What Should You Do With Potato Flowers

We are pretty sure, you're aware of the potato plant that offers us an edible element growing underneath the earth's surface. But are you aware of the flowers, they bear above the soil surface?

Well, to make it short, potato plants do bear elements like leaves, flowers, and fruit above the soil surface that are not edible, in fact, they're considered poisonous. How come the same plant that provides you with nutritious potatoes bears the poisonous elements? This is the question.

Potatoes do have flowers and they are generally produced during the end of their growing season. At the end of the potato plant life cycle, flowers are found to attract pollinators that will help the plant to reproduce.

The flowers of potato plants which resemble small, green tomatoes are believed to signify the matured potato plants. Flowers are generally produced when the plant has utilized enough energy and resources to develop a strong root system and foliage. Find out more potential reasons for blooming potato plants below:

• Flowers on the potato plant could be an indicator that the plant has been over-fertilized.
• It could be a sign that the potato plant has started to produce tubers underground.
• High or very low outdoor temperatures can also encourage potato plants to bloom.
• Flowers could be a sign of a well-developed potato plant that is ready to transition into the next stage of their life cycle.

Well, it all depends upon you making this an optional practice. However, you should be aware of, what happens when you choose to remove them and keep them because these two actions can lead to different consequences.

The flowers are certain to project a visually captivating aura to your garden but they also produce poisonous fruit from which you might want to keep your family aware and away. If you're interested in collecting potato seeds for the next year and think it is fine to allow them to enjoy their natural life cycle, you're right in your preferences.

Again, this depends upon whether you want to cut the potato flowers or not. Now, let us discuss what happens when you cut the flowers of the potato plant. The first thing is simple, you eliminate the risk of potential threats caused by poisonous fruits produced by the flower.

On the other hand, if you remove the flowers of the potato plant, you can direct the plant's energy toward tuber production rather than on the flowers to produce seeds and fruits, this will eventually enhance the production of potatoes. The decision is yours to make.

There are a few things you need to keep in mind if you've decided to cut the potato flowers. Since you're now determined to divert your potato plant's energy toward tuber production and enhance the yield, you should perform the cutting very effectively.

Scroll down to find out how you can prune the potato flowers in the best possible and productive way:

If you've finally decided to cut down the flowers of a potato plant, you should first make arrangements for the necessary tools that will assist you while trimming the flowers. Be prepared with boots and gloves to cover your exposed skin.

Make sure you choose sharp and clean pruning tools such as scissors or gardening shears that will help to make a smooth and clean cut around the base of the stem where flowers are blooming.

Another important aspect is to identify and locate the flower buds on your potato plant. You should know that flowers are above the surface of the soil and are usually located at the top of the plant.

Moreover, flowers are found to bloom with their stems attached to the branches of the potato plant. The enchanting and vibrant color of potato flowers can be easily detected with their whitish or pinkish coloration. Similarly, you can find the flower buds at the end of the top stems.

Once you've identified the flower stem and buds, you need to firmly hold them so that you can make an easy and effective cut. Keep in mind that for any cut to be effective, the element to be cut must be stabilized.

It would be best if you plan to cut the flower stem on a day when there's less wind and the airflow is mild. This can help you to trim down the flowers more comfortably.

Having done the necessary preliminary essentials, you can now begin to make a clean cut on the flower stem. Hold your pruning tools firmly and with ease, gently hold the stem, and snip off the base of the stem with flowers.

Make sure to cut it in one stroke and since the stems are quite thin, you would find it relatively easier to cut the potato flower stems. While cutting, keep in mind not to cut too deep into the plant. Just below the flower cluster where the stem meets the buds would be fine.

Although the flowers of potato plants are enchanting, the fruits they bear along with them are not beneficial for you. They are considered poisonous, so you should keep your pets and kids away from them.

After pruning the flowers and fruits, you need to properly dump them into the bin or garden waste. Make sure to look after your kids and pets while cutting the flowers and fruits of the potato plant.

Well, after completing the stage of cutting and disposing of the potato flowers, there's something more you need to do. If this is the first time you're following this guide to remove the potato flowers, there's a high possibility, you might've missed something. Therefore, you need to thoroughly inspect your potato plants at the end for any signs of missed flower stems and buds.

In addition to that, you need to continue to keep an eye on the potato plants and repeat the process if new flowers start to appear. Similarly, you should look after your plants after removing the flowers for any unusual signs, making sure they continue to grow vigorously.

Several researchers and their results have suggested that potato flowers can bring significant changes in both the quality and quantity of potato production. Detailed research carried out by the University of Minnesota in 1942 showed that removing flowers from the potato plant yielded more than the fruiting potato plant.

Similarly, the experiment 'Effect of Flower Bud on Tuber Yield and Quality of Potato' conducted in the Horo district of Western Ethiopia around 2021-22 indicated that removal of buds from the top portion of the potato plant significantly improved the tuber yield and quality of potatoes.

We have been mentioning poisonous flowers and fruits of potato plants since the beginning. This is because you must be aware of the fact that these elements of the potato that grow above the soil contain a toxic compound called, solanine, making them unsafe for human consumption.

They should therefore be kept away from the pets and small children. The fruits are essentially the product of flowers that are usually small and green resembling tiny tomatoes. The seeds of the fruit are found to carry the genetic information of the potato plant.

1. Potato Flowers in Breeding

Well, the fruits that have been developed from the flowers of the potato plant contain seeds, that can be used in breeding programs. It is possible that flowers can actually lead to the development of new potato varieties.

You can conduct cross-pollination from the different varieties and give new results on the cultivars of the potato species that might possess more improved characteristics with enhanced nutritious value.

2. Potato Flowers for Decorative Purposes

Yes, in addition to their agricultural value serving as a staple food, the attractive flowers of potato plants can be used for decorative purposes as an ornamental addition to the gardens and parks.

The vibrant color of the potato flowers can certainly reserve its place in your yard giving more aesthetic appeal and complementing other garden plants. The potato plants have the potential to serve both as vegetable and flower gardens.

There could be multiple signs on the potato plant that suggest the plant is growing healthy and vigorously. Among different signals, flowers on the potato plant could be one of them. The flowering, in fact, depends upon the climate but is usually found to occur in the early to mid-summer, around June or July.

Although flowers are considered a crucial development milestone for potato plants, some varieties do not bear flowers but offer maximum harvest. Nonetheless, if your potato blooms you've nothing to lose, you can point your plant to a healthy potato plant with a well-developed tuber.

1. Seed Potatoes

Seed potatoes are different from the potato seeds. Unlike seed potatoes, seed potatoes are tubers that are used to produce a crop of harvestable potatoes by planting them in some kind of container or garden. Potatoes are pretty easy to grow from the seed potatoes.

People often prefer using seed potatoes rather than the actual seed of the potatoes to produce the potatoes because the latter can be more time-consuming. Keep in mind that, unlike the seeds, seed potatoes do not last for a prolonged period and require planting within a few weeks after buying.

2. Planting Site

Before you plant your seed potatoes, you need to allocate some time for preparing the planting site. Make sure you choose a site that gets full sun for at least 6 hours per day. The soil where you've decided to bury the seed potatoes must be loose and well-drained otherwise the potatoes will rot due to the wet soil.

Keep in mind to cultivate the soil 8-10 inches deep with the addition of nutrient-rich organic matter such as manure or compost. This will allow the potato plant to grow healthy and productive.

3. Planting Potatoes

You can choose either rows, hills, or large containers to plant the potatoes. Make sure you dig a hole up to 4-6 inches deep and gently place the seed potatoes on it, giving enough space of about 8-12 inches between each other.

After that, you need to cover them completely using several inches of soil, if required you can add a layer of mulch as well on top. Mulching will maintain the soil moisture and prevent the scorching heat of the sunlight from reaching the potatoes.

4. Sprouts

After planting the seed potatoes, you will then observe sprouts emerging from the soil. This can usually take about 2-4 weeks after the plantation. A single clump of greenery or several clumps might be visible on the soil surface.

Well, if your potato has started to sprout way before planting them, don't panic, it is completely normal. However, you shouldn't be late to plant them into the soil. In general, you've to wait for the greenery to penetrate the underground soil and emerge on the surface.

5. Vegetative Growth

Once the sprouts are visible on the soil surface, the potato plants have begun vegetative growth. For the plants to reach their full maturity, a period of around 60-100 days is recorded.

During this time, the plants are found to grow very rapidly working on both sides of the ground. The plants will quickly grow larger and bushier with single or multiple stems on each of the potato plants.

6. Tuber Formation and Growth

After 15-30 days of sprout emergence on the soil, potato plants will begin to produce new tubers. Above the ground, there'll be large and tall vegetative growth while below the ground there will be as many as 20-30 tubers.

This phase of the potato plant is very crucial which has been found to directly affect the final harvest so, you need to make sure your plant receives essential materials consistently. After 45-90 days of sprout emergence, you can receive full-size potatoes in your hand.

7. Flowering

The potato plants bloom toward the end of the tuber growth. This has been found as an indication of maturation and the end of the plant's life cycle. Flowering usually occurs after 60-70 days of plantation.

The vibrant colored flowers of potato are found to last only for a few days. Commonly flowers of potato plants are white or pale purple in coloration but some varieties are found to have darker pink, dark red, or purple color.

8. Maturation

Maturation is the final stage before harvesting your potatoes. This phase usually lasts for about 10-20 days. During this period, the green leaves of the plants are found to turn yellow and eventually die.

But this is the case for only the part above the ground, the potatoes underground are safe. Having reached this maturation stage, potatoes underground will try to be as large as possible. When the potato plant completely dies, you should know it's time to harvest them.