cultivation onion to obtain a head (bulb) in summer cottages experienced gardeners causes no difficulty. However, in order to get large (200-400 g) bulbs, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the cultivation technique, which has its own characteristics.
General Approaches to Getting Healthy Quality Onions
Large onions start with seeds. Onions per bulb (head) can be grown through seeds (nigella), sevok (arbazheyka) and seedlings. On a garden wedge suburban area for growing large bulbs of onions for the purpose of eating and winter storage, it is more practical to grow a crop from sets.
To get a crop of large heads (up to 200-400 g) of onions, several conditions are necessary:
- selection of a zoned variety with a large bulb;
- proper storage of seed;
- compliance with the requirements of agricultural cultivation.
Varieties and size of the bulb
Do you want to get a large onion? Be attentive to the planted varieties. Onion is a long-day plant and reacts painfully to the ratio of the dark and light periods of the day. Onions have a very interesting varietal feature of the reaction to the length of daylight hours. Culture tolerates climate change more easily than lack of daylight hours.
Southern varieties of onions are genetically predisposed to grow and form a storage organ (bulb) as the length of daylight hours approaches its maximum - 13-15 hours. The approach of the maximum in the south takes a long period, and the zoned variety has time to build up a large vegetative mass, including a large storage organ.
If the southern variety of onions is planted in the northern region, where daylight hours days in summer season very quickly reaches a maximum of 15-18 hours, the plants will tend to finish the growing season as soon as possible and form bulbs. The formation of the storage organ (bulb) means the end of development, and retirement. Bulbs do not have time to gain mass and remain small.
Northern varieties of onions planted in the south will constantly form leaf mass in anticipation of the onset of the longest day at 15-18 hours. And since in the south maximum length daylight hours ends at the 15 o'clock mark, the culture continues to increase leaf mass, and the bulb does not form at all. The variety does not have enough light time to move on to the next phase of development.
Therefore, dear readers, if you want to get a large onion bulb, be sure to take into account the reaction of the culture to photoperiodicity. Grow southern varieties of onions in the south, and northern varieties in the north. Otherwise, the onion heads will be small, unripe, or not formed at all. In this case, both a large-headed, but not zoned variety, and the fulfillment of all the requirements of agricultural technology will not ensure the production of a large bulb.
Selection and storage of seed
It is possible to get a high yield of large onion bulbs only when sown with high-quality seed, which can be purchased in a store or grown on your own and stored properly before planting in the ground.
When self-harvesting seed, it is necessary, after harvesting and drying the crop of onions, to divide them into fractions:
- Oatmeal, 0.5-0.7 cm in diameter;
- Group I, 0.8-1.5 cm in diameter;
- II group, 1.5-2.2 cm in diameter.
The best for sowing is considered arbazheyka I and II groups.
Before planting, the selected seedlings are stored in a cool room at a temperature of 0 ... + 2 ° C and not higher, and in a warm room at + 17 ... + 18 ° C (away from heating batteries).
If was violated temperature regime and the arbazheyka were stored at home at a temperature of +2 ... + 15 ° С, it makes no sense to hope for a quality crop of onions. During the spring landing in open ground such a bow set will begin to shoot. A thick hollow peduncle will take away some of the nutrients, the onion bulb will be small. In addition, the base of the peduncle in the bulb will serve as a source of decay in the autumn-winter period.
In this way, mandatory conditions to obtain a crop of large bulbs of onions are the variety and quality of planting material.
Onion growing technology
Precursors of the onion
Good predecessors for onions in the crop rotation are tomatoes, cucumbers, early and medium potatoes, zucchini, legumes, early cabbage. Onions are well combined with carrots, beets, radishes, greens, which allows these crops to be used as compactors in combined beds.
Planting period
Onion sets can be planted in late autumn or in early spring. In practice, spring planting of onions is preferable. Climate cataclysms recent years can provoke early shoots and their death during return frosts, cause partial rotting of the set during the winter. The stress state of plants will cause the formation of small bulbs.
Depending on the weather conditions and warming up the soil, arbazheyka is sown in warm regions in the last decade of March - early April, in colder regions (middle lane) - in the last decade of April - early May. AT northern regions after frost has passed and the soil has warmed up to + 6 ... + 10 ° С.
The optimal soil temperature for sowing seedlings is +10…+12°С, and air +3…+5°С.
Shoots of onions will appear on the 5th - 6th day. If you plant sevok in unheated soil, it will begin to shoot. If you are late with planting, then, once in dry, overheated soil, the onion will slow down its development and will not form a large bulb. That is, in order to obtain a large onion bulb, it is very important to withstand the timing of planting the seedlings.
Onion seedlings are tolerant of cold weather and easily tolerate short-term frosts down to -3°C. But during the autumn planting and the onset of spring return frosts, the grown plants stop growing and developing when the temperature drops to -3 ... -5 ° C, which subsequently affects the size of the bulb.
Preparing seed for planting:
- Select for planting only absolutely healthy onion sets;
- Cut the dry tips at the top of the set carefully with scissors;
- To protect the sevka from fungal infections, be sure to disinfect hot water, a solution of potassium permanganate, other known methods. A decontaminated onion room temperature dried until dry. Until planting, it is stored in a damp burlap.
- The next day, they are planted in prepared soil.
The requirement of onions to the soil
Onions do not tolerate acidic soils and fresh organic matter. Therefore, when growing in crop rotation, organics and deoxidizers are introduced 2-3 years before planting onions under previous crops. Onions do not like liming the soil, therefore, if deoxidation is necessary in the year of planting, 3-4 cups of ash per square meter are applied for the main tillage. m area.
For normal growth and development of plants, the soil under onions must have a neutral pH = 6.4-6.7 units, be moisture-intensive, permeable, fertile.
Planting material of onion - sevok Fertilization
Onions take significant amounts of nutrients out of the soil with the harvest, but they do not need to be fed. Uniform supply of nutrients and moisture during the growing season will contribute to the constant growth of the vegetative mass of the bulb. On depleted and dense soils, from autumn, under the main digging of the soil for onions, ripened crumbly humus is introduced no more than 1 / 3-1 / 2 buckets per square meter. m or sow green manure. Rye, oats, mustard, rapeseed loosen the soil well. On dense floating soils, you can use mustard with legumes, sweet clover, vetch-oat mixture. Mixed green manure crops will not only loosen the soil, but also saturate it with available nutrients.
From mineral fertilizers, nitroammophoska 50-60 g / sq. m. or only phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, respectively 25-30 and 15-25 g / sq. m, and in the spring, urea is added for sowing no more than 20-25 g / sq. m.
If soils are depleted and required increased rates fertilizer, it is better to apply 2/3 of the dose from the fall, and apply the rest in the spring before planting.
Rules for landing arbazheyka
Sowing is carried out in the prepared soil in a single-row way or in 2-3-line tapes. In the tape between the rows, 8-12 cm are left and between the tapes - 20-25 cm.
With the first method, in a row between the bulbs, the distance can be different:
- When planting "shoulder to shoulder", the planting density is high, since the distance between sets in a row is 1.0-1.5 cm. With this planting method, 2 thinnings are carried out:
- at the first thinning, the distance is increased to 4 cm, and the young onion-feather is used for food;
- after 25-30 days, a second thinning is carried out, leaving a distance between young plants of 7-10 cm.
The second landing method is an ordinary one. Sevok is planted at a distance in a row after 8-10 cm, between rows - 20 cm. Thinning is not carried out. Arbazheyka is placed in the furrows vertically upwards, to a depth of 4 cm, fall asleep from above soil by 2.0-2.5 cm and slightly compact with the palm of your hand.
Caring for onions during the growing season
It is very important to keep the soil moist, loose and free of weeds during the growing season. Weeds shade the bulbous zone at the base of the plants and provoke the accumulation of a fungal infection. Mulching post-watering onions is a must. The crust that forms after watering causes an uneven supply of moisture to the topsoil (sometimes dry, sometimes wet), which reduces the possibility of forming a large bulb. Loosening is only superficial, in wide aisles. When loosening in a row, damage to superficially located roots negatively affects the growth of the bulb. Onions cannot be spudded. On the contrary, during the growth of the bulb, the “fashionista” opens her shoulders towards the sun. A significant role in the formation of a large bulb belongs to timely watering.
Watering onions
Watering and top dressing for onions in the first 2-3 months are especially important. Interruptions in the supply of nutrients and violation of the irrigation regime during this period lead to small onion heads and a loss of its taste.
Approximate frequency of watering:
- The first month, watering is carried out once a week with the obligatory subsequent loosening and mulching with crushed mulch. Under a large mulch, pests settle, a fungal infection accumulates. Fine mulch keeps the topsoil from drying out and quickly decomposes when exposed to moisture. During this period, the soil during irrigation is soaked up to a 10 cm layer.
- In June, by the bulb growth phase, the number of irrigations is reduced to a 10-day break, but the soil is soaked to a 20-25 cm layer. To avoid stagnant water, watering is carried out with small sprays.
- In July, watering is carried out every 8-10 days as needed (avoiding the drying of the soil in the root layer).
- In the second half of July, the soil is only kept moist, and they switch to “dry watering”. The soil is loosened, mulched, be sure to get rid of weeds.
- 2-3 weeks before harvesting, watering is stopped and the shoulders of the bulbs are gently “exposed” from the ground. The procedure contributes to the ripening of the bulb, especially the stem at the base. Unripe stems in winter are affected by fungal-bacterial rot.
Watering errors
- Watering with high pressure breaks the feather, causing interruptions in the supply of nutrients to the plant, weakening it. The plant is sick.
- Can't water onions cold water. When watering with water below + 18 ° C, the culture becomes ill with powdery mildew.
- It is necessary to keep plantings absolutely clean from weeds, not allowing them to grow above 5-8 cm.
- On an area clogged with unweeded and improperly watered, the onion root collars remain juicy, which sharply reduces the keeping quality of the bulb.
Feeding onions
The formation of large bulbs require a fairly large amount of nutrients. Their entry to the culture should be uniform, without starvation breaks and overfeeding. Onions are best fertilized with nutrient solutions. The introduction of dry dressings is not so effective.
First dressing of onions
With sufficient basic soil dressing, the first top dressing of onions can be postponed to June, and if necessary, it is carried out after 2-3 weeks from germination. Thin light feathers - a signal to feed.
For top dressing, a spoonful of ammonium nitrate or urea is diluted in 10 liters of warm water. Bring under the root for 10-12 running meters. If the soil (for various reasons) was not sufficiently fertilized before planting, then it is better to carry out the first top dressing with complete fertilizer using nitroammophoska, Kemiru-lux, crystallin in the form of a solution (25-30 g / 10 l of water). After top dressing, the plants must be washed with watering with a fine-mesh nozzle.
The second dressing of onions
The second top dressing is carried out in the second decade of June with a solution of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. 20 and 10 g of superphosphate and potassium sulfate are dissolved in 10 liters of warm water and applied under the root of the plants. During this period, instead of a phosphorus-potassium mixture, you can once again feed the plants with nitroammophos, increasing the concentration of the solution to 2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water. Additionally carry out foliar top dressing trace elements or boron with the addition of ash extract (0.5 l per 10 l of water).
The third dressing of onions
The third top dressing is carried out if necessary, if the development of the bulb slows down, The third top dressing is carried out with the size of the bulb with Walnut usually with a solution of superphosphate. 40 g of superphosphate are diluted in 10 liters of water. The flow rate of the solution is approximately 5 l/sq. m of landing area.
It should be noted that onions on fertile and well-filled soils with mineral fertilizers can not be fed with fertilizers, limiting themselves to fertilizing with microelements and ash extract.
Protection of onions from diseases and pests
To protect onions from diseases and pests, plants are treated for preventive purposes with biofungicides (against diseases) and bioinsecticides (against pests). The most common biofungicides are planriz, gaupsin, alirin-B, trichodermin, glyokladin.t Actofit, aversectin-C, bitoxibacillin, verticillin, bicol are used for pest control. Treatment solutions are best prepared in tank mixes. The selection of biological products, their dosage and mixing should always be carried out according to the instructions. Processing of onions is carried out at least 3-5 times during the growing season in the morning. The last treatment can be carried out 2-3 days before harvest. Biopreparations are absolutely safe for people and animals.
Treatments begin at the first visible change in feather color or plant condition.
The beginning of harvesting is determined by the state of the above-ground mass of the onion. Depending on the variety:
- plant leaves turn yellow
- lie down,
- lose turgor, etc.
When harvesting, onions are pulled out of the soil, left for 1-2 weeks under a canopy for final drying. The dried onion is sorted out and winter storage lay dense bulbs with a dry root neck, covered with dry upper scales. Before laying in a container for storage, dried stems are cut by 3-5 cm into a stump or braided and hung in a dry, warm place.
Thus, the cultivation of onions with a large bulb requires careful implementation of agricultural practices, the main of which are:
- selection of a zoned variety;
- seed quality;
- timeliness of sowing;
- compliance with the rules of care, which include timely watering and top dressing, keeping the soil moist, weed-free, with optimal plant density.
Qualitative fulfillment of the requirements of agricultural technology creates all the prerequisites for obtaining a high yield of large bulbs.
Every gardener in the spring asks himself such a question. The article reveals the secrets of growing and storing this vegetable. So , let 's figure it out .
Landing in the ground
Clay soil is not the best place to grow onions. If you have it just like that, then you need to fill it with sand and mix thoroughly. The soil should be slightly alkaline. Acidic lands can be turned into the ones we need with the help of dolomite flour.
For disinfection For planting material, small bulbs are enough to simply hold in a light solution of manganese for about 15-20 minutes. This will also give the bulbs additional moisture that may be lacking in the topsoil.
To make the bow start up the feather faster, you should cut off the top.
Pour a little salt into prepared holes or rows. It will relieve you of the need to process the onion from the invasion of the onion fly. It is advisable to plant carrots and onions nearby. Or alternate rows. In addition, the onion will scare away the carrot fly and spiders that weave their "houses" on the carrot leaves.
top dressing
In order for the green feather to please the eye, and the bulbs to be dense and not rot after harvesting, fertilizers must be applied.
one . Two leaf stage:
- 10 liters of water;
- 1 liter of mullein or 1 glass of litter;
- 30 g superphosphatedissolved in water;
- 1 glass of ashes.
2. After 2 weeks:
- 10 liters of water;
- 30 g of superphosphate;
- 10 g of nitrogen fertilizer;
- 5 g of potash fertilizers.
We repeat the same at the end of June.
Important !
If you did not have time to give fertilizer at the end of June, and for some reason this procedure was postponed to the first days of July, then do not use nitrogen fertilizers! Since the greenery from them will be very beautiful, but the bulb itself will begin to rot in the garden.
As for potassium, it is best to take sulfate. The secret is simple : onions need sulfur , and onion 's safety depends on potassium . By the way, a lot of potassium is contained in ordinary ash!
Do not use fresh manure and potassium chloride for top dressing. If this is done, then only in the fall before plowing the land.
Don't forget about phosphate fertilizers. It depends on the size of the bulb.
How to save the grown crop?
Everyone is looking for ways to make onions last until the next harvest. This is easy enough to do if you follow a few basic rules:
one . Onion harvesting - end of July, before the start of rains.
2. Dry well. It is advisable to do this in places hidden from the sun, but well ventilated.
3 . Remove dried dirt. Cut off the dried feather, leaving at least 8 cm.
four . Spread the onion so that it is in one layer.
5 . If you decide to store in nets or fabric bags, then be sure to sort it out from time to time. One bulb will deteriorate - everything that touches it will rot.
Follow the rules and enjoy your harvest almost all year round!
Growing onion-turnip in two years (sowing culture)
The essence of the method lies in the fact that in the first year, small bulbs with a diameter of 1-3 cm, weighing 1-4 g are grown from seeds. With this method, the bulbs ripen earlier and the onion is better stored in winter. Ripening is accelerated by 30-45 days.
Soil and seed preparation is carried out in the same way as when growing from seeds in one year. To obtain a well-ripened sowing, sowing is carried out densely, with a distance between rows of 12-13 cm, and in a row the plants are 1-2 cm apart from each other. Per 10 square meters. m will need 50-75 g of seeds. If nigella is rarely sown, then sowing on fertile soils will grow until autumn and will not ripen.
Seedlings are weeded and loosened 2-3 times, but not thinned out. When a second leaf appears, fertilizing is carried out with mineral fertilizers at the rate of ammonium nitrate and superphosphate, 10 g each, potassium chloride -5 g per 10 square meters. m.
Two months after sowing, only three or four leaves are formed, the height of the plant reaches 20 cm, small bulbs begin to form and the leaves turn yellow and die. Cleaning starts in August.
Harvesting time has a significant impact on the yield of onion sets. The sooner the onion sets finish the growing season, the deeper the dormant period and the later it leaves this period. Optimal time harvesting - 7 days after the start of lodging of leaves. A sign of sevka lodging is a single lodging of leaves and their tops. Harvesting should not be delayed, since with the onset of rainy weather, the seedlings start to grow and are poorly stored.
Onion sets are pulled out of the ground by hand, left for 10-15 days to dry, turning over daily. The tops are removed only after complete drying, when it becomes thin and brittle. After drying the sowing in the garden, it is finally dried indoors and put into storage until spring next year. Biggest Harvest onions are obtained from a fairly large set with a diameter of 22-25 mm, bulbs are obtained somewhat smaller from a smaller set.
Onion sets are stored at a temperature of +12...18°C. Seeds that are stored at a low temperature can produce more shooters.
Growing turnips from onion sets
Seed processing for planting in May begins at the end of April.
To prevent the formation of arrows and activate the growth of primordia, as well as to disinfect onion sets, 20 days before planting, they are heated at a temperature of +45 ... 40 ° C for 8 hours.
To combat onion thrips and stem nematode, seedlings are disinfected in hot (+45 ° C) water for 10 minutes before planting, and then immediately immersed in cold water.
To grow onion turnips, onion sets are planted in rows with row spacings of 20–25 cm; in a row, small sets are planted every 8–10 cm to a depth of 3–4 cm. Onion sets should be planted in moist soil when it is at a depth of 5–10 cm will warm up to + 10 ... 12 ° С. Landing in unheated soil will facilitate the start of shooting.
For 10 sq. m requires 400-600 pieces of seedlings, when planting bulbs with a diameter of 1-1.5 cm, they will weigh 350-500 g, with a diameter of 1.5-2.2 cm -700-800 g.
Onion care should be the most thorough. No culture responds to timely loosening of the soil, watering and top dressing like onions. Care consists in weeding and frequent shallow (4-5 cm) loosening of row spacing.
The first feeding is done 10 days after planting: 10-15 g of urea, 30-40 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium salt per 10 liters of water. If the plants grow intensively, nitrogen is excluded from top dressing.
In the second top dressing in early July, 30 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium chloride are dissolved in 10 liters of water. One bucket of solution is spent on a row 10 m long.
At the beginning of growth, the onion needs sufficient moisture. Excessive moisture in the second half of the growing season leads to the fact that the formation of bulbs is delayed. Dry and hot weather is necessary for the ripening of the bulbs. If the weather is wet, you can cover the bow with a waterproof film, but air it daily.
When asked how to grow good harvest onions, the focus should be on not only the rules of care, which are quite simple, but also the preparation of the soil and the choice of planting method. Today, many people use onion sets for planting, but you can also sow the seeds yourself, although this method is more complicated and labor-intensive. Consider both methods of growing onions, the rules for planting, fertilizing, weeding.
The main attention, when planting onions, should be paid not only to the rules of care, but also to soil preparation, as well as the choice of planting method.
Planting seeds and onion sets on the site
Grow onion sets, which are valuable seed material. You can get a good harvest from seeds that are planted a year earlier. How to prepare them for landing?
The seeds are planted slightly wet or dry, while they must be soaked for two to nine days, observing room temperature. You can soak them under other conditions, it will take only eight hours. In this case, water should have a temperature of up to +40 degrees.
Onions should be sown in autumn or spring, it all depends on the readiness of the soil. The width of each bed should be 1 m. Per square. m of soil usually requires 9-10 g of seeds, after planting they are covered with a layer of humus 1-1.5 cm thick. After that, the planting site is mulched with leafy soil or peat.
It is necessary that the soil in the onion beds be loose, nutritious and moderately moist.
To grow onions from sets, bulbs with small sizes up to two centimes are used. Before planting, they must be sorted out, all sick and dried up should be separated, only strong, healthy sets can be used. To prevent fungal diseases, before planting, it is recommended to warm the bulbs for ten to fifteen days to a temperature of 40-42 degrees for eight hours.
Sevok is planted in early May in already warmed soil, usually it is cut a little, then soaked in water mixed with slurry in a ratio of 6: 1 for 12-24 hours. Furrows are drawn on the bed, into which the sowing is planted, the distance between the individual furrows should be approximately 20 cm. The planting depth depends on the soil moisture, the beds are sprinkled with humus on top.
If the sevok is planted before winter, then it is necessary to choose a place for the beds so that in the spring they are not flooded with melted snow. The soil is also sprinkled with humus, ash, mineral fertilizers, planting should begin in September-October. The planting depth in this case will be 3-4 cm, the distance between the rows - 20 cm, between the individual bulbs - 4-5 cm. The beds must be mulched with humus or peat compost with a layer of 2-2.5 cm, and dry leaves will do.
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Care rules
Particular attention should be paid to watering the plant. It is water that has a huge influence on the formation of leaves and roots.
They grow onions without unnecessary difficulties, there are no special and complicated rules for caring for them. In the first 2-3 weeks it is necessary Special attention give watering to plants, since it is water that matters in the formation of roots and leaves. After each watering, it is necessary to loosen the soil so that moisture penetrates well into it.
As for soil fertilizers, the issue is more complicated. Many experts believe that if you fertilize the soil before sowing, then further fertilizer is not needed. On the other hand, it is very difficult to do without top dressing during the growing season, the onion may stop developing correctly. Therefore, we can recommend applying fertilizer moderately: during the preparation of the substrate for planting onion sets and during cultivation in three parts (we will talk about this separately).
When growing onions upper layer the soil should be kept in a loose state, a depth of 4-5 cm is enough. At the same time, loosening allows you to get rid of weeds that can adversely affect the development of plants.
As the onion grows, it is necessary to thin out the onion, do it evenly, so that a distance of 8-10 cm remains between individual plants.
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Weeding onions
When growing, great attention should be paid to the cleanliness of the beds, that is, to carry out weeding in time, to remove all weeds. This must be done due to the fact that the weed contributes to the creation high humidity near the soil surface, and this often causes plants to be affected by various fungal diseases.
When grown on soils with weeds, the onion neck will become juicy, this will not allow the plant to be stored normally, the onion will begin to rot. All weeds are removed when they reach a height of 3-5 cm. After that, the soil can be slightly loosened.
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top dressing
During the growing season, do not forget about top dressing, it is better to do it in three steps:
- The first feeding is carried out at a time when the leaves are still weak and have a light color. How to properly prepare the composition for fertilizer? To do this, dilute a glass of ordinary mullein in 10 liters of water; in addition to mullein, you can use a tablespoon of urea or a glass of bird droppings. It is necessary to water the beds with the resulting mixture, based on the calculation of 2-3 liters per square meter. m of soil.
- The second feeding is carried out fifteen days after the first. Now, two tablespoons of nitrophoska are diluted in 10 liters of water, after which the beds are watered, based on the calculation of 5 liters of the mixture per square meter. m.
- The third top dressing is done when the bulbs reach a size of about 3-4 cm in diameter. To do this, two tablespoons of superphosphate are diluted in 10 liters of water, they begin to water the beds at 5 liters per square meter. m crops.
When growing onions, it is better not to forget about fertilizers, since it is precisely such support with minerals that will help the plant not only grow stronger, but also develop correctly. The onion will become juicy, tasty, dense, its feathers will not be bitter.
Not a single dish is complete without onions. Do you want to learn how to grow it yourself? Then be sure to read our article. In it you will find detailed instructions on growing onions and describing the main methods of cultivating vegetables.
We will also help in growing green onions: photos and videos will be useful for those who want to grow them on the windowsill.
Growing onions
This plant was cultivated by man very early. Onions came to America after the expedition of Christopher Columbus, who not only discovered this overseas spice, but was also related to the beginning of cultivation on the continent.
Bulb onion is a biennial plant that has a characteristic odor due to the presence of sulfur and essential oils in it.
Vegetable phytoncides destroy streptococci, diphtheria, dysentery and tuberculosis bacilli.
Everyone can grow it: traditionally (in a two-year culture), from purchased seeds, from a sample. In any case, the vegetable requires the same soil conditions and care.
Consider the most popular varieties of onions(picture 1):
- Arzamas - maturation period up to 100 days. It is well kept in the winter and does not constitute problems at leaving. Bitter in taste.
- Moldavian- very productive variety. Well preserved and considered universal.
- Bessonovsky- sharp look. Keeps up to 9 months almost without loss. Unpretentious to care.
- Siberian annual- mainly grown from seeds. The bulb produces many green feathers. The variety is resistant to shooting, perfectly preserved.
- Strigunovsky- refers to early varieties. Well preserved, resistant to rot. Sharp and bitter in taste.
Picture 1. Popular varieties: 1 - Arzamas, 2 - Moldavian, 3 - Bessonovsky, 4 - Siberian annual, 5 - Strigunovsky There are also many varieties for middle lane Russia, giving a rich harvest with minimal effort and cost (Figure 2):
- Stuttgarner- grown by seedlings or seedlings. The taste is bittersweet.
- Shetana- suitable for cultivation in northern regions. The crop is well preserved.
- Odintsovets- early varieties. Can be used for forcing greens.
- Danilovsky 301 and Commissar- refer to mid-season varieties. Violet fruits, large enough. They keep up to six months.
- Albion f1- bulbs white color. The plant tolerates adverse climatic conditions well, resistant to diseases.
Figure 2. Varieties for central Russia: 1 - Stuttgarner, 2 - Shetana, 3 - Odintsovets, 4 - Danilovsky, 5 - Albion f1 What is useful onion
Onions are rich in protein, maltose, sucrose, fructose, polysaccharides, proteins, fats, acids (citric and malic), as well as a whole complex of vitamins and chemical elements(Figure 3).
The vegetable is widely used in cooking and the canning industry. It is used in raw, sautéed, fried, boiled, salted and pickled forms.
Figure 3 Beneficial features onion In industry, they are used in the production of canned meat, in the processing of fish, sausages, and spicy sauces.
The vegetable activates the metabolism, stimulates the work of the digestive organs and hematopoietic organs, helps cleanse the blood, and removes excess fluid from the body. It is also used for cosmetic purposes: it activates hair growth, moisturizes and cleanses the skin.
But still, you should not get too carried away with onions, as this can negatively affect the work of the kidneys. You should also be careful when using raw vegetable and its juice to people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, serious heart diseases. However, even when similar diseases it can be consumed in moderation in boiled or baked form.
Soil preparation for planting
The crop gives the highest yield on chernozem and humus-calcareous soils, as well as on alluvial soil.
Since the seeds germinate for a long time, you should carefully prepare the soil in advance.
Figure 4. Preparing the beds for planting onions Since autumn, you should dig the site to the depth of a shovel, remove weeds and add humus or peat-dung compost to the soil. Fresh manure is not recommended, due to the risk of introducing pathogens and weed seeds into the soil. On the acidic soils it is necessary to additionally carry out liming, and on solonetsous - gypsum, it should be noted that the introduction of humus and lime should not be carried out simultaneously.
With the advent of spring, the soil should be loosened with a rake and mineral fertilizers should be applied, distributing them over 2-3 top dressings during the growth period. At the same time, fertilizers are applied shallowly.
Note: Sunny places or light partial shade are well suited for growing onions (Figure 4).
In crop rotation, onions are placed after tomatoes, cucumbers, early cabbage and legumes. The culture is returned to its original place after 3 years.
How to grow onions
You can plant onions with seeds or bulbs, both in spring and autumn. It is planted in early autumn to produce green feathers for spring. With the advent of spring, they are grown to store and receive planting material.
To save the harvest of winter crops, you can use agrofibre, which transmits light well. They carefully cover the bed before the onset of the first frost and remove it before the start of the growing season.
Winter onions are particularly sensitive to weeds, so they need to be regularly weeded and watered.
Growing onions from sevka
There are several ways to grow. Each of them has its own characteristics, but in general, if you follow the rules for caring for the plant, you can get a good harvest, regardless of the method of cultivation. It is considered traditional to obtain onions from sets (Figure 5).
Note: Sevok are small onions from which you can get large heads. There are large and small sets. It is planted both in spring and autumn.
Spring planting is carried out in late April - early May. They start with small bulbs (up to 1 cm in diameter), planting them at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other. A little later, large ones are planted with an interval of 8-10 cm. They should be well compressed with soil and sprinkled with a ball of earth by about 3 cm.
Figure 5. Planting sevka Before sowing, it is necessary to check the seeds for germination. To do this, a dozen onions are wrapped in several layers of damp cloth and left in a warm place. If they germinate soon, then the seeds are suitable for sowing.
You must also take care of seed disinfection if you use your own planting material. For this purpose, they use folk remedies like soaking in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or warming up in hot water.
Note: To speed up the emergence of seedlings, planting material is soaked 4 days before sowing, then dried and sown immediately.
To preserve moisture in the soil, the site is mulched with grass, compost, humus. If mulching has not been carried out, it is necessary to monitor the maintenance of the desired level of soil moisture, especially in dry weather. When the bulbs have formed, watering is carried out less frequently, allowing the vegetable to ripen.
For autumn planting prefer onions of small diameter sharp varieties. Winter varieties ripen later than spring, plants are practically not damaged by pests, since their root system has time to form even before the breeding season of flies. Thus, it becomes inaccessible for laying eggs.
Having decided on the variety, choose a dry, well-warmed place by the sun. The earth is dug up (loosened) and organic fertilizer is applied. Immediately before landing, make wood ash. Then form high beds(so that the onion does not freeze). Planted with an interval of 7-10 cm from each other and a distance between rows of 20-25 cm. After planting, the beds should be slightly compacted and sprinkled with humus.
Note: All this work should be done before the onset of permanent frosts.
In winter, when sufficient snow cover appears, it is necessary to cover the bed with another layer of natural insulation (spruce branches, straw).
With the onset of spring, the mulch and natural heaters are removed, as water stagnation in the garden is possible, and, as a result, the bulbs will be too wet.
Top dressing should be carried out at the beginning of the formation of the future crop, using superphosphates. Until July, it is necessary to constantly water and loosen the ground.
Cultivation by sowing in open ground
The scheme of planting in open ground depends on the planting material and is carried out in several ways: from seeds, seedlings or sets (Figure 6).
The first method cultivates sweet and semi-sweet varieties. The prepared seeds are soaked until swelling, then dried and sown in a pre-prepared fertilized bed, watered abundantly and covered. With the advent of the first shoots, the cover is removed, the shoots are thinned out and the area is mulched. The second thinning is carried out after three weeks.
Figure 6. Landing in open ground Seedlings produce sweet and peninsular varieties. The prepared planting material is sown in special boxes two months before transplanting seedlings into open ground. Sowing is carried out densely, to a depth of 1 cm. In the resulting seedlings, immediately before planting, it is necessary to shorten the roots and leaves by a third.
Sharp varieties are grown from sevka. It is planted in the spring to a depth of 4-5 cm with an interval of 8-10 cm in a bed prepared in advance.
Outdoor cultivation involves regular watering, loosening, cleaning from weeds, pests and top dressing.
How to plant onions on greens on the windowsill
Green onions are one of the first and indispensable remedies in the fight against colds. It helps to overcome beriberi and fatigue, improves digestion and improves immunity.
To get in the winter green onion, it is necessary to germinate the bulbs themselves (Figure 7).
Note: For greens, it is better to grow Strigunovsky, Timiryazevsky and Arzamas varieties.
Selected specimens (they must be intact and approximately the same size) are dipped in a container of water at a temperature of +40 degrees and left in a warm place for a day.
Before planting, cut off the top by about one and a half centimeters. They are planted in containers (containers, bowls) with a depth of at least 7 cm. It is desirable to have several such containers in order to ensure uninterrupted cultivation.
Note: In order to constantly receive fresh greens, it is necessary to observe an interval between plantings of 10-12 days.
It is desirable to disinfect the substrate for planting - rinse with a dark hot solution of potassium permanganate and running water. The containers are being filled soil mixture 3-4 cm, a layer of water of 1 cm is poured on top. Prepared bulbs are planted 2 cm apart. In this case, only the roots should be in the water.
The containers are kept at a temperature of about +25 degrees for the first week. After the appearance of leaves 2 cm high, the boxes are transferred to a cooler place.
Figure 7. Ways to grow green onions on a windowsill When grown on a windowsill, vegetables are provided with the following care:
- Plant loves sunlight, therefore, with its lack, you can use fluorescent lamps.
- Watering is done with warm water every other day.
- The first green leaves are not cut, so as not to stop the subsequent growth. The first cut can be done three weeks after planting. Since the leaves grow from the middle, it is best to cut off the outer feathers.
Another popular method of obtaining fresh vegetables is growing in water. The bulbs are pre-treated as described above, then stacked tightly on a shallow tray in an upright position. Then water is poured onto the tray so that it covers a quarter of the bulbs and is added as it evaporates. After two weeks, green feathers appear.
Green onions do not need additional feeding, since they receive all the nutrients from the roots.
The author of the video will tell you how to make a bed with such vegetables on the windowsill with your own hands.
Onion care
To obtain the desired yield, the plant needs care, which provides (Figure 8):
- loosening
- Watering
- weeding
- top dressing
- Prevention and treatment of diseases
The loosening process begins even before the emergence of seedlings, since the crust formed on the ground interferes with the constant access of air to the root system, which leads to a slowdown in the development of the plant. In addition, loosening helps to get rid of weeds. This procedure is also mandatory after watering.
Culture needs abundant watering at the beginning of its development. At this time, the plants are watered 1-2 times a week. At the ripening stage, watering is reduced, and just before harvesting, it is completely stopped.
Figure 8. Caring for onions in the garden Weeding prevents weeds from growing in the garden. The danger from weeds is that they increase soil moisture. As a result, plants can be affected by fungal diseases. In addition, waterlogging of the scales occurs, which leads to their decay during storage.
Feeding also plays an important role. For the first time, plants are fed two weeks after planting, using slurry or bird droppings. The second feeding follows three weeks after the first.
Note: If preference is given mineral fertilizers, then nitrogen-containing fertilizer (for example, ammonium nitrate) is first applied, then after three weeks potash fertilizer in the same quantity. Such fertilizers can be applied both dry and in the form of a solution.
Preventive measures include the treatment of plantings against onion flies and fungal diseases, dusting plants and earth with wood ash.
Onion harvesting and storage
Ripening time depends on planting time, variety and climate. Winter onions ripen the earliest. It is ready for harvest in July. By this time, the green leaves of the plant begin to dry out, which serves as a signal to start picking vegetables (Figure 9).
Note: It is impossible to postpone the collection, otherwise the plants may begin to re-grow roots. It is necessary to harvest the crop before the appearance of morning dew and evening cooling, otherwise the vegetables will not be stored well.
The harvested vegetables are laid out to dry in the sun. If the weather is rainy, dry under a canopy. At this time, all the nutrients from the remains of the leaves move into the bulbs themselves.
Dried leaves and the remains of the roots are cut off, after which the crop is laid out to dry in a warmer room (at a temperature of +25 -30 degrees) for 10 days. This is necessary for disinfection and improvement of keeping quality.
Figure 9. Onion harvesting and storage Seeds are stored in canvas bags in a dry room with good ventilation at a temperature of 0 degrees (for small sets), at room temperature - for large ones.
Can be used for storage wooden boxes, bags, wicker baskets, armored nets. In any case, storage containers should not interfere free access air.
Note: It is not recommended to store crops in plastic bags.
To protect the crop from rotting, it is necessary to regularly inspect it and remove spoiled or rotten vegetables.
The vegetable is well preserved in woven braids. Such a “braid” will serve as an excellent interior detail and protect the house from germs.
You will learn more information and collection time and methods of storing vegetables from the video.