What does Altai onion look like and how to grow it?

Onions are a plant that can be found in any garden. Its useful qualities are invaluable. However, there are varieties that are grown not only for greenery or whole bulbs, but also for landscaping the site. This variety is considered to be the Altai onion "Alves".

Altai onion is a long-term culture. It is also called stone, because in nature it often grows on stony soil and even on rocks. A similar variety is found in Siberia, as well as in Mongolia, some regions of China, in Kazakhstan. In Altai, there are most of such plants, which explains the name. In the State Register of the Russian Federation "Alves" is still considered the only variety of Altai onion. In addition, the culture is under the protection of various organizations, as it is an endangered species.

The average plant height is 0.5 m, although some specimens grow up to a meter. The onion has a strong root system, and the bulbs themselves have a diameter of 2 to 6 centimeters. The feathers of the onion are dark green, thick and strong, very similar to the feathers of young garlic. The plant begins to bloom in May, in the second year of its existence. The flowers are creamy and small in size. The bloom looks spectacular, as the flowers gather in one large ball, located at the top of the feather.

For planting Altai culture, you should choose a sunny place, although a light shade is also quite acceptable. The planting area should be dry, as the bulbs will rot on too wet soils. Prepare the soil since autumn. To do this, it is dug up, adding superphosphate (20 g) and potassium chloride (15 g). The dosage is indicated for 1 square meter. In addition, for each square. m you need to add 5 kilograms of compost, as well as 0.5 kg of wood ash. The acidity of the soil should be 7 pH. If the soil is more acidic, it is recommended to add lime to it.

Altai onions are grown from seeds. They need to be prepared by soaking in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for half a day. Then the material is thoroughly dried. Planting is best done in the spring, although sometimes it is done in the fall. Using a rake, the soil is leveled, then small grooves are dug in it. The seeds are buried one and a half centimeters, the distance between them is 6 cm. 0.35 m are left between the rows. After planting, the beds are well watered and mulched with organic materials.

If you want to get very early onions, then you can grow seedlings in advance. It is worth starting to do this 60 days before the intended planting in the soil. They take boxes, disinfect them, and the soil too. The seeds are laid out so that there is 3 cm between them, then lightly sprinkled with earth. Next, the substrate is sprayed with warm water, the film is stretched. After that, it remains only to wait for the sprouts, opening the shelter every day and, if necessary, spraying the ground.

Taking care of the Altai onion is not difficult. In general, all procedures look the same as with a conventional onion crop. The plant is absolutely not capricious.

It is necessary to water the sprouts a couple of times a week, for this they use water that has settled in the sun, in no case cold. Irrigation is almost stopped at the time the bulbs ripen. After watering, it is customary to loosen the soil so that crusts do not form on it. And also the earth around the feathers is weeded, destroying the growing weeds.

When the first leaf begins to form, the plant will need nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers. Take 15 mg per square meter. Subsequently, potassium-phosphorus mixtures are used, the dosage is the same. You can choose another scheme. In the spring, the plants are fed with a divorced chicken.

Stone bow practically does not get sick. Its scent repels pests, and they try to stay away from feathers. The only exception is the onion fly. To prevent the appearance of the pest, you can plant carrots next to the onions. If the parasite has already shown itself, then you can treat the plants with tobacco dust, soap solution, wood ash. In case of a large number of pests, it is better to use insecticides. For example, "Iskra", "Aktaru" and others.

Onions are not afraid of bacterial and viral ailments, but they suffer from peronosporosis. In the case of this disease, the feathers of the plant are covered with elongated spots. To cure the Altai culture, a whey solution is used in the early stages (1 part of sour milk is diluted in a bucket of water). With the massive spread of the disease, fungicides are used.

You can harvest green stone onions several times per season. This is usually 2 to 4 times. You just need to cut off the leaves, but so that about 5 centimeters of greenery remains above the ground level. If you want to collect seeds, several plants are left on the site, the leaves of which are not cut off. Important: onions should be replanted every 5 years, observing the rules of crop rotation.

The collected bulbs can be stored. To do this, choose a dark room with good ventilation. The temperature in it should be room temperature. The bulbs are carefully laid out on newspapers, while the culture must be absolutely dry. And also onions can be stored in bundles in a suspended state or in wooden crates. Green feathers can be eaten immediately, or shredded and placed in the freezer.