A vegetable like onion is daily present in our diet. Family onions in Europe are better known as shallots. We are used to calling him a family, a shrub, a shrew, a shrubbery. The article talks about what varieties of culture exist and how to grow them.
Description of the family onion
This variety of onion is one of the most common crops in our gardeners. A family onion is a type of ordinary onion. The difference is that it is very juicy and fragrant. In addition, the vegetable has only a slight bitterness. Many consumers appreciate it for its mild taste. The name was given to the bow due to its belonging to the multiglide form. The shallot is considered the most famous species, which has small nodules and tender leaves. They grow nests (4-10 pieces). The weight of one such family ranges from 150-300 grams.
Of course, due to the modest size of the bulb, it is not very convenient to peel. But this does not stop the culinary experts from all over the world who willingly use the vegetable to prepare great dishes. Family onions are not only fried, marinated, stewed, but even made from it jam. Fresh vegetable is ideal for salad.
According to reviews, the family onion is well stored at home. In March, the vegetable can even be planted in pots on the window to get juicy greens.
The husk of the culture can have a different color: reddish, bronze, golden and purple. In the context of the bulb can be pink and purple or white. The plant is characterized by lush greenery, which is readily used for cooking. Delicate and thin feathers are sometimes covered with a wax coating, they reach a height of 30-50 centimeters.
The culture has a renal root system located in the surface layer. Inflorescences are located on a high arrow and look like umbrellas. Small-sized seeds look like onions.
The best varieties
Culture has so many varieties. The best varieties of family onions can be divided into late, mid-ripe and early ripe. Since there are a lot of plant species, we will give only the most popular varieties that gardeners loved:
- Velikoustyugsky look has a rounded shape. This variety is characterized by a strong and vigorous taste. Bulbs are colored red-brown, each weighs about 80 g. The variety is characterized by high productivity.
- Onion prince has a pleasant taste and delicate color (pink-brown). Inside the flesh is pink. The bulbs are very well stored, each weighs 75 grams.
- Old Believer cultivar was obtained in the Vologda region. Bulbs have an unusual copper-pink color. Despite the fact that the taste of onions is quite sharp, while it is pleasant. The name of the variety was not due to the fact that the plants contain a lot of incredibly useful elements, and therefore it is used as a therapeutic agent by the Old Believers.
- Albik - plants with a semi-sharp taste and flat-rounded bulbs. The culture gives large yields of greens and tubers. The weight of each onion is about 50 grams.
- Plants of the Prometheus variety have a delicate taste. Gardeners liked the high-yielding culture. Moreover, the weight of each bulb reaches 80 g.
- Seryozha is a variety that has a rounded shape of tubers and an incredibly sharp taste.
- Grant is a productive variety that gives not only bulbs, but also quality greens.
Varieties of family onions can be listed for a very long time, they are presented in very large numbers. Therefore, if desired, you can choose the right kind depending on the maturity and taste characteristics.
Soil preparation
Family onions love fertile soil. The soil must be drained. For culture, neutral acidity is more acceptable. Bulbs can be planted on beds where legumes, potatoes and carrots were previously. If you plan to plant a family onion, then in the fall it is necessary to add humus to the soil at the rate of up to five kilograms per square meter. It is also worth adding 15 g of potassium salt and 25 g of superphosphate per square meter.
Landing time
Shallot is a cold-resistant plant. He is absolutely not afraid of frost, and therefore it can be planted in open ground in March and April. The first greens can be collected in May.
To get a feather in the early stages, onions can be planted in October. Before the start of winter, he will have time to take root, but will not grow. But in early April, you can already pick greenery. Of course, in the more northern regions, planting for the winter may not be so successful due to the freezing of part of the bulbs.
Late planting of onions leads to the rapid development of greenery, but at the same time the roots develop poorly, which means the bulb is poorly formed. This negatively affects the crop.
Marking of beds
Onions shrubbery planted at a distance of 10 centimeters from each other, retreating between rows of twenty centimeters. With this option, planting per square meter of land material consumption is at least a kilogram. For growing, it is better to take medium-sized bulbs. Small ones will not give a good harvest. They can be planted to produce greenery. Planting seed too close is also not worth it so that the bulbs do not grow too small.
Bulb preparation
Growing a family onion is a simple process, but requires some knowledge. Before planting, seed must be prepared. Bulbs are peeled of excess dry husk. Then they are etched in a solution of copper sulfate (table. Spoon per 10 liters of liquid). Next, the onions are washed with clean water. It is also recommended to soak the seed in a solution of complex fertilizer. This will allow you to replenish the supply of moisture lost during storage. You can place the vegetable in the solution for ten hours.
If desired, the bulbs can be sprouted, but this is not necessary.
Planting onions
Bulbs of family onions are planted even before the earth warms up to +5 degrees. The culture is recommended to grow in rows. First, furrows are formed for planting, and then they are filled with water. Next, place the onion to a depth of no more than 2-3 centimeters. Too high to plant is not worth it, because the roots of the plant will suffer from a lack of nutrients, but deepening them is also not recommended. You can add wood ash to the grooves. Next, the beds are covered with earth and mulched from above.
Further care
Immediately after planting and before emergence of seedlings up to ten centimeters high, the onion does not need care. Watering at this time is not needed. The roots should grow in depth in search of moisture, so that in future the plant receives all the nutrients. You can only mulch the soil. To do this, you can use mowed grass. This method will not only save moisture, but also to some extent protect against weeds. Mulch not only retains moisture well, but also gives excellent oxygen access. Watering the plants is enough once a week. Typically, onions do not require separate top dressing when grown. But sometimes feathers begin to turn yellow prematurely. Then you can make a solution of potassium salt (10 g), ammonium nitrate (10 g) per 10 liters of water. Instead of potassium salt, you can use wood ash. From organic fertilizers, bird droppings or manure can be used. They are applied twice during the growing season only if the onions are grown on depleted soils. The first top dressing is introduced during the formation of greens, and the second - at the beginning of the onion formation.
If plants are affected by diseases or pests, then a one percent solution of Bordeaux mixture should be sprayed. But after processing, greens should not be eaten. It is not recommended to process onions two weeks before harvesting.
Harvest
You can start harvesting after most of the feathers have withered. This mainly happens in late July. Timing is largely dependent on the variety. It is also not worth delaying the harvest and keeping ready-made vegetables in the ground, since then onions can be poorly stored. A couple of weeks before the planned cleaning, watering is stopped. Excess moisture can activate growth, which then affects the lying process.
The ripened bulbs are dug up in dry weather and left to dry in the beds until the evening. For harvesting, it is best to choose a sunny day. After the vegetables are cleaned in a dry and dark room. The drying process takes approximately fifteen days. The degree of onion readiness is determined by the neck of the onion. It should become dry. After drying, dried greenery is cut off. For long-term storage, the crop must be sorted out. Damaged bulbs are selected for use in the near future. High-quality vegetables are stored in boxes in dark rooms, in conditions of low humidity.
Pests and diseases
Judging by the reviews of gardeners, it can be argued that the family is resistant to ailments and pests. Proper agricultural technology is the key to obtaining healthy plants. For this, only high-quality material is selected for planting, which is treated with disinfecting solutions. To protect crops from such a pest as an onion fly, plantings are treated with tobacco dust, wood ash. Also, as a preventive measure, the culture can be planted near carrot beds. The soil between the rows must be loosened, removing weeds. Near the plantations, you can lay rosemary, wormwood, tomato tops. With its pungent smell, herbs effectively repel pests. In the fight against pests Bordeaux fluid helps.
Sometimes there is such a problem as the yellowing of the greenery of the culture. The reasons for this phenomenon can be very different, which means that the issue will have to be solved in different ways. Yellowing is possible with a lack of nitrogen. An indicator of the problem is the appearance of white tips on the feathers. It can be solved quite simply by using organic fertilizing.
Also, plants may lack potassium. In this case, potassium salt or ash is used.
Yellowing of the feathers may also be caused by the onion fly. Not only greens, but also bulbs damage its larva. To control the pest, ash, Agraverin and Fitoverm are used.
Yellowing greens also contributes to overflow.
Possible growing problems
Sometimes some bulbs go in the arrow, which indicates a violation of storage conditions in the winter. In the event that you encounter such a problem, peduncles in plants must be removed.
It happens that the onion goes to the green, but does not at all grow the onion itself. The reasons for this phenomenon can be many: improper agricultural technology, violation of planting dates, an excess of nitrogen in the soil.
To avoid such problems, you need to plant the crop early, do not water it in the first weeks after planting and do not overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers, which cause the growth of green mass.
In general, the family onion is a completely unpretentious plant with simple agricultural technology. Compliance with basic rules of care allows you to get a wonderful harvest. All over the world, culture is valued for its delicate taste and excellent qualities. We hope that our article will help cope with the planting of onions for beginner gardeners.