Onions are the most popular vegetable. It has been used by humans for over two million years. It is impossible to do without onions when preparing food. It is used not only in cooking, but also in medicine, since it has healing properties. But how to grow large onions from a set, read the article.
Onion Overview
The origin of the vegetable is not exactly established. For the first time he became known in Afghanistan or Iran. Onion is the oldest culture that man began to cultivate. One can only assume that its domestication began when people began to engage in agriculture.
In Europe, onions became widespread in the 5-6 centuries due to the Romans. Already in the 10th century it was cultivated everywhere in countries such as France and Spain. The appearance of onions in Russia dates back to the 12th century. This vegetable has become the daily food for the population. Subsequently, folk breeders have bred many varieties of onions, many of which are grown in various regions of our country now.
Preparation of sets
First, planting material is moved to remove sick, dried, damaged, cut and bare bulbs. The remaining instances are sorted by size. This is necessary for uniform seedlings. So that the onion sets do not go in the arrow, small onions with a diameter of up to one centimeter are used for planting. They are planted earlier.
Planting the best onion sets, the diameter of which is two centimeters, is dealt with later. Large is considered to be a set with a diameter exceeding the previous size. It is called "sampling," bred for greens. It is not possible to get good heads from such a bow, since bulbs of large size shoot arrows.
Preparing sevka by heating
How to prepare onion sets for sowing? If it is purchased, planting material warms up. To do this, sevocs are placed near heating appliances that heat the air to 35 degrees. Warmed sevk is called stained. You can process the sevka in another way. Before planting it is poured with hot water for about two minutes and immediately lowered into cold. They take it out in a minute. If this procedure is not carried out, the onion sets arrows.
Preparing sevka using a nutrient solution
What to soak onion sets before planting? For this, a nutrient solution is used. It is prepared simply: for 10 liters of water - one spoon of nitrofoska, although any complex fertilizer can be used. Bulbs are placed in this solution in cloth bags for a period of half a day.
What to soak onion sets before planting? After the time has elapsed, the seed is removed, not washed, but immediately lowered into a new solution for 10 minutes. It’s easy to cook. In 10 liters of water, a teaspoon of copper sulfate is diluted. Processing of onion sets with potassium permanganate is also used.
Soaking sevka in saline
You can use another method, which is called grandmother. First, sowing is dried for a week at a temperature of 20-25 degrees. Then it is soaked for three hours in a solution: two tablespoons of salt are diluted in two liters of water.
After that, the onions are washed and placed in a highly concentrated solution of potassium permanganate for a period of two hours. This is necessary in order to exclude fungal diseases. After soaking in any way, the seed is washed and planted on the bed.
Landing time
In different regions they differ in time. It depends on the weather. The main condition is that sowing is planted in well-warmed soil, otherwise it will go in the arrow. If sowing is to be planted in autumn, then the best time is mid-October. Is the onion set afraid of frost? A vegetable will overwinter safely if it is covered with sawdust or peat before the onset of winter. The layer thickness is 3-4 centimeters. Spruce branches are used as covering material. When snow falls, it is thrown on the beds.
It is difficult to indicate the exact date of spring planting, since it is directly related to the weather of a particular region. Is the onion set afraid of frost? In the spring, there are often return frosts. Therefore, onions are planted in the ground when it warms up to 12 degrees Celsius at a depth of 8-10 centimeters. If you plant it in cold soil, the onion will release arrows early, which will greatly reduce the vegetable's resistance to diseases and pests. It is very important to remove snow from the beds in time so that water does not form. If this is not done, the sevoc can rot.
Site selection
How to grow large onions from sevka? First of all, you need to determine for him a place where he will be comfortable. Onions are a light-loving crop, so an open area with good lighting is chosen for its growth. This vegetable is hygrophilous, but does not like excessive moisture. A plot with surface groundwater is not suitable for growing onions. Does not tolerate vegetable drafts and shaded places. You can not plant onions in one area for two to three years in a row.
Planting soil
Onion sets prefers loose, nutritious, loamy or loamy soil, which is recommended to be prepared in the fall. If this is done before planting, in the spring, only the upper part of the plant and weeds will grow. The lower part, that is, the future bulb, will be at rest, there will be no growth.
In autumn, the introduced peat compost manages to decompose, and when digging the beds, it is necessary to mix with the soil. Fertilizers of organic origin are combined with mineral additives, for example, Fertika Autumn.
When using complex fertilizers, grooves are made six to eight centimeters in depth, the prepared mixture is evenly covered in them and covered with a thin layer of soil, about two centimeters. Between the grooves, the distance is 25 centimeters. This method is economical and in that the food goes directly to the roots.
It is very important to take into account such an indicator as acidity. Acidic soil must necessarily be liming. Lime, wood ash, chalk or dolomite flour should be scattered over the surface of the plot.
Formation of beds
After fertilizing, thorough digging, weed removal and disinfection, the soil is irrigated per square meter two liters of water. Experts recommend scattering ordinary salt on the soil surface, which the onion fly is afraid of, otherwise this pest will destroy the crop.
The beds in width can be of any size, the main thing is that there are normal conditions when caring for plants. But keep in mind that a plant like onions prefers space. The beds need to be made high, so the soil will warm up faster.
Landing
The onion sets are planted in the spring, from the first of May to the middle of the month. Autumn planting is carried out in October, before the onset of the first frost. How to grow large onions from sevka? To obtain a good harvest of large onions, many factors are taken into account, one of which is that the seed must be planted on a site where vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage of all kinds, zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes and legumes were previously grown. Sevc is planted both in spring and autumn. Regardless of the season, you can achieve a high yield, observing the rules of planting and caring for onions.
How to plant onion sets in open ground? Before landing, it is sorted by size. If the diameter of the bulbs is up to one centimeter, the distance between them should be 4-5 centimeters, for 1.5-centimeter - 6-8, for 2-centimeter and more - 8-10. How to plant onion sets in open ground? In order for the bulbs to grow not only in depth, but also in breadth, the free space between the rows should be 25 centimeters. With this arrangement, it is easier to take care of the onion, it will be better aired, and most importantly, the risk of defeat by diseases and pests will be reduced.
At what depth should I put the onion sets? It is buried in the soil by about 4 centimeters. To make the bed even, they roll it a little. This is done in order to facilitate landing. If the plant is embedded deep into the soil, the shape of the future bulb will be elongated. With shallow deepening, the entire crop is threatened, since the bulbs will be on the surface, their roots will be pushed out. The taste of onions harvested in autumn will be unpleasant. At what depth should I put the onion sets? It depends on the size of the bulbs. Small grooves are made for shallow sowing; grooves are deeper for large planting material.
Soil care
How to grow large onions from sevka? To make a vegetable happy with a rich harvest, you need to properly care for it: weed and loosen the soil, regularly water the plants. You do not need to thin out the seeds, because when planting, the distance between the bulbs is determined taking into account their growth. Before the emergence of seedlings, only aisles are weeded, and when the seedlings rise, this should be done around the onion bush. Soil after irrigation necessarily loosens to a depth of five centimeters, so as not to damage the plant. After watering, a crust forms on the surface of the earth, which prevents the penetration of oxygen to the roots. This is another reason why loosening the soil is necessary.
How to water?
Watering the onion sets is carried out sparingly, as it is not a moisture-loving crop. In extreme heat, it is enough to water the plants once every six days, the rest of the time - after ten days. Sometimes the weather allows you to grow onions without watering. To do this, the summer should be moderately warm, and the rains should come with the necessary frequency. But that rarely happens.
What to feed?
If the onion sets are planted in fertile soil, you can do without fertilizing. But gardeners do not practice such cultivation, since onions need a lot of useful and nutrients to stimulate growth and produce large fruits.
If the soil is sparse, onion is fertilized several times: when the height of the aerial part of the plant reaches 7–9 centimeters, then after three weeks. The last top dressing is carried out 21 days after re-fertilizing.
You can use bird droppings diluted in water, or mullein per 100 grams per five liters. When watering, spend two and a half liters of liquid per square meter of area. For feeding, urea, superphosphate and potassium chloride are used, 15 grams per two squares.
Diseases and Pests
The onion fly is the most dangerous for a vegetable. The larvae of this pest infect the fetus from the inside, causing the bulb to rot and the feathers to fade. If signs of damage are detected, plants must be torn out and burned or taken out of the garden.
To prevent the pest from damaging the vegetable, in the autumn, they dig the beds to a depth of 30 centimeters. This is necessary so that pests die during severe frosts. For the prevention of beds, a solution is watered: 400 grams of salt per 10 liters of water. An onion fly does not spread if the soil is crushed with sunflower ash mixed with tobacco dust.
Another pest is the crypto-scavenger (weevil beetle). Adult individuals and larvae chose onion feathers for their nutrition. When they are defeated, they fade, yield decreases. For prevention, you need to regularly loosen the soil, as the larvae on its surface die.
Onions are affected by tobacco and onion thrips and scoops. For prevention, a deep digging of the soil is done in the fall, soil loosening is regularly carried out, the leaves are treated with various infusions. For their preparation use celandine, wormwood, peppers, tobacco, white mustard.
Harvesting
Before choosing onion heads from the soil, make sure that they are fully ripe. If the feathers have dried and laid down on the ground, and on the top of the bulb the scales are dry, you can start harvesting. Onions are pulled out with roots and dried feathers, do not pick them off. Then the assembled heads are spread in one layer under a canopy or in a barn with good ventilation and left for two to three weeks, after which the roots and dry feathers are torn off or weaved from the bow.
Store in a dry room at temperatures up to 22 degrees Celsius. You can use a basement or cellar for this, where the temperature reaches only one degree of heat. The main condition is dryness.
The benefits of onions
The healing properties of vegetables have been known to people since ancient times. Onions are rich in essential oils and mineral salts. Iron in the composition of the vegetable is a good prophylactic for anemia, and potassium for diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
Onions from sevka are recommended to be consumed in large quantities, as it cleanses the blood, restores sleep, puts the nervous system in order, prevents heart attacks and strokes.
On the basis of a healing vegetable, tinctures are prepared for the treatment of colds, flu, runny nose, and respiratory tract. Many diseases are treated thanks to the antibacterial and disinfecting properties of onions.