Content
Not so long ago, a new variety of potatoes appeared on the Russian market - Colette. The variety deserves the attention of gardeners and farmers, aiming to obtain an ultra-early harvest of tasty tubers with a low starch content, suitable for long storage. An important characteristic of the Colette potato is its ability to produce a crop twice a season. The taste and appearance of vegetables were highly appreciated.
Description and characteristics
Colette was bred by German breeders to obtain early-ripening table potatoes. In 2002, the variety was entered into the State Register of the Russian Federation and recommended for cultivation in the Central, Volgo-Vyatka and North Caucasian regions. Colette is widely used for frying, making chips and French fries. Thick crispy slices are obtained thanks to the low starch content.
The variety belongs to the early varieties of the culture. Ripening occurs in 50-65 days from the moment of planting. Pre-germination of potatoes makes it possible to harvest already in mid-June.
Colette forms upright bushes of medium height. The foliage is deep green with slight waviness. The flower has a traditional yellow-purple color. The appearance of the root crop has a number of distinctive characteristics:
- The tubers have an elongated oval shape.
- Potatoes are characterized by a light beige rind and creamy flesh.
- The average weight of a root crop is 100-120 grams. Tubers from 90 to 130 grams are formed on one bush.
- The eyes are small, located on the surface without deep deepening.
The starch content of Colette tubers is 12-15%. Such a low rate allows the potatoes not to boil and keep their shape during the cooking process. The safety of the vegetable during storage is highly appreciated by experts, the indicator exceeds 90%.
The yield of the variety depends on the growing conditions and the ripening period of the tubers. If you start harvesting in 45-50 days, then you can get 110-130 kg of young potatoes from one hundred square meters. When technical maturity is reached, which occurs in 65-80 days, the yield is up to 250 kg per hundred square meters.
Advantages and disadvantages
For a short period of cultivation, the variety has been recognized by both individual gardeners and large farmers. Besides early harvest, Colette potatoes have many positive characteristics. There are significantly fewer minuses of the variety, their visual ratio is reflected in the table.
Dignity | disadvantages |
High palatability of tubers | Demanding soil structure |
Early ripening of the variety | Tendency to the appearance of late blight |
Ability to harvest 2 crops per season | Reduced yield in cold climates and with a lack of moisture |
Resistant to potato crayfish and golden nematode |
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Long-term storage of tubers |
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The ability to grow in one place for several years without losing varietal qualities |
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Harvesting potatoes 2 times per season is possible only if the seed for planting undergoes a preliminary germination procedure. This method of planting allows you to shorten the ripening period and plant Colette twice.
The variety can be grown in the same area.Planting Colette after legumes, winter grasses and annual grasses increases the yield. Gardeners call mustard as the ideal predecessor of the variety. The plant contributes to the enrichment of the soil with phosphorus and nitrogen, protects against tuber rot. The result is a high yield of potatoes.
Significant loss of yield from late blight, which affects the foliage and root crops of the crop, can be avoided due to the short growing season of the variety. Gardeners manage to dig up the bulk of the vegetables before the late blight spreads on the site.
Landing
The calendar date for planting Colette potatoes in the ground differs depending on the growing region. The main indicator that it is time to plant potatoes is soil heated to 10-12 ° C with a high degree of moisture. An earlier planting of Colette tubers is possible with preliminary germination of seed material. In this case, potato sprouts are able to develop at a temperature of 3-5 ° C. Late planting of the variety negatively affects the yield. The moisture in the soil decreases, and the development of the culture slows down.
Germinated potatoes are planted at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other. The row spacing should be at least 70 cm. The planting holes are dug 10 cm deep and fertilized with wood ash and humus.
In detail about the various methods of preparing potatoes for early planting is described in the video clip.
Care
Colette needs regular care. The main efforts of the gardener should be aimed at timely watering, loosening the soil and combating weeds... The variety is also demanding on the nutritional value of the soil. The gardener should be guided by several rules for caring for the crop.
- In dry weather, the beds with potatoes should be watered abundantly once a week.
- From the moment the first shoots appear until the onset of flowering, you should regularly loosen the ground around the bushes.
- The beds must be timely freed from weeds that steal nutrients from the soil.
- The culture needs constant protection from the Colorado potato beetle. Pest control must begin with preventive measures.
Hilling and feeding
Gardeners protect the first sprouts of potatoes from low temperatures by hilling. It is recommended to repeat the procedure until the ovaries form. The event contributes to an increase in yield due to the active growth of the root system.
Early tuber formation requires a lot of nutrients. It is recommended to carry out 2-3 main dressings per season. The variety needs additional fertilization during bud setting and flowering. Pulling the tops, lightening the color signal that the potatoes need to be fed.
Diseases and pests
Colette is rarely affected by potato diseases. He has developed immunity to cancer and aureus nematode. Early maturity avoids damage by late blight. The main danger is crop pests.
Pest | Signs of defeat | Control measures |
Colorado beetle | From the eggs laid on the back of the leaf, larvae appear, which feed on shoots | Manual collection of beetle and larvae. Spraying with Prestige or Batsikol |
Wireworm | Damage tubers in which the pest makes moves | Processing seed potatoes before planting, using traps from vegetable peels |
Potato moth | Moth caterpillars eat green mass and top tubers | Treatment of plantings with Iskra |
Harvesting
The Colette variety is suitable for manual and mechanical harvesting of tubers due to its dense skin that protects the potatoes from damage. Drying of the tops testifies to the technical maturity of root crops. From this point on, you can start picking vegetables.Watering should be stopped 2 weeks before digging out the bushes. It is advisable to harvest in dry weather to avoid problems with the storage of the vegetable.
Conclusion
The early Colette variety allows for a double crop of potatoes, which are praised for their excellent taste and long-term storage. The sweetish tubers of young potatoes are ideal for frying. Colette's commercial qualities are not lost for several months.
