How to grow potatoes in Sri Lanka

GROW YOUR OWN POTATOES.
Soil Preparation
Use your best method to loosen up the soil 8 to 12 inches deep. Mix in compost or fertilizer

with coco peat if needed. Less nitrogen and more potassium as you want to minimize leaf

growth and maximize tuber growth. The soil PH should be below 5.2. Vermicompost and
bone meal should be sprinkled into the soil for added organic potassium. It is best to plant in
moist soil, not soaked and wet to avoid seed rot.
Plant the Seed
In Sri Lanka the mountainous  regions are more suited for potato growing. Plant no earlier than 2 weeks before the coolest period
with a soil temperature above 45 degrees F.Choose your favorite variety of potato with a high  starch content prepared for sprouting in a dark damp place. If the potato seed is egg-sized or smaller, you can plant it whole with the sprouts facing upwards. If it is larger you can cut the potato into egg-sized pieces with one or more eyes on each piece.
Trenching and Hilling Method
Make trenches 6 inches deep and 2 to 3 feet apart. The trenches should have a nice bank of soil on each side. Plant each seed potato about 12 inches apart. Cover the seed with about 3 to 4 inches of soil.
When the plants emerge in about 2 weeks, you can rake in the bank around the base of the
plants. This will fill in the trench and begin forming a nice mound. Be sure there is at least 1
inch or more of plant exposed for growing. In about 2 weeks or when the vines are 8 inches
tall, you can add more soil to the hill. Be careful about hilling after 4 weeks because this is
when the tubers start to form underground.
Mulching Method
Prepare the soil as mentioned before. Plant the seed pieces very shallow or on the surface of
the soil. Cover with 6 to 10 inches of loose paddy straw or dried leaves. When the plants grow
out of the mulch, cover with another 4 to 6 inches make sure there is enough mulch to keep
the sunlight from reaching the tubers causing green coloration which is toxic and bitter. Just
pull back the mulch to find how your potatoes are growing.
Barrel or Grow Bag Method

Place your barrel grow bag or wire cage over a prepared bed of soil. Plant about 2 or 3 seed pieces and cover with 4 inches of soil. As the plants emerge and grow, continue covering with mulch or soil. The longer growth period of
3 to 4 months will produce more potatoes.
Watering
It is best to plant seed potatoes in moist soil but not too wet. As long as the soil does not completely dry out, it is good to wait about 2 weeks for the plants to emerge
before watering to avoid seed rot. That is when the focus changes from not applying too
much water making sure the soil does dry out. not As the potatoes grow throughout the
season, you will be able to observe how they use more and more water. If you are drip irrigating
or spraying soak the soil thoroughly. Following which let the potatoes drink some of the
water and then check the soil in 2 to 3 days. The soil will go from wet to moist to dry. It is
best to irrigate before the soil gets too dry. Potatoes use 1 to 2 inches of water per week.
Water the potatoes at the root level and not the leaves to avoid leaf burn and excessive
evaporation. This helps the tubers to have uniform shape and helps make a better yield.
When the leaves turn yellow and wilt Stop watering for about 2 weeks before harvest and
naturally let the plant die after 90 to 120 days. This will help harden and cure the potatoes for
harvest.

Weeding
Pulling the weeds early in the season will allow the potatoes to take up their space and keep
the weeds down. Never leave it too late if not the weeds flower and you will have a bigger
problem with weeds. Cultivate or hoe the weeds as shallow as possible because this process
could damage some of the stolons (underground stems) that make the tubers. For small
patches, it is better to pull weeds by hand, getting them out before they are bigger than the
potato vines. Keeping the weeds down allows the potatoes to grow and not compete to
produce a better crop.
Pests
If insects are putting too much stress on the plants, we recommend using organic methods like insecticidal soaps and neem oil mixed with water and sprayed on the underside of the leaves.
Harvesting
You can check for new potatoes in about 50 to 60 days or when the plants are blooming.
Harvest your potatoes after 90 to 120 days and store in a cool dry place. At the end of the
growing season, the vines will die back from old age. Although not necessary, waiting about 2
weeks after the vines die will allow the potato skins to harden. This way you can avoid
skinning them during harvest and the potato will also last longer in storage.
Storage
The best place to store your potatoes is in the dark with a cool temperature. A constant 40
degrees Fahrenheit is ideal and a high relative humidity is best (85%-90%). At this
temperature, some of the starch in the potato will turn into sugar. It makes the potatoes taste
a little sweeter and the sugar is what turns brown when they are fried in oil. Storing potatoes
from 40 to 50 degrees helps them keep their starch content and they will not brown when
fried. This is how they are stored for the chipping industry. However, the potatoes will not last
as long when they are stored at 50 degrees.

For Growing tips on more root vegetables
and  further information call us or Visit our Farm
at NATURES BEST in Tangalle Sri lanka.