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Growing fresh greens in an apartment is easy at any time of the year. Especially when it comes to healthy onions. The main thing is to find out some of the subtleties of the process before planting onion sets at home. It is noteworthy that there are several ways to obtain emerald feathers. For example, onions grow well in a bottle. Methods without using land are also used. Hydroponic machines are now popular. Thanks to them, onion feathers grow in 15 days. For a month, such an installation provides a family with 1-2 kg of fresh herbs.
Fundamentals of agricultural technology
Onion sets are medium-sized heads ranging in size from 1 to 3 cm. Sevok is an annual product that was grown from seeds. It is from the sevka that you can get the maximum juicy greens for your home. The culture has a large number of varieties, for example, Spassky, Timiryazevsky, Bessonovsky, Carmen, Union. They are all suitable for growing feathers. Sell heads in garden stores.
Planting material
Before planting onion sets at home, a decent planting material is selected. The heads should be healthy, shiny, free from defects and mold, with a smooth and even husk. You should not plant a soft product that emits a putrid or sweetish smell. A slightly sprouted set is allowed for planting.
Composition of the earth
Onions, who are to plant a house in a container, need to create conditions close to natural conditions. The soil you need is light, neutral, breathable, with good drainage. It is allowed to purchase ready-made soil mixture at a garden outlet. Also, the owner will make it himself without any problems.
To fill the container, mix:
- 300 g of peat;
- 100 g of coarse and fine sand from the river bank;
- 100 g of humus;
- 100 g of turf;
- 100 g of ordinary garden soil.
- 50 g of ash.
The soil mixture is disinfected. To do this, it is pickled in the oven or steamed. It is recommended to add agroperlite to the substrate when mixing the ingredients. This component will make the ground lightweight and breathable.
Temperature
In open ground, sowing of a crop takes place when the air warms up to +11 degrees and above. The process of plant development starts at a temperature of +18 degrees. The same characteristics should be observed when doing homework. After planting, the plastic box with onions is removed to a cool place, in which it is about + 11 ... + 14 degrees. In such conditions, the container is kept for 10 days, then transferred to a warm room (where + 20 ... + 26 degrees), on the windowsill. It is necessary to harden the plant to increase its immunity, develop strong roots and obtain better quality raw materials.
Better not to keep the container with the plant near batteries or ovens. Too hot and dry air will destroy the sevok, its feathers will be stunted and tasteless.
Humidity
The soil in which the heads are located must be well moistened. But you can not fill it, as this will cause rotting or the development of fungal infections.
Light or shadow
Onions are a light-loving plant.In the garden, they try to plant it in open areas where there is enough sunlight. Homemade onions also need light space. If the feathers grow frail, their color is light green or whitish green, then the onion does not have enough light. In this case, additional lighting is mounted on the windowsill.
The process of planting onions at home
Material preparation
Regardless of which planting method is chosen, it is necessary to prepare the sevok.
For this, simple actions are carried out:
- The purchased product is sorted out. Larger and healthier heads are selected.
- Part of the husk is removed. The bulb is freed from several peeling upper peels. You can't leave her completely naked.
- The tops are carefully trimmed. This will help the feather hatch faster.
- To wake up the growing point, the set is placed in very warm water for several hours, the temperature of which is + 35 ... + 45 degrees.
- At the end of the procedure, manganese is added to the water. Thus, the material is disinfected.
- After all the manipulations, there is no need to dry the culture. It is allowed to plant it immediately.
Method with soil in a container
The soil substrate is poured into the box. There must be drain holes in the box. Next, the heads are placed in the ground. In order to get enough greens, one condition must be observed. We are talking about planting the bulbs right next to each other. Thus, the bulbs will be more resilient, as each of them will support its neighbors. The heads are placed in the ground not completely, but in half.
Package method
There are several methods for growing greenery without using soil. For example, onions can be sown in a bag. How to grow green onions in a bag? For this, in addition to the package, you will need pressed sawdust. You can get them at the pet store. The advantages of the filler are its low price and economy in use.
Before starting planting, the filler is brewed with boiling water. Each sawdust should swell as much as possible. Boiling water will disinfect the material. After the filler has cooled, it is placed in a regular bag. The thickness of the sawdust layer is 2-4 cm. Heads can be sown into the swollen slightly damp material. They are not buried. Then the bag is filled with air and tied tightly. In this form, it is removed to where it is warm enough. After 2-5 days, you should wait for a feather. As soon as the greens begin to appear, the bag is opened and left to fully germinate the heads.
Egg container method
The simplest method for growing onion feathers is by placing the heads in water. This is done at school according to the first grade program. A very convenient design can be made from a plastic egg container.
The halves are cut. Holes are made in one of the parts in each cell (they are needed for the roots of the onion). Water is poured into the second part of the container. Next, the first part with holes is placed on the second (where water is poured). Sticks are placed between them, which will keep the first side from being completely immersed in the second. Onions are placed in each cell of the upper leaky part of the box. The structure is placed on a window.
Bottle method
You can grow onions in a bottle. To do this, you will need a regular five-liter plastic water bottle. Small holes are made in its walls. Gradually the container is filled with soil mixture. There you also need to plant the material. The bulbs are placed in the holes so that the root part is in the bottle with earth, and the tail from which the feathers will go looks out. The upper part of the container is cut off. The remaining bulbs will be placed in the ground.
A bottle with holes, from which the tails of onions stick out, is placed on a pallet so that excess moisture drains through the tiny holes in the bottom. The design of onions in a five-liter bottle looks unusual and attractive, especially when greens envelop the container.
Forcing green onions hydroponically
The most effective way to grow greens in an apartment today is with onion hydroponics. Hydroponics is an artificial method of growing plants using a special solution, darkness and an air compressor. No land substratum is required. Each bulb is fed enough nutrient-rich water to produce quality, powerful feathers.
The stores sell hydroponic plants. They are compact, stylish and comfortable. When using such devices, it is not required to water the plants, prepare the soil substrate. Manufacturers assure that onions do not rot, spoil, and flies when in such trays.
Removing herbs from bulbs using hydroponics is simple:
- To begin with, prepare the onion. It is partially peeled off and placed in warm water, which is supplied with gas. This process is called bubbling. After 5 hours, the planting material is ready. The process is necessary to start the active growth of roots and feathers.
- The bulbs are placed in a tray or planting area made of cells.
- The tray is placed in a container. The container is a closed container in which the nutrient solution is poured. The landing pad acts as a cover.
- The halves of the bulbs are placed in a container with an aqueous solution.
- A hose from the air compressor is inserted into the container with the solution. There is an air diffuser at the end of the hose.
The approximate cost of a small hydroponic plant (for 20-30 bulbs) is about 800-1200 rubles. In order not to pay money, it is quite possible to make the installation at home. DIY hydroponics for onions is made from an ordinary food container. Holes are made in the lid, into which the onion heads are inserted. The lower part of the container is wrapped in an opaque material. A compressor is installed nearby, supplying air masses to the water. Air flows through the tube. At the end there is an air diffuser.
The nutrient solution is prepared from a water-soluble mixture, which includes the main elements (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, iron, calcium). Such products are sold in specialized garden shops.
Care
Culture care activities are simple. The main thing is to sow the material correctly. Further, it requires minimal maintenance.
Basic procedures:
- Watering. The pot of soil in which the onion grows is moistened every 2-4 days. Waterlogging of the soil must not be allowed. Warm standing water is suitable for irrigation.
- The greens box is placed on the south window. Additionally, it is recommended to install a fluorescent lamp. Only if there is enough light, you can get tasty, fleshy, fragrant feathers.
- Tearing the first feathers is not allowed. This will stop the growth of subsequent greenery.
- The plant does not need any additional feeding. The green mass receives the necessary nutrition from the bulb itself.
- If one of the heads begins to rot, it is immediately removed. Otherwise, the onion will infect the neighbors.
Harvesting culture
Farmers recommend paying special attention to harvesting homemade greens. Feathers are harvested not earlier than 21-25 days from the moment of planting or when the feathers are extended to 16-22 cm.In the case of hydroponics, this period ranges from 14 to 20 days.
It is known that each healthy bulb can expel greens for 40-60 days. After this period, the culture is depleted. The material should be replaced with a new one.
Growing healthy greenery on a windowsill is not difficult. In addition, those who wish to engage in this process can choose a suitable method for planting a crop. Someone will like the cultivation of a plant in a container with soil, someone will like a hydroponic plant.