Potato yield and its taste largely depend on how the soil was prepared. Experienced gardeners know this and begin work immediately after harvesting the crop, without postponing the event until the spring.
We’ll tell you what points you need to pay attention to when fertilizing the soil for potatoes in the fall. Let's talk about which substances can be added before winter, and which ones are best avoided at this time of year. We will give the consumption standards for organic and mineral fertilizers.
Timing for applying fertilizers in the fall
In this case, it is impossible to give exact dates. Fertilizers must break down into substances accessible to the plant, and this occurs only under the influence of the vital activity of soil bacteria. Therefore, you need to have time to add nutrients before the first frost.
To restore soil fertility in the area allocated for potatoes, fertilizers are applied in September, and in some regions in October. It is necessary that at least 2-3 weeks pass before negative temperatures. Then most of the substances will be available for absorption.
There is a simple way to determine deadlines. Once you have dug up the potatoes, start preparing a new plot.
Where to buy
You can buy high-quality universal fertilizer for application in the fall in the Agro-Center online store. Our products are supplied directly from well-known manufacturers, which is confirmed by relevant certificates.
Agro-Center consultants treat each customer with an individual approach and help them choose the most suitable nutritional composition for certain plants.
Our main task is to help farmers annually obtain the highest possible crop yields.
Application of organic fertilizers in autumn
Organic is the best option for areas that are intended for planting potatoes in the spring. This crop also responds positively to mineral fertilizers, but the best results are obtained when there is a thick layer of humus. It can only be formed by adding humus, manure and other organic means.
Local creation of humus
This method is used for small areas. It allows you to obtain a bountiful potato harvest without the use of mineral fertilizers throughout the season.
The work is carried out in the following sequence:
- Mark where the rows will be located.
- Dig trenches along them, about 30 cm deep and wide.
- Plant residues are placed at the bottom.
- Sprinkle with a thin layer of earth.
- Water with microbiological preparations - “Baikal” or “Siyanie” are suitable.
During the winter, the biomass, under the influence of bacteria, turns into nutritious humus, so important for potatoes.
Do not place nightshade tops or weeds with seeds in trenches.
Applying fresh manure
Any manure except pig manure can be applied to potatoes. Mullein or horse manure are ideal for these purposes; goat, rabbit and other types of waste will have less effect. Pig manure can be used only after complete rotting, and this takes at least 1.5 years.
When manure is debated, it generates heat, which attracts pests from all over the area. To prevent this, applying manure is permissible after the first frost. Better - a few days before severe frosts. The manure consumption rate is from 0.5 to 10 kg per square meter. It depends on its type and frequency of application.
Cow dung is good for potatoes. It contains a lot of nitrogen, calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus. It is better to use not fresh manure, which may contain helminth eggs, but rather one that has been aged for at least 3–4 months. Its consumption rate when applied annually is 0.5 kg per square meter, when applied once every 3 years - 1 kg per square meter.
You can mix manure with humus, then the soil fertility will increase.
Application of humus and compost
Humus is rotted manure, and compost is rotted plant residues. These organic fertilizers can be used to fertilize the land for potatoes in the fall. They are introduced in September or October, then they will be partially processed by soil bacteria and worms.
The consumption rate of humus and compost is 10 kg/sq.m. This fertilizer is placed in a mixture with straw, mowed weeds without seeds and lightly sprinkled with soil. To better break down into accessible compounds, the surface can be sprinkled with biological products. Over the winter everything will rot, and in the spring there will be a layer of fertile humus on the site.
Using chicken manure
In the fall, chicken manure can also be applied under the potatoes. It contains a lot of nitrogen and 3 times more phosphorus than cow manure. This fertilizer contains easily digestible potassium, sulfur and manganese.
Chicken droppings applied to the ground in the fall will be a source of nutrients for another 2-3 years. Therefore, it is often not added, otherwise the effect will be the opposite of what was expected: due to excess nitrogen, potatoes will begin to grow green mass, not tubers.
Partially rotted chicken manure is best suited for nightshade crops. To do this, it is laid in trenches in the spring, sprinkled with peat, mown grass or earth in equal parts. In the fall, fertilizer is dug and applied to the beds at the rate of 700 g per square meter.
You can use duck or goose droppings, but this organic matter is not as nutritious and requires longer reheating.
Growing green manure
Green manures are plants that contain a lot of nitrogen and suppress the growth of weeds. They are sown in August or September, depending on the type, and mowed before winter. Before spring, the green mass will rot and a fertile layer will form.
You can sow potatoes under:
- rapeseed;
- phacelia;
- mustard.
These plants are characterized by rapid germination and growth.
If you plan to plow or dig up the area in the spring, you don’t have to mow the green manure before winter. They will rot under the snow and additionally protect the soil from freezing.
Selecting the right crop rotation
It is better to plant potatoes in virgin soil. But in practice, you have to change garden crops or plant it in the same place. Due to the presence of common pests with nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers), it is not recommended to plant potatoes after them. Areas where cabbage used to grow are also not suitable. The reason is that a lot of lime is used to combat its diseases, which increases the likelihood of potato scabs. It is allowed to alternate planting potatoes with beets, zucchini, onions, cucumbers, beans and peas. You can return to your old place after 3 or 4 years.
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Application of mineral fertilizers in autumn
Most often, mineral fertilizers are used on large farms and in cases where it is impossible to obtain organic matter. At the same time, application rates must be observed to prevent overdose and harm the soil structure.
Phosphorus fertilizers for potatoes
You need to select phosphorus fertilizers for potatoes taking into account the type of soil. So, in podzolic and peat areas you can use phosphate rock, and in clayey and chernozem areas - superphosphate. If you don’t know what kind of soil is in your dacha, buy nitroammophoska, it is suitable for all types of soil.
The consumption rates of phosphorus fertilizers for potatoes can be seen in the table.
| Name | Norm (g/sq.m.) |
| Nitroammofoska | 30 |
| Superphosphate | 20 |
| Double superphosphate | 10 g |
If you plan to use one-component phosphorus fertilizers, they will need to be mixed with potash products. By interacting, they decompose better. Nitroammophoska does not need this; it contains potassium.
Phosphorite flour on podzolic soils is best applied under potatoes with ammonium sulfate or rotted cow manure.
Urea or carbamide for potatoes
This chemical compound is a source of nitrogen. Despite its good dissolution in water, it is not washed out of the soil, so it is applied only in extreme cases.
It is important that urea is applied after the first frost, then its harmful effects on the soil are reduced.
Ammonia fertilizers for potatoes
When preparing the soil for potatoes in the autumn, ammonia fertilizers are rarely used, only when there are no other options. Ammonium nitrate, diammophos, ammophos and their analogs quickly evaporate and disintegrate just as quickly. Therefore, they are more often used when fertilizing soils in the spring.
Partially, the disadvantages of ammonia fertilizers can be eliminated by incorporating them into the soil to a depth of 3–4 cm. This can be done after plowing or digging.
Potassium fertilizers for potatoes
Potassium is important for the normal development of potato tubers, increases their keeping quality, so it is added to the ground in the fall. Its source can be potassium sulfate or potassium sulfate. The consumption rate is about 2 kg per hundred square meters.
In the fall, you can also add potassium chloride (consumption rate 1.5 kg per hundred square meters). The chlorine contained in the fertilizer negatively affects the taste of potatoes and slows down the growth of tops. However, over the winter it disintegrates and by spring there is practically no remains in the soil. The main thing is to follow the dosage.
When applied in autumn, potassium chloride disinfects the soil.
Features of fertilizing different soils in autumn
When selecting organic and mineral fertilizers, you need to pay attention to soil parameters - its acidity, structure, presence and thickness of the humus layer, level of fertility. The intensity of use of the site for agricultural purposes will also matter. Let's look at the nuances for different types of soil.
Features for black soil
Chernozem practically does not require fertilization. If the principles of crop rotation were followed on the site and mineral fertilizers and pesticides were not used, then the humus level here will be about 15%. This value is sufficient for the normal development of potatoes.
On depleted chernozems, with a humus content of 4%, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers can be used. It is recommended to apply manure every 2–3 years, and compost or humus annually. At least once every 5 years, the plot must be sown with green manure. Then it will be possible to successfully grow potatoes.
Features for loams
Loams are fertile soils with good moisture capacity and air conductivity. The top layers of soil will be loose enough to grow potatoes without problems, but heavy blocks will accumulate at depth. In order not to turn them over to the surface, deep plowing is not used.
Fertilizers that work well on such soil are manure, compost and sodium nitrate. These fertilizers are applied in compliance with the norms. It is better to fertilize loamy soil in the fall so that by spring the nutrients become easily available for absorption.
Features for clay soil
Clay soils are the worst for potatoes. More often they have an acidic reaction, are very dense, and do not allow air and water to pass through. Fertilizing such land in the fall is mandatory, but only after receiving the results of an acidity test.
If you need to lower the pH, on clay soils use:
- dolomite flour;
- fluffy;
- ground chalk
Wood ash can be added only if it is not planned to use organic matter and nitrogenous fertilizers.
To increase the fertility of clay soil, you can use humus or compost. Sowing the area with green manure will improve its structure and nutritional value.
To increase breathability, add peat at the rate of 10 kg/sq.m.
Features for sandy soils
If sandy soils are properly fertilized, they are ideal for growing potatoes. Such soil is very loose, perfectly permeable to air, but cannot retain moisture and warms up quickly.
Here you can use the following as autumn fertilizer for potatoes:
- Peat - up to 10 kg/sq.m.
- Compost - 8–10 kg/sq.m.
- Calimagnesia - 3-4 kg per hundred square meters before digging or plowing.
At annual intervals, you can apply rotted manure in the fall for deep plowing. This measure will increase the moisture capacity of the soil and protect it from overheating, which is undesirable for potato tubers.
Organic matter must be added annually. In sandy soil it does not have a long-term effect, it is quickly absorbed by plants and washed away.
The land that potatoes “love”
Black soil, soddy-podzolic soil, gray forest soil, sandy loam and loam are well suited for planting root crops. But ideal soil is rare. That's why:
- a sandy bed can be diluted with peat and clay soil;
- peat - clay, compost, manure;
- “lighten” heavy soil with peat and sand;
- Fertilize acidic soil with chalk, lime, and dolomite flour.
What fertilizers are prohibited for application in the fall?
It is forbidden to apply fertilizers to potatoes that can become a source of infection - fresh manure, compost with weed seeds, rotten nightshade tops.
It is also undesirable to introduce in the fall:
- wood ash - some of it will be washed away before spring and the desired effect will not be achieved;
- unrotted pork manure;
- lime or chalk when using nitrogen fertilizers (reduce their effectiveness);
- ammonium nitrate with peat or straw, including that used as bedding for animals, can spontaneously ignite;
- sodium nitrate - quickly washed out of the soil.
When fertilizing the soil in the fall with humus or manure, as well as chicken droppings, the use of other nitrogenous fertilizers is not advisable. Excess nitrogen in the soil is unacceptable.
The last chord
After fertilizing the soil, the garden is dug up with a shovel or walk-behind tractor. At the same time, the earth turns over, but the blocks do not break. In winter, under the influence of snow and frost, they will gradually fragment, while the roots of the weeds will freeze out, and melt water will better penetrate into the soil in the spring.
Autumn is a time not only to take from the earth, but also to give. Proper cultivation of the plot determines what the beds will look like in the spring after a long winter and what harvest the summer resident will reap in the new season.
Let's sum it up
Now you know about fertilizing the land for potatoes in the fall. If everything is done according to science, then it is advisable to first determine the type of soil and its acidity. This is especially true if mineral fertilizers are supposed to be used - their dosage is given taking into account these parameters.
Organics can only be used if they are rotted and do not contain nightshade tops and weed seeds, especially perennials. In small areas, you can make a humus layer in trenches, then in the spring all that remains is to add ash.
When is the best time to dig up a site?
Russian summer residents, as a rule, dig up their garden twice a year: in early spring and autumn. In their opinion, this way the soil will be looser and more saturated with air, and it will also be easier to get rid of weeds.
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