Potato seed preparation
Best condition of successful potato culture is certified seed. But you can also use your own home grown potatoes seed or seed from a gardening neighbor if you are sure that it is undamaged and free from disease.
The ideal seed size is around 50 to 100 grams (about the size of a golf ball). If the seed is too small, it may not be able to supply maximum energy to the new plant before the plant gets established.
Chitting (Sprouting) of potato seed
It is very important that your tubers using as potato seeds are kept in a frost free area. Spread them out in a cool, well ventilated place prior to sprouting (called ‘chitting’).
All seed potatoes can benefit from chitting and the formation of strong ‘chits’ over several weeks gives faster growth when planted out and heavier crops.
For chitting seed potatoes you can use seed trays, shallow boxes or empty egg cartons. You will notice that the immature ‘chits’ are all at one end (called the rose end).
Place the rose end upwards. Keep in a dark, dry place until you see tiny shoots appearing, then move to a cool (8-10°C), well lit place. Sturdy ‘chits’ will form which should attain 25mm (1 in.) in length.
Tubers can safely stay in their trays until planting conditions are right. If the seed develops a lot of long, stringy sprouts, break off and discard all but one or two; lay these horizontally in the trench when you plant.
Potato seed piece size
After selecting seed potatoes, cut them into seed pieces weighing approximately 1.5 to 2 ounces. Smaller-sized seed pieces usually result in weaker plants and reduced “recovering” capabilities when a late frost injures emerging potato vines. Each cut seed piece should contain at least one eye or short sprout.
An important practice to discourage rotting of potato seed pieces is to “heal” the freshly cut pieces by storing them at room temperature (60–70˚F) with fairly high humidity for 5 to 7 days before planting.
This allows the freshly cut surfaces to develop a protective coating that will help prevent seed decay.
