How onions are grown. Onion Secrets
If someone thinks that growing onions is very simple, then he is deeply mistaken. Of course, the onion in the garden will ripen anyway, even if you don’t take special care of it. But whether good large heads will turn out as a result is a big question. To make the onion really grow in quality, use our tips.
Onions do not tolerate if they are grown several years in a row in the same place. Each new season, a vegetable needs to be planted on a new bed. At the same time, the best predecessors for onions are potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers and all legumes. Onions are very picky about soils. If the earth is acidic, then you will not wait for a good harvest. Onions grow best on fertile black soil with a neutral Ph level. The vegetable responds well to top dressing, especially he loves sulfur. Therefore, for a good harvest, feed your plantings with such mineral fertilizers a couple of times a season: superphosphate, ammonium sulfate or potassium sulfate. Onion “on the turnip” sits in small onions, the so-called “set”. In order for the sevok to grow faster, it cannot be pressed into the ground so as not to damage its lower part - roots will grow from there in the future. In the bed prepared for the onion, you need to make grooves, 1-1.5 cm deep, just place the onions vertically in them and sprinkle with earth. There should be enough earth so that the upper part is sprinkled with only 2-3 mm. The distance between rows is 10-15 cm, between the bulbs, too, 10-15 cm. The land in the garden with onions should be well-groomed: freed from weeds and loosened. When loosening the aisles, make sure that the onion does not turn out to be hilled (heavily sprinkled with soil). The heads should be quite a bit covered with earth in order to receive a sufficient amount of sunlight through this thin layer. At the beginning of its growth, the onion suffers greatly from a lack of watering. The bed should be constantly moist, but not too flooded with water. At the same time, onions cannot be watered by sprinkling when water falls on the heads. It is best to make small grooves between the rows and water them in these grooves.
Do not grow feather onions on a windowsill by placing the bulbs in jars or glasses of water. The green part of such an onion turns out to be too watery, and the roots begin to rot over time, which leads to the formation of an unpleasant odor in the room.
Onions have long ceased to be exotic in the summer cottage, rather, on the contrary, it is strange when it is not there. Despite its wide distribution and popularity, not all gardeners know how to grow it. This is a rather capricious culture and any deviation in agricultural technology leads to a deterioration in the quality of the crop. An excessively "evil" onion grows with a lack of moisture at the beginning of the growing season, a small head is formed during a dense planting and at the wrong depth, non-compliance with crop rotation and violation of the rules of care leads to the development of diseases and affects keeping quality.
Often summer residents get such a crop, half of which is not stored until the middle of winter, and the other half is suitable only for borscht because of the pronounced spiciness. What features need to be considered in order to properly plant onions and avoid many problems?
Onions love lighted areas and do not tolerate lowlands with heavy waterlogged soils. Good predecessors for him will be cabbage, cucumber and nightshade. These crops do not have common pests and diseases with onions, and since their cultivation is accompanied by the application of high doses of organic and mineral fertilizers, the soil is still quite nutritious.
Also, onions can go after zucchini and peas, but it is undesirable to occupy areas that were previously under carrots, since fresh organic matter is not brought under this crop, and onions require fertile soil. Also, the site after it is released late, you may not have time to prepare it for a new landing. You can plant carrots after onions, joint plantings and the close location of the beds are good (they scare pests away from each other).
It is possible to return the plant to its original place no earlier than after 3 years, and with a high incidence of diseases - only after 5 years. Planting an onion on a head in spring should be carried out in loose and moderately moist soil, therefore, in the fall, the site should be dug up on a shovel bayonet, and in the spring it should only be harrowed with a rake and leveled.
If necessary, compost or humus and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are introduced in the fall. To neutralize the soil solution on acidic soils, chalk or lime is added. Plots where fresh manure was introduced are recommended to be occupied with onion only for 2 years.
In poorly warmed areas with heavy clay soil, wide ridges are cut in autumn, on which planting will be carried out.
When is an onion planted?
The exact dates of disembarkation are determined by the prevailing weather conditions and soil temperature. Onion is a cold-resistant crop, but when planted in cold soil, it will shoot, which will reduce the quality of the crop.
On the other hand, the procedure must be completed when there is still a supply of moisture in the soil, the need for which the onions have at the beginning of growth is great. And the relatively long growing season of this crop does not forgive delay.
Planting material preparation
Planting material (sevoc) stored in a warm way (18-20ºC at a humidity of 60-70%) does not require any procedures to activate growth processes. A week before planting, it is sorted out, discarding dried, sprouted and rotting bulbs, and sorted, dividing into 2-3 fractions.
The smallest fraction (diameter less than 1.5 cm) is recommended to be sown at an earlier date, since it does not give arrows. Sevok from the middle fraction (diameter 1.5-2 cm) gives the best harvest, but on condition that the planting is made in sufficiently warm soil. Large onions (more than 3 cm in diameter) can be used to grow onions for feathers or to get turnips for canning, as they often give arrows, which affects keeping quality.
If the planting material was stored at low temperatures (in the attic, in the cellar, etc.), then 2-3 weeks before planting, it must be transferred to a warm room and dried (the container with the sevka can simply be placed near the battery, but not very close ).
The calibrated seed is heated at 40ºC for 8 hours to destroy the internal infection (you can put it on a battery in a cardboard box). Before planting, the bulbs are soaked in hot water for 12-24 hours. Instead of water, you can use a weakly concentrated solution of complex fertilizers.
Immediately before planting, the planting material is treated for 15 minutes with a pale solution of potassium permanganate or a fungicide (for example, copper sulphate). After processing, rinsing in clean warm water is required.
Some summer residents trim the "tails" of the seedlings to speed up germination. However, this procedure damages the protective barrier and opens the door for infection, so it is better to get by with soaking, which will already halve the time before germination.
Planting technique for onion sets
Shallow grooves are cut on the leveled bed. The distance between the grooves should be 15-20 cm, so that it is convenient to take care of the plants. If the soil is not moist enough, the grooves are shed with water. Onions respond well to the introduction of wood ash and sand into the furrows.
In the prepared bed, you can plant the processed sevok. The bulbs are buried bottom down to the "shoulders", and then sprinkled with earth, so that a 2 cm layer is obtained on top. Surface plantings will give earlier shoots, but it will not work to get a good turnip with this technique.
Sevoc in a row is placed at a distance of 6-10 cm (depending on the variety). Some summer residents advise planting it in a compact “snake” in order to obtain not only bulbs, but also greens from one bed. As the plants grow in a row, thin out, removing the bulbs along with the feather. This method is convenient on a small bed, when there is confidence that it will be thinned out in a timely manner.
How to grow a head from seeds in one season?
Growing onions for turnips in the Non-Black Earth Region, the Far East and Siberia takes place in a two-year culture, i.e., first sevok is obtained from seeds, from which turnips are grown the next year. In the southern regions and Central Russia, some sweet and peninsular varieties and hybrids can form a marketable bulb from seeds in one season. To get a turnip immediately from seeds, you need to carry out early spring and winter sowing or use seedlings.
If weather conditions allow, then onions can be sown as early as the end of April immediately in open ground. To speed up the germination of seeds, they must be placed in warm water or a solution of growth stimulants for 1-2 days.
Sowing is best done on high ridges. Seeds are sown to a depth of about 2 cm, using a tape method with a distance between the tapes of 20 cm. Thus, if the ridge is 1 meter wide, then 4-5 rows can fit on it. Seedlings need regular watering and thinning twice. The first time is thinned out a few days after mass shoots, leaving an interval of 2 cm between plants, and the second time - in the phase of 2-3 true leaves with an interval of 6 cm.
In winter, seeds are sown from late October to mid-November. Podzimny sowing is characterized by an increased seeding rate (3 times) and mulching of crops with peat. Seedlings appear earlier, so the bulb ripens earlier.
Through seedlings, mainly sweet lettuce varieties are grown. Sowing seedlings in a heated greenhouse is carried out in early March. It is possible to grow seedlings at home, but only with sufficient lighting. When sown in nutrient soil, seedlings require only regular watering. Plants are planted in open ground at the age of 55 days (they should already have 3-4 true leaves). To do this, choose a cloudy day or evening. Planted with a row spacing of 25 cm, between plants in a row they stand 6-8 cm.
The best varieties and hybrids
Onions are very sensitive to the length of daylight hours, so for planting, you need to choose only zoned varieties or achievements of local selection. Varieties bred in the northern regions, in the south with a short daylight hours, may not form a bulb at all. When creating your own collection of favorites in the garden, include representatives from different groups in it. Spicy varieties are distinguished by high keeping quality and productivity, semi-sharp and sweet varieties have good taste.
A guaranteed harvest can be obtained by planting old local varieties. In different regions, Strigunovsky, Rostov local, Bessonovsky, Spassky, Mstersky, Pogarsky, Timiryazevsky received national fame. They are regionalized quite widely and are known to gardeners throughout Central Russia and beyond.
Of the widely zoned sharp varieties and hybrids, it is worth noting Golden Semko, Centurion and Stuttgarter Riesen.
Golden Semko - early ripe with a large rounded golden onion, which is formed in one season immediately from seeds; gives a high yield; cultivated in all regions of Russia.
Centurion - a little arrowing hybrid with a medium-early ripening period; bulbs are golden, medium-sized, slightly elongated; disease resistant.
Stuttgarter Riesen - mid-season with large, slightly flattened bulbs.
Peninsular varieties for Central Russia: Zolotnichok, Odintsovets, Sputnik, Myachkovsky 300, Red Baron.
golden - medium early with golden rounded bulbs.
Myachkovsky 300 - early high-yielding with flattened yellow bulbs of medium size; suitable for growing turnips directly from seeds.
Red Baron - early ripening; bulbs are dark purple, rounded, weighing up to 150 g.
Good varieties and hybrids of sweet onions: Exhibition, Ritmo, Comet.
Exhibition - average term of maturing with large oval bulbs of yellow color; suitable for growing in an annual crop from seeds; has a high yield, but low keeping quality.
Comet - late ripening with white large bulbs; resistant to disease and suitable for long-term storage.
It can be difficult for beginner gardeners to decide which onion to plant on the head. After all, not only taste and productivity are important here, but also keeping quality and disease resistance. Moreover, the same variety in different soil and climatic conditions can show different results. Therefore, select up to 5 different varieties in order to highlight your favorites in 2-3 seasons.
The subtleties of plant care
Young seedlings need regular (1-2 times a week) and moderate watering, followed by loosening of row spacing to restore aeration of the roots. With the beginning of the formation of the head, the frequency of irrigation is reduced, and a month before harvesting they are not carried out at all for the successful ripening of the bulb. However, in case of severe drought, it is recommended to carry out sprinkling with a small amount of water.
Weeds pose a serious threat to seedlings, so weeding must be timely. Hilling of plants and close loosening is not allowed. Weeds in the row are removed manually so as not to damage the bulb with a weak root system.
Many summer residents are advised to carry out one or even two top dressing per season. However, there is no need for them on fertile soils seasoned with organic matter since autumn. On poor soils, the first top dressing with liquid organic fertilizers (horse manure, bird droppings, mullein) is carried out about a month after planting. The second top dressing is carried out during the period of turnip formation, using phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. To prevent root burns, top dressing is carried out after moistening the soil and before watering.
It's time for us to talk about growing onions, about one of the very first plants that a person began to grow, because it is believed that the onion was “cultivated” about 4 thousand years ago.
It is almost impossible to imagine any cuisine in the world without this “tear-producing” vegetable, because many dishes without it will seem insipid and tasteless.
And although there are a great many types of onions, each of them finds its admirers. This is onion, and more tender and delicate; perennial and can decorate our summer cottage no worse than flowers, but, for example, slime successfully combines the taste of onion and garlic.
I have listed far from all types of onions, there are many more of them, and with a variety of flavors, onions are quite capable of conquering the most demanding gourmet.
A bit of history
The bow was well known in ancient Egypt. On the paintings of the tombs, and the oldest of them dates back to about 2800 BC, images of onions were found.
The Egyptians highly valued it as a very effective remedy for a general pestilence and, therefore, grew onions everywhere. It was necessarily included in the daily diet of the slaves who built the pyramids in order to avoid various epidemics, since their number reached 100,000 people, and on a relatively small construction site.
And the Roman legionnaires believed that the consumption of a large amount of onions increases their energy and makes the warrior fearless.
The ancient Germans crowned brave warriors who distinguished themselves in battle with onion flowers.
In the era of the Crusades, the bow had such a high healing and occult authority that the French knights even exchanged their prisoners with the Saracens for 8 onions of each of them.
And the ancient doctors, not without reason, believed that there was not a single disease in which the onion, if prepared in the proper way, would not benefit the patient.
In Rus', onions also made their invaluable help during the years of terrible epidemics - plague, cholera, typhus. To prevent any infection from entering the room and to purify the air, onion bundles were hung in living quarters.
Useful properties of onions
In preparation for writing an article about onions, I re-read a large amount of literature about it and was simply amazed at how many useful properties of onions. Of course, I knew before that it has medicinal properties, but in such quantity!!!
Now I really regret that in my childhood I really didn’t like onions and almost didn’t eat them, as well, probably, many other children.
I will try to briefly note at least some of the invaluable properties of onions: wound healing, anti-influenza, anti-burn, expectorant, diuretic, laxative, anti-scurvy, antiarrhythmic, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-sclerotic, anti-thrombotic, antispasmodic and hypotensive, antihelminthic, antihemorrhoid.
Onion can be of great benefit to people with circulatory system disorders and edema of any origin, as it is able to stimulate and regulate cardiac activity and secretory activity of such organs as: bronchi, liver, kidneys, pancreas.
And onions are also valuable because they reduce the prothrombin index (blood clotting), cholesterol and blood sugar levels; normalizes blood pressure, increases the elasticity and strength of blood vessels.
Modern medicine has found numerous carbohydrates in onions - sugars, pectins, fiber, proteins, a large number of various vitamins, minerals (potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, zinc, selenium, sulfur), phytoncides.
For therapeutic purposes, onions can be used in any form: raw, boiled, baked, dried onions, fresh leaves, upper shells (scales) and seeds, in the form of juice, in the form of gruel, as well as decoctions and infusions.
I have listed, my dear readers, only a small fraction of the useful properties that onions have in order to show you what a treasure we grow in our gardens.
But it should also be noted that onions have their own contraindications. So, for example, onions are contraindicated in many diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, biliary and urinary systems, since the essential oils contained in it can aggravate the course of the disease.
Persons suffering from these diseases should be careful when ingesting fresh onion pulp and its whole juice, but at the same time they can successfully use baked or boiled onions.
Basic requirements for growing onions
In this section, we will consider the general conditions that must be met when growing this plant. Although the onion is not the most fastidious culture, it still requires attention to itself.
It is important for him that the soil in the beds is loose and nutritious. It is best to take an open, well-lit area for planting onions, as the plant reacts sharply to the intensity and duration of lighting. The length of daylight is one of the important conditions for its cultivation.
Onions feel great and grow well with low humidity. But at the same time, the soil should be moderately moist. Watering the onion is important at a time when there is a mass regrowth of the feather and the formation of bulbs, and already at the end of the growing season, excessive moisture is not welcome, as it will delay the ripening of the onion and reduce its keeping quality.
In those areas where groundwater comes close to the surface, it is better not to plant onions.
He also does not like weeds very much, so onion plantings must be regularly weeded.
Onion beds are best done in those places in our summer cottage where cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes grew in the previous season - those crops under which we usually apply large doses of organic fertilizers.
In no case should onions be planted in a site that was occupied by any type of onion, because: firstly, various pathogenic bacteria and other microorganisms, as well as those that “specialize” in this crop, may remain in the ground; secondly, the soil in these places is already depleted of those nutrients that are necessary for the growth of onion plants.
And it is not advisable to plant onions after plants such as: garlic, carrots. In the same place, onions can be planted no earlier than after 3 years, and best of all after 5 years.
Onions also do not like to grow on acidic soils, because in this case the plants absorb nutrition much worse and are more often affected by such a formidable disease as downy mildew (peronosporosis). Having become ill, the plant weakens and can no longer fully fight pests.
Preparing a plot for planting onions
It is best to prepare the soil for planting onions in the fall. We dig the earth to a depth of 15-20 cm, having previously introduced well-rotted manure or peat-dung compost.
It is not advisable to introduce fresh manure, as this can cause onion diseases, and weed seeds can also get into the soil with manure and it will not be so easy to get rid of them later. And the introduction of fresh manure will provoke an increased growth of the above-ground part of the plant, due to which the bulbs will not be able to fully mature.
If the soil is acidic in your area, then in order to get a good onion crop, it is necessary to liming the soil in the fall. But here it is necessary to take into account the fact that it is extremely undesirable to introduce manure and lime into the soil at the same time, since the nitrogen content in the fertilizer decreases.
To avoid this, it is better to add dolomite flour, ground limestone, ground chalk, wood ash to the soil instead of lime.
In the spring, we will only have to apply mineral fertilizers and it is better to apply them not all at once, but in several stages, since onions have a very negative attitude to the high concentration of mineral fertilizer salts.
Therefore, we apply half of the established dose when digging the ground before planting, and distribute the second half between 2-3 top dressings during the growing season.
Onion
In the previous sections, we got acquainted with the general conditions that must be met for successful growing onions. Now it's time to consider the requirements of specific species, of which there are a large number, but among our gardeners, several types are most common, these are: onions, shallots, batun, chives, slime onions, leeks, multi-tiered onions, wild garlic.
Let's start our acquaintance with the onion family with the most famous species that all summer residents grow - this is onions. More often onions are grown from onion sets, which can be purchased at gardening stores or grown from seeds.
Breeding sevka is a rather laborious process, because it is necessary not only to put a lot of effort into its cultivation, but also then to properly preserve it.
Therefore, I do not dare to grow onions from seeds, although I would have to try. In the next article, we will take a closer look at the agricultural technology of growing onions from seeds, but now let's talk about how to grow good onions from sets.
Preparing for landing
If we bought sevok in a store, then immediately after purchase, dry it in any warm place, scattering it in a thin layer, but not on the battery.
If you have a sevok that you yourself grew and which was stored at a low temperature (below 18ºС), then you need to warm it up in order to set in motion the growth processes.
It is best to warm up the sowing in several stages: first, we keep it at a temperature of 20ºС for 15-20 days; then we raise the temperature to 30-40ºС, but only for 8-10 hours.
Warming up is necessary not only in order to activate growth, but also to prevent archery in the future. At the same time, it is very important to prevent overheating of the set, since in this case the germination of onion sets will decrease very noticeably.
If you did not manage to gradually warm up the set, then before planting, be sure to fill it with hot water (45-50ºС) for only 10-15 minutes, and then immediately cool it in cold water.
It is very good if, after warming up, we still treat the seeds with some kind of growth stimulator (for example, Zircon, Humisol, Growth-1), or, instead, you can hold it in a solution of complex mineral fertilizer for 5-6 hours.
And in conclusion, it remains only to disinfect the sevka bulbs in a solution of copper sulfate (1 teaspoon per 10 liters of water) or in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Well, now the sevok is ready for landing.
Planting sevka
The timing of planting onion sets is directly dependent on weather conditions. If the spring is early and warm, then you can plant sevok at the end of April, and if it is cold, then you need to wait until the earth warms up to the depth of a finger.
It makes no sense to plant onions in unheated ground (temperature below 12ºС), as it will go to the arrow. But it is also impossible to be late with landing, especially if the spring is warm and dry.
This can lead to the fact that at first the green feather will develop intensively in the plant, and the root system will begin to lag behind in its development, and then, due to a lack of moisture and high temperature, the onion greens will stop growing, but the formed bulbs will still develop slowly and stay small.
So the well-known proverb “If you throw it in the dirt, you will be a prince” fully applies to the bow too. You can only clarify - in the warm mud)))
We plant onion sets on the prepared beds in rows, having previously sorted them by size. So we plant sevok with a diameter of up to 1 cm at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other; up to 1.5 cm in diameter - at a distance of 6-8 cm; up to 2 cm in diameter - at a distance of 8-10 cm.
The distance between the rows is best to take about 20 cm, so that it is better to process the onion and so that the plantings are better ventilated.
The planted bulbs are pressed tightly with earth and covered with a layer of mulch about 2.5-3 cm thick on top. A week after planting, the first shoots may appear.
Landing Care
loosening. It is possible (even necessary) to start caring for onion plantings even before germination, since at this time one should try to prevent the formation of a dense crust of the earth.
Therefore, we will often loosen the soil, which will also help us get rid of weeds. And in the future, loosening the soil should be carried out regularly to ensure a constant supply of a sufficient amount of oxygen to the roots of the plant. Especially onions need to loosen the soil after watering.
When our onions reach an average size, we begin to gradually rake the ground from them (unravel). This is done so that they grow larger and mature faster.
Watering. As mentioned above, onions need watering in the first half of the growing season. At this time, water the plants abundantly and regularly about 1-2 times a week (depending on the weather).
In July, when the bulbs begin to ripen, excess moisture is no longer needed, so we first reduce watering, and then stop 2-3 weeks before harvesting the onions.
The only thing is that if the summer is very hot and dry, plantings can be watered occasionally to avoid wilting and stunting of the bulbs.
Weeding. It is also necessary to prevent overgrowth of onion plantings with weeds, as they create high humidity, which contributes to the development of fungal diseases.
In addition, onions growing on unweeded beds form a thick juicy neck, which makes it difficult to further dry the onions and, accordingly, store them. Therefore, let's pay special attention to weeding onions.
top dressing. The first time we feed about 15-20 days after planting and, preferably, diluted slurry (1 kg of manure per 10 liters of water) or bird droppings (1 kg of droppings per 15 liters of water). Fertilizer consumption is calculated at the rate of 10 liters of solution per 1 sq. m.
The next time such a nutritious top dressing can be done in three weeks.
If you are going to feed onions with mineral fertilizers, then first apply nitrogen. It can be ammonium nitrate - 10-15 g per 1 sq. m.
And in three weeks it will be nice to add potassium fertilizers in the same amount to nitrogen fertilizers.
Mineral fertilizers can be applied dry by sprinkling them on the beds before watering or before rain, or you can pre-dissolve them in water and water the beds with this solution.
Treatment. Since it is easier to prevent than to treat, it is possible to carry out preventive treatment of onion plantings against fungal diseases and onion flies.
To do this, you need to make the following solution: 1 teaspoon of copper sulfate or copper oxychloride, 1 tablespoon of liquid soap, dilute in 10 liters of water and spray onion leaves.
Processing is best done when the onion leaves reach a length of 12-15 cm.
For preventive purposes, it is also possible to dust plants and earth with wood ash, tobacco dust. After 20 days, the treatment can be repeated.
onion harvesting
Onion ripening time largely depends on the weather and ranges from July to early September. The main signals of onion readiness for harvesting are: the cessation of the formation of young leaves, lodging of leaves, as well as their yellowing and drying, the bulb neck becomes soft and thinner, the bulbs acquire a characteristic color for this variety.
And here it is already impossible to delay cleaning, otherwise the plants may begin to re-grow roots and such an onion will be stored much worse.
In addition, we must try to remove the onion until the air temperature at night has decreased and the morning dew has not begun. The bulbs, together with the tops, are carefully removed from the ground and laid out to dry and ripen in a well-ventilated area.
Ideally, of course, it is better to dry it right in the garden under the sun, but at this time the weather is very changeable and there are usually no such fine days (7-10) in a row. So it's better not to risk it.
During the drying time, all the nutrients from the remains of the leaves pass into the bulbs. Then we cut off the dried leaves and the remains of the roots, leaving a neck 3-4 cm long and lay out the onion for additional drying, but already in a heated room.
Within 8-10 days, the onion is kept at a temperature of 25-30ºС. If possible, it would be good at the end of this drying for 10-12 hours to hold the onion at a temperature of up to 40ºС.
This procedure well disinfects the onion from various pathogenic infections and increases its keeping quality during storage.
That, it seems, is all that I wanted to tell you about the general requirements for growing onions and about growing onions from onion sets. In the next article, we will talk about how to grow, how to get onion seeds and how you can grow onion turnips in one year.
See you soon, dear readers!
The bed, as a rule, is ready in the fall; usually, after cabbage or zucchini, pumpkin, strawberries, green manure. After harvesting, I cover it with lime and cover it with black spunbond until spring.
It happens that I prepare the garden immediately after winter. I always choose a sunny and dry place and, as soon as the earth warms up, I dig a trench, lay overripe compost, sand, garden soil, spill it with Baikal-EM and cover it with foil and black spunbond. On such a bed, weeds do not grow due to lack of light, and the soil warms up faster, and beneficial microorganisms start working early.
In the spring, on the day of planting, I open the bed, add ash (1-2 cups per 1 m²), complete mineral fertilizer for onions, loosen, spill Fitosporin solution.
Selection of seed material.
Choose a variety that is adapted to your climate zone and resistant to various diseases.
From a large assortment in a garden store, I prefer an oblong, elongated sevka: for some reason, it is this one that gives a guaranteed healthy and numerous crop on my site. I buy sevok in February, and in early spring I sort out planting material, remove diseased, dried onions, sorting them by size.
To get a good turnip, the ideal dimensions would be 2 cm wide and 3 cm high. I find such an “ideal” and select the seed material according to it, plus or minus 0.5 cm. I “reject” everything that is smaller and plant it in a greenhouse along the edge of the garden on green feathers. This is not some kind of whim, but a well-founded decision: in too small a set there is no good supply of nutrients, so a small turnip grows, and the plants are weak, with belated shoots and head ripening a week later.
After this work, I pour the remaining onion into a box, sprinkle it with ashes and clean it in a dry place before planting in the garden.
Approximately 0.5-0.8 kg of seedlings will be needed per 1 m² of beds.
Boarding times.
Each time it is very difficult to choose the right planting dates: to land early, there is a risk of getting a large number of arrows if the planting freezes, and late - a good and large head may not have time to ripen. Difficulties, of course, arise due to weather cataclysms: during the day it is very hot, up to + 15 ° C, and at night the temperature drops to -10 ° C.
So I stock up on non-woven fabric and... wait for the weather (ツ)
It is necessary that the soil warms up to at least + 12 ° C., from about May 15. Onion sets can withstand slight frosts, down to -3 ° C, but it is better that this does not happen, otherwise wait for shooting. And, as a rule, onions still in the ground tolerate a lower temperature. With the advent of seedlings, susceptibility to low temperatures only increases.
Preparing seeds for planting.
The next common question is whether or not to cut off the top of the set.
Through trial and error, I came to the conclusion that if you want to get more greenery, then you should cut off the top by approximately 0.3 mm; and if you need a crop of good onions, then it is better not to cut, but pinch off the dry apical ponytails.
The soaked and cut sevok grows better, as the bottom of the bulb gets wet, which facilitates root formation, and growth accelerates for greenery. Only sections must be treated from the penetration of all kinds of pests and pathogens. I do it this way: I soak the seed in a warm Fitosporin solution for 3 hours, then filter and mix with ash. And I’m planting such a “dirty” sevok. Plants develop better.
Pruning should be done on the day of planting.
Remember that if you plant, then you can not cut it.
To get greens on the table faster, I separately plant onion sets on a feather. I do this back in March-April in the greenhouse.
Landing.
For even landings, you can use egg cages, only each hole will have to be further deepened a little.
If the earth is loose, then the onion can be stuck into the ground, holding it by the side. It is necessary to hold it so that when lowering into the ground, it is not the root that breaks through the soil, but your fingertips.
(see photo next).
Planting depth depends on the size of the sowing and should not exceed two of its height. The distance between the rows is no more than 10 cm, and the rows themselves are no more than 5-7 cm. If necessary, I thin out using onions for cooking.
If the ground is not soft enough, then firstly, add sand, and secondly, make small grooves, for example, with a flat cutter, tamp the bottom and spread the sevok bottom down, loosen.
I immediately cover the beds with spunbond, if there are severe frosts, which is not uncommon, then I put on the second layer.
I plant sevok not only in a separate bed, but also for carrots, beets, and tomatoes on the street. But there, basically, there are onions, which I then pull out with green feathers for food.
I liked using the hydrogel when planting. So I was able to get rid of the rotting of the bulbs in a rainy summer: the hydrogel took away excess moisture and gave it away only when it was necessary for the plants.
Sevkom care.
Fighting onion fly.
I do one preventive watering from a pest: 100 gr. coarse salt on a 5-liter watering can with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. Instead of watering with salt water, you can sprinkle salt when planting a seed.
You can also sprinkle the earth with ash with tobacco dust, 1 m² ½ cup each.
If possible, I keep landing with onions longer under arches with spunbond; in this way I protect them from the onion fly, whose years begin with the flowering of cherries and dandelions.
And I already wrote, but I repeat, “To protect against the onion fly, I advise you to throw a couple of carrot seeds every meter when planting in rows. Of course, you will not harvest the crop, but the smell of carrots repels a fly.
Peronosporosis, prevention and control measures.
dry the soil by stopping watering and increasing loosening work;
add ash - 1 glass per 1 m².,
will help and strait with a solution of Fitosporin,
Metaxil, Ordan, Proton - preparations of the 3rd hazard class, contact-systemic action, spraying on young leaves and at the beginning of bulb formation; protect, have a long-term preventive and curative effect.
Peronosporosis or downy mildew is a fungal disease, one of the most common onion diseases. You can notice it after three weeks: the leaves are twisted, practically do not grow, yellow spots and purple, and then gray bloom appear.
The disease occurs in low light, damp and rainy weather, low temperatures up to + 15 ° C. The fungus overwinters on plant debris or seed material. Infection is transmitted by spores of the fungus with the wind and over a long distance.
If you prepare the sevok and the bed, as described above, then downy mildew will bypass you.
You need to fight the disease as soon as you see its first signs:
After harvesting, the leaves must be burned.
As can be seen from the article, growing turnip seedlings is a rather troublesome business, but the most difficult work takes place in the spring. If you perform it carefully and correctly, then in the future you will free yourself from additional watering, fertilizing, and pest control. Planting sevka will only need to be weeded and loosened.
Article Author: Love
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Dear friends, the May spring sun is warming more and more confidently, which means that it's time to plant onions. We hope that you have already prepared onion sets.
This is the name of a one-year-old onion grown from seeds (nigella) and representing a small onion.
Sevok can be grown independently from seeds or purchased at garden centers and stores.
How to choose sevok
It is important to choose the right quality planting material. Bulbs should not be shriveled, already sprouted. In this case, the supply of their nutrients has already gone to the pen, and a good turnip will not work.
Also inspect them for damage and rot, this is important because such a set will not make a good onion head, it will be prone to disease, will not grow well, or even rot.
Here the principle applies: quality is more important than cheapness. It is better to purchase good planting material than discounted, but not meeting these criteria.
A good set of small size, dense, with a shiny smooth, whole and tight-fitting husk.
When to plant onion sets outdoors
The most popular month for planting onions is May. Specific dates depend on your climate zone. In central Russia, onions can be planted throughout May, while the spring moisture of the soil is preserved, which the onion respects very much.
When planting onions, it is not even the date that is more important, but the weather conditions and soil temperature. No need to rush to land if the weather is cold and wet. It is necessary to wait for warm days when the soil warms up to at least 15-20 degrees Celsius.
If you rush and plant the onion in the cold ground, then this will not lead to anything good. Although the onion tolerates frost and cold quite well, its character deteriorates because of this. He will certainly take revenge on you and, instead of a good turnip and greenery, he will grow flower arrows for you.
Therefore, it is better to wait for stable warm weather without rain than to be left without a crop. Pay attention not only to the lunar calendar as the ultimate truth, but also to the weather forecast, it will be more accurate.
What to do so that the bow does not go to the arrow
Even before planting, it is important to know why the sevok goes into the peduncle and how to avoid it.
The reason for the fact that the bow shoots is the incorrect storage temperature of the planting material, the lack of adaptation before planting, and the violation of the rules of care.
Let us explain in more detail: onion sets must be stored at positive temperatures, because it is the cold that provokes the onion to create arrows. This is a signal to launch a self-preservation program and give offspring as soon as possible. Therefore, as soon as you plant such a set, it will begin to produce flower stalks in order to give seeds faster.
The key to a large and strong onion turnip is storage in comfortable conditions, without cold stress.
But what if you bought an onion set in a store, and you have no idea how it was stored? No problem. Purchased onions need to arrange an adaptation period.
To do this, two weeks after the purchase, we keep the onion near the battery or in another warm place. And then we store it before planting only at room temperature and in the dark so that it does not begin to germinate ahead of time.
If there is no time to warm up the battery or the heating has already been turned off, then you can do the following: give the bow a warm bath. In a bowl of warm water (40-45) degrees, spread the onion and leave for 8 hours, periodically adding warm water. Then we take out the heads, dry it thoroughly and store it at room temperature until planting.
For planting on a turnip, choose medium-sized heads, because large ones are more prone to shooting and are best planted on greens. Do not plant in cold soil. For the same reason, watering with cold water should be avoided.
Processing and soaking onions before planting
First of all, when preparing a seed for planting, you need to carefully sort it out. Arm yourself with several containers for sorting.
It is necessary to reject all damaged and small specimens, leaving medium-sized bulbs for planting on the head. Large onions, small and even sprouted ones are suitable for greens. But empty, shriveled, missing - we throw it away.
Next, carefully cut off each dry tail at the crown with scissors. This simple operation will help them germinate faster and better. Well, you need to be afraid that an infection will get into the cut, because the sevok will be treated for diseases before planting.
Should onions be soaked before planting? And what is the best way to do it? Let's figure it out.
To feed the bulb so that it grows large, it is recommended to dilute the complex fertilizer in water (40-45 degrees) and soak the onion there all night. When the sevok is saturated with usefulness, you can proceed to its protective treatment and planting.
Most popular recipes:
- Soaking onions in potassium permanganate. We make a strong dark pink solution of potassium permanganate and soak the onions in it for 2-3 hours. After that, they will need to be washed under running water so that concentrated potassium permanganate does not damage future young roots. Potassium permanganate prevents fungal and bacterial diseases.
- Soaking onions in saline. 1 st. l salt diluted in one liter of water, immerse the bulbs in it for 2-3 hours. Salt also prevents decay and disease.
- Soaking in blue vitriol. 1 tsp of copper sulfate per 10 liters of water, for 10-15 minutes. Copper sulfate disinfects seedlings and protects them from diseases.
Processing onions before planting with salt, potassium permanganate and ash
On a three-liter jar of warm (60 degrees) water we take 2 tbsp. l with a slide of salt + dark pink solution of potassium permanganate + 2 tbsp. l wood ash. Soak for 2 hours.
Processing onions before planting from pests with birch tar
The most nasty onion pest is, of course, the onion fly. Fortunately for us, she cannot stand the smell of birch tar. And if you want to protect your crops, then it would be useful to soak the onion in the solution as well: 1 tbsp. l. tar in a liter of water for 10-15 minutes.
With the same solution, you can additionally shed plantings during the growing season.
Onion planting and care in the open field
As we know, onions cannot be planted in the same place where an onion bed was also located last year. The probability of diseases in this case greatly increases, and such landings should be avoided.
Choose a place where tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, legumes, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, cabbage were previously planted. The earth after them retains its nutritional value, and this is necessary for the onion to grow a good turnip. Onions and carrots have good neighborly relations, they scare away each other's pests, so you can plant them side by side.
He also prefers that the soil is not heavy, loose and nutritious. Places likes light, with good drainage, without stagnant moisture.
It is better to prepare the future onion bed in advance in the fall, loosen the ground well and add humus and compost. In the spring, one to two weeks before planting, we loosen the soil and spill it with organic humic fertilizers. Will do.
Planting an onion on a turnip (per head)
We prepare grooves about 8-10 cm deep. The distance between them is at least 15 cm.
Spill them with a disinfectant solution. You can use both powder (1 tsp per 10 liters of water) and paste (1 tbsp of diluted paste per 10 liters of water).
We plant our seedlings in the spilled grooves at a distance of 10 cm from each other. We sit him down on what is called “on the shoulders”, i.e. not only to cover the roots, but much deeper. This is necessary so that the bulb has good contact with the soil and does not hang out, because. She won't have roots yet.
Sprinkle wood ash on top as fertilizer and disinfection. And we fill the grooves with earth.
Planting onions on greens (on a feather)
When we do not have a goal to grow a turnip, but we only want greenery, then to save space, we suggest that you use a bridge landing.
This is when the bulbs are planted one to one very tightly and not very deep. At the same time, landing in open ground is not necessary, you can use a container with earth. Or select a small place in the garden.
Mixed nib and head fit at the same time
When we don’t have a lot of space, but I want to grow a good onion and eat greens, then this method will come in handy. We make grooves as usual, but we plant sevok in them in a checkerboard pattern and quite often.
With such a goal that some of these seedlings will grow on a turnip, and some can be pulled through as they grow, not greens and consumed fresh.
Otherwise, the actions are the same as in the classic landing on a turnip (see above).
Onion care
When we have organized a good bed, in a lit place, with nutritious loose soil, we only have to weed it in time so that the weeds do not interfere with the growth of the crop. Watering is carried out after planting once a week.
Onions also need frequent loosening of the soil (between rows and between plantings, especially after rain, so that the earth does not turn into a crust) and top dressing.
At the end of May, it is necessary to feed it with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, in mid-June - it already needs potassium fertilizers and ammonium nitrate. For those who prefer to do without chemicals, green fertilizers from weeds and nettles, biohumus and ash are suitable.
Top dressing with ammonia is also effective: 2 tbsp. l of ammonia dissolve in 10 liters of water, it is necessary to water with such a product on wet ground, and not on dry ground. Therefore, we pre-moisten the beds. Ammonia will drive away pests and nourish your plantings with the necessary nitrogen.
We do this top dressing three times with an interval of 10 days. And you will forget about the yellowing of the onion feather, and the onion fly will not stick its nose into your beds.
So dear friends, there is nothing complicated in growing onions, you will definitely succeed.
How to treat onion flies
