Spring is just around the corner, which means it's time to start growing seedlings. As practice has shown, planting seeds and growing vegetable seedlings is not difficult, but with potatoes things are much more complicated. Sprouting potatoes before planting deserves due attention. Established deadlines germination, correct processing and methods for preparing tubers for planting take a lot of time and effort, but if you want good harvest, then you can’t do without these procedures.

This question plagues many inexperienced gardeners. If you want a good harvest without diseases, then this process necessary. Potatoes without sprouts, planted in open ground will grow unevenly and there is a high probability that it will be overcome by late blight, which is difficult to get rid of. It can destroy the entire crop of vegetables that are planted in the ground next to the potatoes. It is better not to risk future supplies for the winter and germinate the tubers before planting.
By the way, in addition to this, you need to know which potatoes are suitable for sprouting. It comes in several types: feed, universal, technical and table. We need the latter type of potato, it bears a lot of fruit and the starch content in one tuber ranges from 12 to 17%. Other types of potatoes are not suitable for our body.

Deadlines

Name exact date It’s impossible to say when it’s time to germinate tubers for planting. Each region has its own weather conditions, which determine the planting date. In the southern part of the country, spring comes earlier, so potatoes are planted there in the middle or at the end of April; seedlings should be prepared in early March.

In the middle zone of the globe, warmth sets in in May - we germinate tubers in April.

Attention. Sprouted tubers produce a harvest 10-15 days earlier.

From this we can conclude that we prepare potatoes a month before planting in open ground.

Do potatoes need to be treated before sprouting?

A good harvest is not difficult to achieve; you need to know how to properly process potatoes before germination in order to protect the tubers from diseases in the future. The most common method for processing potatoes is a magenta solution.


So, we sort out the potatoes for sowing, putting aside spoiled, wrinkled, infected tubers. If small sprouts form on them, cut them off. We dilute Magranets in a bucket of water until bright pink color. Place seed tubers in portions into a bucket for 10 minutes. Without wiping, lay them out on the floor in one row until completely dry.

Attention. Medium-sized tubers are suitable for planting; large potatoes are best cut in half.

Then we start germinating the tubers. To do this, we need a well-ventilated room with daylight, wooden boxes, water, substrate and fertilizers.

1. Place the processed potatoes in water at room temperature for 12 hours; this procedure will help return lost moisture to the potatoes.

2. Place in boxes in two layers. Sprinkle generously with your favorite substrate. Leave alone for 20-30 days.

3. After the specified time has passed, we do aqueous solution with fertilizers and water the tubers with sprouts.

4. After 5-10 days, transplant the potatoes into the ground.

Rich and large harvest provided for you.

Methods for germinating seed potatoes

There are several ways to germinate seed tubers. Let's look at each method in more detail.

Germination in sawdust

The time from the start of germination to planting is 2 weeks. This method can be called fast.


1. Cover the bottom of the box with sawdust, lay out a layer of potatoes, generously sprinkle with sawdust, again a layer of potatoes and sawdust. We continue the procedure until there are 8 layers of potatoes.

2. On the third day, you need to moisten the potato tubers. In 5 liters of water we dilute 100 g of ash per 20 kg of potatoes.
Water every 3-5 days.

Light germination

The planting date is 30 days.

1. Choose a room with good daylight and a window.

2. Cover the floor with film.

3. Place the tubers on film in one layer.

4. Every 5-7 days we turn the potatoes over to the other side.

Germination in plastic bags

A good way to sprout potatoes for those who have little space in the house.

1. Place 9-11 tubers into bags.

2. We make small cuts so that the seeds can breathe easily.

3. We hang the bags in a lighted place. Turning them over from time to time.

4. Carefully remove the tubers from the bag without damaging the shoots.

Bottled

Interesting idea to grow sprouts in bottles. You can control the germination process yourself if you have few seeds to plant.


1. Cut 2 or 5 liter bottles into two equal parts.

2. We make holes in the middle of the lids.

3. Screw the top part with a lid, turn it upside down and insert it into the bottom part.

4. Add soil.

5. Place one potato.

6. Water it with water.

7. Monitor germination.

In pots

We use the method a month before planting.

1. Sprinkle the potatoes with a large amount of wet sawdust. Leave for 10 days.

2. Transfer to a clay pot with soil and humus.

3. Add vitamins to the soil for growth.

4. Place the pots on the windowsill.

5. When the air temperature outside warms up to 10-15 degrees, move the pots outside to daytime. We take it home for the night.

We told you how to prepare potatoes for planting; all you have to do is choose the above method and welcome the summer season.

By the way, don’t forget to watch the video in which the author reveals some secrets for processing potatoes.

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We are not always happy with the potato harvest. Who do we blame first? Of course, the weather, late blight, soil and Colorado potato beetle. But if you think about it, there is a certain share of our fault in the poverty of the harvest. Analyze: whether the right place was chosen for planting, whether the potatoes were provided with proper care and feeding, whether the basic planting rules were followed, whether pre-sowing treatment and germination. It is preparation and germination that lay the foundation for a good harvest.

Preparing potatoes for planting is a necessary procedure

Of course, you can get seed potatoes selected in the fall and immediately plant them in the ground. But if you analyze the advice of agronomist scientists and experienced gardeners, you can make sure that preparing potato seeds for planting:

• will ensure early and strong shoots;
• will increase the yield;
• will ensure the removal of diseased, spoiled, potentially non-germinating tubers from the seed fund.

These advantages of potato vernalization convince us of the need to carry out the germination procedure.

Seed selection

If you are using potatoes from your own plot for planting, then the procedure for preparing the seed fund should begin with selecting the strongest and most powerful bushes in the previous season. During the growing season, mark the most powerful bushes (with a stake, stone, rope), dig them up two weeks after flowering and put the best tubers from these bushes into the seed fund.

Tuber seeds must meet the following requirements:

• the tuber size should be approximately chicken egg;
• There are no signs of disease or damage on the tuber.

Selected tubers are thoroughly dried and greened. For landscaping, it is best to place the potatoes in the sun at an air temperature of at least +12 degrees. After about a week, the selected potatoes will become firmer and take on a greenish tint. This means that a toxic substance has formed in it - solanine. Green potatoes are more resistant to mechanical damage and rot, and are better stored.

Important! Green potatoes are not suitable for human consumption!

Potatoes selected for seeds are stored at a temperature of +4 degrees, which helps prevent freezing and early germination.

Seed germination: timing and types

The next stage of preparing potato seeds is germination. When should it start? There are several types of this procedure: light, in a damp substrate, combined and drying. Light germination must begin approximately 40 days before planting the plants in the soil. If in your region potatoes are planted in late April - early May, then germination begins in the second half of March. The time frame for other methods is approximately 20 days. This means that germination should be started in the first half of April.

Important! The timing of germination depends on the potato variety: early varieties germinate faster.

Regardless of which sprouting method you use, the potatoes need to be prepared for it. Stages of preparation for germination:

1. Potatoes removed from storage should be sorted again, diseased and damaged tubers should be sorted.
2. Disinfection of seed tubers. There are a lot of disinfectant recipes. Here are some of them:
   • Dissolve copper sulfate (5 grams), boric acid (15 grams) and potassium permanganate (0.5 grams) in 10 liters of water. Place the planting material in the solution for a quarter of an hour. This solution will provide both disinfection and additional nutrition for the tubers;
   • 10 grams boric acid dilute in 10 liters of water. Withstand planting material in solution for about half an hour;
   • Infuse 1 kilogram of chopped garlic in 10 liters of water. Soak the tubers in the solution for 3 hours.
3. Drying seed material.
4. Warming up the tuber seeds for 3 days at a temperature of about +25 degrees.

Video: Preparing potatoes for germination

Germination in the light

To germinate in the light, place the seed tubers in containers that allow light to pass through: wooden boxes with solid walls, plastic containers with side holes. Seed potatoes are placed in one layer and placed in a bright room. If the tubers are hit directly sunlight, then cover the containers with a light cloth or paper. The illumination must be sufficient, otherwise the sprouts will stretch out and become brittle.

The duration of light germination directly depends on the temperature. At a room temperature of +13 to +17 degrees, strong green 2–3-centimeter sprouts will appear in 35–40 days. If the room temperature exceeds +17 degrees, it takes approximately 30 days to achieve the same effect.

Note!

• if the illumination of the room is insufficient, then you can use artificial lighting, for example, fluorescent lamps;
• potato tubers must be illuminated for at least 8 hours a day;
• As a container for germination in the light, you can use small plastic bags, which are placed in a convenient place, having previously made several holes in each for sufficient air circulation. Place 8–10 potatoes in each bag. The advantages of this method are that 90 percent of seed tubers are exposed to light;
• To sprout potatoes, they use film greenhouses, placing potatoes on racks in them;
• You can sprout potatoes outdoors by placing them on straw. In this case, it is necessary to provide shelter for the potatoes at unfavorable temperatures.

Wet germination of potatoes

For wet germination, peat or sawdust can be used as soil. Stages of laying seed tubers in the ground:

1. Place 2–3 cm of soil at the bottom of the container and moisten it.
2. Then, at a distance of 1–2 cm from each other, the apical buds are placed upward.
3. Cover with moist soil in a layer of 2–3 cm. Thus, you can place two (but not more) layers of potatoes.

The temperature of the room for wet germination should be from +12 to + 25 degrees, air flow must be ensured, and the soil should be kept moist (but not wet). Sprouts with this germination will form in approximately 20 days. The main advantage of wet germination is the formation of developed rudimentary roots, which will subsequently ensure early germination and the formation of a powerful root system.

How to germinate using a combined method

This germination method combines light germination and wet germination. First, the tubers are germinated in the light. At about day 30, when strong shoots have formed, the potatoes are placed in a moist substrate and thus ensure the roots are forced out.

The combined method is the most effective for obtaining early and vigorous potato shoots.

Drying seed potatoes

If there are two weeks to five days left before planting, then for germination you can use the method of drying potatoes. Its difference is that the potatoes are placed in a room with more high temperature air. At temperature conditions+20–25 degrees, sprouts will appear within 5–7 days, at a temperature of +15–16 degrees – within 10–14 days.

Important! Warming up potatoes at a temperature of +30 degrees can provoke early development viral diseases.

Proper stimulation of germination time

How to speed up germination time? There are various ways. We would like to introduce you to some of them.

Stimulating incisions

Two cutting methods are used - circular and transverse. A ring cut is effective if you want to get an early harvest. The potatoes are cut to a depth of about 1 cm so as to encircle the tuber. This cut stimulates the germination of eyes in the apical part of the tuber. This leads to earlier emergence of seedlings and the beginning of tuberization.

The transverse incision is deeper. A small bridge about a centimeter thick remains uncut. Thanks to the cross-section, simultaneous germination of all the eyes of the tuber occurs, and subsequently leads to the formation of a powerful bush and a higher yield.

Important!

• cut only healthy tubers;
• after each cut, the knife must be treated in a disinfectant solution of potassium permanganate to prevent the spread of diseases;
• cuts are made before sprouts appear;
• stimulating cuts are effective if after “ringing” you start sprouting potatoes at a temperature of at least +18 degrees.

Using solutions

You can speed up germination by spraying the planting material with special solutions. The spraying procedure must be carried out once a week, alternating the solutions used. Here are some recipes for stimulating solutions:

• for 1 liter of water - copper sulfate (a quarter of a teaspoon), trace elements (on the tip of a knife), wood ash(without limitation);
• for 3 liters of water - a teaspoon of urea;
• for 3 liters of water - a teaspoon of Nitrophoska.

Before germination begins, you can immerse the seed potatoes in a solution of the Bioglobin preparation (2 teaspoons per 10 liters of water) for 30 minutes. Such bathing will help awaken more eyes.

Video: Potato vernalization and EM preparations

If you take the advice into account and properly carry out the pre-sowing preparation of potatoes, you will definitely please yourself and your loved ones with a rich potato harvest.

Potato yield and its resistance to diseases and pests depend not only on varietal characteristics, but also on agricultural technology, including the preparation of tubers for cultivation. You can enhance the natural qualities of the plant and protect it from diseases by germinating potatoes before planting. This process will only take 1-1.5 months. Let's figure out when to start and how to properly germinate tubers before planting.

Sprouting potatoes has some advantages:

1. A timely and correctly carried out procedure activates natural processes that lead to the formation of roots and sprouts. They form much faster, so after planting such tubers in the ground, seedlings appear earlier.
2. Pre-planting germination allows you to select the best potatoes for planting. In the time required for this, it is possible to remove even from the previously selected material those specimens that have sprouted poorly or have not sprouted at all, or have rotted. The rest can be planted without fear of voids forming in the designated area.
3. The time before harvest is reduced: sprouted potatoes develop much faster, which means tubers form earlier. In addition, such plants use moisture and applied fertilizers more efficiently and become more resistant to diseases.

Germination is especially effective for varieties of mid-early and mid-ripening periods. Sprouted tubers manage to produce a harvest on par with early potatoes, and, accordingly, with mid-early varieties of this crop.

When to take out potatoes for sprouting

You need to start germinating potato tubers approximately 30-45 days before planting them in the ground. It is during this time that they will have time to germinate if the room temperature is about 15 °C. This is the maximum period; for early varieties of potatoes it can be reduced by a week.

You need to get potatoes for germination in Siberia and the Urals approximately in mid-late April and plant them in the beds a month later, when the soil has already warmed up enough (at least to 10-15 ° C).

IN Middle lane, including in the Moscow region, you can start germinating potatoes earlier - in early April, in the south of Russia even earlier - in March and even at the end of February.

Preparing tubers for germination: do they need to be washed and treated with anything?

Before you put the potatoes to sprout, you need to first prepare them. If seed potatoes have not been selected in the fall, then in the spring the most suitable specimens are selected: clean, without stains or damage, the size of a chicken egg. You can also take larger tubers, but do not plant them entirely, but cut them into pieces shortly before planting (a few days before, so that the cuts become corked).

If the planting tubers have already sprouted small sprouts by the time germination begins, then there is no need to break them off, but if they are long and thin, then you will have to find other planting material.

Whether it is necessary to wash potatoes before sprouting, each vegetable grower decides independently. Those who wash tubers do this in order to see the slightest specks of rot on their surface and immediately discard such potatoes. In principle, you can wash potatoes, especially if they are quite dirty, but it is still not necessary.

Before germination, planting potato specimens can be pickled in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes or in a solution copper sulfate, boric acid and potassium permanganate (1 tsp per 10 liters of water) for 15 minutes.

Germination methods

After the preparation of the tubers is completed, you can begin the germination itself. How and where to do this is decided by the vegetable grower himself. There are several ways to germinate potatoes before planting. They differ from each other in some features.

In the light

Germination of potatoes in the light begins 1.5 months before planting them in the beds. The place of germination must certainly be light (but without direct sun rays), in which the potatoes will be illuminated most fully.

In plastic boxes

The tubers are inspected, then the prepared potatoes are placed in 1 layer in shallow plastic boxes with holes and placed one on one near the window. The light should be diffused, so the boxes are covered on top with ordinary transparent film with perforations. From time to time, the boxes are swapped, and the tubers in them are turned over so that the sides that were below are exposed to the light.

A week before planting, the tubers are cut into eyes, the knife after each tuber is disinfected in a dark purple solution of potassium permanganate, and the potato sections are treated in ash or cement. As a result of germinating potatoes in the light, the sprouts are strong, short and green. 10 days before planting, the boxes are covered with cloth, as if simulating planting, that is, keeping the tubers in the dark. On the day of planting, they are soaked for 1 hour in a solution of Fitosporin, and then planted in the holes.

In plastic bottles or glass jars

Start sprouting potatoes this way 30 days in advance. For this, prepare 1.5-2 liters plastic bottles and 3 l glass jars. The bottles are cut off top part, jars must be clean and dry.

The tubers are placed loosely in the container, the neck is left free, then the bottles and jars are placed in a bright room. The containers are covered with gauze. Potato germination occurs at room temperature. By the time the tubers are planted, they will develop short green sprouts. You need to be careful when pulling tubers out of jars and bottles so as not to break them.

This method is so convenient that it is even suitable for sprouting potatoes in an apartment.

In plastic bags

The method of germinating potatoes in bags is suitable for those who need to germinate a small number of tubers. For this you will need ordinary bags - T-shirts. You need to pierce several holes in them for ventilation, place a dozen medium-sized potatoes inside each, tie the bags and hang them in a sufficiently lit place, but not in direct sunlight.

Every 2-3 days, the packages with tubers are turned over to the light so that they germinate evenly. With this method of germination, potatoes germinate quickly due to the fact that the film creates greenhouse effect: in it the tubers are kept warm and humid, which is exactly what is required.

In the dark

Another popular method is germinating potatoes in the dark, which some gardeners consider the most correct. Seed tubers are placed in shallow plastic boxes or baskets covered with newspaper so that the emerging sprouts do not grow into the cells, cover them with something so that light does not penetrate to them, and place them in dry room which is well ventilated.

When sprouts appear, the potatoes are sorted: small ones are selected separately, with a small number of sprouts, which will then need to be planted 4-5 pieces in one hole, medium ones with several sprouts and large ones (they can be cut into pieces). If the potatoes do not germinate well, they are transferred to a more warm room. As a result of germinating potatoes in the dark, the sprouts are light and must be powerful (thin ones are discarded).

Wet germination

The advantage of wet germination of potatoes is that you can keep the tubers in a large container and not necessarily in a bright room. Another plus is that in this way you can greatly speed up the germination of potatoes: tubers germinated in this way form not only strong sprouts, but also numerous long and strong roots. Planted in beds, they will take root faster, begin to expel green mass and form tubers. This way you can reduce the time before harvesting and get potatoes earlier.

In addition, wet germination itself does not take a month or a month and a half, like other options, but approximately 10-15 days, so if the right time missed, but you still need to germinate potatoes or you need to quickly germinate potatoes of early varieties, then this is the most best way.

It is better to sprout potatoes in damp sawdust or straw. For wet germination, you will need an ordinary plastic box, on the bottom of which a polypropylene bag is placed, potato tubers are placed on it in 1-2 layers, sprinkling each with wet sawdust and covering everything with the remaining free part of the bag. The tubers remain in the box until the very moment of planting in the beds.

From time to time they need to be moistened with plain water, solutions of growth stimulants, for example, heteroauxin, or weak solutions mineral fertilizers. By the time of planting, the tubers will have powerful roots and sprouts, so while in the ground, they will quickly take root.

You can also germinate tubers in damp straw. The sequence of actions in this case is as follows: to the bottom plastic containers Place a bag or piece of perforated film, a layer of potatoes on it, a layer of wet straw on top, another layer of tubers and again wet straw. Further germination is exactly the same as in the case of sawdust. On the day of planting, the tubers are carefully pulled out of the straw, trying not to damage the sprouts.

How to speed up tuber germination

Germination time can be reduced if prepared potatoes are placed in bulky plastic bags, moistened with a spray bottle, tied up the bags and placed in a room near a heating radiator or heater. Every day the bags need to be untied to let them in fresh air and get rid of excess moisture and, if necessary, moisten the tubers with plain water.

You can also speed up the growth of potato sprouts if you germinate them in a greenhouse, where it is warm and humid in early spring.

What to do if seed potatoes are overgrown

It happens that warm winter potatoes left for storage sprout ahead of schedule when it’s too early to take it out of the cellar. What to do in this case? It needs to be taken out of the cellar, taken to a bright but cold room (no higher than 10 ° C) and laid out in plastic boxes in 1 layer, sprouts up. Light long sprouts do not need to be broken off. Such potatoes will need to be planted as early as possible, as soon as the opportunity arises.

Expert opinion

Maria Vlasova

Gardener

Ask a question to an expert

Spring germination of potatoes is an agrotechnical technique that helps prevent diseases, increase productivity and reduce harvest time. This is not a labor-intensive process, but it is very effective and time-tested.

Early varieties of any garden crop have always been in special demand among farmers. And this is understandable: getting a harvest as quickly as possible is always profitable. But late varieties more productive and much better in taste. Sprouting before planting helps speed up the ripening of potatoes with a long growing season.

There are three different ways to prepare potatoes for planting:

• vernalization in the light;
• germination in the dark;
• simple heating.

But no matter what option is used, in any case, you first need to select healthy tubers, calibrating them by size. Potatoes the size of a chicken egg are considered the optimal planting material. Larger tubers, weighing 90–120 g, should already be cut into halves. You can germinate both early and late varieties - in any case, you will reap the harvest faster.

Vernalization

This is the best way to reduce the ripening time of commercial tubers and increase the yield of any varieties. During vernalization, root tubercles begin to form on the lower part of the potato, a large number of buds sprout, and the plant “wakes up” from winter hibernation. Seed prepared in this way produces quick and vigorous shoots, and the number of shoots is much greater than that of unprepared potatoes. And each new sprout during the season produces an additional ovary of tubers. Therefore, vernalization not only accelerates ripening, but also increases yield.

Vernalization is a fairly simple operation. Potatoes begin to be prepared 20–30 days before planting, which in Central Russia usually falls on May 1–10. Based on this, we assume that you need to start preparing the tubers from about April 1 to April 10.

1. You can simply scatter the potatoes on the floor in a bright room in one or two layers at a temperature of +12–15°C, or place the tubers in boxes. The main thing is that the growth points, the so-called “eyes,” are upward.
2. Once every 5–7 days, the tubers need to be sprayed with water to prevent wilting and accelerate the growth of shoots and roots.
3. A week before planting, sprinkle with wet sawdust or peat. This is done so that the tuber can release roots into the substrate.

Preparing potatoes for vernalization - video

To prevent diseases, the backfill can be soaked in solutions of copper sulfate (2 g per 10 l of water), boric acid (2 g per 10 l of water) or methyl blue (3 g per 10 l of water). You can also use other recommended medications that you completely trust.

Only in the light do the sprouts acquire a normal green color.

Properly vernalized tubers in the light have thick green shoots 2–3 cm long and roots of the same length.

Germination in the dark

Germination is carried out in a dark room at a temperature of +12–15°C.

Placing in several layers allows you to prepare twice as much in the same area seed material.

• sprouts from the lower layers in the warmth will grow rapidly and rush towards the light and, as a result, will stretch and break when transferred to the field and planted;
• deep layers (third and below) are difficult to control. With a two-layer placement, it is enough to remove one or two upper tubers to see the condition of the sprouts of the lower layer;
• multi-layer installation is poorly ventilated, and rotting processes can quickly begin below. which will ruin the planting material.

Darkness and a moist layer of substrate create conditions for faster formation of sprouts and roots. Tubers germinated in this way can be planted in just 12–15 days . Therefore, seed material begins to be prepared 10–14 days later than during vernalization. The main risk here is to keep the potatoes longer than this period. It often happens that weather conditions are unfavorable, frosts or rains occur, and it is not possible to plant ready-made seed on time. In the dark, sprouts and roots quickly elongate, become tangled, and either break off during planting or have to be torn off. After planting in the ground, both shoots and roots will grow again on the tubers. And this, of course, will lead to developmental delays.

How to germinate potatoes under a layer of sawdust - video

When stored in basements with temperatures above +5°C closer to spring, potatoes also sprout with long, brittle shoots, which are then simply removed.

If due to weather conditions or other reasons with this method of germination the planting time is delayed, and the sprouts are already too long (more than 5–7 cm), there is only one way to stop the growth of the shoots - lower the temperature to +4–5°C and ventilate the room, to reduce humidity.

Potatoes germinate in the dark in about two weeks if the room temperature is maintained at a suitable temperature, +12–15°C

During vernalization, preparation takes 20–30 days; germination in the dark takes only 12–15 days, that is, almost half as much. This is important to consider, because 30 days before planting there is a real threat of frost returning or it is still winter outside. Therefore, preparation requires a special room with a temperature of +12–15°C. There are not always such empty areas, especially when there is a significant amount of seed. But 15 days before planting, as a rule, it is already warm enough, and potatoes can be sprouted anywhere, even outside in the shade. The darkness of the tubers will be provided by the top covering layer of the substrate. In case of frost, you can simply cover the pile (storage) with any available material, even old clothes.

To prevent potato diseases, peat or sawdust, as during vernalization (and in the same proportions), can be soaked in a solution of copper sulfate, boric acid or methyl blue.

Warming up

Warming up is accelerated or shortened germination, the easiest way to prepare tubers for planting.

Compared to unprepared potatoes straight from cold storage, this simple method speeds up emergence by 4-6 days and increases yield by about 10%. For vernalized and dark-sprouted tubers, these figures are higher.

Germinating potatoes in the light and planting - video

Terms of preparation, planting and emergence of seedlings

The usual time from planting to the appearance of the first shoots, if the seed is not prepared, is about 21 days. Vernalized potatoes planted in well-heated soil germinate in 7–12 days.

In practice, there were cases when tubers with green sprouts, planted in warm soil, sprouted already on the third day after planting.

Potatoes sprouted in the dark in the same thawed soil hatch more slowly, after about 12–17 days. For heated seed under equal weather conditions, the time for the appearance of the first shoots is 15–20 days.

Preparation of planting material is very great value, although it does not determine what the harvest will be. The growth and development of potatoes is influenced by many other factors - what variety is planted, how warm the earth is, how the weather conditions will develop, what is the structure and nutritional value of the soil, whether agricultural technology is correct and timely. But how quickly the seedlings appear depends on how carefully the seed is prepared.