Grow a large onion. How to grow onions: tips and tricks

For several years now I have been growing onions using my own method. Neighbors come to wonder at my turnip and I am happy to share my experience with them. There are no special secrets here: laborious physical labor and inconceivable care. You just need to huddle it several times during the entire ripening of the onion. You can see it in my photos. On the Internet you can read the most extraordinary cultivation methods, especially fertilizers and feeding surprises me. I will definitely say that onions do not like fresh manure and constant moisture. I am not going to criticize those who have not even held a shovel in their hands, I'll just tell you how I grow turnip onions. I plant onions in early May, when the earth dries out and warms up.

I dig a bed for sowing onions, break up all the clods of earth, for this I go through it with a rake and sprinkle some ash. The onion sets are purchased from me, I sort through it, cut off the upper ends with scissors and immerse the whole onion in a previously prepared bright pink solution of manganese. There he has been with me for half an hour. I pour the used solution into a watering can and dilute it with water, water the currant bushes (this is only good for the currant.)

I draw a bed of onions with a special stick for this on the line for planting the set, a gap of 15 cm. Then, in each line with the same stick I make indentations every 15 cm to a depth of 2-3 cm. I lower the set with the cut tip up into these holes. Then I fall asleep and pat it lightly with my palm. In dry weather, I water it. After 3-5 days, the onion rises with an even green feather, be sure to water it every evening. I carefully spud the grown onions, at the same time remove the weeds. I carry out hilling two more times, as the greenery grows. An important condition, if you want to get a large turnip, then you do not need to cut off the central feathers, otherwise some lovers will cut off everything for the salad and wait for new ones to appear, and besides, the onion will grow a giant one.

In the month of July, onion feathers noticeably grow, become long and juicy. I carry out the third hilling of the onion. And it seems that there are no more worries with him. When watering, I look at how it feels. No yellowing, lodging, shooting. For prophylaxis, I water the onion with a pink manganese solution every two weeks. In the bottom photo you can see how juicy the feathers of the onion are and the moment when I shook the earth from the neck of the bulb. Now the turnip will be big, very big!

At the end of July, I prepare the onion for final ripening, now the task is not to grow a feather, but to develop the turnip itself. To do this, I scrape off the soil from each neck of the bulb, but not too much. The onion will do the rest as soon as it feels free. You will immediately notice this transformation; in just a few days, the onion will grow larger. But the feathers in the garden will begin to lay down, this is a sign that the onion is ready for harvest. Green feathers can be collected and used for food, they are not bitter at all, and are quite suitable for many dishes. I cook okroshka, salads, and I freeze most of it along with dill in the form of briquettes for the winter. I will tell you about this and show it in the next topic. I stop watering so that the onion does not rot. Onions are usually harvested before August 8-10. I do this early in the morning, on a sunny, dry weather. I don't dig in the onion, I just pull out the feather and leave it to dry in the garden. During the day I stir it up so that it is better ventilated. In the evening I cut off the feathers and take the onion under the canopy, sprinkle it there for further drying. The onions are perfectly stored, enough until the next harvest. Absolutely free of any chemicals and environmentally friendly.

Growing onions to obtain a head (onion) in the summer cottages of experienced gardeners does not cause difficulties. However, in order to get large (200-400 g) bulbs, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the cultivation technique, which has its own characteristics. How to ensure yourself a good harvest of large bulbs - what planting material to use, how to care for plantings of onions, etc., we will tell in the article.

General Approaches to Getting Healthy, Quality Onions

Large onions start from seeds. Onions per bulb (head) can be grown through seeds (nigella), sevok (arbazheyka) and seedlings. On the garden wedge of the summer cottage for growing large onion bulbs for the purpose of eating and winter storage, it is more practical to grow a crop from seedlings.

To get a harvest of large heads (up to 200-400 g) of onions, several conditions are necessary:

• selection of a zoned variety with a large onion;
• correct storage of seed;
• compliance with the requirements of agricultural cultivation.

Bulb varieties and size

Looking for a large onion? Be attentive to the varieties planted. Onions are a long day plant and react painfully to the ratio of dark and light periods of the day. Onions have a very interesting varietal feature of the reaction to the length of daylight hours. Culture tolerates climate change more easily than lack of daylight hours.

Southern onion varieties are genetically predisposed to grow and form a storage organ (bulb) as the day length approaches the maximum - 13-15 hours. The approach of the maximum in the south takes a long period, and the zoned variety manages to build up a large vegetative mass, including a large storage organ.

If a southern onion variety is planted in the northern region, where daylight hours in the summer season very quickly reach a maximum of 15-18 hours, the plants will tend to end the growing season as soon as possible and form bulbs. The formation of the storage organ (bulb) means the end of development, and retirement. The bulbs do not have time to gain weight and remain small.

Northern onion varieties planted in the south will constantly form a leaf mass in anticipation of the onset of the longest day at 15-18 hours. And since in the south, the maximum daylight length ends at the 15 hour mark, the culture continues to increase the leaf mass, and does not form a bulb at all. The variety does not have enough light time to move on to the next phase of development.

Therefore, dear readers, if you want to get a large onion bulb, be sure to take into account the culture's reaction to photoperiodicity. Grow southern varieties of onions in the south, and northern ones in the north. Otherwise, the onion heads will be shallow, unripe or not formed at all. In this case, both the large-headed, but not zoned variety, and the fulfillment of all the requirements of agricultural technology will not ensure the production of a large bulb.

Selection and storage of seed

It is possible to get a high yield of large onion bulbs only when sowing with high-quality seed material, which can be purchased in a store or grown independently and properly preserved before planting in the ground.

When self-harvesting seed, it is necessary to divide them into fractions after harvesting and drying the crop of bulbs:

• Wild oat, 0.5-0.7 cm in diameter;
• Group I, 0.8-1.5 cm in diameter;
• Group II, 1.5-2.2 cm in diameter.

The best for sowing is the arbazheka of groups I and II.

Before planting, the selected seedlings are stored in a cool room at a temperature of 0 ... + 2 ° С and not higher, and in a warm room at + 17 ... + 18 ° С (away from heating batteries).

If the temperature regime was violated and the arbazheka was stored at home at a temperature of + 2 ... + 15 ° C, it makes no sense to hope for a high-quality onion crop. At spring planting in open ground, such an onion set will begin to shoot. A thick hollow peduncle will take away some of the nutrients, the onion bulb will be small. In addition, the base of the peduncle in the bulb will serve as a source of decay in the autumn-winter period.

Thus, the variety and quality of the planting material are the prerequisites for obtaining a harvest of large onion bulbs.

Turnip onion growing technology

Precursors of onions

Tomatoes, cucumbers, early and medium potatoes, zucchini, legumes, and early cabbage are good precursors for onions in crop rotation. Onions combine well with carrots, beets, radishes, greens, which allows these crops to be used as compactors in combined beds.

Planting period sevka

Planting onion sets can be carried out in late autumn or early spring. In practice, spring planting of onions is preferable. Climatic cataclysms of recent years can provoke early seedlings and their death during recurrent frosts, cause partial rotting of seedlings during the winter. The stress state of the plants will lead to the formation of small bulbs.

Depending on weather conditions and soil warming, the arbazheka is sown in warm regions in the last decade of March – early April, in colder regions (middle lane) - in the last decade of April – early May. In the northern regions, after the frost passes and the soil warms up to + 6 ... + 10 ° С.

The optimum soil temperature for sowing seedlings is + 10 ... + 12 ° С, and air temperature + 3 ... + 5 ° С.

Onion shoots will appear on the 5th-6th day. If you plant a seed in unheated soil, it will begin to shoot. If you are late with planting, then, once in dry, overheated soil, the onion will slow down its development and will not form a large onion. That is, in order to obtain a large onion bulb, it is very important to withstand the planting time of the set.

Onion seedlings are patient to a cold snap and easily tolerate short-term frosts down to -3 ° C. But with autumn planting and the onset of spring return frosts, grown plants stop growing and developing when the temperature drops from -3 ... -5 ° C, which subsequently affects the size of the bulb.

Seed preparation for planting:

• Select only absolutely healthy onion sets for planting;
• Cut dry ends at the top of the set carefully with scissors;
• To protect the seedlings from fungal infections, be sure to disinfect with hot water, potassium permanganate solution, and other known methods. Decontaminated onions are dried at room temperature until flowing. It is stored in a damp burlap until planting.
• The next day, they are planted in prepared soil.

Onion soil requirement

Onions do not tolerate acidified soils and fresh organic matter. Therefore, when growing in a culture rotation, organic matter and deoxidizers are introduced 2-3 years before planting onions for previous crops. Onions do not like liming the soil, therefore, if it is necessary to deacidify in the year of planting, 3-4 glasses of ash per sq. m area.

For normal growth and development of plants, the soil under the onions must have a neutral reaction pH \u003d 6.4-6.7 units, be moisture-consuming, permeable, fertile.

Planting material for onions - sets

Fertilization

Onions take out significant amounts of nutrients from the soil with the harvest, but they do not need to be fed. Uniform supply of nutrients and moisture during the growing season will contribute to the constant growth of the vegetative mass of the bulb. On depleted and dense soils, from autumn, under the main soil digging for onions, ripe crumbly humus is introduced no more than 1 / 3-1 / 2 buckets per sq. m or sow siderates.

Rye, oats, mustard, rapeseed are well loosened. On dense floating soils, you can use mustard with legumes, sweet clover, vetch-oat mixture. Mixed green manure crops will not only plow the soil, but also saturate it with available nutrients.

Of the mineral fertilizers under the onions, nitroammofosk is applied 50-60 g / sq. m. or only phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, respectively 25-30 and 15-25 g / sq. m, and in spring, urea is added for sowing no more than 20-25 g / sq. m.

If the soils are depleted and higher fertilization rates are required, then it is better to add 2/3 of the dose in the fall, and add the remainder in the spring before planting.

Arbazhek planting rules

Sowing is carried out in the prepared soil in a single-row method or in 2-3-row tapes. In the tape, 8-12 cm are left between the rows and 20-25 cm between the tapes.

In the first method, in a row between the bulbs, the distance can be different:

• When planting "shoulder to shoulder", the planting density is high, since the distance between the sets in a row is 1.0-1.5 cm. With this planting method, 2 thinning is carried out:
• at the first thinning, the distance is increased to 4 cm, and the young onion-feather is used for food;
• after 25-30 days, a second thinning is carried out, leaving a distance between young plants of 7-10 cm.

The second planting method is private. Sevok is planted at a distance in a row after 8-10 cm, between rows - 20 cm. Thinning is not carried out. Arbazheyka is placed in the furrows vertically up to a depth of 4 cm, covered with soil by 2.0-2.5 cm from above and slightly compacted with the palm of your hand.

Onion care during the growing season

It is very important during the growing season to keep the soil moist, loose, and free of weeds. Weeds obscure the bulbous zone at the base of plants and provoke the accumulation of fungal infection.

Post-irrigation mulching of onions is mandatory. The crust formed after irrigation is the reason for the uneven provision of moisture to the topsoil (sometimes dry, sometimes wet), which reduces the possibility of forming a large bulb. Loosening is only superficial, in wide aisles. When loosening in a row, damage to superficially located roots negatively affects the growth of the bulb. Onions must not be hilled. On the contrary, during the growth of the bulbs, the "fashionista" open their shoulders towards the sun. Timely watering plays a significant role in the formation of a large bulb.

Watering onions

Watering and feeding onions in the first 2-3 months are especially important. Interruptions in the supply of nutrients and a violation of the irrigation regime during this period lead to small onion heads and a loss of its taste.

Approximate frequency of watering:

• The first month, watering is carried out once a week with the obligatory subsequent loosening and mulching of the chopped mulch. Pests settle under large mulch, fungal infection accumulates. The fine mulch protects the soil from drying out the top layer and decomposes quickly when exposed to moisture. During this period, when watering, the soil is soaked to a 10 cm layer.
• In June, by the growth phase of the bulbs, the number of irrigations is reduced to a 10-day break, but the soil is soaked to a 20-25 cm layer. To avoid stagnation of water, watering is carried out with fine spraying.
• In July, watering is carried out every 8-10 days as necessary (preventing the soil from drying out in the root layer).
• In the second half of July, the soil is only kept in a moist state, they switch to "dry watering". The soil is loosened, mulched, be sure to get rid of weeds.
• 2-3 weeks before harvesting, watering is stopped and carefully "bare" the shoulders of the bulbs from the ground. The procedure promotes the maturation of the bulb, especially the stem at the base. Unripe stems in winter are affected by fungal and bacterial rot.

Watering errors

• Watering with high pressure breaks the feather, causing interruptions in the supply of nutrients to the plant, weakens it. The plant gets sick.
• Do not pour cold water on the onion. When watering with water below + 18 ° C, the culture becomes sick with powdery mildew.
• It is necessary to keep the plantings absolutely clean from weeds, preventing them from growing above 5-8 cm.
• Onion root necks remain juicy on a weeded and improperly watered area, which sharply reduces the keeping quality of the onion.

Top dressing onions

The formation of large bulbs requires a fairly large amount of nutrients. Their entry to culture should be uniform, without hunger breaks and overfeeding. It is better to fertilize onions with nutrient solutions. Adding dry dressings is not as effective.

The first feeding of onions

With sufficient basic dressing of the soil, the first feeding of onions can be postponed to June, and if necessary, it is carried out after 2-3 weeks from shoots. Thin light feathers are a signal for feeding.

For feeding, a spoonful of ammonium nitrate or urea is diluted in 10 liters of warm water. They are brought under the root by 10-12 running meters. If the soil (for various reasons) was not fertilized enough before planting, then the first top dressing is best done with full fertilization, using nitroammofoska, Kemiru-lux, crystallin in the form of a solution (25-30 g / 10 l of water). After fertilizing, the plants must be washed with watering with a fine-mesh nozzle.

The second feeding of onions

The second feeding is carried out in the second decade of June with a solution of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. In 10 liters of warm water, dissolve 20 and 10 g of superphosphate and potassium sulfate and add under the root of the plants. During this period, instead of a phosphorus-potassium mixture, you can once again feed the plants with nitroammophos, increasing the concentration of the solution to 2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water. Additionally, foliar feeding is carried out with microelements or boron with the addition of ash extract (0.5 l per 10 l of water).

The third feeding of onions

The third top dressing is carried out if necessary, if the development of the bulb slows down, The third top dressing is carried out when the bulb is the size of a walnut, usually with a superphosphate solution. 40 g of superphosphate are diluted in 10 liters of water. The solution consumption is approximately 5 l / sq. m landing area.

It should be noted that on fertile and well-seasoned soils with mineral fertilizers, onions can not be fed with fertilizers, limiting themselves to fertilizing with microelements and ash extract.

Protection of onions from diseases and pests

To protect onions from diseases and pests, plants are treated with biofungicides (against diseases) and bioinsecticides (against pests) for preventive purposes. The most common biofungicides are Planriz, Gaupsin, Alirin-B, Trichodermin, Glyocladin.

For pest control use "Aktofit", "Aversectin-S", "Bitoxibacillin", "Verticillin", "Bicol". It is better to prepare solutions for processing in tank mixes. The selection of biological products, their dosage and mixing should always be performed according to the instructions. Onions are processed at least 3-5 times during the growing season in the morning. The last treatment can be carried out 2-3 days before harvest. Biologicals are absolutely safe for humans and animals.

Treatments begin with the first visible changes in feather color or plant condition.

The beginning of harvesting is determined by the state of the aboveground mass of the onion. Depending on the variety:

• plant leaves turn yellow,
• lie down
• lose turgor, etc.

When harvesting, the onions are pulled out of the soil, left for 1-2 weeks under a canopy for final drying. The dried onions are sorted out and dense bulbs with a dry root collar, covered with dry upper scales, are laid for winter storage. Before placing in a container for storage, dried stems are cut 3-5 cm on a stump or braided and hung in a dry warm place.

Thus, the cultivation of onions with a large bulb requires careful implementation of agrotechnical techniques, the main of which are:

• selection of a zoned variety;
• seed quality;
• timeliness of sowing;
• compliance with the rules of care, which include timely watering and feeding, keeping the soil in a moist, weed-free state, with an optimal plant density.

Qualitative fulfillment of the requirements of agricultural technology creates all the prerequisites for obtaining a high yield of large bulbs.

Every gardener in the spring asks himself such a question. The article reveals the secrets of growing and storing this vegetable. So let's figure it out.

Landing in the ground

Clay soil is not the best place to grow onions. If you have it just like that, then you need to cover it with sand and mix thoroughly. The soil must be slightly alkaline. Sour lands can be turned into the ones we need with dolomite flour.
For disinfection planting material, small bulbs just hold in a light solution of manganese for about 15-20 minutes. This will also give the bulbs extra moisture that may be lacking in the topsoil.

In order for the bow to release the feather faster, the top should be cut off.

Pour some salt into the prepared holes or rows. It will save you from the need to process onions from the onion infestation. It is advisable to plant carrots and onions side by side. Or alternate rows. In addition, onions will scare off carrot flies and spiders that weave their "houses" on carrot leaves.

Top dressing

In order for the green feather to please the eye, and the bulbs after harvesting to be dense and not rotten, you need to apply fertilizer.

1 . Two-leaf stage:
- 10 liters of water;
- 1 liter mullein or 1 glass of droppings;
- 30 g of superphosphate dissolved in water;
- 1 glass of ash.

2. After 2 weeks:
- 10 liters of water;
- 30 g of superphosphate;
- 10 g of nitrogen fertilizer;
- 5 g of potash fertilizers.
We repeat the same at the end of June.

Important !

If you didn't manage to give fertilizer at the end of June, and for some reason postponed this procedure to the first days of July, then don't use nitrogen fertilizers! Since the greens will be very beautiful from them, but the bulb itself will begin to rot even in the garden.

As for potassium, it is best to take sulfate. The secret is simple: onions require sulfur, and the safety of onions depends on, in fact, potassium. By the way, ordinary ash contains a lot of potassium!

Do not use fresh manure and potassium chloride for feeding. If you do this, then only in the fall before plowing the land.

Don't forget phosphate fertilizers. The size of the bulb depends on it.

How to save the grown crop?

Everyone is looking for ways to make sure that onions are stored until the next harvest. This is easy enough to do if you follow a few basic rules:

1 . Onions are harvested at the end of July, before the rains start.
2. Dry well. It is advisable to do this in places hidden from the sun, but well ventilated.
3. Remove dried dirt. Cut off the dried feather, leaving at least 8 cm.
4 . Spread the onion so that it is one layer.
five . If you decide to store it in nets or cloth bags, then you definitely need to sort it out from time to time. One onion will deteriorate - everything that will touch it will rot.

Follow the rules and enjoy your harvest almost all year round!

In addition to the well-known onions at home, you can grow chives, shallots, slugs and multi-tiered onions. Now we will look at how to grow onions at home and what you need to consider when choosing one or another variety.

• Shallots are popular for producing nearly twice as many feathers as onions and growing about a week earlier. The only feature of this species is the obligatory cutting 30-35 days after planting. If you forget about this, there is a great risk of losing your harvest. In addition, it is advisable to plant shallots no earlier than mid-February, otherwise the plant will germinate very slowly. The bulb you just cut the feathers from can be reused: cut it across, plant it again and harvest again after a short time.
• The advantage of chives is that arrows of this type grow several times faster than onions - they will be ready for consumption literally a week after planting. After cutting, the arrows grow back within two weeks.
• The batun onion is well known. Its main advantage is its high growth rate. True, the feather coarsens over time, and therefore you need to cut it off in a maximum of a month.
• Multi-tiered onions yield more yields than onions, while having very delicate feathers that are ready for cutting on average 25 days after planting.
• The main difference between the slime onion and other species is that the leaves of this variety remain juicy and tender throughout the growing season. Feathers are cut at a height of up to 25 cm.

Instructions for growing onions on a windowsill

The most effective and simple way to grow onions at home is the method of forcing on a feather (through sprouting a root crop). It is better to take the bulbs of the same size (no more than 3 cm), they must be healthy and strong, without damage. We place the selected root vegetables in a container with warm water (up to 40 degrees) and put them near the radiator for a day.

After that, examine the bulbs again, remove the top layer of husk and cut off the upper part by 1.5 cm.For growing, take any wooden box or plastic container up to 10 cm deep.It is best to prepare several containers so that you can grow the plant by conveyor methods In this case, you will not need to wait for the next batch of onions to sprout.

Use ordinary garden soil or substrate (fine gravel, sand or expanded clay) as a soil for planting. The substrate is washed twice before use. The first time - in a hot solution of potassium permanganate, the second - in running clean water. We fill the container with soil to a height of 4 cm. Lower the prepared roots into the soil every 2 cm, trying to keep them in an upright position. Do not deeply bury the roots in the ground so that they do not rot.

To grow a good harvest, you need to properly care for the seedlings after planting. So, the container with plantings must be placed in a warm place (the temperature must exceed +25 ° C). When the first stems appear, transfer the container to a windowsill. In this case, it is advisable to choose windows facing south or southwest. If there is not enough sunlight for the plants, try illuminating containers with seedlings with fluorescent lamps.

Only in the case of normal lighting will green feathers be able to accumulate useful trace elements, acquiring a rich aroma and taste.

Water the planted root crops 3 times a week with exceptionally warm water. The main thing is that the water is constantly just below the surface of the soil, the soil should not dry out, because during the growth period, onions need a lot of water. Do not cut off the first arrows that have grown, this may slow down the growth of green mass.It is advisable to cut the feathers 20-25 days after planting, while the extreme arrows are first cut off and only then the central ones. In order for the green mass to grow constantly, the interval between planting onions in boxes should be 1.5 weeks.

Growing onions in water - the original way

There is another way to grow onions on your windowsill or balcony - to use not soil, but water for planting. True, this method is quite laborious and requires certain skills. To grow plants in this way, take large and already sprouted root crops (from 4 cm or more) and several deep containers. In order for the roots to grow and not rot, they must be placed in the selected container so that only the lower part of the bulb with regrown roots is in the water.

To keep the root vegetable in this position, use cardboard with a cut out hole - cover the glass with the structure and place the onion in the hole. Thanks to this, the root crop will confidently hold in the required position. The bulb is kept in a glass of water for 3 to 5 days, after which the container is moved to the windowsill.

Before the roots form, the water in the glass or plate must be changed twice a day, when the feathers begin to grow - once a day. In this case, it is necessary to rinse the roots and dishes themselves under a stream of clean water. By the way, it is advisable to take water for growing the bulbs either bottled or settled for a day.

radish at home. The feathers that have grown above 20 cm are cut off, the bulbs themselves are thrown away - they are not suitable for replanting. By the way, it is undesirable to fertilize the onion - for normal growth it will have enough sunlight and water. Well, now you know how to plant onions at home and how to grow them so that you can enjoy healthy foods all winter in a row. We hope our tips will help you with this.