Окучивание картофеля — главный миф советской агрономии. Вы делаете это зря каждое лето

I've been hilling potatoes for forty years. Just like everyone else. Because that's how our grandfathers did it, because it's written in Soviet brochures, because no one checked—it was simply passed down as an axiom. I checked. This video presents the results of seven consecutive seasons of observations on control plots: with and without hilling. I examine five specific mechanisms of damage caused by hilling: what happens to stolons, the root system, the temperature in the tuber zone, soil aeration, and the starch content of the crop. Everything is presented with figures, everything is measured. Spoiler: in plots without hilling, the average tuber weight was 18–23% higher. The total weight of marketable potatoes was higher in five out of seven seasons. And this was achieved with less labor. I also examine the main argument of those who advocate hilling—preventing greening—and explain why mulch solves this problem better, more cheaply, and without harming the plant. Why is this myth so persistent? Where did Soviet hilling standards come from, and what purpose did they actually serve—not an agronomic one, but an accounting one? We'll talk about that too. I'm not promoting laziness. I'm promoting results. If it's important to you to understand what you're doing in your garden and why, subscribe to the channel. There are no ads for seeds or miracle fertilizers here. Only what's proven in practice and explained to the point. New episodes are released regularly—click the bell to stay up to date. 🌱 Gennady Fedorovich Kalinnikov — agronomist, 40 years of experience, collective farm fields in the Krasnodar Territory and Stavropol Territory. No chemicals. No advertising. No unnecessary words.