How to Grow Onions: Tips and Tricks

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 onions are quite easy to grow, but in order to get large and fleshy heads, as well as long and juicy "feathers", some effort is needed. 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. This is the name of the small bulbs obtained by germinating onion seeds.

When purchasing planting material, you should pay attention to its quality, since the future harvest directly depends on it. The size of the bulbs is considered optimal - 1.5-2 cm. Planting material less than the indicated parameters runs the risk of drying out with a lack of moisture. At the same time, attention should be paid to the appearance of the sevka - it should be tight, strong, not have traces of damage by pests, not be dried out 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, you can use modern drugs such as Fitosporin, Gamair, Planriz.

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 sowing, however, the tail of the onion must necessarily look out.

Seedlings appear approximately 9-10 days after planting in open ground. During this period, it is necessary to moisten the earth if it is too dry, and also gently fluff it. However, this should be done as carefully as possible so as not to damage the delicate roots of the vegetable crop.

Growing from seed

Some gardeners, having a negative experience of growing onion from sets, germinate the seeds on their own. To do this, place the seeds in a moist and warm environment (a soft cloth dampened with water is ideal). After germinating the seeds, it is necessary to place them in the ground and wait for the shoots. After some time, small bulbs will form - sets. They need to be cleaned of soil and stored in a dark, cool room. Onion sets are suitable for planting next year.

How to grow onions from seeds? There are two known methods:

Seedless cultivation is practiced in areas with a temperate climate. To do this, it is necessary to sow onion seeds (nigella) directly into open ground to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. To speed up germination, you can soak the seeds in warm water. In this way, a vegetable crop is planted in early spring, and 24 weeks after that, you can harvest. Unfortunately, this method is not suitable for the northern regions, since the onion does not have time to fully ripen.
Podzimnaya planting involves planting seeds in the winter. for this, it is necessary to place them in the ground to a depth of 6-7 cm and pour a layer of humus 2-3 cm on top. It is recommended to prepare beds for onions in advance, before the ground has time to freeze.

When choosing a method for growing onions, it is necessary to focus on the climatic conditions of the region of growth, as well as on personal preferences regarding the convenience of planting.

seedling cultivation

Even experienced gardeners are wondering how to grow onions in order to get the highest yield possible. In addition to acquiring ready-made planting material in the form of seedlings and planting nigella (onion seeds) in open ground, there is a seedling method of cultivation.

To simplify 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 ground, moisten it and cover with a film until germination. The temperature in this case 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 some time in order to ventilate the seedlings.

Watering is carried out as needed, but it should be remembered that the soil must always have moderate moisture. It is also recommended to fertilize with ammonium nitrate, potassium chloride and superphosphate. When the seedlings are about 10 cm in size, they are considered ready for planting in open ground.

Landing Features

How to grow onions for the highest yield? To do this, it is necessary to take into account all possible nuances when planting a vegetable crop. For example, onions love fertile soils and are reluctant to grow in clay soils. In addition, the vegetable loves sunny areas and good lighting throughout the daylight hours.

The size of the beds is determined by the gardener based on 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 from region of residence of the 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

Fertilization is necessary for the formation of large bulbs and large green feathers. The first top dressing is necessary in the phase of active growth of green onions. To do this, dissolve 25 g of urea in a bucket of water at room temperature and apply under each plant.

The second top dressing 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 for a similar amount of liquid.

How to grow onions without the use of mineral and organic fertilizers? This is possible only on chernozem soils, however, even under such favorable conditions, there are no guarantees that the harvest will please with abundance. On poor soils, it is also recommended to apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.

Watering

Tips for growing onions always include information about watering vegetables. With moderate humidity and regular natural precipitation, watering should be done once every 2 weeks. In dry weather - once a week. at the same time, it is necessary to loosen the soil to destroy pests and provide air access to the roots. In the last month before harvesting, watering stops completely. 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 fly, nematode, thrips, hoverfly.

When the first signs of damage appear (withering, light spots on feathers, curling), it is necessary to treat the vegetables with biological insecticides. It is highly undesirable to use chemical processing agents, especially if onions are grown on a feather.

Harvesting

How to grow onions 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. After that, they must be decomposed and dried for 7-10 days in the fresh air. If the vegetables are not dried, then there is a high probability of rotting during long-term storage.

Growing vegetables in winter

In the cold season, the desire to eat fresh herbs intensifies. How to grow at home? There are several ways:

Growing onions for greens (as the easiest way) can take place on the water. To do this, you need to take a strong onion from the store and insert it with roots into a glass of water. In this case, you can cut the tail - this will accelerate germination. It remains only to wait for the growth of onion feathers and timely replace the water with fresh water.

How to grow onions on a windowsill on the ground? To do this, you need to take the earth for flowers and pour it into a container. Then plant the store bulb in the ground and water it. Green feathers will appear within a week after planting. When using this method, rotting of the bulb and the accompanying unpleasant odor can be avoided.

The question of how to grow onions on the windowsill was asked by almost any housewife. There are several secrets:

in order to get the most delicious harvest, you can highlight the "beds" with a lamp;
if you plant bulbs in flower pots, you can create not only a useful, but also a beautiful "garden" on the windowsill;
to increase the juiciness of feathers, they can be sprayed periodically with water from a spray bottle.

There are no special secrets on how to grow onions in winter, because these methods are familiar to everyone from early childhood.

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 repeated cultivation in the same area can adversely affect the quality of the onion heads.
Onions cannot be hilled, but they respond positively to shallow loosening of the soil.
The soil must not be allowed to dry out, otherwise the vegetable risks growing insufficiently juicy.
If an unwanted arrow with seeds begins to form on the onion, then it must be removed, otherwise all the power will go into it, and the bulb will be small.

It is useful to know how to grow green onions not only for gardeners, but also for housewives, since the taste of fresh feathers of this vegetable can significantly improve the taste of many dishes. In addition, its cultivation at home is not particularly difficult.