At non-compliance with storage conditions potatoes often sprout. Germination not in the best way affects tastes of vegetables, and here to planting stock it only advantage.
Practically always before landing potatoes are couched intend, however at the wrong storage when the humidity and temperature exceeds norms, potatoes begin to sprout at the beginning of spring and by the time of landing the sprouts reach such sizes (10-30 centimeters) that to plant seeds without oblamyvaniye of sprouts becomes just impossible. It is known that potatoes of the average sizes with sprouts of 1-5 centimeters are ideal for landing, such seeds yield good harvest. Those tubers which differ from these parameters are considered as unsuitable, they need only to be thrown out or fed to the cattle. However not everyone has funds for purchase of new planting stock for this reason by method of ""tests and mistakes"" gardeners have found way out of this situation.
In general, gardeners who grow up potatoes on the site need to care for planting stock properly. It is necessary to store it in the dark and at the minimum humidity, and temperature should not exceed +5 degrees. At emergence at the beginning of spring on potatoes of sprouts it is desirable to reduce temperature in storage to minimum (+1 degree).
As for question whether it is possible to tear off sprouts at planting stock, It should be noted that each tuber of potatoes has up to some kidneys, first of all sprout the strongest, at the same time tubers put almost all the energy in development of these sprouts and if to break off them, then on germination of the following sprouts a lot of time and the spent energy can leave it will not be filled any more, the harvest from such planting stock will be much lower.
From this it is possible to draw conclusion: sprouts at potatoes can be torn off only as a last resort when they have reached in length more than 20 centimeters. And it is desirable to tear off them at least in two weeks prior to landing, and it is better - in month. After the procedure it is necessary to store potatoes at temperature from +15 degrees that new kidneys as soon as possible became more active.