Onions rockambole became known to gardeners not so long ago. This hybrid has many names. Among them are often found: elephant garlic, garlic with a hard neck, onion-garlic, Spanish onions, Egyptian garlic and so on. The main feature of the plant is its size. The number of cloves in such a bow is small - no more than six. But the weight of one head can reach 400 grams. A photo of onion-garlic (rockambol) can be seen in the article.
Short description
What does garlic look like? A rockambol photo allows you to more accurately represent the appearance of the plant. There is still debate about which vegetable dominates in this “duet”. Visually, the plant is very similar to leek. During the first year after planting, a whole head grows, to which smaller children are attached. After another season, the plant becomes more like a large onion, which consists of several cloves. In order for them to appear, it is necessary to plant in the soil not the baby, but the head itself. Only in this case, the vegetable will become more like garlic. An exception to the rule is planting in the fall.
And yet the rockball is a bow. This can be confirmed by the flower stalks of the plant. They have a round shape. The inflorescences themselves are composed of small flowers resembling tulips. Seeds, of course, appear. However, they can not be used for growing seedlings, as they are "soothers."
What are the varieties
At the moment, only a few varieties of rockambol onion are known: Janissary, Pearls, White elephant. Each of them has its own characteristics. So, for example, the White Elephant variety was bred in Belarus. Its main features include the following:
- The bulb is large and white, and in the context - beige.
- The shooter does not throw.
- The number of teeth can reach 7 pieces.
- The average weight of the bulb is approximately 150 grams.
- Frost resistant.
- Not amenable to the effects of clay fungal disease - Fusarium.
The Pearl variety is also frost-resistant. However, he throws out the flower stalks. The bulbs are slightly smaller in size and weight than the White elephant. The variety was bred in Russia. The weight of one bulb can reach 50 grams. It has a high yield. From one square meter, you can collect 1.8 kilograms of onions.
As for the Janissary variety, this is the youngest variety. It was also bred in Russia and registered in 2016. This variety is distinguished by high productivity. Bulb weight can range from 50 to 150 grams.
Preparing planting material before spring planting
Onion rockambole (photo is in the article), like any other culture, must be prepared for landing. Cogs are selected in the fall. They should be stored in a room with an average humidity and in the dark. The air temperature should be no more than +25 ° C. Of course, before planting, it is necessary to properly prepare the planting material. To do this, it is recommended to place the cloves for about 30 days in a room where the air temperature is 0 degrees. After three weeks, planting material must be exposed to the sun. As a result, the cloves and bulbs should acquire a greenish tint.
Also, planting material is recommended to be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. This will avoid infection of the bulbs and cloves with various diseases. The best solution is to fill the planting stock with a solution and leave it overnight, and in the morning put everything in the ground.
Planting plants in spring
When is the best time to plant garlic onion (rockambol)? Landing can be carried out in the spring, immediately after the snow melts and the earth warms up a bit. It is worth noting that culture is not afraid of cold weather. Sprouts can appear even at temperatures below +5 ° C. However, the soil should be sufficiently loose and moist after winter. Soil should be prepared in the fall, mixing it with fertilizers. The distance between the bulbs should be 17-18 centimeters.
If there is not enough moisture in the soil, it is worth watering the beds after planting the cloves. Due to the required amount of moisture, the onion rockambol will begin to grow rapidly. As a result, you can get a good harvest.
Ground and landing requirements
In order for the rocambol to have a good harvest, it is necessary to choose the right place for its planting. In order for the plant to develop well, it is worth following the recommendations of specialists. Otherwise, a good harvest will not work.
It is recommended to enrich the soil in advance with useful substances by mixing it with humus, furnace ash or compost. It is also important to observe crop rotation. The garlic onion rocambol grows well where cucumbers, peas, zucchini and cabbage were grown before it. Siderata plants are considered equally useful. They allow saturating the earth with nitrogen, and also suppress the growth of weed grass. You should not plant a crop in those places where onions, garlic or potatoes were grown before it.
We make beds
Many summer residents dream of growing and harvesting a good harvest of hairdo. Rockambol photos published on relevant resources and showing the size of the bulbs are another incentive to comply with all the recommendations of experienced gardeners.
- First question: when to plant?
- Second: how to equip the beds?
- Third: how to care?
We will dwell on all three in more detail.
So landing. Sowing material is planted, as already mentioned, in the spring, but it can be done in the fall, and even before winter (we will return to this). The main thing is to properly prepare the beds. They must be even. It is important that plants receive sufficient fresh air and sunlight in the future. It is worth noting that this kind of onion requires abundant watering.
The beds before planting are recommended to be well loosened over the entire depth, as well as the width of the furrows. This will allow young bulbs to take root quickly and efficiently. It is also important to keep the distance between the rows. It should be at least 10-15 centimeters. Do not plant seed close to each other. Teeth need a place to develop and grow normally. Between the heads also need to maintain a distance.
Onion planting in the fall
As you know, many plant greens and onions in the spring, but in the case of the crop we are considering, everything is somewhat different. According to experienced gardeners, it is precisely autumn that is the ideal time to plant a rockambol onion. The best time is the beginning of October, as the soil still remains warm. Next year, large bulbs consisting of individual cloves will grow from planting material.
Before planting, it is necessary to peel everything from the husk. This is necessary so that the roots can make their way to the soil. Such manipulations should be carried out carefully, as there is a risk of damage to the planting material. It is worth noting that the husks of the cloves are soft and do not need to be cleaned.
When preparing beds, it makes no sense to make very deep furrows. It will be enough 9 centimeters. Do not forget about the distance between the rows. It should be at least 10 centimeters.
How to plant onions in the winter
Growing onion-garlic (rockambol) requires a special approach. It is worth noting that this culture is not afraid of cold weather. Therefore, it can be planted in the winter. According to experts, this method allows you to get large bulbs. The soil should be prepared in advance: to loosen and fertilize.
The place for planting should be chosen in August and not be sown with other plants. Planting material stands about 4 weeks before the start of frost. Plants should have time to let out roots and become stronger in soil.
Features of landing under the winter
To protect plantings from various diseases, experts advise to treat bulbs and cloves with special fungicides. It is recommended to dig up beds at a depth of 30 to 35 centimeters. In this case, the bookmark must be performed in several layers:
- a layer of compost or humus with a thickness of at least 8 centimeters;
- cloves located at a certain distance from each other: small - closer, large - further;
- a layer of compost or humus;
- fallen leaves or hay.
Such multi-layer protection allows you to protect planting material from frost, as well as completely preserve the snow cover, providing moisture and heat.
How to water
So, we smoothly proceeded to discuss the third of the issues raised above. How to care for onions? Rockball must be watered regularly. Otherwise, the crop will be small. Abundant watering is required during the germination period, as well as during the formation of bulbs. Drying of the soil must not be allowed. Do not use cold water. Gardeners recommend pouring liquid into a barrel or into a tank and warming it in the sun.
If you use water directly from the well, the risk of infection of the plantings with fungal diseases increases.
Weeding and cultivation
Weeding is recommended to combine with loosening. Perform such manipulations after each watering or after rain. Otherwise, the soil will be taken with a continuous crust, which negatively affects the growth of bulbs. Aisle should be loosened after emergence, and between plants - when the heads begin to grow.
Loosening will improve the breathability of the soil. Weeding is also needed to produce a large crop of a crop known as rocambol onions. After all, most of the weeds are able to draw from the soil all the useful components that are necessary for the growth of vegetables. In addition, the grass creates an additional shadow. And this is undesirable.
What to do with arrows
This plant is propagated only by bulb children or cloves. It makes no sense to grow seeds. Therefore, the peduncle in the process of breeding a culture does not play a special role. He only pulls out of the plant the substances necessary for its growth. Therefore, experienced gardeners recommend immediately removing arrows with peduncles. Of course, the yield from this will not increase, and the bulbs will not become larger.
How to identify fertilizer shortages
Growing onion rockambol has many nuances. They should be taken into account in advance. For example, leaves may fade over time. This may indicate a lack of nutrients. Therefore, fertilizer must be applied to the soil. The choice of feeding depends on the stage of development of the culture. If the sprouts have only sprouted, then fertilizers must be added to the soil, which contain more nitrogen. If the process of bulb formation has begun, then top dressing should contain more potassium and phosphorus.
Disease
Rocambole is a bow that is afraid of any putrefactive processes. Most often the head of the head is affected. Such a disease is called fusarium infection. When a culture is affected by this disease, the bulbs become soft, and the roots begin to rot.
Usually, the disease occurs due to a violation of crop rotation and the rules of agricultural technology. The condition of the bulbs may be affected by a lack of moisture or nutrients. Putrefactive processes also begin as a result of damage to the heads by pests, for example, onion flies. Often, the disease occurs after harvesting - due to improper storage.
To prevent the disease, it is recommended to treat the planting material with special fungicides before planting. If the disease still affects vegetables, then it is not recommended to plant for 4 years on the place where the onion rockambol, garlic or other varieties of onions were sitting.
Pests
Most often, the onion considered by us - rockambole - is affected by such pests:
- Root tick. This insect harms an already harvested crop. Penetrating through the bottom of the bulbs, the parasite leads to the rapid drying of vegetables. Therefore, after harvesting, it is recommended to dry the heads well, removing all rotten and damaged ones.
- Onion fly. The parasite penetrates the bulbs through the bottom and eats them from the inside. To avoid infection, it is worth planting the crop in rows, alternating them with rows of carrots. The smell of her tops scares away the pest. Also in the beds you can sprinkle a mixture of ground pepper, wood ash and tobacco dust. Such procedures should be carried out weekly throughout May, and then two more times in July.
Harvesting
The time of harvesting the rockambol onions depends on the planting time:
- onions planted before winter can be harvested in late July;
- if planted in spring - harvested around the end of June;
- planted in the fall - in the very middle of September.
According to experienced gardeners, it will not be difficult to determine the ripeness of onions. It is time to collect the rocketball when the leaves of the plants in the upper part turn yellow, and in the lower part they dry out. You should not postpone the harvesting process until later, as the bulbs in the soil continue to dry. In this case, the cloves begin to separate from the husk and go into the soil. The same thing happens with onion bulbs. In addition, crops that cause putrefactive processes can damage crops. First of all, they hit the bottom of the bulb.
How to store
After harvesting, the onion must be cleaned of adhering soil. To carry out manipulations is manual. You can cut the tops and roots only after the heads have dried.
What to do next with onions? Rockamball should be tied in pigtails or in bunches. After this, it must be left in a well-ventilated area. To extend the shelf life of vegetables, you should place them on the sunny side in the open.
When the onion is completely dry, it is necessary to sort it out. Only healthy heads can be stored. As for temperature indicators, they should be from 20 to 25 ° C. You can store vegetables in boxes or in bags made of cloth.