This species began to be cultivated in ancient times, it was the first of all onion plants known to mankind. For the first time they learned to grow it in the Far East, and from there the vegetable slowly spread around the world. This is unpretentious and very useful greens, and in addition, a spectacular decorative decoration of the garden. Today we’ll talk about what is the onion-batun. Landing under the winter is most preferable for Russian latitudes.
General characteristics of the plant
This is a perennial plant of the lily family. It can grow in one place for 7 years or more, which is very convenient. This can explain how popular the onion is. Planting in the winter is another plus, because at that time there is not much work on the garden site.
This plant does not form a real, but a false bulb. From its bottom until the very end of the growing season , more and more new shoots and leaves are formed. Its leaves are tubular, hollow, covered with a waxy coating. They have high palatability and are also very healthy. In our country, the Russian subspecies of this plant is mainly cultivated, it has dark green, sharp leaves that coarse very quickly, so if you are late for harvesting, just cut them to the root, a new crop will grow soon.
Spring planting
If any of the plants differs in frost resistance, it’s a spring onion. Landing in the winter does not threaten him, even in the case of low snow and very cold season. However, if you have not managed to get a few bushes of plants that can be divided and planted, and acquired seeds, then wait until spring.
May or the first week of June is best suited for this. As usual, make a bed, thoroughly clean the weeds and larvae of insects, smooth the surface with a rake and apply fertilizer. It should not be watered so that the resulting hard crust does not interfere with planting. Pre-soak the seeds in warm water, slightly tinted with potassium permanganate.
If you are worried about the germination of seeds, you can plant them more often, and then thin out, but optimally 1 g per 1 m 2 . The embedment depth is relatively small, 1-3 cm. After about 10 days, the first shoots are expected. Gathering greens this summer should not be, otherwise the plant will overwinter poorly.
The correct landing pattern
In the case of planting seeds, this does not matter, since in this way we get seedlings that are dug up in the autumn and transferred to the main place of residence. But then we already need to do planning, since this is a perennial, and it does not need to be moved for many more years. To do this, draw a bed so that for each bush there remains a square of approximately 25 * 25 cm.
In early September, dig up young plants that you have grown from seeds or bought in a store, and transfer them to the prepared bed.
Soil and place selection
Another important event that must be carried out before planting the onion-batun. Planting in the winter is carried out in September, when the entire crop is harvested, and the garden is put in order. It will grow in almost any area, unpretentious to the composition of the soil and lighting. The lighter the soil (sandy), the more attention should be paid to watering. Acid and heavy, clay areas, as well as a deep shadow, are not suitable for growth.
The optimal location is a solar ridge on which tomatoes or cucumbers used to grow. So you improve the soil, and then again you can return to it the former garden culture.
Summer care
Today, almost everyone has onions in their garden plot. Growing and caring does not take much time, and in the garden there are always juicy feathers that can be added to the salad, crumbled into soup or borsch. Like any other garden plant, you need to fertilize, water, weed and loosen it. And the younger the plant, the more attention it requires. The formed bush, which is 2-3 years old, will no longer be able to pick weeds, even if we forget about weeding for the whole summer, the main thing is to water it on time, because the grass very eagerly absorbs moisture and nutrients from the soil.
Another point that you need to know the gardeners who planted the onion-batun. Cultivation and care include mandatory top dressing if you want to see powerful shrubs with large, crunchy and juicy feathers. Summer seedlings can be fed with mullein solution or a complex of mineral fertilizers. In this case, 50 g of ammonium nitrate, 20 g of sodium chloride and 30 g of superphosphate are added to a bucket of water. This is a universal solution that is suitable for any onion, regardless of the year of life on your site.
Planting onion-batun in the fall also does not do without fertilizing. This is necessary so that the plant quickly starts to grow, as soon as the sun warms the earth. A very good option is a forest humus or leaves rotted in a compost heap. It is better to leave more active substances and microelements until spring, so that they do not cause rapid growth when the plant needs to prepare for winter.
Watering
The plant requires regular watering throughout the growing season. From the very first day, when the first sprouts appeared on the surface of the earth, and until September you need to constantly monitor the condition of the soil. Without watering, the leaves quickly coarsen, become bitter and unfit for food. It remains only to cut them and wait until new ones grow. If you moisten the soil daily, you can significantly increase the shelf life of onion feathers soft and green. Planting onion in the fall is carried out in a pre-moistened (on the eve of planting) bed, after which the need for irrigation disappears, since the active vegetation phase is over. The street is already much cooler, more often it rains.
There is one more point that should be mentioned. In the second or third year, the batun begins to produce fluffy heads-inflorescences in which the seeds ripen. They should not be cut, as they are excellent honey plants. At the end of ripening, the seeds can be collected, they retain germination for 2-3 years. If in the coming years you plan to freshen up your planting of a rod, then they can come in handy. We remind you that onions in the fall can be planted. Each dug bush is sorted into dozens of small plants, any of which will have a root and several leaves.
Autumn preparing for winter
Summer is coming to an end, and we need to take care of our garden so that next year it will again delight with lush greenery. Carefully inspect the landing. If the bushes grow too closely, you may need to remove some of them. The most magnificent ones can be dug up and divided if you plan to expand the beds. If you are interested in when to plant onion, then the answer is clear - in September. During the warm autumn period, he will have time to take root and prepare for winter.
This onion does not have the usual “turnip” for us, so the autumn harvest is no longer necessary; all it can give you is summer greens. To prevent plants from undergoing various diseases, remove all damaged, dried or rotted leaves from them. The rest will dry before the end of autumn, and with the onset of spring, the false bulb will begin a new phase of leaf growth.
The second half of October - the beginning of November is the time of preparation for winter. Despite the fact that the batun is a rather frost-resistant culture, it is necessary to protect it from sudden changes in temperature (thaws and sudden cold snap), as well as the attacks of rodents, which in snowy winters become a real misfortune of garden plots.
To do this, the bed with onions is mulched with forest humus, covered with sawdust, spruce paws and pressed against the boards. If you want to surprise your acquaintances, then in the early spring remove all covering materials, carefully sweep away the sawdust and cover the garden bed with foil. By the time the rest of the snow has been drowned out, you will have a green onion. The photo of the garden bed taken at this time will be the most spectacular for the entire summer period.
Pests and diseases
Like all plants, onions have their own enemies. In order to protect yourself from rodent attacks, it is best to cover the bushes with old pots or buckets. Ultrasonic devices that repel mice are another way to control these pests. The world of insect pests and fungal diseases is much more diverse. There are more than 50 of them, but the most common are bottom rot, downy mildew, and smut. Of the insect-lovers of an acute culture, it is necessary to distinguish the onion crypto-hunter and thrips.
To protect the plantings from such a misfortune, you need to treat them with special chemicals. In the spring, these are preventive measures using a special drug from late blight. But the most important rule is to change the place of growth of the culture no less than after 7 years.
How to keep greens for a long time
As you know, the onion-batun for the winter can not be saved, it is a tender child of a sunny summer. But still there are two ways that you can use to enjoy the greenery in winter. The first is harvesting green feathers for future use. It can be salting: chopped leaves are put in a jar and sprinkled with salt. A jar is kept in the refrigerator. In addition, greens can be frozen or pickled.
Another option - in the fall, transplant several bushes into a pot and put on the window. All winter they will give you fresh greens absolutely free and at the same time decorate the interior of the room.
Nutritional value
Onions are not in vain considered a remedy for all diseases. Its unique composition includes many macro- and microelements. These are calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium. In addition, it contains an impressive set of vitamins. This is C, E, K, PP, almost the entire group B. And this is with mild taste and the ability to decorate the table that gives us the onion-batun. You already know how to grow it, and now you can please yourself and your loved ones with green feathers all year round.