Black Prince is a medium-early potato variety that differs from other varieties in its blue-violet skin color, as well as a high level of antioxidants. This variety is unsuitable for industrial cultivation, but is popular among amateur summer residents.

Selection history

There are many versions on this score, but the most popular and believable - the founders of the variety are two countries - Israel and Holland. And the moment that this purple potato is characterized by low, but high-quality productivity, only confirms this opinion.

Variety description Black Prince

Potatoes are not popular among farmers, however, they cause only positive reviews from the owners of personal plots. The bush is small in size, so it takes up a minimum of land. The tubers are even and neat, and the shape is oval, slightly elongated. The root crop leaves a very impressive size: length - no more than 12 cm, and weight - 150 g.

Important! Peripening period does not exceed 3 months.

Harvest from one bush does not exceed 7 potatoes. During cooking, the Prince does not darken and does not turn blue, although he has a dark purple peel. Also, this variety has useful properties: a high content of protein, vitamins, valuable amino acids, beta-carotene.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Black Prince

• Pros:
• incomparable taste;
• the root crop itself has a high density, which reduces its damage during digging;
• tolerates winter well, as it can withstand changing temperature conditions;
• the immune system is adapted to most modern diseases.

The chemical component of the vegetable favorably affects the slowdown of cell death in the human body, which stops such an inevitable process as aging.

• Minuses:
• low productivity.

However, according to agronomists, 5-7 pieces from a bush is a good result. Molecular studies have shown that there are harmful components, but they do not differ from the properties of ordinary potatoes. This refers to the green areas of the vegetable, which are strongly recommended to cut in any potato.

Planting and growing varieties

It is not difficult to grow black potatoes, but you need to properly prepare the soil and tubers for planting, as well as adhere to the rules of growing and caring for the plant.

Dates and features of landing

Start planting in the same way as ordinary potatoes. Considering the fact that the Black Prince will fully mature after 90-95 days, it is recommended to introduce it into the soil in early May.

Preparing soil and tubers for planting

For a better harvest, it is strongly recommended that you pay attention to the selection of seed potatoes. You must select a standard average size. It is important to select tubers of saturated color and with small indicators of sprouts.

Did you know? Potatoes can be successfully grown in space. This is narrated NASA article, which was published in 2010.

The Black Prince is unpretentious to landing, however, the soil is different for everyone. In the event that the earth is sandy in composition - bring potatoes in a trench way, which will greatly save time and effort. In the case of a chernozem or clay surface - making holes. In both cases, the vegetable is applied at a distance of no more than 30 cm.

Preparing planting material

Preparation is just as important as the growing process itself. After selecting potatoes for planting, put them in a warm place or cover with a blanket. It can be sprayed with water for faster germination of sprouts. Before applying to the soil, treat the root crop with a mixture of mineral fertilizers and ash. You can also handle the growth accelerator - "Kornevin", "Heteroauxin."

Landing Features

The black prince must be brought into the ground along with other varieties. The simultaneous (crossed) moment of flowering of crops only positively affects pollination. It is also necessary to use wood ash: it contributes to the enrichment of the soil with nutrients, and that is why the pits (trenches) sprinkled with it give a greater yield.

Did you know? Flowers potatoes were previously used as decoration. Marie Antoinette loved potatoes so much that she decorated her hairdo with it.

Potato care

To care for potatoes, the following steps will be required:

1. Weed or weed harvesting - an integral part when working with vegetable crops. It is carried out with each new shoot of grass, but at least three times in the summer season.
2. Carrying out weeding, it is necessary not only to remove excess vegetation around the bush, but also to soil the soil - this contributes to the enrichment of the soil with oxygen.
3. Affects fruiting and hilling.. You need to wait until the bush rises to a height of 20-30 cm and with a chopper to heat the hill around the trunk. Over time, the earth will shrink, which is why it is important to repeat the procedure several times until flowering.
4. You can rely on natural conditions, but fertilizers will not be superfluous. For Prince, fertilizers are applied once a month. There are several stages of growth: initial, flowering, full ripening. The first - no less responsible than the rest - is the formation of shrubs and the appearance of additional fruits. At the initial stage, about 0.5 liters per urea solution bush will help. The flowering period should go by itself, without any intervention from the outside. When it remains a few days before digging up the long-awaited crop (about a decade), you need to moisten the bushes with superphosphate.
5. The Black Prince is resistant to changing weather conditions. Ideal conditions are short rains in spring and summer. In case of dry weather, watering is required. The ideal time for this is early morning or before sunset. When watering potatoes with a watering can or hose, water should flow under the bush. If moisture gets on the leaves, they burn out under the influence of ultraviolet rays.

Potato diseases and pests

The Black Prince is resistant to many potato ailments, such as:

• potato cancer;
• golden cyst-forming nematode;
• common scab.

Pests can still affect the health of potatoes, but there are currently a ton of options to deal with them. Many dark-fruited varieties are very attracted by pests, especially Colorado beetles. And the Black Prince is no exception, therefore it is necessary to remove weeds in a timely manner, as well as sprinkle row spacing with sawdust materials or chopped straw, which inhibit pests both in the soil and above it.

Important! Do not forget about the introduction of ash into the soil before planting, as it not only enriches the earth, but also is a preventive measure for the occurrence of various ailments. Potato can not do without rotting, and therefore wood ash will help to avoid this unpleasant moment.

In the fight against the Colorado potato beetle, chemicals will help: Regent, Commander, Prestige, Lightning, Apache. Between the rows there remains a land space that must be kept clean, close to ideal, because excessive vegetation contributes to the propagation of pests.

Harvesting and harvesting the Black Prince

The potato grows under a bush, and therefore, when harvesting, it is necessary to retreat with a shovel by 20 cm from the intended target. After the harvest is harvested, it must be left for a week in a well-ventilated area. It is forbidden to take the root crop into the basement immediately after digging, it needs to dry.

Basement placement also requires some conditions:

• the box should not be deaf, but with openings for ventilation;
• the container must be raised from the floor (put on bricks or bars) in order to avoid the abundant growth of sprouts;
• in case of severe frost, containers with products must be insulated with a blanket or unnecessary warm rags.