Potato Meteor

Meteor is one of the newer potato varieties. However, every year it is gaining more and more popularity, since it has practically no flaws. It will be interesting to get acquainted with such an unpretentious culture for any summer resident.

The meteor was the result of a long and painstaking work of such specialists as Simakov, Grigoriev, Loginov, Mityushkin, Uskov, Salyukov, Zhuravlev, Ovechkin and Kravchenko. All of them are employees of the All-Russian Research Institute named after Lorkh, an enterprise that has a huge number of popular potato varieties. Since 2013, Meteor has been in the State Register of the Russian Federation.

Unlike many other varieties that are slowly gaining popularity, Meteor acquired it rather quickly. And this is not surprising, because this variety:

• ripens very early;
• gives a lot of tasty harvest;
• can be used for various culinary delights;
• does not require special care;
• resistant to natural disasters;
• resists most potato ailments;
• safely transported for sale;
• easily tolerates long-term storage.

The disadvantages of the plant are:

• poorly boiled;
• may get wrinkled or striped mosaic;
• can be attacked by Colorado beetles.

The bushes of the described variety grow quite tall. They are of an intermediate type, semi-upright. Meteora bushes are covered with medium-sized leaf blades, which have a dark green color and are slightly dissected. The flowers are medium, with a weak adhesion of the lobes. They have an attractive white color. Inflorescences are small in size.

The bushes form 8 to 14 oval-rounded root crops, which weigh 102-147 g. The yellow rind is very smooth to the touch. The eyes are at an average depth. Root vegetables contain 12 to 14.9% starch, which is an average. Potatoes can be stored for a long time, as they lie just fine. Keeping quality of this grade is 95%. Marketability can reach a record 98%.

The table variety Meteor is of the culinary type BC. This means that potatoes can be safely used for mashed potatoes, cooking soups. Very often, such root vegetables are fried. The taste of the vegetable is good, harmonious. The light yellow flesh does not darken after cutting the root vegetable.

Meteor is an ultra-early variety, because summer residents can carry out the first digging already 45 days after germination. The second, more widespread, is produced on 60-70 days.

In general, this variety is considered very productive, but much depends on the weather and the agricultural technology used. Usually Meteor allows collecting 209-404 centners per hectare, but there were cases when the yield increased to 450 centners. Gardeners get the most of the harvest from the second digging. If we talk about a smaller area, then a square meter of soil will give from 20 to 40 kg. And one bush - up to 2.5 kilograms.

Potatoes of this variety feel great in the following territories:

• center of the country;
• Central Black Earth District;
• Western Siberia;
• Far East;
• Ural;
• Volga-Vyatka and Middle Volga regions.

The meteor is planted in early May. Before this, the tubers must be germinated for a month in a warm place, covered with a film. When the sprouts on the potatoes reach two centimeters, they are moved into open ground. The step between the holes will be 30 cm. The row spacing is 70 cm.

Potatoes of this variety will definitely require hilling. It is enough to carry out this procedure twice during the growing season. The first time the bushes are spud when they grow to a mark of 15 centimeters, and the second - after 21 days. Next, you need to make sure that the resulting mounds are not washed away by rains.

Irrigation of crops is carried out every 9-10 days. But this is a very conditional period, since summer can be both dry and rainy. It is better to focus on the state of the substrate. If the tops begin to wither, and a dry crust appears on the ground, it is imperative to water the bushes.

The meteor is watered with warm water, and drip irrigation will be the most optimal for it. In order for the soil to be qualitatively saturated with moisture, it must get wet by 0.4 meters in depth. When the soil evaporates a little moisture, it is necessary to start loosening the soil.

You will have to fertilize the plants three times. Before flowering, the bushes are watered with urea, dissolving a tablespoon of the product in a bucket of water. For each bush, you need to spend 0.5 liters of funds. When the first buds appear, a glass of ash without a slide and one tablespoon of superphosphate are dissolved in 10 liters of liquid. The dosage per bush is the same.

The last dressing is applied at the moment when the tops are already starting to wilt, but the tubers are still forming. Here plants can be fertilized with superphosphate in the amount of one tablespoon per bucket. And they also take 500 ml per plant. Some people mix superphosphate not with water, but with mullein. This is advisable in poor soils.

Meteor likes a loose substrate. For him, loam will be the best choice, however, plants can feel fine on soils with a lot of clay or peat. Whatever soil is chosen, it must be fertilized with urea and rotted manure in the fall.

This plant variety has excellent heat and cold resistance, it will withstand drought. Therefore, the climate in general can be anything. The main thing is to plant the culture in a lighted place.Plants are placed only on flat areas, since in the lowlands they quickly begin to rot.

Domestic breeders did their best, because they were able to give Meteor protection against many diseases. The variety is resistant to a number of viruses, it is extremely rarely affected by them. It also demonstrates resistance to potato crayfish, golden nematode, late blight of leaves and tubers.

Weakly affected by common and black scab, Alternaria. But with poor care and the use of a dirty tool, it can get sick with a mosaic. In addition, the variety is not immune to the Colorado potato beetle, bear, aphids and slugs.

Summer residents who have tried this variety, then grow it from year to year. The plant has many advantages that have made it popular. Vegetable growers are satisfied with the taste and quantity of the crop, as well as the immunity of the variety and its unpretentious care. The disadvantage was called the Meteor's susceptibility to pests, but this disadvantage can be easily leveled by preventive spraying.