As a potato farmer, one of the essential practices you should take into consideration is cutting off the vegetative parts of the plant before harvesting. This is an important process and can help increase your potato yield, improve quality, and minimize the spread of diseases.
When harvesting your potatoes, it is essential to understand the growth of the potato plant. The plant produces potatoes underground while also growing vegetative parts above the ground. The vegetative parts, such as the stems and leaves, are essential for the potato plant’s growth and development, but when it comes to harvesting, it is important to remove them.
Cutting off the vegetative parts before harvesting helps to redirect nutrients from the plant’s above-ground parts to the potatoes, increasing the size and yield of the potatoes. When the vegetative parts are cut off, the potatoes receive more energy and nutrients from the roots, allowing them to grow and develop adequately.
This practice also helps to minimize the spread of diseases from the vegetative parts to the potatoes. When the above-ground parts of the plant are left to wither away on their own, they can harbor disease organisms and affect the quality of your harvest. By removing the vegetative parts, you can prevent the spread of diseases such as late blight, which can cause significant damage to your potato crop.
Cutting off the vegetative parts should be done about two to three weeks before harvesting. This allows the plant to redirect its nutrients to the potatoes and for the skins to toughen up, reducing the risk of damage during harvesting. You can use a knife or pruner to cut off the stems about an inch above the soil level.
In summary, cutting off the vegetative parts of the potato plant before harvesting is an essential practice that can help increase your yield, improve quality, and minimize the spread of diseases. Be sure to carry out this practice about two to three weeks before harvesting, and you will enjoy a bountiful and healthy potato crop.