Anyone ever done it? Going to try my hand at it this year. Think it would be cool to have my own potato variety.
Very cool. I crossed Superior with red norland, it looks like the pollination took. I can't wait to grow out a bunch of them next season.Dane said:Cool. Crossing potatoes is fun.
I have made quite a few crosses.
Kenabec x Norland red
Round blue Peruvian x Columbia diploid mix 2016-r12
These are 2 crosses I have been working with. 5th year for the Ken x red and second year for the diploid cross.
Sometimes environmental conditions are wrong and potatoes just won't flower.
My advice to force flowering, plant the tubers in heavy compacted soil. Your tuber yield will be shit. Just a bunch of small and micro tubers. But the plant itself will be well developed and it seems to almost trigger the plants to flower in order to reproduce. I have had success with this method for a couple of years now.
I use a tool called a "meadow creature" to break up the soil to about 12 to 16 in, but it leaves it in large heavy chunks.
Flower emasculation is best done in the evenings.
Pollination and collection is best done in the mornings.
When you do finally get the berries, seed extraction is pretty simple. I like to leave the berries to sit for a few weeks to a month before I actually do the extraction.
Have fun. Good luck.