Green and onions have been loved by everyone since ancient times. Without it, it is difficult to imagine almost any dish of national cuisine. There is an opinion that it is quite simple to grow onions, however, in order to get large and fleshy heads, as well as long and juicy "feathers", you need to make some efforts. How to grow onions at home?
Planting material
Onion sets for planting in the ground are well known to all gardeners who want to grow this vegetable crop at home. So called small onions obtained by germinating onion seeds.
When purchasing planting material, you should pay attention to its quality, since the future crop directly depends on it. The size of the bulbs is considered optimal - 1.5-2 cm. Planting material less than the specified parameters risks drying out with a lack of moisture. In this case, you should pay attention to the appearance of the seed - it should be tight, strong, not have traces of pest damage, not be dried or rotten.
Planting Sevka
Before planting in the ground, it is important to properly prepare the planting material. To do this, it is necessary to warm the onion for several hours at a temperature of 40 degrees, and then soak in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes to disinfect. Instead of potassium permanganate, modern drugs such as Fitosporin, Gamair, Planriz can be used.
It is necessary to plant onions at a distance of 4-6 cm from each other, while between the rows there should be a free space of 40 cm. The planting depth is regulated by the size of the set, however, the tail of the onion must necessarily look out.
Shoots appear about 9-10 days after planting in open ground. During this period, it is necessary to moisten the earth if it is overdried, as well as gently fluff it. However, this should be done as carefully as possible so as not to damage the delicate roots of the vegetable crop.
Seed cultivation
Some gardeners, having a negative experience in growing onions from the seed, sprout seeds on their own. To do this, place the seeds in a moist and warm environment (a soft cloth moistened with water is ideal). After germination of the seeds, it is necessary to place them in the ground and wait for seedlings. After some time, small bulbs will form - sevc. They need to be cleaned of soil and put into storage in a dark, cool room. The onion set is suitable for planting the following year.
How to grow onions from seeds? There are two known methods:
- Hazelless cultivation is practiced in temperate climates. To do this, you need to sow onion seeds (chernushka) directly into the open ground to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. To accelerate seedlings, you can soak the seeds in warm water. In this way, a vegetable crop is planted in early spring, and 24 weeks later, you can harvest. Unfortunately, this method is not suitable for the northern regions, since the onion does not have time to completely ripen.
- Winter planting involves planting seeds in the winter. To do this, place them in soil to a depth of 6-7 cm and pour a layer of humus 2-3 cm on top. It is recommended to prepare the beds for onions in advance, before the earth has time to freeze.
When choosing a method of growing onions, it is necessary to focus on the climatic conditions of the growing region, as well as on personal preferences regarding the convenience of planting.
Seedlings
Even experienced gardeners wonder how to grow onions to get the highest possible yield. In addition to the purchase of ready-made planting material in the form of seed and planting chernushki (onion seeds) in open ground, there is a seedling method of cultivation.
To simplify the cultivation, it is recommended to use special containers or boxes for seedlings, as well as ready-made soil mixtures. For seedlings, it is necessary to sow the seeds in the soil, moisten it and cover with a film until seedlings appear. The temperature should be about 18-25 degrees, and after the appearance of sprouts, it must be reduced to 10-12 degrees to prevent stretching.
A week after the appearance of the first shoots, you can increase the ambient temperature to 18-20 degrees. In the same period, it is necessary to remove the film daily for a while in order to ventilate the seedlings.
Watering is carried out as necessary, however, it should be remembered that the soil should always have moderate humidity. It is also recommended to make top dressing from ammonium nitrate, potassium chloride and superphosphate. When the seedlings will have a size of about 10 cm, they are considered ready for planting in open ground.
Landing Features
How to grow onions to get the highest possible yield? For this, it is necessary to take into account all the possible nuances when planting a vegetable crop. For example, onions love fertile lands and are reluctant to grow on clay soils. In addition, the vegetable loves sunny areas and good lighting throughout the day.
Experts recommend preparing the site for planting since the autumn period. At this time, you need to dig out the beds and generously fill them with humus. This is necessary to create a breeding ground for crops.
The sizes of the beds are determined by the gardener from the calculation of the free space on the site. However, the row spacing should be about 40 cm, this will allow the formation of large bulbs.
Planting time varies by gardener. In the temperate zone, this is the end of April - the beginning of May, when the earth is already warm enough. Also, 3 weeks after planting, it is recommended to treat the crops with Bordeaux liquid to prevent the appearance of a variety of fungal infections.
Top dressing
Fertilizing is necessary for the formation of large bulbs and large green feathers. The first feeding is necessary in the phase of active growth of green onions. For this, 25 g of urea must be dissolved in a bucket of water at room temperature and applied under each plant.
A second feeding is necessary 3 weeks after the first (approximately in the first half of June). It is produced using superphosphate and potassium salt in proportions of 20 and 10 g, respectively, per bucket of clean water. You can also use nitroammophoska in the amount of 2 tablespoons per similar amount of liquid.
How to grow onions without using mineral and organic fertilizers? This is possible only on chernozem soils, however, even under such favorable conditions, there is no guarantee that the harvest will please with abundance. On poor soils, it is also recommended to apply phosphorus-potash fertilizers.
Watering
In advice on growing onions, information about watering vegetables is necessarily listed. With moderate humidity and regular natural precipitation, watering should be carried out once every 2 weeks. In dry weather - 1 time per week. in this case, it is necessary to loosen the soil to destroy pests and ensure air access to the roots. In the last month before harvesting, watering ceases altogether. However, it is necessary to continue to regularly loosen the soil.
Pest control
How to grow onions from seeds or seedlings with minimal damage from various insects and diseases? Most often, bulbs are susceptible to fungal diseases, such as powdery mildew, root rot, or pests - onion flies, nematodes, thrips, beetles.
When the first signs of damage appear (wilting, light spots on the feathers, twisting), it is necessary to treat the vegetables with biological insecticides. It is highly undesirable to use chemicals for processing, especially if the onion is grown on a feather.
Harvesting
How to grow onions, it is already known, it is also necessary to know when and how to harvest. The degree of maturity can be determined by the feathers of the plant, which begin to dry out. Harvesting must be done in dry and sunny weather by pulling the bulbs out of the ground. Then they need to be decomposed and dried for 7-10 days in the fresh air. If the vegetables are not dried, then the likelihood of decay during prolonged storage.
Growing vegetables in the winter
In the cold season, the desire to consume fresh herbs is aggravated. How to grow green onions at home? There are several ways:
- Growing onions in greens (as the easiest way) can occur on water. To do this, you need to take a strong bulb from the store and insert it with roots in a glass of water. At the same time, you can trim the tail - this will accelerate germination. It remains only to wait for the growth of feathers of onions and timely replace the water with fresh.
- How to grow onions on the windowsill on the ground? To do this, take the land for flowers and pour into a container. Then plant the onion in the ground and pour over water. Green feathers will appear a week after planting. When using this method, you can avoid rotting of the bulb and the accompanying unpleasant odor.
The question of how to grow onions on the windowsill was asked almost by any hostess. There are several secrets:
- in order to get the most delicious crop, you can highlight the "beds" with a lamp;
- if you plant the bulbs in flower pots, you can create not only useful, but also a beautiful "garden" on the windowsill;
- to increase the juiciness of the feathers, they can be sprayed periodically with water from a spray bottle.
There are no special secrets on how to grow onions in the winter, because these methods are familiar to everyone from early childhood.
Useful Tips
For those who know how to grow onions, but want to expand their knowledge, a selection of recommendations from experienced gardeners is offered:
- Every year, to grow this vegetable crop, it is necessary to change the place of growth, since re-cultivation in the same area can adversely affect the quality of onion heads.
- Onions should not be earthed, but they respond positively to shallow loosening of the soil.
- Drying of the soil must not be allowed, otherwise the vegetable runs the risk of growing insufficiently succulent.
- If an onion begins to form an undesired arrow with seeds, then it must be removed, otherwise all the force will go into it, and the bulb will be small.
How to grow green onions, it is useful to know not only gardeners, but also housewives, since the taste of fresh feathers of this vegetable can significantly improve the taste of many dishes. In addition, its cultivation at home has no particular difficulties.