Growing onions from seeds in one year through seedlings

The ability to grow onions from seeds is a skill that will come in handy for any gardener. In general, this process is not particularly complicated.

Not every onion variety is suitable for growing from seeds. It is recommended to give preference to early maturing varieties, the growing season of which is from 90 to 100 days. The characteristics of the selected variety must correspond to the climatic characteristics of the region in which the crop will be grown. If onions are to be stored for a long winter, then it is better to choose varieties with heads weighing more than 400 grams, as well as good keeping quality.

Despite the fact that multi-germ varieties, the nests of which consist of several heads, will allow to get a bountiful harvest, it is better to give preference to small-germ varieties, bulbs which will receive the maximum amount of nutrients.

• So, the Dutch "Exibishen" is suitable for seed reproduction. Despite the fact that the variety is mid-season, it has strong immunity and pleases gardeners with large fruits, the weight of which reaches 600 grams, in addition, they can be stored without problems for 3-4 months.

• Universal "Siberian one-year", grown for both turnip and feather, is suitable for storage even in cold climates. Non-shooting bulbs weigh about 50 grams.

• At the early ripening "Shaman" small fruits appear, weighing from 50 to 90 grams. They are not afraid of the lack of watering and feel good even on compacted beds.

• Early ripe "Farmer" developed for the Central region. This unpretentious variety quickly ripens spicy onions weighing from 80 to 110 grams, which are stored even until spring.

• Small-sized "Centaur" ripens perfectly by the end of the season. The weight of root crops with excellent keeping quality can range from 150 to 300 grams.

• The varieties bred by breeders show themselves quite successfully. For example, Albion F1 allows you to get fruits with a weak taste, the weight of which ranges from 70 to 100 grams. It successfully copes with frost and drought, and the harvested bulbs are stored in the winter.

• Have Copra F1, ideal for the Central Black Earth and Far Eastern regions, peninsular onions weighing from 30 to 40 grams ripen.

It is possible to plant onions for seedlings almost from the beginning of spring, and it is customary to send seedlings into open ground as soon as they reach the age of 45-50 days. However, one should, of course, be guided by the climatic features of the region.

• In the Central region, including the Moscow region, the sowing of seeds is carried out at the end of March. The temperature at which the plant is planted in open ground occurs in the second half of May.
• In Siberia onions are most often grown indoors, and therefore they can be planted at any time.
• In the Leningrad region, where the warm period lasts from 107 to 137 days, planting of seedlings is carried out in early summer. To meet the deadline, sowing seeds should be arranged in early April.
• In the Urals, the climate of which does not differ in stability, work with planting material is carried out from the end of March to the first decade of April.

To obtain onion seeds, it is necessary to cut off the small "boxes" in which they are formed, right along with an arrow 30 centimeters long... The number of seeds can vary in different boxes, moreover, they ripen unevenly, from top to bottom. As soon as these black formations appear, the seed can be harvested. Since the seeds are very small, they have to be removed in a special way. Left arrows are tied in bouquets and hung in a darkened space with good ventilation.

The floor under them is covered with newspapers or white cloth. When the seeds dry out, they will fall down - this will be a signal that they have reached maturity. Then they will need to be assessed by filling with salt water, leaving for 5 minutes and shaking. Those that come up will need to be thrown out. The selected material is washed, dried, ventilated and laid out in paper envelopes. They can be stored in a dry space for 3 years.

Immediately before planting the "box" will need to be disinfected. This is done in several ways. In the first case, the seeds are immersed in water heated to +70 degrees for 3 minutes, and then they are sent to a cold liquid for several minutes. The second method involves wrapping the material in a cloth and removing it for a quarter of an hour in water heated to plus 45-50 degrees. Upon completion, the "boxes" should be in cold water for 1 minute.

Despite the fact that it is customary to grow seedlings at home, in some cases it is proposed to sow seeds immediately in the greenhouse.

The easiest way is to plant the material in boxes, containers, pots or cassettes - that is, typical containers for receiving seedlings... It is recommended to hold the prepared seeds for a couple of hours in a growth stimulator - in aloe juice or Epine, a couple of drops of which are diluted in 100 milliliters of water. The washed and dried "boxes" are sown so that about 1 centimeter remains between them, and the row spacing reaches 4-6 centimeters. An improvised bed is sprinkled with earth so that a layer of about 1-2 centimeters is obtained. It is customary to use 2-3 seeds for each cassette, and in larger containers - about 20 grams per square meter.

The plantings are tightened with cling film and transferred to a room where the temperature is maintained from +24 to +25 degrees. In this state, the onion will remain until the emergence of shoots, and then the cover will have to be removed, and the temperature will have to be lowered to plus 14 - 16 degrees in order to avoid excessive stretching. Seedlings will need to be fed from time to time, for example, with an infusion of chicken manure diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 10... For transplanting into open ground, you will need to wait for the appearance of 3-4 full-fledged leaves, which can take from 40 to 60 days.

Growing onion seedlings in "snails" also looks interesting.... These designs require toilet paper and a disposable diaper cut into strips 10 centimeters wide. The diaper base is covered with paper, after which the surface is moistened with a stimulant or aloe juice. In the upper part of the strip, lying horizontally, the seeds are laid out with an interval of 1-2 centimeters. Everything is covered with another layer of toilet paper, sprayed with a spray bottle and covered with a diaper.

The whole structure is rolled up and installed vertically in a plastic cup. Water is poured inside so that a layer of 1-1.5 centimeters is formed at the bottom of the glass. From above, everything is tightened with cling film, in which several holes have already been made.The finished "snail" is left in a darkened room until shoots appear.

Greenhouse onions require a special steam bed. First of all, biofuel is laid out on the chosen place, which is then covered with earth. It is important that onions do not grow on the soil mixture used earlier, and also that it forms a layer 10 centimeters thick. At the next stage, a greenhouse soil is placed on the garden bed. It will be possible to get it from 4 parts of greenhouse humus, the same amount of turf, 1 part of rotted sawdust and the same amount of peat chips. Before use, the soil will need to be fertilized: add 1 teaspoon of superphosphate to each bucket of the mixture, the same amount of ammonium nitrate and potassium sulfate, as well as half a glass of wood ash. By the way, the onion bed should receive enough lighting, and therefore it is better to organize it near the windows.

During planting, seeds should be placed with an interval of 1 centimeter, and the row spacing is kept equal to 5 centimeters. Each "box" will have to be deepened by 1.5 centimeters. Upon completion, the surface is covered with humus, sprinkled with warm water from a spray bottle and, after compaction, is mulched with any suitable material. Ideally, the mulch layer should be 1 centimeter.

It is necessary to plant seedlings in open ground when it looks strong enough... Seedlings must be inspected for damage and cleaned of diseased or weakened specimens. The roots and green mass are trimmed one third, after which the root system is dipped into a mixture of clay and mullein. If the culture was grown by the greenhouse method, then this is not necessary, since the seedling is transported along with the earthen clod.

In the first couple of weeks in the greenhouse, it will be necessary to maintain the temperature from +18 to +20 degrees. For the next 4-5 days, it drops to plus 10-11 degrees. Finally, during the day, you will need to maintain heat plus 15 - 16, and at night - from +10 to +12 degrees. In the case of nighttime cold snaps, it is better to protect the bed with a special material, for example, agrofibre. Of course, we must not forget about regular ventilation.

It should be mentioned that a picking may be required at any time before transplanting seedlings into open ground. Landings will also need to be thinned out if the free space between them becomes less than 1.5 - 2 centimeters.

Plants are located in the garden so that the row spacing is 30-55 centimeters, and the space between individual specimens remains equal to 7-10 centimeters. The seedlings will only have to be deepened by 2 centimeters. Further, the garden bed is irrigated with such an amount of water that each plant receives about a liter. The surface is compacted and mulched, and after 3 days, loosening is carried out.

To successfully grow onions from seeds in one year through seedlings, enough attention will have to be paid to caring for the crop. So, it is impossible to grow a turnip in a season without regular watering. Until the root system of the seedlings gets stronger, it will need to be in moist soil all the time. However, as soon as fruits begin to form, irrigation should be reduced. From this point on, the plant should receive moisture only as needed.

25 days before harvesting, watering ends altogether, so as not to spoil the taste and keeping quality of the heads. Seedling cultivation is also accompanied by regular feeding. 10-15 days after planting in open ground, the crop must be fertilized for the first time. For this purpose, a combination of superphosphate and diluted manure or "Humisol" supplemented with a phosphorus-containing complex is suitable.... In the future, it is recommended to feed onions only with mineral fertilizers, excluding all nitrogen-containing preparations from July.By the way, some gardeners prefer to feed the culture with ammonia for the first time, and then carry out foliar treatments.

To successfully care for a plant, you need to regularly remove weeds and loosen the soil. Good

If the onion dies from the fact that its bottom begins to rot, then white rot is to blame. Only the use of chemicals such as "Hom" and "Ridomil" can help in this, although some gardeners are trying to eliminate the problem by dusting the bulbs with crushed chalk.

With downy mildew, feathers become covered with white and black spots, and due to rust, swollen red formations form on the foliage. In both cases, you will have to use purchased funds. If the culture just turns yellow spots, then it makes sense to spray the plantings with a universal solution of 1 teaspoon of copper sulfate, a tablespoon of soap shavings and 10 liters of water. However, this tool is proposed to be used only from the moment the length of the green mass is 15 centimeters.

Of the pests, onions are most often attacked by the centipede, onion flies and moths, cabbage scoops and nematodes. The fight against them is carried out by using potent insecticides, although you can try to spray the plantings with ammonia or dust the plants with mustard powder.