In article it is told about batate and technologists of its cultivation.
From experience of the practician
From experience of the practician
With Batat "fell ill" about fifteen years ago. During that time I was fond of cold-resistant grades of a persimmon and decided to go to Sochi, in a botanical garden to look after for myself something from grades which there grow up.
Having sated the interest, gathered was to leave already the garden territory as suddenly my attention was involved by the workers who are digging out of the earth any unusual tubers. Potatoes – not potatoes: tubers very large, chlenisty, on lashes of roots; it seems as at a cane – roots with tubers, but large. Too not that.
Asked workers that this such. They also called – batat. And to sate my curiosity, explained, how it grow up and with what it eat.
Asked for them a couple of backs. One of workers, pokovyryavshis in a waste, chose a little klubenkov and stretched them to me. Since then here near subtropical cultures: a persimmon, zizifusy, a kiwi, a fig, pomegranate, Avraamov a tree – substitute of black pepper, a bamboo I grow up also root crops subtropical batata.
Many who knows this culture "by sight", its second name – sweet potatoes frightens off. Sweet supposedly as if the frozen. But me, obviously, it was lucky. I do not know, how the grade which has got to me is called, but sweet in its tubers almost isn’t felt, from the real potato to taste them hardly will distinguish.
And generally this representative of family lyutikovy to paslyonovy has no relation. And in it its huge advantage: the main enemy of potatoes and its relatives – the Colorado beetle isn’t interested in it. And it means that itself batat processings piretroidami and big chemistry doesn’t need.
It is very simple in reproduction, this newcomer from Brazil. Cut off some green sprouts, thrust to the earth, water and povyutsya on a lash site with green heart-shaped leaves.
Tubers I store in the winter in a room under a bed. Well remain, don’t decay. In the spring I land them in capacity on sprouts. I transplant shanks and as this culture subtropical, on a site I land late – at the end of May, and even in the beginning June. But to develop root system and to create time crop batatu quite suffices.
As to other features, first of all, I will note draft of this southerner for the sun, sandy, but the soil not deprived of a humus and to waterings.
Y.Bogdanovsky.
Feodosiya.