Only a lazy grower does not grow onions on his plot. However, not everyone gets a good harvest of this crop.
Growing onion seedlings from seeds has its own tricks that can significantly reduce the cost of buying seed.
What onions to plant on seedlings
A gardener will surely fail if the variety of onions for planting was chosen incorrectly. To achieve good yields, it is important to correctly select onion varieties and hybrids for cultivation through seedlings.
What to look for when choosing a variety:
1. The ripening period of the culture. Early hybrid varieties ripen in three months, but it is not suitable for storage. Such varieties are suitable for summer consumption and for greens. Middle and late varieties are designed for growing turnips, which is characterized by good keeping quality. But for the maturation of the head will take from 110 to 130 days;
2. The number of primordia. Multi-grape varieties are not suitable for growing turnips, as they give an abundance of greenery and many small heads. To form a high-quality turnip, low-graded varieties are selected that form one head;
3. Head size. Here, each focuses on their own taste, but remember that the formation of large heads will take more time.
In addition, when choosing a variety, the purpose of the onion is taken into account, for example salad onions, it has a sweet, spicy-sour taste.
Onions such as Kaba, Exibishn, Mayachkovsky, Red Baron, Annual Siberian, Skvirsky, Tsitausky and others have proven themselves well.
Growing onion seedlings: technology, soil and seed preparation
In regions with a harsh climate, onion seedlings can produce a good turnip crop in one season, while this cannot be achieved in a seedlingless way. However, experienced gardeners have their own secrets of growing onions through seedlings.
How to choose primer for onions
Best onion seedlings grow on soddy ground, which is mixed with humus in equal parts. Before use, the soil must be disinfected so that the seedlings do not hurt. You can simply spill the soil with an antiseptic or warm it in the oven at a temperature of 180-200 C. After that, the substrate is covered with a film and cleaned in a warm place until planting.
How to plant onion seeds for seedlings
They begin sowing in mid-February, as the seeds sprout for a long time. Seedlings are transferred to a permanent place at the age of 50-60 days. In each region, the timing can be shifted, so they are calculated based on their seedling age.
Important! Onion seeds quickly deteriorate and sprout slowly. Be sure to look at the expiration date on the package with seeds.
Immediately before sowing, the seeds are processed. To do this, they are placed in a bag and kept in a weak solution of manganese for 15-20 minutes, then in a growth biostimulator for 12 hours and dried to a friable state. This treatment significantly reduces the waiting time for seedlings.
Seeds are planted in boxes or cassettes for seedlings, which are filled with pre-prepared soil. Several seeds are placed in each cell and lightly sprinkled with earth, the soil is moistened with a spray bottle. The boxes are covered with foil and put away in a dark but warm place. At a temperature of 20-25 C seedlings appear after 7 days. After emergence, the film is gradually removed.
How to properly care for onion seedlings from seedlings to planting in the ground
It is not difficult to grow onion seedlings, but some gardeners do not always succeed. Onion shoots need constant care and maintenance.
As soon as the seedlings hatch, the seedlings are cleaned in a cool place where the temperature does not rise above 15 C, the film is removed from the boxes. After a week, the seedlings get stronger and can be rearranged in a well-lit and warm place.
Thinning seedlings is carried out 10 days after germination, leaving 2-3 cm between the plants. Seedlings are watered very carefully, avoiding excessive moistening of the soil or its dryness.
Before transplanting into open ground, you need to carry out 2 dressings of seedlings with an interval of 2-3 weeks. To fertilize onions, complex mineral mixtures are used. The first top dressing is made 15 days after germination.
When planning to grow onion seedlings, be sure to take care of the illumination, as the seedlings need 12 hours of light day. Without additional lighting, to achieve such illumination at the end of winter will not work, seedlings will begin to stretch.
Secret from experienced gardeners: So that the seedlings do not break and go to bed, you need to trim or pinch after the third feather. To do this, the feather is shortened to 2/3 of the height.
How to plant onion seedlings in the ground
In open ground, seedlings are transferred at the age of 55-60 days. It is impossible to delay the transplant, as this has a bad effect on the further growth of the onion: seedlings do not take root well, the root system develops worse.
It is better to plant seedlings on a bed with an earthen lump, trying not to injure the root system of plants. The feather is shortened by a third, which contributes to better survival of plants. The depth of planting seedlings is about 2 cm, the distance between them can withstand 25-30 cm.
The work is carried out in dry and warm weather, and after planting, the bed is well watered and mulched with humus. The first few days do not bother seedlings. After 3-4 days, the soil is loosened to provide oxygen access to the roots.
If the seedlings are planted correctly, then after 7-10 days it will start growing. After a few more days, you can feed the onion with a solution of mullein or bird droppings. In the middle of summer, onions are fed with phosphorus-potash fertilizers.
Care for onions after planting is simple, it is enough to water the bed on time, regularly loosen the soil and periodically feed the seedlings.
Onion Seedling Disease
- Onion shoots are very tender and can be attacked by pests and diseases.
- If the onion fly annoys, then insecticides, such as Actara or others, are used to fight.
- Excessive watering of seedlings leads to the appearance of a black leg or other fungal diseases. Seedlings are treated with Bordeaux mixture or preparations containing copper.
- How to sow onion seedlings in the winter
- In regions with warm winters, sowing seedlings for seedlings can be done in autumn. Seeds are planted in the soil from mid-October to early November, when a stable temperature is set at 5 C. In spring, seedlings are thinned out at a distance of 2-3 cm.
- This method of planting onions allows you to harvest a good turnip crop in the fall.
- To grow onion seedlings is simple, just make a little effort and everything will work out. Choose only those varieties that give a good harvest, observe the timing and planting technology. Do not neglect the advice of experienced gardeners.
