After the harvest of potatoes, the problems do not end, because the question begins to bother: how to save potatoes in the winter season.
Those people who live in private houses do not even think about it, because each of them has a cellar or basement, but the residents of apartments have a hard time. Therefore, this article provides a lot of tips on how to save potatoes in an apartment.
How to store potatoes correctly
Tip 1. Dry well
The potatoes must be well dried. In order for the potatoes to be well dried after harvest, it is necessary to keep them under the sun for about 3 hours - this will allow the soil to dry out and separate from the tubers. This process reduces the likelihood that the potatoes will start to rot.
After drying the potatoes in the sun, they need to be sorted out: a sick or damaged one should go to food very first.
But even after sorting out the potatoes, they still cannot be sent for storage. This is due to the fact that, within a month, initially unnoticed diseases or injuries begin to appear on the potatoes. Also, during this period, the potato produces a substance that prevents the growth of mushrooms on it (for the production of this substance, the potato must be in a place where the temperature is 12-18 degrees, and the air humidity is 90-95 percent). After this period, the temperature at which the potatoes will be stored must be reduced.
Tip 2. Keep the temperature low
A cool temperature must be maintained throughout the winter. During its storage, potatoes give off carbon dioxide, water and heat, in other words "breathe". The more of the above the potato secretes, the faster it loses its youth, begins to wrinkle and various diseases can occur. To slow down this process, you need to store potatoes at a low temperature.
The best temperature for storing potatoes is 3-7 degrees... Therefore, in autumn, it is recommended to place potatoes on the balcony, and when the outside temperature drops to 2 degrees, you need to move the potatoes to the coldest place in the apartment, for example, near a window or in a hallway.
Sacks are suitable containers for storing potatoes, preference is given to bags made of non-woven fabric. To prevent potatoes from "sweating" in bags, you can place beets on top (they have the ability to absorb moisture), shavings or even straw.
Tip 3. Do not let rot develop
Make sure that no rot is formed. Rot is the main problem that leads to the destruction of potatoes. Rot occurs due to the harmful effects of certain types of fungi and bacteria. It is impossible to completely destroy these bacteria and fungi, but it is possible to reduce the risk of their occurrence to a minimum. To reduce the risk of rot, plants that have bactericidal properties are used, for example, rowan leaves. Potatoes should be mixed with these leaves in a ratio of 50 kilograms of potatoes and 1 kilogram of rowan leaves.
Also, some gardeners recommend processing potatoes with boiling water. This process is carried out as follows: potatoes are taken, laid out on nets, and after that each net with potatoes is dipped into boiling water for a couple of seconds. Even in these few seconds, boiling water will destroy all remaining fungi and bacteria - this will make it possible to keep the potatoes in good condition. The important point is the time, if you keep the potatoes in the water for more than they should, they will just start to boil. After processing the potatoes in this way, they must be dried in a dark room.
Many summer residents advise to check the condition of the potatoes several times during the winter period, suddenly some of the potatoes are still sick or rotting.
Tip 4. Slow down germination
Slow down the sprouting process of potatoes. As a rule, closer to the beginning of spring, potatoes tend to sprout, and this is not a desirable process for apartment residents. Mint leaves can help slow the sprouting of potatoes. They must be poured on the bottom of the bag where the potatoes are located, and also on top of the potatoes. Mint is poured in layers about 1-2 centimeters thick.
There are also chemicals that slow down the germination of potatoes, for example, "Epin". You can simply spray potatoes with this drug: the solution is created in the ratio of 1 drop of the drug to 1 glass of water. After spraying the potatoes, they must be dried and placed back in the bag.
If the gardener is absolutely not afraid of chemicals, then after harvesting the potatoes, spray it with copper sulfate liquid. The liquid is created from the ratio of 2 grams of chemical to 10 liters of water.
Tip 5. Choose the right varieties
The correct selection of potato varieties. This point is also important, since there are varieties that simply cannot be stored in apartment conditions. For apartments, the most suitable are late-ripening potato varieties, which have a fairly long dormant period of tubers.
