If you are looking for potato fertilizer recommendations in Kenya, then know that you are in the right place. Important term to understand in fertilizer for potatoes is the potato fertilizer NPK.
During the first two months, potato plants require more nitrogen when the foliar part of the plant develops rapidly. The plants require extra potassium from the second month until two weeks before harvest in order to produce well-shaped potatoes.
So, what is the best fertilizer for potatoes? The best fertilizer for growing potatoes is the one with a low nitrogen (N) content but a high Phosphorous (P) and Potash (K) content (K).
To avoid the top of a young potato plant being overly lush and prone to disease like potato blight, it should contain less nitrogen. For the potato tubers to grow large and healthy, they require more P and K.
Best Fertilizer for Potatoes in Kenya
The two popular and the best fertilizer for potato farming in Kenya include:
- Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP)
- Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN)
Limit fertilizer to just nitrogen and phosphorous with Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) and Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN).
For potato production, the current fertilizer guideline is four 50 kg bags of DAP per acre, or 500 kg ha-1
While most potato growers in the region use two to four 50 kg bags of DAP acre-1, others will also use one to two 50 kg bags of CAN as a top dressing.
Potassium (K) is an important nutrient for potato production, although it is rarely used due to a widespread misconception that Kenyan soils are high in K. Nutrient mining and decreased yields have resulted as a result of this.
Best Fertilizer For Planting Potatoes In Kenya
At planting, apply 200 kg of diammonium phosphate (DAP) per acre.
Use Monoammonium Phosphate (MAP 11 percent nitrogen and 50 percent potassium) at the same rate on acidic soils with a pH below 5.5.
Fill a half-liter container halfway with fertilizer and sprinkle evenly in 15-meter-long furrows or 50 tubers planted at a 30-centimeter spacing.
Plant tubers in furrows of top soil with the sprout side facing up before the rains start to get the most out of the fertilizer.
To avoid sunburn, thoroughly cover the tubers after planting. The spacing between rows and tubers for pure stand potatoes is 75 cm between rows and 30 cm between tubers.
To make your work easier, one of the popular brands that offer fertilizer for planting potatoes is Baraka Fertilizer for potatoes which cost Ksh. 1, 934 for a 25kg bag.
Top Dressing Fertilizer for Potatoes
The technique of adding any natural or synthetic material to the soil to deliver one or more nutrients as needed by the plant/crop is known as top dressing.
The primary reason is to guarantee that a crop receives the nutrients it requires to develop.
Top-dressing potatoes in Kenya can entail the use of either organic or inorganic fertilizer.
Non-Organic Top Dressing Fertilizer
Either DAP or CAN fertilizer can be used for top dressing potatoes.
While most potato growers in the region use two to four 50 kg bags of DAP acre-1, others will also use one to two 50 kg bags of CAN as a top dressing.
There are so many brands you can buy your top dressing fertilizer. One example of a top dressing fertilizer that can be used for potato farming in Kenya is Mavuno Topdressing fertilizer.
Top-dressing potatoes in Kenya is done 4-6 weeks after planting. Topdress with 50 kg Mavuno Topdressing per acre and make sure the soil is moist
Organic Top Dressing Fertilizer
The fertilizer lies on top of the soil when it is top-dressed. Many organic gardeners top-dress the soil with compost and well-rotted manure, such as chicken manure, instead of growing a cover crop.
Well-rotted manure lowers the pH of the soil and adds nutrients, while compost helps the soil retain moisture.
To fill off the pre-planting fertilizer regimen, combine the manure and compost with bone meal, greensand, and kelp meal. After the planting furrows have been dug, the manure mixture is applied to the soil.
Best Foliar Fertilizer For Potatoes In Kenya
When doing potato farming, foliar fertilization is the application of fertilizer nutrients to plant leaves directly. Plant nutrients can also be absorbed by leaves, in addition to roots.
The nutrients are absorbed through the stomata, which are little pores in the plant’s leaves that allow gases to flow in and out.
One of the popular brand of foliar fertilizer in Kenya is the YaraVita folia micronutrients.
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