Potatoes – it's all about eating quality

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Potatoes – it’s all about eating quality

NORMAN Laird, owner of Six Mile Valley Potatoes, grows all his own produce for sale in local markets and retail outlets in the Ballyclare/South Antrim catchment area.

Given the nature of the business his priority is to produce ‘spuds’ with an excellent eating quality.

“There are no second chances,” he said.

“Consumers want potatoes with good flavour and excellent eating quality. My reputation is totally dependent on my ability to met these requirements.”

Selecting the most appropriate varieties to grow is the starting point to every potato enterprise. This year Norman has chosen British Queen, Pentland Squire and Maris Piper, Dunbar Standard and Navan.

“But a lot can also be done to enhance flavour and potato dry matters,“ he further explained.

With this in mind Norman has been including ‘Hebridean Liquid Seaweed’.

With every blight spray applied over the last two growing seasons. And such has been the results achieved that he will be using this unique product on all his 2012 crops. The seaweed extract, which is supplied by Richard Owens from ‘Owens Farm Solutions’, comprises a very wide range of elements concentrated from the sea.

Richard, who recently called in with Norman Laird, explained how Hebridean Liquid Seaweed actually works:

“The seaweed is harvested from the Isle of Lewis on the Outer Hebridees. It contains more than sixty natural organic elements, amino acids, enzymes, trace elements and growth promoting substances as well as high levels of solubilised alginates, a major source of nutrients for biological activity in the soil, thereby helping to create the ideal soil structure.

“These, in turn, have a catalytic effect on crop growth by supplementing the plants own biochemistry and ensuring greater efficiency in the growth mechanisms of crops to which it is applied.

“As the roots develop and strengthen, nutrients previously locked up in the soil are released, thus negating deficiencies in trace elements and ensuring more effective use of fertilisers and therefore enabling to keep crops such as potatoes greener and healthier.

“As Hebridean Liquid Seaweed is one of the most concentrated seaweed products on the market it enables potato crops to deal with stress during its growing period and enable the soil to distribute nutrients equally to each tuber once it has initated so that it produces tubers of a more uniform size and prevents the crop dying too early.”

Norman Laird concurs: “I have found that my saleable yields have increased significantly since applying the product as not only are the potatoes more of an equal size, but also flavour is much better with the Hebridean Liquid Seaweed.”

But that’s only part of the story: Richard Owens again: “The seaweed extract also acts as a very effective wetting agent, thereby improving the effectiveness of the blight fungicide, with which it is mixed in the spray tank.”

He concluded: “The application rate on potatoes is 1.5 litres per hectare, per spray.”

For further information, telephone Richard on 07990690857.

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