested in early autumn.
- Large crop - 30 tons per hectare.
- It can grow on almost any type of soil.
- Bellarosa is resistant to dry weather. Even in the absence of rain for a long time, potatoes form normally in dry land.
- Harvest can be stored for a long time.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Bellarosa variety has many advantages and advantages over other potato varieties:
- High yield.
- Precocity.
- Long storage of the crop. Typically, early varieties are not stored for a long period, and quickly become unusable. This is another important advantage of Bellarosa. If the crop is stored correctly, the losses will be absolutely insignificant.
- Unpretentiousness in cultivation. Most often, potatoes are not watered at all; they receive water only during rain.
- Resistance to diseases, including late blight. Bellarosa does not suffer from diseases such as the black leg, rhizoctonia, and is not covered by scab.
- Pleasant taste.
- Potatoes do not suffer from mechanical damage. This variety has a rather dense skin, so when digging the crop, the tubers do not deteriorate.
Despite the many advantages, this variety also has several disadvantages that you should be aware of when growing Bellarosa:
- The plant can suffer from pests: the Colorado potato beetle and wireworm. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully check the potatoes for insects.
- Bellarose is sensitive to lack of lighting. If it is not enough, then the crop will be small.
How to prepare the plot and seed potatoes?
Preparation for planting potatoes must begin in the autumn. Fertilizers must be introduced into the soil: compost or humus in the proportion of 7 kg per 1 sq. Km. m plot. In the spring, they dig the soil and add fertilizers for growth, and also protect the future crop from insects. To do this, add ammonium nitrate, potassium sulfate or ammonium.
Experts advise growing potatoes in the area where cucumbers, herbs, cabbage or beets grew before that. The worst potato precursors are nightshade crops.
14 days before planting, put the selected tubers in wooden crates or simply on the floor indoors, preferably in one layer, to prevent damage to the seed. Potatoes should be stored before planting in daylight and at a temperature of +15 degrees, so that sprouts appear on it.
Landing
When planting Bellarosa, the distance between the beds should be about a meter, and between each hole - 40 cm. It is necessary to observe the distance for the reason that the tubers can grow to large sizes.
Before each planting, it is necessary to add phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, one teaspoon, to each well. On top of the fertilizer, which is pre-mixed with the soil, tubers should be laid to a depth of 10 cm and covered with earth.
Plant nutrition
Since Bellarosa is an early variety, it needs fertilizers with a high magnesium content for active growth. For this, dolomite flour is suitable.
And also, as it grows, other top dressings are added to the soil:
- Immediately after the appearance of the first shoots, chicken droppings or manure can be added.
- Before flowers appear, the soil should be fertilized with a solution of ash and potassium sulfate.
- During the period of active flowering, a fertilizer such as a mixture of superphosphate and mullein is suitable.
It is important to remember that feeding can be done only after abundant watering of potatoes. Otherwise, the roots of the plant may be affected.
Care
Caring for Bellarosa potatoes is simple: it must be loosened and spud.
Loosening helps the plant get more oxygen and water. During this procedure, it is also recommended to remove all weeds around the potato bushes with a chopper. Loosening is necessary when the potato bushes are in the phase of active growth and their height is not more than 15 centimeters.
Usually, during the entire phase of the growth of bushes, loosening is carried out at least three times, but this depends on how often it rains. Indeed, during loosening, the crust breaks down on the soil, which was formed after rain and prevents oxygen from entering the roots of the plant. The first cultivation should be done 7 days after planting Bellarosa. The second time - when the first shoots appear.
When the bushes reached a height of 15 cm, instead of loosening, it is necessary to start hilling. This procedure also helps the plant get more air and moisture. When hilling, the soil is raked to the bush so that the plant does not bend to the ground from its height. Thus, around the bush turns out a small hill of land.
How to make a cultivator so as not to loosen the soil manually - read here.
Why Bellarosa Does Not Bloom
It happens that this type of potato does not bloom, and the owners of the garden worry whether there will be a normal crop. Usually the absence of flowers indicates that the plant has a disease. But with Bellarosa is not always the case. This variety belongs to early ripening; therefore, they are usually ahead of the appearance of insects and are also protected from diseases.
The lack of flowers may be because the bushes just do not have time to bloom. If the reason is this, then this will not affect the crop.
Another reason may be that the bushes dropped their buds due to inappropriate air temperature - above 22 degrees.
The appearance of insects can also prevent flowers from growing on potato bushes. Of the pests on Bellarose, only potato ladybugs and ground beetles usually start.
Diseases and Pests
Bellarose is highly resistant, so this variety is not afraid of any disease inherent in other varieties of potatoes. As well as any mechanical damage to the tubers quickly disappear, dragging on the peel.
If pests are planted on the plant, for example, the Colorado potato beetle, then the bushes should be treated with Fitoverm, Agravertin or Boverin preparations. The Taboo drug also helps well from the Colorado potato beetle, aphids and wireworms.
Harvesting
Since it is possible to get a crop twice a year in warm regions, potatoes planted in May are harvested at the end of June, then planted again and harvested a second time in September.
That is, you can start harvesting two months after planting. A sign that the potato has ripened is the yellowed tops. Experts advise cutting it at a level of 15 cm above the ground 7 days before digging potatoes. This will help the tubers to ripen, and to strengthen the skin so as not to suffer from digging.
After harvesting, the potatoes should be sorted and removed sick or damaged, and then dried in air, but not in the sun, but in a well-ventilated place, for 6-7 days. After that, select the seed potatoes for planting next season and store them in a suitable place for this.
Harvest can be stored up to 8 months with the right choice of premises. The air temperature should be +4 degrees, and the room should be ventilated.
You can see how the harvest of the Bellaroz potato variety looks, as well as learn more about how to harvest it, in the video clip:
About Bellarose there are only good reviews. This is not surprising, because this variety has almost no flaws. It is easy to grow, it is unpretentious to the quality of the soil and the amount of moisture, and the care of such potatoes is very simple. You need to follow just a few rules in order to get a good harvest of delicious potatoes.