How to Grow Ullucos USA | Care, Pests & Disease Control

Diseases

Potato leafroll virus disease

Potato leafroll virus

Cultivariable: Potato leafroll virus is one of the most common viruses found in heirloom ulluco stock.

Papaya mosaic virus disease

Papaya mosaic virus

Cultivariable: Papaya mosaic virus is one of the most common viruses found in heirloom ulluco stock -- over 90% of heirloom varieties carry some virus; seed-grown stock tests clean.

Verticillium wilt

Verticillium dahliae

Cultivariable: Verticillium wilt is the most serious fungal threat to ulluco, with symptoms worsening above 75F/24C.

Ulluco mosaic virus disease

Ulluco mosaic virus

Cultivariable: an Ulluco mosaic virus is one of the most common viruses found in heirloom ulluco stock.

Black scurf and stem canker

Rhizoctonia solani

Cultivariable: Rhizoctonia solani reduces ulluco yields and increases storage losses -- the same soil-borne pathogen behind potato black scurf.

Pests

Voles

Microtus spp. / Arvicola spp.

Cultivariable: voles damage ulluco by severing stems at ground level, alongside mice.

Cucumber beetles

Diabroticina (various spp.)

Cultivariable: cucumber beetles are reported as serious pests of ulluco in some regions.

Slugs

Gastropoda (slugs, various spp.)

Cultivariable: slugs threaten young ulluco plants.

Mice

Muridae (mice, various spp.)

Cultivariable: field mice damage ulluco by severing stems at ground level.

Quick Facts

Factor	Value
Sunlight	6-8 hours direct sun
Minimum survivable temp	-4C
Drainage	Thrives even in poor soil (Cultivariable); loose, light soil is an advantage at harvest time; moderately acidic preferred; compost outperforms synthetic fertiliser.
Lifecycle	Tender tuberous perennial grown as an annual. Cultivariable: best suited to USDA zone 9a and cool maritime climates; performs poorly above 80F (27C), with even brief hot spells cutting yield.
Edible parts	tubers, leaves

At a Glance

Growth Stages

Stage	BBCH	Notes
Planting	0	Cultivariable: plant whole or cut seed tubers (with at least two eyes) once frost danger has passed, at a depth equal to the tuber's diameter; space plants about 15in apart in rows 24-36in apart. Plant roughly seven months before the expected first autumn frost to allow enough time to mature.
Canopy establishment	3	Cultivariable: plants form a dense, sprawling ground cover to about 3ft (91cm) across and 15in (38cm) tall, effectively suppressing weeds once established. Full sun gives the best tuber production, though afternoon shade helps where summers run hot -- growth stalls badly above 80F (27C).
Tuber initiation (short-day trigger)	5	Cultivariable: the main tuber-forming trigger only switches on once day length drops to around 13 hours or less, typically after the autumn equinox -- an honestly late and weather-dependent stage in a UK growing year, the same short-day tension already documented for Oca.
Tuber bulking and harvest	8	Cultivariable: tubers keep bulking through November into December/January; earliest worthwhile harvest is mid-November, with full maturity not reached until late December or January. Tubers tolerate a freeze better than the foliage does (about 75% viability after 25F/-4C), so a mild, frost-free autumn is what actually decides the size of the crop.

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: Cultivariable: earliest worthwhile harvest is mid-November (around 50% of potential yield); mid-December approaches 80%; full maturity is reached in late December or January, when most varieties have formed over 100 tubers per plant, though often only around a third are of a marketable size.

Storage

Cultivariable: store at 34-38F (1-3C), 90% humidity, in the dark -- ulluco has been known to keep for up to two years under these conditions, with one year readily achievable.

Ulluco, an Andean Tuber for Cool Maritime Gardens

A young plant establishing

Cultivariable: plants form a dense, sprawling ground cover once established, effective at suppressing weeds beneath the succulent foliage.

Dense ground-covering foliage

Cultivariable: a mature plant spreads to around 3ft (91cm) across and about 15in (38cm) tall before sprawling.

Grown in rows like a root crop

Cultivariable: space plants around 15in apart within rows, with 24-36in between rows depending on how dense a canopy is wanted.

Flowering rarely sets true seed

Cultivariable: true seed is extremely rare under natural conditions -- around 1 in 400 hand-pollinations succeeds -- so ulluco is grown almost entirely from seed tubers instead.

Succulent, spinach-like leaves

CIP: the leaves are edible too, similar in texture to spinach and rich in protein, calcium and carotene.

Tubers come in many colours

CIP: tubers come in a variety of colours and shapes, with soft, shiny skins that need no peeling before eating.

Known as papalisa in Bolivia

Ulluco goes by several regional names across the Andes -- papalisa in Bolivia, olluco in Peru -- reflecting its long history as a staple alongside potato.

A firm texture even after cooking

Cultivariable: tubers stay firm even after long cooking times, with a flavour ranging from earthy and beet-like to mild depending on the variety.

A single plant can form 100+ tubers

Cultivariable: at full maturity a plant may form over 100 tubers, though often only around a third reach a genuinely marketable size.

References

1. Cultivariable - Ulluco (Ullucus tuberosus) -- How to Grow

   Climate: cool maritime best (e.g. coastal strip Vancouver BC to San Francisco CA); USDA zone 9a; performs poorly above 80F/27C, brief heat cuts yield significantly. Tolerates mild frosts; tubers ~75% viable after a 25F/-4C freeze (hardier than potato tubers). Soil: thrives even in poor soil, moderately acidic preferred, loose/light soil helps at harvest; compost/earthworm castings outperform synthetic fertiliser or goat manure. Sun: full sun for good tuber production, afternoon shade helpful in heat. Planting: whole or cut tubers with 2+ eyes, planted after frost danger passes, depth = tuber diameter, 15in between plants in-row, 24-36in between rows, plant ~7 months before expected first frost. Day-length: primary tuberization on underground stolons is day-length-independent; secondary tuberization needs day length down to 13 hours or less (12 or less in most varieties), typically starting after the autumn equinox -- harvest not worthwhile before mid-November. Size: plants ~3ft (91cm) diameter, ~15in (38cm) tall before sprawling; can form 100+ tubers per plant, but often half or more are too small to eat. Propagation: primarily seed tubers; true seed extremely rare (about 1 in 400 hand-pollinations succeeds); stem cuttings root easily in water/moist soil. Storage: 34-38F/1-3C, 90% humidity, darkness -- up to two years, one year readily achievable. Pests: slugs (young plants), field mice and voles (sever stems at ground level), cucumber beetles (serious in some regions); deer show no interest. Diseases: over 90% of heirloom varieties carry viruses -- Papaya mosaic virus, Potato leafroll virus and an Ulluco mosaic virus are most common (seed-grown stock tests clean); Verticillium wilt is the most serious fungal threat, worse above 75F; Rhizoctonia solani also reduces yield and increases storage losses. Harvest: earliest worthwhile harvest mid-November (~50% of potential yield), mid-December approaches 80%, full maturity late December/January. Edible use: tubers raw or cooked (cooking reduces sliminess), flavour earthy/beet-like to mild depending on variety, firm texture; leaves edible raw or cooked, spinach-like.

2. International Potato Center (CIP) - Oca, Ulluco & Mashua

   Ulluco: "easy to grow, frost resistant, and is moderately drought resistant, although the plant prefers soils that are rich in organic matter." Tubers come in a variety of colors and shapes; high water content makes them most suitable for boiling; soft shiny skins need no peeling. Leaves also edible, "rich in protein, calcium, and carotene," similar in texture to spinach -- "a spoonful of cooked leaves can produce a considerable part of a child's daily essential nutrient requirement." Described as the most widely recognized and commercially viable of the Andean root and tuber crops. No specific pest, disease, propagation, size or harvest-timing detail given on this page. Used as a tier-1 substitute for RHS, whose Ullucus tuberosus and named-cultivar pages carry no cultivation content at all.

2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.