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The benefits of green onions can hardly be overestimated. It is sometimes looked at by those who do not like this type of greenery. And not in vain. During the demi-seasonal lack of vitamins in the body, it replenishes the missing elements, raising resistance to diseases such as SARS and influenza. And now, when prices for greens are growing inexorably, the problem of saving the family budget is coming to the fore. If growing greens does not cause any particular difficulties for experienced housewives, then young and inexperienced housewives can be confused by questions about how to grow green onions at home, save money and get an environmentally friendly product.
There is nothing difficult in the process of growing green onions at home. All you need is desire. And improvised material and devices will always be found in any kitchen.
Ways to grow onions
Before planting onions at home on the greens, you should familiarize yourself with the methods and rules of planting and choose the most optimal option.
There are two ways to grow green onions at home:
- distillation in water;
- Planting onions in the ground.
Both methods have long won their supporters and are popular. Each hostess chooses the one that suits her best, focusing on the illumination of the window sills, temperature and humidity, as well as the size of the free space.
Forcing onions in water
In this case, any onion is suitable for growing. Even bulbs bought in the store are guaranteed to give a good harvest after 3 weeks, and you can treat your household with green onion and egg pies or make a vitamin salad.
But he also has one minus – after a few days without proper care, the onion begins to rot. There is an unpleasant, putrid smell and midges. To prevent this from happening, you need to monitor the condition of the water in containers with onions and change it regularly.
Rules for growing green onions in water
It is best to take for growing onions at home those bulbs that have already begun to germinate. Additionally, you will need a container of water. For this purpose, you can pick up anything: glass jars, plastic buckets or glasses from mayonnaise / sour cream, and even egg cells.
Water for growing green onions should be taken filtered or settled. The water temperature should be close to room temperature.
Only healthy bulbs, without signs of rot and damage, are suitable for forcing onions on a feather at home.
Before forcing, it is desirable to treat the bulb heads in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 15-20 minutes. This will protect them from rotting. Rinse them well under running water, especially the bottom. And the top, if the onion is not sprouted, needs to be cut off by 0,5-0,7 cm.
Pack the prepared onions tightly into the container. The main thing is that they do not ride, but “sit” tightly and be strictly in an upright position.
Add enough water to the container so that it covers the planting material by a quarter. As you decrease, add the required amount of liquid to the container until the bulbs have sufficiently long and strong roots.
Subsequently, the liquid level in containers with onions must be significantly reduced. There should be a small air cushion between the bulb and the water, but the roots of the onion should freely reach the life-giving moisture. In this state, you need to maintain the landing to the end.
At first, bright light and heat are not required for the bulbs. Therefore, it is advisable to put the container with onions in a dark, cool place until the first green feathers appear. As soon as signs of feather growth appear, move the onion containers to a bright and fairly warm place. Green onions grow best at home at a temperature of + 25˚С + 27˚С.
How can you grow green onions at home if there is not enough sunlight for planting? In this case, you can provide them with additional artificial lighting. It is important to turn lights on and off at the same time of day. Finding out that the bulbs do not have enough light is very simple – the color saturation of the green onion feathers and their condition will tell you about this. If the feathers are pale in color, thin and break quickly, then you need to take care of additional lighting.
Care of plantings
To prevent rotting, the water in containers with green onions should be changed regularly. At the first stage, until the roots appear, the fluid should be changed daily. At the second stage, you can change the water 2-3 times a week.
If an unpleasant odor appears in containers with onions, you need to carefully, trying not to damage the roots, rinse the bulbs under running warm water. If you failed to get rid of the amber, then it is advisable to throw out the rotting bulb. Otherwise, you risk losing the entire crop.
When forcing green onions at home in water, it is undesirable to use various growth accelerators. They cause an unpleasant odor and cause planting material to rot. If desired, you can use universal top dressing. Stir in 1 liter of water 5 g (1-2 tsp) wood ash. Pour the resulting solution into containers with onions as the water decreases.
To keep the feathers bright green and juicy when growing green onions, spray your plantings daily with a spray bottle. Please note that only the green mass needs to be moistened. Bulbs should not be moistened in any case.
Harvesting
Home-grown feather onions are distinguished by precocity. After 2-3 weeks, you can cut off the green feathers and add fresh, fragrant and vitamin-filled greens to the dishes.
There are two ways to harvest green onions:
- as the feathers grow;
- waiting for the green onions to fully ripen.
When forcing onions in water, the feathers are never the same height. Therefore, it is difficult to determine their maturity. But there are a few signs that it’s time to harvest:
- The bulb becomes very soft to the touch.
- The tops of the feathers are starting to turn yellow.
- The active growth of feathers in onions slows down significantly.
As soon as you find at least one of these signs, immediately cut off the entire crop.
Some housewives do not wait for the green onions to ripen and cut off the feathers gradually, as they grow, thus increasing the yield by 2-2,5 times. The bulb with this method of harvesting often remains firm until the end of forcing.
Growing onions in the ground
How to plant green onions at home in the ground? What varieties of onions are suitable for this purpose? How to choose and prepare the land? Newbies have a lot of questions.
When planting onions on greens in the ground, it is advisable to give preference to early and mid-ripening varieties. The following varieties have proven themselves well:
- Union;
- Arzamas;
- Timiryazevsky.
In addition to early maturity, they have another advantage, being multi-germ, which makes it possible to increase the yield several times.
If there is no planting material of a certain type at home, onion sets and even ordinary onions bought in a store can be planted in the ground.
Preparation of planting material
For simultaneous harvesting, it is desirable to choose bulbs of medium size and the same size.
Inspect the planting material for signs of decay and damage. In the presence of even small lesions, it is better to throw out the bulb.
Good planting material has the following features:
- To the touch, the bulbs should be dense;
- Shiny husk;
- Clean and fairly large root cup.
When selecting bulbs, keep in mind that when planting sprouted onions, you will get a crop much faster.
The selected planting material must be soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 20-30 minutes. After soaking, remove the top layer of husks from the bulbs. The top must be cut off by 0,5 cm to speed up the appearance of green shoots.
Sprouted bulbs do not need to cut off the top.
Soil Preparation
The most ideal container for growing green onions at home are plastic seedling boxes. But many housewives, in the absence of such boxes, get out of the situation by planting onions on a feather in flower pots, pallets, disposable containers from various products, and even bottles.
At the bottom of the container for growing green onions, pour a drainage layer of at least 2 cm so that excess moisture does not linger in the ground. Small pebbles or expanded clay can be used as drainage.
Neutral and loose soil is suitable for planting onions on greenery at home. In the absence of good soil, you can purchase a universal soil mixture or soil for growing seedlings. The soil layer should be at least 10-12 cm.
Planting bulbs
Planting bulbs on a feather at home can be done one-time. And you can plant onions at regular intervals to get a regular harvest.
The soil in prepared containers must be moistened. Bulbs should be planted at 1/3 of the height of the head. The distance between them should be 2-3 cm. To form the root system, containers with planted onions must be removed in a cool and dark place for 8-10 days.
After the specified period, boxes or a container with onions should be placed in a bright and fairly warm place – on a windowsill or a glazed, insulated loggia.
When growing onions for greenery at home, it should be remembered that the more light it receives during the day, the more intense the growth and color of the green mass. In cloudy weather or during a period when daylight hours are short, and also if your windows face north, plantings need to be provided with additional lighting. Fluorescent lamps or specialized phytolamps are placed at a height of 60-70 cm above the plantings. Lighting must be turned on and off at the same time.
In addition to light, the microclimate of the room affects the quantity and quality of the green onion crop. With a lack of moisture, the feathers immediately become faded, lethargic and thin. To prevent this from happening, spray the plantings from the sprayer once a day.
The air temperature in the room should not exceed the thermometer mark of +23˚С +27˚С. When these microclimate conditions are created, green onion feathers will grow to a height of 30 cm in 15-18 days.
Elevated air temperature is harmful to the green mass. Its growth slows down, and rotting processes begin in the soil. Be careful not to overheat the bulbs. If necessary, you can wrap the containers with green onions in foil – it will reflect bright sunlight.
Check landings regularly. From the moment the first green sprouts appear, the ground in containers or containers should always be moist. It is better to use settled water for watering onions, the temperature of which is as close as possible to room temperature. Do not water the onion too much, otherwise it will begin to rot.
It is not required to introduce top dressing into the soil and when watering onions. Ready soil mixtures are perfectly balanced. To build up green mass, the amount of nutrients that are contained in the soil and in the bulb is quite enough.
Harvesting
You can cut the feathers of green onions grown at home when they reach a height of 25-30 cm, or you can gradually. The second option is preferable. You can cut the greens with a sharp knife or scissors. It is highly undesirable to tear off the feathers – you can pull the bulb out of the ground.
The fact that some kind of bulb has already given all the nutrients to the growth of the green mass, its appearance will tell you – it will become wrinkled, soft or begin to rot. Such roots should be thrown away. In the free space, you can plant a new bulb.
Thanks to this method of growing green onions at home, you will be provided with fresh greens filled with vitamins and microelements almost until spring.
Mini garden from a bottle
Often, housewives refuse to grow green onions at home for one simple reason – there is not enough free space. But even in such a situation, you can find a way out and plant onions on greens in a plastic bottle. The planting technique and subsequent care is no different from the previous method of growing green onions in the ground.
- The bottle needs to be cut off. Poke a few small holes in the bottom.
- On the walls, cut holes in a checkerboard pattern. The distance between them should be at least 4-5 cm.
- Gradually filling the container with soil, insert the bulbs into the holes.
- Immediately after planting, the soil must be well moistened.
Now you just need to water the planted bulbs in a timely manner, monitor the microclimate and, as they mature, cut off the grown green feathers.
The author of the video will tell you how to grow green onions at home in a plastic bottle.
Conclusion
On the fragile shoulders of many housewives lies the difficult task of feeding the household with tasty, healthy and healthy food. By growing green onions at home, you will not only be provided with an environmentally friendly and nutritious product, but also save a significant amount.