Your onion seeds? There is nothing easier!
In the old days, not a single meal was dispensed with. And today this culture has not lost its popularity. Each summer resident has his own set of proven ones that never fail in terms of productivity.
Most gardeners use purchased seeds. But I think it doesn't hurt to have a strategic supply of seeds of your favorite varieties and vegetables on hand.
Before being sent to the onion, the uterus is dried and cleaned in a room with a temperature of 0 ... + 3 degrees and a humidity of 75-80%. There she lies until the first spring warmth.
For 20-30 days for planting, the queen cells are moved to a room with a temperature of +18...20 degrees. This will identify diseased and substandard bulbs that will germinate during this period.
In the remaining queen cells, the neck is shortened - it is cut off with a small capture of the juicy part. With this technique, you will ensure the early germination of the testicles and once again verify their quality.
It takes 110 to 140 days for onion seeds to ripen.
Therefore, it is important to plant the bulbs as early as possible, especially in regions with short summers. Sometimes the bulbs are placed for growing in a greenhouse, greenhouse or nursery. This is done 2-3 weeks before planting in open ground. Then, by the time they move to the garden, the bulbs develop small roots and the beginnings of leaves appear.
A plot for growing onion seed plants is enriched in autumn with humus or compost - at a rate of 0.5-1 bucket per square meter. When pouring a liter jar of humus into each hole.
The standard planting pattern is 25 x 25 centimeters, but these figures are adjusted depending on the size of the bulbs. The onion uterus is placed in the ground so that the soil reaches its upper part. The average embedment depth is 4-6 centimeters.
During the shooting period, it is desirable to treat the plants with a 1% solution. Treatments with this agent are usually carried out at weekly intervals until the very beginning of flowering. This serves as a prevention of many diseases of the testes.
As soon as the first arrows appear, the queen cells are tied to pegs so that they are not knocked down by the wind. For this purpose, the pegs can be driven in several pegs at a distance of 1.5-2 meters and a twine is pulled between them. And already tie plants to it.
When and how to collect onion seeds
From the beginning of flowering, 60-65 days must pass for the onion seeds to fully form and mature.
When single split pods of jet black seeds appear at the top of the umbrella, it's time to start harvesting the seeds. And do not put off the matter indefinitely, because ripe seeds crumble easily.
To speed up the ripening process of onion seeds, try lightly tugging on the stems of faded plants. Reception partially breaks the contact of the root system with the soil. This contributes to a more active outflow of nutrient juices from onion feathers and flower arrows to the seeds.
Usually onion seeds are ready for harvest in late August - early September.
Seed caps are removed with scissors or a knife, along with arrowed stems 50 centimeters long. The testicles are tied into bundles of 10-15 pieces and hung under a canopy for ripening and drying. A rag or newspaper is spread on the floor under them so that the crumbling seeds are not lost.
After 8-15 days, they begin threshing and sifting the seed. Next, onion seeds are poured into water and settled for 5-10 minutes. Any debris, dummy seeds - everything that has floated to the surface - is removed. The rest of the seeds are dried on a cloth at room temperature.
Onion seeds are best stored in paper or cloth bags in a cool, dry place.
