Labella potatoes

Early varieties of potatoes are in special demand among summer residents, since in the middle of summer you can enjoy delicious homemade vegetables. Labella is one of these varieties. He is loved for its high yield, unpretentious care, and also for good keeping quality.

The Labella potato originated in the Netherlands. The originator is Den Harting BV. Variety testing began in 2008. The culture was included in the State Register and approved for use in 2011. On the market can be found under the name Labella.

The bush forms a medium, compact, but sometimes the tops can be very stretched. Stems are semi-erect, not spreading. There are few of them, but they are well developed.

Leaves are green, large, elongated, slightly irregular. By type - intermediate. There is waviness around the edges.

During flowering, small corollas are formed. The flowers in them are red-purple.

Among the positive features that summer residents note, they most often mention high productivity and unpretentious care. The variety has excellent keeping quality: 98%. That is why potatoes can be transported over long distances.

The fruits look good. A special plus is that Labella potatoes can be harvested mechanically, and the tubers will not lose their presentation. The culture has one minus: intolerance to low temperatures.

The tubers have an elongated oval shape, they are large and medium. There are practically no small potatoes. Tuber weight 78–102 g. Larger fruits can also be produced, but then there will not be many of them.

The skin of young potatoes is thin, smooth, and red in color. There are few eyes, they are shallow or medium in depth. The pulp is dense, not watery, yellow in color.

Labella potatoes are of the table type; they can be used to prepare first and second courses, soups. It is easy to heat treatment and does not boil over. It is sometimes used to make chips or French fries.

The starch content is 15.8%, which is the average among all varieties. Culture tastes good. There are quite a lot of vitamins in tubers, as well as fatty acids and mineral elements.

Labella is an early maturing variety. From the moment of planting to full maturation, 80–90 days pass. In different regions, the ripening time may increase or, conversely, decrease.

The culture is considered to be high yielding. About 176–264 centners are removed from 1 hectare. The maximum indicators in industrial cultivation are 342 c / ha. Ripening peaks at the end of the season. 12-16 large or medium-sized tubers are harvested from one bush. The bush can produce fruits of different sizes.

Labella can be grown in any region of Russia. But the originators noted that the culture shows itself well in the Central and Ural regions, as well as in the North Caucasian and Middle Volga regions.

The timing of planting potatoes will depend on the growing region and weather conditions. Most often, the procedure falls in May.

Before planting, it is necessary to prepare the material and the site. The potatoes, which are intended for planting, are taken out of the cellar and dried thoroughly. At the time of planting, the sprouts must be at least 2 cm.In order for their growth to be simultaneous, the potatoes are periodically moistened.

The soil should be dug up and well fertilized. If possible, remove all weed roots from the site. After that, you need to form holes or trenches. The distance between the rows should be at least 65 cm. Between the holes it is better to leave 30-40 cm. And the holes should be made 10 cm deep.

A feature of the culture is also considered that potatoes can not be planted whole. For good growth, half of the tuber will be enough. Subsequent care of the culture will be as follows.

• Watering. The variety is unpretentious and can independently extract moisture from the soil. And also tolerates short-term drought well. Basically, irrigation should be done during flowering and fruit formation. If the heat is intense, then you can additionally shed the bushes in the early morning or after sunset.
• Top dressing. The first time the potatoes are fed when planting, a nitroammophoska is poured into the hole. During the flowering period, mineral fertilizers are applied (such as potassium sulfate, wood ash). After that, they are fed with phosphorus.
• Hilling. One of the most important steps in care. This procedure helps to provide the ground with oxygen, remove any unnecessary weeds, and break up the compacted portion of the soil. Held 2 times per season. The first time - when the bush grows up to a height of 20-25 cm, and the second hilling is carried out after 2-3 weeks.
• Often, gardeners mulch the soil. This helps to retain moisture and prevents weeds from hatching out. To do this, use dry grass, peat or sawdust. Freshly cut grass will not work as it has a very dense texture and does not allow air to pass through.
• Harvesting is carried out only when all the tops begin to slope to the ground and dry out. The dug tubers must be poured into a dry and ventilated place so that they dry out. The potatoes can then be sorted and stored in a dark storage area.

According to the originators, the Labella variety is very resistant to a number of diseases. But this does not mean that you can not care about culture. Let's consider the most common ailments.

• Tobacco mosaic. It appears on the leaves in the form of small yellow spots of a round or oblong shape. Due to these spots, the leaf plate begins to deform and curl over time. The bush can become infected from potato aphids, or the seedlings have been improperly processed.Due to the virus, the stem develops slowly, the leaves wilt, and the fruits begin to rot. For treatment, spraying with "Fitosporin" or "Fufanon" is carried out.
• Wireworm. An insect that is considered one of the most dangerous. It can completely destroy the crop. Wireworm appears on unkempt and acidic soils, where weed growth predominates. The pest gnaws the tubers and feeds on the pulp. Against the wireworm, you can use the drugs "Prestige" or "Provotox".
• Scoop. Insect, which is a butterfly that lays eggs on the leaves of the tops. Caterpillars emerge from them. The scoop gnaws the stem, leaves, and also penetrates the tubers. To combat this insect, it is worth using "Lepidocide" or "Fitoverm".
• The Colorado potato beetle also attacks Labella very often. There is no effective drug against this insect, so many gardeners collect the beetle and leaves with its larvae by hand. To avoid the spread of the pest, you should change the place for growing potatoes every 2 years.