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As in winter, there is not enough fresh vegetables and herbs. Because of this, many suffer from beriberi. But there is a way to quickly grow green onions right at home. In addition, it is not just a tasty product, but also a fragrant addition to salads. Yes, and just a bite to eat with any dish. Let’s look at how to grow onions at home.
We create the necessary conditions
The process of growing onions in winter is commonly called forcing on a feather. It is very convenient that such a bow is always at hand and you do not need to go to the store every time you need it. It’s no secret that purchased onions are very poorly stored, even in the refrigerator. It quickly loses its freshness and fades. Some people freeze chopped onions and use them in cooking. True, it is not at all suitable for salads, as it loses its color and familiar aroma.
You never know how and under what conditions purchased onions were grown. Very often, manufacturers use growth accelerators, which means that there can be no talk of any benefit. Yes, and the green onion in winter is not quite cheap. It is much more profitable to grow it yourself.
This does not require special utensils. You can take any container that will fit on the windowsill. Of course, it is not necessary to grow onions on the windowsill. But still, probably nowhere else in the house is there so much light as near the window. The more light, the faster the greenery grows. If you need to grow a feather in a short time, the air temperature in the room is increased. To do this, you can use a regular lamp or a special phytolamp. It should be installed at a height of about 60 cm from the tank. It is best to leave the lamp on all the time.
There are several ways to grow green onions on a windowsill:
- in water;
- in the ground.
First, consider how to grow onions in water on a windowsill.
Growing onions in water
This is the most common and easiest way to grow herbs at home. It is enough just to put a small jar of water and onions on the windowsill. It is convenient that everything you need is always at hand. The only thing is that only one bulb will fit in a jar, so in order to get enough greens, you will need to prepare many jars. This is not always convenient, because banks take up a lot of space.
For growing in this way, take large bulbs so that they do not fall into the jar itself. One such fruit lets out no more than ten feathers. Closer to spring, such bulbs begin to germinate on their own. They can simply be planted with houseplants.
As you can see, this method is very simple, fast and does not require any extra costs. Also, you do not have to mess with the soil and look for special containers. But it is worth considering some of the shortcomings mentioned above. Some inconveniences can be easily avoided. For example, special containers are sold on store shelves that do not take up much space and do not spoil the appearance of the room.
Here are some rules for growing onions in such containers:
- Water is poured into the container. It will need to be topped up from time to time.
- Then a special cover is installed, which has a large number of holes. The bulbs will be placed in these holes.
- For cultivation, settled water at room temperature is needed.
- In order for the greens to grow well, you need constant access to air. To do this, install an aerator, which is used for aquariums. If there is no such device, you can simply change the water in the container more often.
You can build a growing container yourself. To do this, take any wide container and place dense foam rubber in it. You can also make a lid with holes yourself, for example, from wood.
Growing green onions in the ground
Growing onions in the ground is no less convenient. In this case, the bulbs can be placed closer to each other. The fact is that in the ground the onion dries out a lot, so it takes up less space. Thanks to this, you can grow more green feathers in a small container.
It is very important to choose the right container. The container must have holes so that excess moisture can flow out. It is also necessary to put a tray under it, where the water will collect. Such containers can be purchased in specialized stores. It is very important that the capacitance is high enough. Otherwise, the roots can push the bulbs to the surface, and the feather will simply break.
It is noteworthy that the bow is undemanding to the ground. He himself gives useful substances to the soil. So even in ordinary soil, a feather can grow up to 20 or even 30 centimeters. Try to choose loose soil for growing, the acidity of which is no more than 7 pH. You can add sphagnum or sawdust to it.
A layer of drainage is placed at the bottom of the container. It is needed to retain moisture in the soil. Then it is lined with a thick layer of soil (about 10 centimeters). Next, prepared onions are planted in the ground. The third part of it should be above the soil surface.
The ideal temperature for normal growth is +20°C. Small deviations are allowed. If you increase the indicators to 25–27 ° C, then the greens will grow much faster. It is very important that the onion container does not overheat in the sun. To protect the onion, you can wrap the container with plain foil. A sufficient amount of moisture will allow you to grow tasty and juicy green onions. With proper planting and care, you can get an excellent harvest of fresh young feathers.
Preparing the bow for planting
Bulbs of different varieties and sizes are suitable for growing feathers. But it is most convenient to use small sets for this purpose. In one container, you can put a large number of small onions and grow a good crop of greens.
For food, a feather is used, which has grown from 15 to 30 centimeters in height. The lower part of the onion is cut off and discarded. Some housewives are accustomed to pinching off only the upper parts of the feathers, and leaving the lower ones. In this form, the onion can remain in the container for up to two months.
Also for cultivation use multi-celled onions. It sprouts several sprouts at the same time, which allows you to increase the yield. Such an onion is also called a kuschevka. On the shelves of stores you can find the following varieties of multi-celled onions:
- “Bessonovsky”;
- “Pozharsky”;
- “Union”;
- Danilovsky.
For some time, the bulbs are dormant. Then in January they begin to be planted for distillation. Of course, sometimes you want to grow fresh greens earlier. In this case, you will have to remove the bow from this state.
In autumn, the bulbs must be kept in a cool room. After that, the feathers will germinate faster. First of all, before planting, you need to inspect the fruits and cut them off at the place of maximum expansion. Thanks to this, you can increase the number of germinated feathers.
Before planting, onions should be soaked in a solution of manganese. Ordinary water will also work. In this form, the fruits should stand for at least 10 hours. This procedure will help the onion germinate faster. Then it is kept for some time in a humid environment. After a couple of days, the rudiments of the root system will begin to form, and the upper part will dry out a little.
Important rules
Onions on greens begin to be planted in January. You can try it out first. To do this, take one bulb and set its lower part in the water. If the root system begins to grow actively, then it’s time to plant the rest of the onion.
Some plant the entire onion in one go. But in this case, you will have to use it quickly. After a couple of weeks, the feather will grow to the desired length and it will be time to harvest. If you do not need such a large amount of greenery, then it will be more convenient to plant plants in several visits. For example, several dozen bulbs per week. For this, one large container, as well as several small ones, is suitable.
Then the fruits are planted in water or soil. The first 10 days the container is placed in a cool place with good lighting for the formation of the root system. In other words, it is necessary to create conditions for the bow that resemble early spring. Next, you need to increase the air temperature so that the feathers grow.
It is not necessary to feed the grown bulbs. However, to increase the yield, you can add wood ash to the water. Five grams of ash are taken for five liters of water. To improve the appearance of the feather, you can spray the grown onions with warm water. It is important not to wet the fruit itself. At this stage, you can prepare the second batch of onions. Thus, it is possible to alternately lay the entire window with planted plants. As a result, you will have fresh greens until the next harvest.
Conclusion
Not everyone knows how to grow green onions at home. But as you can see from this article, it’s very easy to do. And most importantly, in this way you can not only provide the family with fresh herbs, but also decently save money. You don’t need any expensive equipment to grow green onions in water. It is enough just to prepare the container, water and the bulbs themselves. Now that you know how to plant onions, be sure to put this knowledge into practice.
