Help for another OLD GUY!!!!

Lou from Wi. · Mar 8, 2010

I guess you will shortly find out I'm NOT A FARMER lol. Wondering about you folks who grow your own potatoes. Would like to know what fertilizer you use to grow BIG SPUDS? Were in sand soil, and when I say sand soil, you can bet it is near desert sand(with stones) so watering is necessary to get any thing to grow. Help and advice would make this old duffer happy. Thanks LOU

larry@stinescorner · Mar 8, 2010

If you could add compost to your sandy soil it would help. Do not use fresh manure it could cause the potatoes to have scab . If you want to use fertilizer you could use 5 10 10 or 10 20 20 I hope I could help. As the potatoes grow make sure you keep pulling soil next to the plant making a hill.

CJ_1080 · Mar 8, 2010

Lou, obviously central or western WI, right?

cadet trooper · Mar 8, 2010

Lou I"m far from being a potato grower but my cousin was one of the largest around here growing Maine potatoes in Ohio. I do know they take lots of fertilizer like 1500 to 2000# to the acre and that was in nice river bottom soil. I don"t know how many acres you want to grow or just a garden patch also I do know the rocks have got to go or you"ll be sorting them out off of the digger. There seems to me too many unanswered questions and I"m sure there are some potato growers on here. CT

larry mills · Mar 8, 2010

Add a little Super Triple Phosphate in the row with the potatoes before you cover them. Then as others have said side dress with any regular fertilizer and hill them a couple times to pile the dirt higher. Remember the new potatoes make above the piece you planted so the higher the dirt on the growing plant the more and bigger potatoes you get.

Lou from Wi. · Mar 8, 2010

Thanks. Were 90 miles south of DULUTH. Thanks guys for the information on what to use on the plants. LOVE NEW SPUDS..... LOU

JBruce · Mar 8, 2010

Or I have just layed them on top of the ground and covered with 6 to 8 inches of straw bedding or fresh straw. A little fertilizer and keep watered.

showcrop · Mar 8, 2010

Like Larry says below, the first thing is to build some soil by mixing in some compost material. I never put horse manure on my fields except as a favor to a customer but this is a good use for it. You should be able to get it for next to nothing. Without soil amendment your fertilizer will mostly just get washed right down past the roots.

greenbeanman in Kansas · Mar 8, 2010

For large potatoes do not crowd your plants but give them plenty of between row and in row spacing.

Also it would probably be best to limit stems from eyes to three so as not to crowd.

For maximum production plant closer together and you will get smaller potatoes but more pounds.

Limit manure nitrogen to discourage scab.

kruser · Mar 8, 2010

Lou,
Have aged horse poop for you the next time you're though central Illinois - Will load you up!

Might help with the sand, but don't know much about taters (cept them ones with gravy)!

"Young" guy getting older every day!

RayP(MI) · Mar 8, 2010

Michigan is potato country - use large amounts of water. Am hearing complaints that many farmers are putting far more phosphorus on than the "experts" deem necessary. Farmers think the experts don"t know what they"re talking about!
Farmers are probably right!

Anonymous-0 · Mar 9, 2010

If you have right sandy soil, as in no organic matter at all, you will need filler. Throw in manure, and lots of it. Peat Moss and bags of Potting soil are also good stuff to throw in and get the "filler" in.

If it's a new bed, don't bother with chemical fertilizer (ie 46-0-0) yet. All of those chemicals don't do a lick of good if they get washed right away.

Plants in general will prefer neutral soil, so keep an eye on the PH levels on your soil as you build it up. Peat Moss will lower the PH (acid) the soil, and dolomite/lime will bring it up (Alkaline)

As to get decent sized spuds: When planting, keep the seed potatos at least 6 inches away from each other. (Cutting the spuds in half will help stretch a box, but coat the cut ends with lime to keep bugs/diseases away) Over the summer, keep the row weeded and loosen the dirt around the plant

Help for another OLD GUY!!!!

Lou from Wi.

Well-known Member

larry@stinescorner

Well-known Member

CJ_1080

Member

cadet trooper

Well-known Member

larry mills

Member

Lou from Wi.

Well-known Member

JBruce

Member

showcrop

Well-known Member

greenbeanman in Kansas

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kruser

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RayP(MI)

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Anonymous-0

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