What are the dangers of Chinese seeds. Harvest experiments: the Chinese way of growing potatoes What weeds can be in Chinese bags

Potato dishes have long gained worldwide popularity. The delicious tubers of this South American plant have gradually conquered all continents over three centuries. Asian farmers have long favored traditional rice, but potatoes are now China's number one staple. The creators of gunpowder approached creatively and the cultivation of root crops. They not only develop new high-yielding varieties, but also developed an original planting technology. What is the peculiarity of the method and how to grow potatoes in Chinese?

Traditional or new?

Professional agronomists and ordinary summer residents note that the yield of potatoes depends not only on the quality of the seed or care, but also on how it is planted. Therefore, the number of methods for planting everyone's favorite root crop already has several dozen. Traditional methods: under a shovel, in holes and in ridges - require a large area, the cost of seed, effort and time to care for the beds. But on the other hand, they are simple and, apart from germinated tubers, earth and a shovel, nothing is needed.

Potatoes are a valuable food product. Its tubers contain over 10 amino acids, useful microelements. And the amount of protein is twice as high as in wheat, and 30% more than in rice.

Therefore, more and more gardeners are looking for new options for growing potatoes. Among them, the most popular are, according to Mittlider and in vertical containers: bags, baskets, barrels and boxes. These methods allow a much higher yield from a limited area and at a lower cost. But the experimenter will need additional materials, and sometimes special equipment.

The yield of potatoes decreases if they are planted in the same place. The best predecessors for him are legumes, garlic, onions, zucchini, corn.

Not so long ago, the newest way to grow potatoes appeared - in Chinese. It is designed for a small area, a modest number of tubers and simplified care. Planting potatoes according to the Chinese method really saves land, seeds and strength. But he has not yet become popular. The fact is that Russian gardeners have not yet received the expected result - over 20 kg from one or two tubers.

What is the Chinese method of planting potatoes based on?

How to grow the maximum number of potatoes in the minimum area, with a small seed investment? Chinese agronomists solved this problem by inventing their own technology.

The Chinese planting method is based on the peculiarity of potatoes to form underground shoots, they are called stolons. The thickenings at the end of the grown stolons are the tubers for which potatoes are grown. The logic is simple: the more underground stems, the higher the yield. When grown by traditional methods, hilling is mandatory. The soil is raked up to the potato tops to stimulate the growth of the underground part. According to the Chinese method, hilling is not done. The potato bush is completely covered with earth mixed with nutrient compounds or mulching materials (materials that regulate water and air conditions). Lay such layers several times as they grow. To do this, the tubers are planted at a significant (up to half a meter) depth, in a pit or trench. The inventors of the Chinese method claim that when burying, that is, hilling, on the contrary, stolons will grow more actively. Due to this, the yield will increase.

Potato plantations in China should cover almost 7 million hectares of land by 2020, which is 2 million more than in 2014. China plans to increase the potato share in the food basket to 30%. Growing a root crop is more profitable and easy, Chinese agronomists say, it requires three times less water than wheat and rice, and withstands cold and drought.

Potatoes are becoming more and more popular in China, they have already supplanted traditional rice

Is it worth planting potatoes the Chinese way: the pros and cons of the method

The Chinese method of growing potatoes is interesting and unusual. It has undoubted advantages:

• a small piece of land is enough;
• a small number of tubers is enough for planting;
• no weeding and hilling required;
• less watering;
• effortlessly manages to protect the bushes from the Colorado potato beetle.

However, the multi-layer bed in Chinese style also has disadvantages. Digging a fairly large and deep hole or trench is not so easy for a physically weak person. And the biggest disadvantage is that this method does not guarantee a huge harvest, which is written about on the Internet. Russian gardeners most often harvest from bushes planted according to the Chinese method, only slightly more tubers than with other growing methods. One tuber yields about 1.5–2 kg. There are several reasons for the failure: potato varieties are not suitable, agricultural technology is not followed, or Russian land does not work according to Chinese rules. Why the theory is not supported by practice and whether it is worth planting potatoes this way, gardeners who are not afraid to experiment can find out.

How to plant potatoes the Chinese way

Agronomists from China warn that this technology is only suitable for super-yielding varieties. Breeders of the Celestial Empire have been successfully breeding such potatoes for more than 50 years. In addition, for a Chinese-style garden, a special earth is needed, very airy and loose, which they say is like fluff. Without a fair dose of fertilizer, nothing will come of it either. Therefore, before proceeding with the experiment, evaluate your capabilities.

In China, potatoes are grown in the Yunnan province, in the southwest. Local farmers have bred up to 70 new varieties of tubers, about 20 of them have been distributed in other Asian countries. And at Yunnan University, the Academy of Potato Sciences was opened, its task is to study a promising plant. I must say that the main efforts of scientists are not aimed at finding new ways of landing. The Chinese are trying to solve the problem of potato propagation not with tubers, but with seeds.

Planting material preparation

The Chinese are attentive to the preparation of tubers for planting. Root vegetables the size of a chicken egg are best suited.

To activate the growth of the eyes, in the spring the potatoes are subjected to heat shock. It is taken out of the coolness and darkness. Then they are laid out in a light and dark room, but away from the batteries. Green tubers with sprouts are ready for planting.

If there is not enough space for sprouting potatoes, pour the tubers into ordinary glass jars. So they get enough light, and you free up space.

Before germination, you need to do tuber carving. It is cut approximately in the middle, choosing the pulp to make it look like an hourglass. Or make a simple cut along the circumference of the tuber no more than a centimeter deep. To prevent decay, the pulp must be treated with ash.

Video: processing tubers before planting

Potatoes in the hole

As experts on the Chinese method assure, in each potato pit, at least 20 kg of root crops are formed from one or two tubers. Therefore, calculate how many potatoes you want to collect, and based on this, determine the number of seats and proceed.

Planting potatoes the Chinese way

1. Dig a hole to a depth of half a meter, with a diameter of about 70–90 cm.
2. At the bottom, mix loose soil, rotted manure or compost (a third of a bucket), add a handful of ash, bone meal and superphosphate, mix again.
3. Plant a sprouted tuber in the nutrient mixture, two or three can be.
4. Sprinkle the potatoes with earth for 10 cm, pour.
5. After the sprouts stretch to 15 cm, carry out the first hilling in reverse, adding soil to the pit. Leave no more than 5 cm of greenery on the surface.
6. When the tops grow back to 20 cm, cover it again with soil, leaving only the top leaves on the surface.
7. Repeat the procedure until the planting hole is completely filled. Each time when hilling, feed the bush with compost, ash, reducing the dose compared to the first.

Caring for potatoes in a hole

Potatoes planted in this way do not require much trouble. In dry and hot summers, the bush is watered about once a week. If it rains and it is cool, it is enough to moisten it once when flowering begins. Top dressing can be added to irrigation water: potassium salt (700 g per 10 l), bird droppings infusion (1:20). So you will increase the yield and the tubers will be larger.

A dense layer of earth prevents air from reaching the roots, so periodically loosen the soil on the surface of the pit.

To prevent the appearance of the Colorado potato beetle, plant garlic and calendula between potato pits. These plants will repel pests.

Part of the potato buds can be removed so that the bush retains more nutrients and strength for the formation of tubers.

Chinese-style potatoes in the beds

Chinese potato beds, at first glance, are similar to traditional ones, but upon closer inspection, they are very different from them. Resourceful agronomists manage to combine different varieties in one planting and collect several crops.

in the trench

If there is enough space in the garden, try planting Chinese-style potatoes in trenches.

1. Dig a trench half a meter deep.
2. At the bottom, keeping a distance of 25–30 cm, make holes (30 cm deep, 50–60 cm in diameter).
3. Pour the mixture into the wells: a tablespoon of ash and superphosphate, a glass of fertile soil.
4. Put 2-3 prepared tubers into a loose and moist soil mixture, cover them with earth, and water.
5. Cover earthen mounds at the bottom of the trench with straw. This mulch helps retain moisture and prevents the earth from cracking. And the root system under the straw cover receives a lot of air and develops well.
6. Wait for the sprouts to rise by 15 cm, sprinkle them with earth with nutritional supplements, and straw again on top.
7. Apply powder, reducing the amount of fertilizer, each time the bush reaches a height of 15-20 cm, until the mounds appear on the surface of the trench.

two crops

In northern China, farmers use the potato planting method, which produces two crops from one bed. The first collection is carried out in June, and the second by the end of July. By the way, the experience of neighbors has already been adopted and actively used by Russians who live in Siberia and the Far East.

1. Prepare a trench about one and a half meters wide, 35–40 cm deep, the length depends on the amount of planting material.
2. At the bottom, pour a layer (15 cm) of rotted manure, on top - the same amount of land.
3. Along the trench at a distance of 60–65 cm, make two parallel furrows without affecting the manure layer.
4. Lay humus mixed with wood ash (2: 1) in the furrows.
5. Place the prepared tubers of early potato varieties on top, cover them with earth, pour no more than 5 cm. So you will quickly get shoots. If the soil layer is larger, sprouts will appear later.
6. Wait until the bushes grow to 15-20 cm, and carry out the first hilling.
7. A day or two after hilling, make 3 more furrows, along the edges and between the previous beds.
8. Pour a nutrient mixture (humus + ash) into them and plant medium-late varieties of potatoes.
9. When the crop ripens in the first beds, when digging potatoes, use the earth to hill up mid-late varieties. Thus, on a small area it will be possible to grow two crops.

Video: almost in Chinese - growing potatoes in a pit under straw

Potatoes under the film and in the greenhouse

In the northern regions of China, land in greenhouses for planting potatoes is being prepared in winter. Burning coals are placed in dug trenches to warm up the soil for growing early varieties. The temperature is constantly monitored.

The optimum soil temperature for the growth and development of new tubers is +18–23 degrees. With an increase to 25 ° C, the development of root crops slows down, to 30 or more - stops. Tubers will not form when the temperature drops to +12 °C.

When the earth warms up to 18–19 degrees, tubers are planted. Usually in Chinese greenhouses two protective layers are arranged. Above - a film stretched over arcs that protects plants from the cold and the scorching sun, it is removed from time to time with the advent of heat. And on the soil, a layer of some non-woven material is stretched (for example, agrospan, agrotex, lutrasil). It protects the roots of potato bushes, retains moisture, heat and prevents the growth of weeds.

How to care for potatoes planted in Chinese style

Caring for potatoes planted in the traditional way is a rather time-consuming process. It includes hilling, watering, loosening the soil, fertilizing plantings, weed control and protection from diseases and pests. Moreover, this work has to be done more than once during the season.

Potatoes planted according to the Chinese method need almost the same care. However, it will take much less time and effort. Planting technology suggests that there will be fewer bushes. This means that it is easier to take care of the beds. In addition, Chinese-style potatoes almost do not have to be weeded.

Chinese beds need to be watered less often. The multi-layer structure retains moisture better. Plants will need most of the water during the laying of tubers, the signal is the appearance of buds and flowering. If at this moment the weather is dry and hot, water the potato bushes more abundantly and more often. But don't overwater the soil. Check its condition first. If the soil is dry to the depth of a finger (7-10 cm), it's time to water. On average, a potato bush planted in the traditional way consumes 6 liters of water per day, early varieties are slightly less. Multi-layer beds in Chinese style are more water-intensive, so pour up to 10-12 liters under each plant. But the frequency of watering can be reduced. During the active growth of tubers, after fruit set, carry out one more feeding, in the heat, increase the volume of water to 15–20 liters.

Be sure to monitor the friability of the soil, only in fluffy soil can you grow a good crop of potatoes. After rain or watering, “fluff up” the crust that has formed in the top layer of the bed.

It is better to feed potato bushes with natural fertilizers: rotted manure, humus, bird droppings solution.

The addition of ash during planting fertilizes the soil and perfectly protects potatoes from rotting in wet weather. It is also useful for her to powder the tops - this is the prevention of diseases and a remedy for the Colorado potato beetle. Onion peel, poured into the soil or in the form of mulch, helps protect tubers from wireworm attacks.

Video: planting potatoes according to the Chinese method

Jia Haixa and Jia Wenqi are some of the hardest working people in the world. One of them is blind from birth, while the other has both arms amputated. However, despite this and their considerable age, in 12 years they planted more than 10,000 trees together.

We tell the story of two ordinary men who once again proved that nothing is impossible in the world.

1. Messrs. Haiksa and Wenqi met over 10 years ago when they were both looking for work. Haiksa recalls the moment when one day his son came home and said: “Father, I saw another boy peeling an orange. It smelled so delicious that I thought I even tasted it!” Then Jia realized that he could no longer just sit there and had to find money. (sayfala)

2. Two friends undertook a big deal - protecting the village from flooding. They rented a plot along the river for free and started planting trees there. (yzdsb)

4. Every day at 7 am they leave the house, armed with a hammer and an iron rod. Friends do not have money for seedlings, so for planting they manually collect cuttings, which, given their capabilities, is not so easy. (yzdsb)

6. While Haixa collects the pegs, Wenqi takes care of the watering. “I am his hands,” Haiksa says, “he is my eyes. We are good partners." (

It was on this day that the person revered in China, who set a personal example of planting trees, Sun Yat-sen, died, and it is in his honor that young people are now planted in the Celestial Empire every year. Today Tree Planting Day has the status of a national holiday (he acquired it 61 years after the death of the Chinese politician Yat-sen) ...

It was at the initiative of Yatsen in China that the "Resolution on a nationwide voluntary tree planting campaign" appeared, according to which each person who signed the document, aged 11 to 60 years, must plant 1-3 trees annually. You will be surprised - but there are a lot of signers in China! Signatures are put here voluntarily and most of the country's population supports and has always supported the resolution.
Planting trees is very important for China - with their help, the country is fighting one of the main enemies surrounding the country's major cities - sand. Blown out of northern deserts and degraded drylands, it coats roads, clogs railroad tracks and dries up pastures. According to Greenpeace, almost 98% of all forests in China suffer from sand today! This was also facilitated by long-term deforestation, which accelerated soil degradation. And here is the result - today more than a quarter of the country's territory is covered with sand. Against a new enemy, he builds another Great Wall, this time green. China is implementing the "Three Northern Shelters", which is the world's largest tree planting project. The "Resolution to Conduct a Nationwide Volunteer Tree Planting Campaign" became part of it - since 1978, more than 66 billion trees have been planted by Chinese citizens. By the end of the project, which is scheduled for 2050, the green wall should stretch 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles) along the edges of China's northern deserts, cover 405 million hectares and increase the world's forest cover by more than a tenth.
In the process of implementing the project, the Chinese have already faced a number of problems: firstly, only 15% of the trees planted in China's arid lands since 1949 have taken root. This is the data voiced by Cao Shixiong of Beijing Forestry University. Many trees today have already died "of old age" - not everyone knows that those trees that have grown artificially have a life expectancy of about four decades. In addition, planted trees suffer from weakened immunity - they are prone to diseases and suffer from insects: for example, in the province of Ningxia in northwest China, pests destroyed 1 billion poplars in 2000 - that is, as many trees as were planted here in two decades of work. . In dry areas, trees can even exacerbate desertification by depleting groundwater and killing grasses that bind the soil.
Most critics of the Three Northern Shelters project believe that it can only be successful if the government "works" with the right types of trees. In some areas, today the government has begun to restore local species: for example, we are talking about sea buckthorn - in the 1980s it was considered a shrub and destroyed like a plague, but today it is planted in arid areas. Many innovation and investment projects in China are botanical-related, with the World Bank providing China with $80 million in 2012 to grow a mixture of native shrubs to stabilize sand dunes in Ningxia for five years.
But the country's successes on the global sand control front are hardly universal today: in Minkin in the northwest, where two huge deserts slowly grow, the cost of planting trees has risen more than tenfold since the 1980s, and the trees here are dying very fast. fast! Since 2003, more than 450,000 people have been relocated by the Chinese authorities, in particular from the area called Inner Mongolia, to prevent further use of the land ... Only common sense and a deliberate approach to planting trees can help the Chinese keep such an enemy as sand.

Personally, at home, seeds in boxes with earth - early tomatoes, peppers and eggplants - have already sprouted. Little sprouts began to reach for the light. But we have sown, and our readers are not all. So it's time to talk about which seeds are better to buy. And why are the seeds from China so beloved by Amur residents so dangerous.

Amur people carry bags of seeds from China very often. They carry it through customs in pockets, in purses, hide it as best they can, because they know that it is illegal. The law prohibits the import of seeds into Russia without a certificate of varietal and sowing qualities. But Chinese seeds do not have such certificates. But the people are still lucky: they are cheaper, their yield, according to gardeners, is high, and the seeds themselves, unlike the goods of domestic producers, the Chinese pour much more into bags, - says Pavel Zhirnov, Senior Inspector of the Rosselkhoznadzor Department for the Trans-Baikal Territory and the Amur Region. “However, no one knows what's really in those packets of illegal seeds.

Mixed with weeds

The seeds themselves can be infected with various kinds of sores. Not only are such seeds unable to produce a crop, they can pretty much spoil the whole garden.

Remember, the Chinese make bags of seeds most often in an artisanal way. That is, they collect them from their beds by hand and fall asleep. Such seeds carry all the sores that the plants in the beds were infected with. Our seeds are produced under proper factory control and get into bags after careful selection.

Gene modifications

In China, genetically modified foods are officially allowed. In Russia, there is a strict ban on them. A textbook example: genetically modified corn began to be planted in Europe. Scientists have made its pollen poisonous to insect pests. But no one took into account that all the butterflies in the area would die from pollen. Enormous damage was done to the environment, - says Pavel Zhirnov.

But genetically modified foods are dangerous not only for butterflies. Geneticists got to plant seeds literally ten or fifteen years ago. Such a short period of time has passed since the plants began to be modified by force. And how GMOs affect the human body, no one knows. And we already eat them. By the way, the Chinese themselves are increasingly buying Russian soybeans, refusing the same genetically modified Brazilian, and even their own. Although, it would seem, to what an unpretentious people in terms of food. Russian scientists believe that GMOs can cause dangerous allergic reactions and even lead to cancer.

So, Chinese seeds may well be genetically modified. After all, the Chinese themselves rarely write about this on their products.

What is better to buy

Bags smuggled from the Middle Kingdom can be found at private traders in the markets. Chinese flower seeds - in flower shops. Sellers hide them from supervisory authorities, but if you ask, they will get them from under the floor. For the above reasons Rosselkhoznadzor categorically does not advise taking such seeds. Our, domestic seeds are quite good. Suppliers bring here, to the Far East, mainly those varieties that take root well on our cold soil and give a normal harvest before the onset of autumn cold weather. It is best, experts recommend, to purchase seeds in large specialized stores or from trusted, experienced private traders who value their reputation. So you are guaranteed to get a good harvest, and get rid of the danger of infection in the soil.

Each seller of seeds must have the original or a copy of the State Quarantine Phytosanitary Control Act. The presence of such a document means that the entire batch of seeds has passed the examination at the Rosselkhoznadzor and is completely safe. Require such an act when buying. You, as a consumer, are entitled to this. You can complain about sellers without the necessary documents to the local department of Rosselkhoznadzor by phone 8-914-396-44-60 .

But as for specific varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other cultivated plants, it’s hard to say anything specific. Very much of them, varieties, bred a lot. According to the Rosselkhoznadzor, up to 90 percent of the varieties of seeds sold in the Amur region are ideal, or almost ideal, for our soils and our climate.

NOTE TO THE READER

What is the fine for illegal seeds

In 2012, 671 packages of seeds and 55 seedlings were seized on the border between the Amur Region and China. Of course, not everyone who transports it finds illegal goods. If you are stopped at customs and the Chinese seeds hidden in your pants are seized, you will have to pay a fine. In accordance with the Code of Administrative Violations, it is:

From ordinary citizens - from 200 to 500 rubles,

From officials - from 500 to 1000 rubles,

From individual entrepreneurs - from 500 to 1000 rubles,

From legal entities - from 5,000 to 10,000 rubles.

By the way, dear reader (and what if you are the owner of a flower salon or the owner of a gardening shop), the same article of the law allows supervisory authorities to close your establishment for 90 days for a batch of illegal seeds.

BY THE WAY

What weeds can be in Chinese bags

Yes, any! But the most dangerous are dodder and ragweed.

Ambrosia no less harmful. Outwardly, it looks like a panicle with small inflorescences, like a mimosa. It survives under any conditions, the seeds winter well even in completely frozen ground. And the ambrosia seeds scatter heaps. This weed takes a lot of moisture from the ground. Cultivated plants do not leave a drink at all. In addition, ragweed is considered dangerous for allergy sufferers - it gives a lot of pollen, often causes sneezing, a runny nose and even asthmatic attacks in gardeners digging in the beds.

The site provides reference information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. All drugs have contraindications. Expert advice is required!

Garlic grown in Asian countries for more than three thousand years ago. Therefore, it can be assumed that for so many years in the homeland of garlic they have learned to cultivate this plant as efficiently as possible.

.site) will tell you about it.

First, let's figure out what is so useful in garlic?

It turns out that garlic is rich in protein. For a plant, a protein content of six to eight percent is not bad at all. Quite a lot of garlic gland. For more "glandular" garlic, plant it in the winter. Quite a lot of garlic ascorbic acid, vitamins of group B and PP. Another very valuable element is iodine also present in garlic in fairly serious quantities. Green garlic also contains vitamin A.
Garlic gives the food a very alluring and piquant aroma and taste. In China, garlic is very much loved and green garlic is preferred. The Chinese are so fond of nibbling young garlic that they do it even on the go, right in the middle of the street.

How is garlic grown in China?

Although there is an opinion that growing garlic is easy, it is not. To get a good harvest, you should know a lot of garlic secrets. One of them, for example, is that garlic does not like to grow on those beds where tomatoes, potatoes, onions, or garlic itself were planted before. For three whole years, the earth needs to rest after garlic plantations under other crops, so that garlic can be planted in this place again. But after lettuce, parsley, dill, peas, beans, cabbage, zucchini, cucumbers or pumpkin, garlic grows perfectly. Garlic can suffer from a variety of diseases that affect the heads and make them unfit to eat.

The Chinese allocate huge areas for garlic. Sowing garlic, according to their beliefs, is best done in the last decade of September or the first decade of October. In this case, the day should be chosen taking into account the phases of the moon. Land preparation work begins six weeks before planting, that is, at the end of summer. Garlic in China is grown in dry and well-lit places. The grooves are made in two with an interval of eighty centimeters - this is the bed. The depth of the groove is up to twenty centimeters, and its width is twenty-five centimeters. You can make not two grooves in the garden, but three, but this will greatly complicate your care for the plants. A layer of humus or manure is covered at the bottom of the grooves, slightly dug up with the ground and treated with an aqueous solution of copper sulphate. Now each bed needs to be covered with polyethylene and left until planting.

Plant garlic along the edges of the groove. You get two rows. It is very important to plant garlic in time. If this is done early, then it will give shoots that will freeze, and if it is too late, it will not have time to take root and will rot. Before planting, be sure to sort all the cloves of garlic in size into four piles. In order to protect garlic from pests, planting material should be dipped in a salt solution for a couple of minutes, take three tablespoons of salt for four liters of water, and then another in a solution of copper sulfate (half a teaspoon of vitriol for four liters of water). Now you can plant teeth. Plant large teeth at intervals of fifteen centimeters, smaller ones at intervals of eleven centimeters. Plant even smaller teeth at a distance of nine centimeters and the smallest teeth at seven centimeters from each other. The teeth are planted to a depth of five centimeters.

If you suspect a frosty winter, you can cover the rows with dry leaves, straw or peat. When warm days come, the insulation is removed, the earth loosens a little. When the garlic has three leaves, it's time to fertilize. After another two weeks, you need to fertilize again and in mid-June for the third time. The arrows should be cut when their length is fifteen centimeters. In China, they are eaten, stewed, used for conservation. If you do not remove the shooters or do it late, the garlic yield will drop by thirty to forty percent.

It is better to spud the garlic so that the heads do not stick out above the soil surface. You need to do this twice per cultivation. Garlic is ready for harvest when the leaves closest to the ground become dry, and the next dry half.
After harvesting, the garlic is dried right in the field. Two days on one side and two days on the other. At the same time, the heads of garlic are covered with garlic tops from another row.
Garlic is an excellent seasoning for the table, a component for dietary supplements (biologically active additives) and medicines.