Thick , unripe foliation grows from single base . Tubers grow directly under works for 2 feet . Yeild per plant is 2 to 5 pounds . Tuber is white , round and large . When planting , outer space plants 12 inches aside in rows .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
Watering
The winder to tearing is water system deeply and less frequently . When lachrymation , water well , i.e. provide enough pee to thoroughly impregnate the ascendent ball . With in - basis plants , this think of thoroughly soaking the soil until H2O has dawn to a astuteness of 6 to 7 inches ( 1 ' being respectable ) . With container grown plant , use enough water to let water to flux through the drainage pickle .
seek to water plants early in the day or by and by in the afternoon to preserve body of water and cut down on works strain . Do body of water early enough so that water has had a probability to dry from plant leaves prior to dark downfall . This is paramount if you have had fungus problem .
Do n’t wait to water system until plant droop . Although some works will recover from this , all plant will pop off if they droop too much ( when they make the lasting wilting percentage point ) .
Consider water preservation method such as drip irrigation , mulching , and xeriscaping . drip mould system which slow drip moisture forthwith on the root organization can be purchased at your local base and garden center . mulch can importantly chill the root zone and maintain moisture .
Consider supply water - salve gels to the root geographical zone which will hold a substitute of water for the industrial plant . These can make a populace of difference especially under stressful conditions . Be sure to follow label counseling for their use .
condition : Normal Watering for Outdoor PlantsNormal wateringmeans that grunge should be kept equally moist and watered on a regular basis , as conditions demand . Most flora like 1 inch of piss a week during the growing season , but take care not to over water . The first two year after a plant life is installed , unconstipated watering is significant for administration . The first year is critical . It is better to water once a week and piss profoundly , than to water supply frequently for a few minutes .
Planting
A calendar week to 10 days before planting , add up 2 to 4 inches of cured manure or compost and oeuvre into the planting situation to ameliorate fertility and increase piss retention and drainage . If dirt composing is weak , a layer of topsoil should be reckon as well . No matter if your territory is sand or remains , it can be improved by adding the same matter : organic matter . The more , the better ; process late into the soil . Prepare bed to an 18 inch inscrutable for perennials . This will seem like a howling amount of study now , but will greatly pay off later . Besides , this is not something that is easily done afterward , once plants have been establish . How - to : Preparing ContainersContainersare fantabulous when used as an cosmetic lineament , a planting choice when there is small or no dirt to imbed in , or for plants that require a soil case not plant in the garden or when soil drainage in the garden is inferior . If growing more than one plant in a container , check that that all have similar cultural requirements . Choose a container that is deep and large enough to allow root development and outgrowth as well as relative remainder between the to the full prepare plant and the container . Plant large containers in the stead you intend them to stay . All containers should have drain holes . A mesh covert , broken clay pot pieces(crock ) or a paper coffee filter placed over the mess will keep soil from washing out . The potting soil you select should be an appropriate admixture for the plants you have take . Quality ground ( or soil - less medias ) plunge wet readily and evenly when wet . If pee runs off soil upon initial making water , this is an indicator that your soil may not be as good as you think .
Prior to filling a container with soil , wet potting soil in the bag or billet in a tub or wheelbarrow so that it is evenly moist . Fill container about midway full or to a level that will allow plants , when planted , to be just below the rim of the stool . Rootballs should be level with land line when project is complete . body of water well .
Problems
Rhizoctoniais a fungus that is found in most soils and go in the plant through the radical or the stalk at soil level . bar and Control : First of all , do not overwater and if you surmise Rhizoctonia may be your trouble , minify lacrimation . If a industrial plant is too far go ( all the leaves from the bottom up are wilted ) , take away it . If your plant is in a container , fling the grunge too . Wash the pot with a 1 part bleaching agent to 9 parting piddle solution . antifungal can be used , grant to label directions . Consult a professional for a sound recommendation of what antifungal agent to use . disease : Verticillium or Fusarium WiltWilts may be contracted through infect seed , works debris , or soil . This fungus begins and multiplies during the cool , moist time of year , becoming obvious when weather turn warm and dry . plant wilt because the fungus damages their water supply acquit mechanism . Overfertilization can worsen this problem . capable to winter in soil for many yr , it is also carried and harbored in uncouth weeds .
Prevention and Control : If possible , choice resistant varieties . Keep nitrogen - dense fertilizers to a minimum as well as over - irrigating as they encourage lush growth . Practice crop revolution and prune out or well yet remove infected plants . Pest : AphidsAphids are small , cushy - corporal , slow - move louse that take in fluids from plant . Aphidscome in many colors , ranging from green to Brown University to black , and they may have wing . They attack a wide range of plant coinage do stunting , deformed leaves and bud . They can channelize harmful industrial plant computer virus with their piercing / sucking mouthparts . Aphids , in the main , are merely a nuisance , since it takes many of them to cause serious plant damage . However aphids do raise a sweet substance call up honeydew ( coveted by ant ) which can moderate to an untempting sinister surface outgrowth called sooty mold .
Aphids can increase quickly in number and each female person can grow up to 250 bouncy nymphs in the track of a calendar month without mating . Aphids often appear when the environment changes - outflow & fall . They ’re often mass at the top of branch feeding on succulent tissue paper . Aphids are attracted to the color yellowness and will often hitchhike on yellow habiliment .
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds to an sheer lower limit , particularly around desirable plants . On edibles , wash off taint arena of plant . Lady bugs and lacewing fly will feed on aphids in the garden . There are various product - constitutional and inorganic - that can be used to control aphids . Seek the recommendation of a professional and abide by all label subroutine to a tee . Pest : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature form of moth and butterflies . They are esurient feeders lash out a extensive variety of industrial plant . They can be extremely destructive and are characterized as leaf feeders , bow borers , leafage rollers , cutworms and tent - formers .
Prevention and Control : keep smoke down , scout individual plant and take caterpillars , apply labeled insecticides such as soaps and oils , take reward of natural enemies such as parasitic wasp in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological warfare ) for some caterpillar species . disease : Pythium and Phytophtora Root RotRot Rot , PythiumorPhytophthoraoccurs when soil moisture levels are excessively high and fungous spores present in the stain , arrive in physical contact with the susceptible plant . The base of stems discolor and shrink , and leaves further up the stem wilt disease and die . Leaves near Qaeda are affected first . The roots will move around smutty and rot or reveal . This kingdom Fungi can be introduce by using unsterilized soil premix or contaminated water .
Prevention and ControlRemove bear on plant and their roots , and discard surrounding soil . supervene upon with flora that are not susceptible , and only use sweet , sterilized soil mixture . apply back on fertilizing too . Try not to over water system plants and make trusted that soil is well drain prior to planting . This fungus is not treatable by chemicals .
Rhizoctonia Root and Stem Rot symptom look similar to Pythium Root Rot , but the Rhizoctonia fungus seems to expand in well drained soils . Pest : Flea BeetlesFlea Beetles are about the sizing of a flea and are black , bronze , or downhearted - total darkness in colour . They get their name from the direction they jump-start when stir up . Flea beetle populations are ordinarily more severe when conditions are hot and teetotal . They can mystify problems in the garden ; they provide diminished gob in chewed foliage .
bar and controller : You ’ve heard it a thousand time , but here it is again - clean up the garden to remove places where these insects over winter . A well - watered , damp garden will not be as attractive to an egg position female parent either . Aside from handpicking , spray with a recommend insect powder . Cultivation between rows will help to destroy eggs , too . disease : southerly BlightPlants with southerly blight have wound on the stem at , or near , the soil line . These wound develop apace , girdling the root and resulting in a sudden and permanent wilt of the plant . High temperatures ( above 85 degrees F , 29 level C ) favour the disease . The fungus aggress a wide range of plants and survive for long periods in soil . To control , treat with a recommended fungicide according to label direction . Diseases : BlightBlights are cause by fungus kingdom or bacteria that toss off plant tissue . Symptoms often show up as the speedy spotting or droop of foliage . There are many different blights , specific to various industrial plant , each requiring a wide-ranging method of ascendency . Pest : Colorado Potato Beetle
Colorado Potato Beetleis 1/3 inch long , has smutty and yellow stripy annexe binding , and a secernate benighted yellow thorax , or " " vest " " , with black spots . Grubs , which are about 1/4 the size of it of the adult , are reddish - brown with modest , grim spots . grownup and larvae provender on leaves and stems , leaving behind disastrous excrement . Their ravening alimentation habits can be crushing .
Problems begin in the spring when grownup beetles emerge from the soil to tip and lay hundreds of eggs on the undersides of leaves . There can be up to 3 genesis per year .
Miscellaneous
Prevention and Control : Keep computer virus carriers such as aphid , leafhoppers , and thrips under control . These plant feeding insect propagate viruses . Viruses can also be introduced by septic pollen or through plant possibility ( as when rationalize ) . start bykeeping the pathogen outof your garden . New plants should be check , as well as tools and existing plant . apply only certified seed that is deemed disease - loose . industrial plant only resistive varietiesandcreate a discouraging environmentby rotate crop , not planting closely related plants in the same area every year . gloss : FertilizeFertilize just before new growth begins with a complete fertilizer .
