Picasso potatoes

Potatoes in our country are consumed a lot, so gardeners are very careful in choosing a variety. They place high demands on the characteristics of the root crop. Picasso potatoes are popular with farmers and summer residents due to their unusual color and high yield.

Originally, potatoes were bred to make chips. Dutch breeders named it after the artist for the amazing color of the peel. The light yellow color of the tuber, like a canvas, is painted with pink spots in the place of the eyes. In Russia, potatoes were registered in 1995, popularly called Limonka. In the Stavropol Territory, this variety is called Lysukha, in the Central region it is called Matryoshka or Little Red Riding Hood, sometimes Ivan da Marya.

The main characteristics of the variety:

• high productivity;

• late ripening;

• unusual color;

• in a bush from 15 to 20 tubers;

• tuber weight from 75 to 126 g;

• starch content from 7.9 to 13.5%;

• unpretentious to soil fertility;

• high resistance to adverse climatic conditions, pests;

• good resistance to most diseases.

Potatoes grow in the Central region, although they are more common in the southern regions.

The bushes of the Picasso variety are erect, tall. Stems are thick with an abundant dense mass of green leaves, the edge of which is corrugated. A feature of the potato bushes of the Picasso variety is their large size, spreading. A more spacious area is required for planting than for other varieties.

Root crops are pear-shaped, dense in structure, heavy by weight. They are distinguished by a small number of eyes, a light thin skin. On the cut, the pulp is of a pleasant creamy color with a yellow tint, which indicates the content of a large amount of useful carotene.

When boiled, the potatoes retain their shape, do not boil over. When cutting, the tubers do not change color. In case of mechanical damage, they cannot be damaged.

Root crops are not prone to cracking. Skin lesions appear when potatoes lie in the ground for a long time before harvesting. These tubers are edible without restrictions, but the shelf life is reduced. The Picasso variety has good keeping quality. It ranges from 83 to 90%. Tubers do not germinate when stored properly in winter. Potatoes tolerate transportation well.

Gardeners and consumers alike note the excellent taste of the Picasso potatoes. The tubers have a pronounced potato aroma and a wonderful taste. It is estimated at 5 points out of 5 possible. Tubers retain their shape during cooking, do not boil over. Picasso potatoes can be used to make soups, salads, casseroles. It is good for frying, stewing, boiling. It can be used to make medicinal potato juice. The low starch content of the tubers makes it impossible to prepare quality mashed potatoes and dry potato chips.

A peculiarity of the variety is its exactingness to regular fertilization. Without this, the taste deteriorates.And also the lack of water negatively affects the taste, therefore, in a dry summer, you will have to water the potato field.

Uneven ripening is considered a significant disadvantage of the Picasso variety. From germination to harvesting, it should take from 110 to 120 days, depending on the region. In order for the crop to fully ripen, you need to wait an additional 12 to 14 days. This makes harvesting difficult.

The Picasso variety has a high yield. It is 20 kg per bush. Productivity can be increased with good seed and high-quality fertilizer, which is regularly applied to the soil. Pests and some diseases to which the potato has a low immunity are capable of reducing the yield.

Potatoes are planted at a later date, that is, in the second half of April. In the southern regions it is possible a week and a half earlier. A peculiarity of the variety - you can plant Picasso potatoes in one place for several years, this will not affect its quality. The soil should warm up to +8 degrees, and the air temperature should not fall below +12.

In the fall, the site must be dug up, organic fertilizers must be added. Potatoes love sunny areas, no wind. Rye and mustard are considered good predecessors. In the spring, before planting, the site must be loosened, compost or ash must be added to the soil.

The spreading variety must be planted according to a certain pattern so that the bushes do not shade each other. A distance of 50 cm should be left between the plants, the row spacing should be 65 cm. The planting depth is determined by the climate. In the southern hot - plant shallow, in the middle lane - deeper.

Planting is standard, and watering the potatoes is required on purpose. Without watering, the taste of the tubers will begin to deteriorate. It is enough to water once a week. It is advisable to moisturize in the evening, water at the root.

To obtain a rich harvest, loosening is required, it supplies the soil with oxygen, and does not allow the formation of a dense earth crust. It is advisable to carry out loosening after each watering and rain. This will prevent water from accumulating at the roots. Loosening should be carried out at a depth of 10 to 15 cm.

Mulching in the aisles is of great importance for the variety. To do this, use grass, peat, hay, film. During hilling, mulch can be thrown onto the tops along with the earth.

It is desirable to carry out top dressing 3 times. When planting for the first time, using ash or humus. When hilling a second time, using a solution of chicken manure. Before flowering - with the help of potassium sulfate (solution).

It is imperative to carry out hilling. This procedure promotes the formation of side shoots. It is on them that new tubers grow later. This increases the yield. Hilling protects the bush from night frosts, pests, reduces the number of weeds. The first time they spud the potatoes when it has grown to a height of 10-15 cm. Then they spud after weeding, the bush is covered with earth to the lower leaves.

The Picasso variety has strong immunity, but standard procedures must be followed for prophylaxis in the form of weeding, seed processing, and crop rotation.

The disadvantage of the variety is the lack of resistance to late blight. The disease often affects plants in lowlands, places with stagnant water. For these reasons, you need to carefully choose the sites for planting Picasso potatoes. A prophylactic agent is the treatment of tubers before planting with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Harvest in mid-August. A sign of ripening is the yellowing of 60% of the tops. Since the ripening of this variety is uneven, then from the beginning of August you can dig in the bushes to check. After digging up the potatoes, dry the tubers in the shade for 3 days. During this time, the potatoes will get stronger and will be stored longer.

Picasso potatoes are considered a versatile variety. Numerous advantages allow it to be successfully grown by gardeners for themselves and farmers for sale. Excellent taste makes it possible to prepare many wonderful dishes from potatoes.