Onion sets, planting and care

When planting onion sets, we get a more resistant plant, less demanding for care, for the choice of soil, the onion becomes more resistant to diseases and pests, and ripens faster. By following the basic, universal rules of planting and care, you can get a rich harvest of this irreplaceable vegetable crop.

Onion sets - description and varieties

Onion sets are small bulbs grown from seeds in the first year, with a diameter of 1.5 to 2.5 cm. In our climate, onion cultivation is two years old. Planting seeds of onion "chernushka" occurs in the spring, in the first year small onions are grown from them, collected in the fall for storage, and the next year in the spring they are planted on their site. And by the fall, large bulbs suitable for long-term storage ripen from onion sets. This method is very common for the middle and northern strips of our country, it allows you to achieve earlier crop ripening and a larger size of the bulbs themselves.

There is a wide variety of varieties of onion sets. The quantity and quality of your harvest depends on the quality of the planting materials used (seeds, bulbs). You can easily plan your onion growing and harvesting times by choosing a set that suits your individual requirements and desires.

The main popular varieties of seeds for growing onion sets:

Bessonovsky variety is an old onion variety of the Penza region. It ripens quickly, has a high yield, good keeping quality, is stored and transported without problems. Pungent taste, round-flat bulbs, weighing up to 50-60 gr., White inside. Scales of yellow shades with an admixture of purple. Produces 3 to 6 bulbs per nest.
Strigunovsky variety - bred in the Belgorod region. It is possible to grow from seed to a full-fledged bulb in one season. Early maturing, has a high yield, good keeping quality. Sharp, bulbs are round, small in size, weighing about 45-80 gr., dense and strong, white inside. The scale is dry, light, yellow. Produces up to 2 bulbs per nest.
Timiryazevsky - early ripening, has a high yield, good keeping quality, stored without problems. Pungent taste, round-flat bulbs, dense, strong, white inside. The scales are light, brown shades. Produces 1 to 3 bulbs per nest.
Danilovsky 301 variety - it is possible to grow from seed to a full-fledged bulb in one season. Mid-season, has a high yield, good keeping quality. Semi-sharp taste, round-flat bulbs, weighing up to 70-100 gr., Light purple inside. Violet scales. Produces 1-2 bulbs per nest.
Goldenberry variety - it is possible to grow from seed to a full-fledged bulb in one season. It ripens quickly, has no storage problems, has good keeping quality. Pungent taste, rounded bulbs, medium size, up to 60 gr. Scales of golden color.
Rostov variety - bred in the Yaroslavl region. It ripens quickly, has a high yield, good keeping quality, and is stored without problems. Pungent taste, round-flat bulbs. Gives up to 4-5 bulbs per nest.
Carmen variety is mid-season, has a high yield, good keeping quality. Semi-sharp taste, bulbs of medium density, round-flat appearance, weighing 100-120 gr. Scales of reddish-violet hues. From 1 sq. meters of planting harvesting up to 5 kg. Produces 1 to 5 bulbs per nest.
Stuttgarten Riesen variety - it is possible to grow from seed to a full-fledged bulb in one season with winter sowing. Mid-season, with a high yield, good keeping quality, no storage problems. The bulbs are round-flat, weighing 50-100 g, dense and strong. Scales are yellowish-brown.

There are many more varieties of onion sets adapted to the climate and soil characteristics of various regions of the country.

Growing onion sets from seeds

Planting, sowing

To get a good harvest, you can grow onion sets from seeds in advance. First you need to choose a place for sowing "chernushka". The most favorable place for growing sevka will be a garden bed, where cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes or potatoes were grown before. Sevok from seeds can be grown on the same bed along with onion sevka. To reduce pest attacks and minimize onion infection with diseases, it should not be planted in the same place for 3-4 years. The earth needs to rest.

It is recommended to choose a place for sowing on the sunny side of the site, with fertile land. It must be cleared of weeds, dug up. Soil fertility and its fertilization should be given special attention, the small root system of future shoots will take nutrition from the soil, the growth and development of the plant depends entirely on these factors. In advance, from autumn, it is necessary to bring rotted manure, compost, potash and phosphorus fertilizers into the garden (30-40 grams per square meter). Fresh manure is strictly contraindicated, because. it contributes to an increase in nitrogen nutrition in the second half of the plant's growth, which leads to the stimulation of the growth of the feather, and not the bulb. In case of excessive acidity of the soil, lime treatment is necessary. In the spring, before planting, add ammonium nitrate to the soil (20-25 grams per square meter).

Sowing time for onions is the end of April, the very beginning of May. After the snow melts, when the threat of frost has passed, and the earth warms up well with the sun, it is necessary to prepare the seeds for sowing. For 24 hours (or until the seeds sprout), they are soaked in water or in a damp cloth. Swollen seeds germinate faster and germinate better. After, the seeds are left in the shade to dry. Next, you need to treat them with agents against cervical rot and onion flies.

The landing site, prepared and fertilized in the fall, is again carefully dug up. The earth is loosened and slightly rolled. Grooves up to 2 cm deep are made in the ground. Water them with water. Distance between rows from 8 to 30 cm.

Sowing seeds is carried out at a distance of 0.5 to 2 cm from each other (consumption per 1 square meter - 8-10 grams of seeds). Thus, as they grow and develop, the plants do not interfere with each other. More frequent sowing in the future will require thinning. A rarer one will lead to the formation of larger bulbs that are not suitable for planting next year. When planting such larger bulbs in the new season, the growth of the plant will not be in the bulb, but in the arrows. Having finished sowing the seeds, mulching with peat or humus should be done, cover the sowing place with a film to protect the onion sets from cold and sudden frosts.

Seeding care

Caring for the crop will not be a big effort. It is necessary to weed weeds in a timely manner, this is done carefully so as not to damage the root system of plants. It is necessary to regularly loosen the soil to a depth of about 5 cm and water it. Especially important is weeding, loosening and watering in the first half of plant growth, during the growing season, for the full formation and growth of leaves. You need to finish watering 1 month before harvesting. With rich soil fertility, top dressing is not needed. If the plant develops poorly, top dressing can be carried out, but before the bulb begins to form. Top dressing with nitrogen fertilizer 10 gr. per sq. meter. If you continue nitrogen fertilizing and watering in the second half of growth, this will delay the ripening of the bulb. During the season, you can apply phosphate fertilizers, potash fertilizers from the middle of the growing season. In the second phase of growth, the main care is to control weeds.
To prevent onion fly attacks (usually, this is the time of flowering of dandelions), it is necessary to sprinkle the earth with a mixture of equal parts of tobacco and fluff, or a mixture of naphthalene and sand, in proportions of 1:20. Spraying the leaves with karbofos also helps in prevention.

Harvesting onion sets from seeds

A signal that the onion sets are ready for harvesting - the leaves fell, the feather turned yellow, a dry, yellow skin appeared on a well-formed bulb. Usually maturation of sevka occurs from late July to early August. If the season was rainy, it is better to remove the sevok without waiting for it to fully ripen. Thus, the formation of a new root lobe at the bulb is avoided, leading to poor keeping quality and storage. Sevok is dug in dry weather, dried in the garden. On average, the harvest from 1 meter of planting is about 1 kg of onions. After drying in the attic or under a canopy, where there is no humidity, and good airflow. The sevok is periodically turned over and stirred so that the onions do not become damp. When the leaves are completely dry, transferring their nutrients to the bulb, they are cut off. Do not remove seedlings from the garden in the rain or cut fresh feathers immediately. This increases the risk of onion infection with diseases. Complete drying of onion sets takes place within 2-3 weeks.
After the bulbs are sorted by size: small, medium, large. The standard average is considered to be a set size: from 1.5 to 2.5 cm in diameter for a cube-shaped form, from 1.5 to 2.2 cm in diameter for a round-flat and rounded form. It is the most productive for planting next season. Small seedlings give a lower yield. Large sets more than 3 cm in diameter - samples. Most often, it is planted for distillation, to obtain a feather. Sorted dry seedlings are stored in a closed room. Often used for storage capron. Onions are removed in capron, hung in a dry room with a temperature of 18 to 22 degrees Celsius. You can store sevok in a slide. To avoid temperature fluctuations, you can cover with straw. To calculate the area for planting bulb sevka next year, you need to multiply the planting area of sevka from seeds by about 6-8 times.

Growing onion sets for the second year

Planting onion sets in spring

Landing is carried out from the middle or end of April. The soil temperature should be at least 12 degrees Celsius. Bulbs have good frost resistance, they are not afraid of cold. As for sowing onion sets, so for planting bulb sets, you need to select and prepare a place. Onion is a photophilous plant, it is better to choose the sunny side of the site, with good air currents. The presence of groundwater is not desirable. The best place for onion sets is a garden bed where cabbages, beans, cucumbers, zucchini or tomatoes were grown in the past. Undesirable predecessors are carrots, garlic. Only after 4-6 years can onions be planted after these crops. In areas where onion sets have been grown in the past, onion planting is not recommended for the next 3-4 years. Loamy, alkaline soil, with an admixture of sand, retains moisture well - this is the most successful place for planting onion sets. If the soil is acidic, heavy, then liming the soil is necessary, fertilizing in the form of dolomite flour, lime, wood ash, ground chalk or ground limestone. It is important not to apply lime and manure at the same time. When these components are combined, the percentage of nitrogen in the fertilizer decreases. When applying manure, it is recommended to choose any other alternative to lime to reduce the acidity of the soil. If planting onions for forcing a feather, then organic fertilizers will help in the rapid formation of greenery. For growing full-fledged bulbs for long-term storage, organic matter is undesirable.

A place for planting has been prepared since autumn: the earth is cleared of weeds, dug up, fertilized, peat-dung compost, rotted manure are introduced. In the spring, just before planting the bulbs, it is contraindicated to apply organic fertilizers (chicken manure, humus). Organics provoke the growth of the feather, and not the formation of the bulb. Also, before planting in the spring, digging of the soil is carried out, mineral fertilizers are applied to it. 7 days before planting the bulbs in the ground, it is possible to treat the area with a solution of water and copper sulfate, in proportions of 10 liters per 1 tbsp. spoon.

Before planting, a careful selection of planting material is carried out. Onion yield largely depends on the quality of the bulbs. Bulbs with putrefactive formations, withered, with shoots, deformed for planting are unsuitable. First, the onion is heated for 15-20 days at a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius. After, healthy, strong (spring or winter) planting material is heated for 7 hours at a temperature of +35 degrees Celsius. This procedure reduces the risk of later formation of arrows and also helps the formation of kidneys. Warming the bulbs before planting increases the plant's resistance to diseases, making it more resistant to pest attacks. After heating, the bulbs are placed in a dry, warm room.

Before planting in the ground, the bulbs can be treated with a growth stimulator, it is also advisable to place them in a solution (1%) of copper sulfate for 25 minutes. This procedure disinfects the bulbs, helps to strengthen the protection of the plant from decay. Alternatively, you can gently boil the bulbs in boiling water or soak them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. It is worth noting that improper processing with boiling water can lead to the death of the root system of the bulb, to the problems of its development and growth. Without waiting for the bulbs to dry after processing, they are placed in the ground.

The landing site is loosened, leveled, slightly rolled. Grooves are made on the beds with a depth of 2-4 cm, the width between them is about 20-25 cm. With a bulb size of up to 1 cm in diameter, the required distance between the bulbs in planting is 5 cm. With a bulb size of up to 1.5 cm in diameter, the required distance between bulbs in planting 8 cm. If the size of the bulb is up to 2 cm in diameter or more, the required distance between the bulbs in planting is 10 cm or more. When planting seedlings in the ground, it is undesirable to press the bulb strongly into the ground, the upper part of the head should stick out of the ground. When deeply immersed in the soil, the bulb can take an elongated shape. With a very shallow immersion, there is a risk of deformation of the bulb, due to the onslaught of the root system, it will simply be pushed to the surface. After planting, mulching with sawdust and peat is necessary. You can cover with foil until sprouts appear.

Planting onion sets in autumn

Planting onion sets in the fall is an opportunity for an early harvest. For planting winter onion sets, it is better to use special varieties (for example, Carmen, Strigunovsky, Danilovsky). First, the smallest bulbs of the set are sampled. An important point - the neck of the onion is not cut off. The bed must be insulated in advance. Grooves are made in the garden with a depth of 4 to 5 cm. Bulbs are planted there. Sprinkled with earth.
To obtain an early harvest of onions for a feather, the largest bulbs are selected, planted on a warmed bed in frequent rows. Sprinkled with earth.

Onion set care

If the bed was specially prepared in advance and fertilized for onion sets, then the main care after spring planting is loosening the soil, systemic watering and carrying out several top dressings. After the feathers are about 10 cm long, you can start weeding, loosening the soil. Such a late intervention will save the bulbs from injury and deformation. Watering in May-June is carried out once every 7 days. Reduce after watering. And 30 days before the harvest, around the month of July, it is completely stopped. Loosening the soil throughout the season, this is an important aspect in the cultivation of onions, the appearance of a soil crust should not be allowed. Weed removal should be timely when they are small. High-quality weeding will not allow deformation and obstacles in the development of bulbs due to weed root systems. When the feathers reach 10-12 cm, you need to walk between the rows with a chopper, loosen the soil, make grooves between the rows. It is then that the first top dressing is carried out with any liquid nitrogen fertilizer, organic or inorganic, it is introduced into the grooves. Then equalize. A few weeks later, a second top dressing is carried out with potassium chloride in liquid form, it contributes to the development and formation of bulbs. During this period, the plant needs good watering. When the bulbs begin to form, you can begin to gradually move the earth away from them. So they will quickly begin to ripen and pour. If arrows appear on the bow, they must be removed after a swollen thickening has formed inside on the bottom of the arrow.

Care Tips:

If the feathers are pale, the plant is deficient in nitrogen.
If the feathers are grayish, the plant is deficient in potassium.
If the feathers turn black and dry, the plant is deficient in phosphorus.

Harvesting onion sets

Onions are harvested after the feather has turned yellow, when the leaves have fallen down and become limp. Soil care (watering and top dressing) and onions are stopped a month before harvesting. Dry soil contributes to the maturation of the heads. In the absence of rain, onions begin to ripen in early August. It is advisable to choose a dry day for cleaning. If the summer turned out to be rainy, then it is recommended to remove the onion in mid-August, without waiting for its full formation. Thus, preventing rotting of the bulbs. Harvesting should be done carefully so as not to scratch the bulbs.

To begin with, you can dry the onion in the beds for 3-7 days, then transport it to dry in an open, sunny area, well ventilated by air, the desired temperature is from 25-35 degrees Celsius. Moisture and water on the bulbs should be avoided. After drying the bulbs for 10 days, it is necessary to remove bursting scales, dry roots, cut off dried feathers, leaving a “stump” neck 3 to 5 cm long. After drying, the crop is stored in a dry place in a container with holes for ventilation (for example, boxes).
Onion crop from 1 sq. meters - 2-3 kg.

Diseases of onion sets - mosaic, gray rot, peronosporosis, horse rot.

The use of chemicals in onion fertilizer is not recommended, organic fertilizers (urea, manure, compost, bird droppings) are welcome. Natural organic fertilizers contribute to plant resistance to disease. While mineral fertilizers, due to the effect on onion metabolism, form an environment that attracts its pests. To activate and stimulate growth, it is better not to use chemicals, it is more favorable to use natural nettle infusion. Nitrogen bait should be observed strictly in the recommended doses, so as not to harm the plant. Moderate use of potash and phosphorus fertilizers strengthens the plant's resistance to pest attacks and diseases.

Having shown due attention and necessary care to the plant, this crop will please you with the quantity and quality of the crop.