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Fresh fragrant herbs that grow in the kitchen are the dream of any housewife. And the tender feathers of the onion-batun, grown from seeds on the windowsill, are suitable for many dishes. A large harvest can hardly be achieved, but the greens at hand are always guaranteed.
Features of the plant
Onion-batun from its ancestral home – East Asia, has spread throughout the world. The plant is popular because of its mild flavor, which is not as pungent and harsh as onions. Cultivated for greenery, options for planting onions on the window are possible.
This plant is extremely bushy. From one small bulb, which never develops into a large one, from 15 to 30-40 fistulate leaves grow. The feathers of the onion-batun grow gradually, forming a lush bush over time. The leaves do not overexpose for a long time, especially when the onion grows at home on the windowsill. They must be cut off if they reach 15 cm or more. The bulb will produce new leaves, and thus provide fresh greens, albeit a small portion.
The leaves of the plant are rich in vitamin C, as well as A, B1, AT2 and PP. Onion greens will provide phytoncides, essential oils. As part of the mineral salts of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron.
In Southeast Asia, the natural habitat of the onion-batun, it is recommended for use as an antiseptic. The tonic properties of the plant are used during the treatment of skin diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, and fever.
When setting the goal of how to grow a batun on a windowsill, you can find two ways.
- In autumn, an onion bush is transplanted from the garden;
- You can grow onions from seeds on a sunny windowsill.
For growing onions on the window, bushes are chosen that have been growing for two to three years. Take separate roomy pots for one plant or containers for three to four onion bushes. Containers are selected, given that an undestroyed earthen lump with onion roots is placed in them.
Winter greens from an old onion bush
Having planted a bush of onion-batun from the garden in a pot in the kitchen, after a month you can try the greens. When growing onion-batun on the windowsill, having created the necessary conditions for it, it is necessary to ensure that the bulb does not throw out the stem of the flower stalk. This is possible if an old bush from the garden was taken for greenery.
- A layer of drainage materials made of ceramics, packaging foam, perlite 0,5-1 cm high is placed at the bottom;
- In September or October, before frost, they dig up a bush of onion-butun, which grew in the garden;
- If necessary, earth is added to the container, compacting well so that the lump with the roots retains its integrity;
- The distance between the bushes in a large container must be kept up to 10-15 cm, so that the roots have their own territory for food;
- A container with onions is placed in a warm place – at least 18-22 degrees, provide air humidity up to 80%;
- An important condition for the task of how to plant a batun onion on a windowsill is a long daylight hours. In November and December, plants should be illuminated for at least 4 hours.
When these conditions are met, they answer in the affirmative to the question of whether it is possible to grow onions on a windowsill.
Growing onions from seed
If it is not possible to take an onion bush for planting in an apartment, everyone can solve the simple task of how to plant a batun with seeds on a windowsill. Sow onions in March, April, care for him in the summer. If there is a balcony, this is a great option for a convenient place for seedlings of onions. The sprouts will get stronger over time, and by autumn the greens are already cut. The bulbs are left in containers, fertilizers are applied to the soil. The cycle of growth is repeated. One bulb can grow in a pot for two years. But in the spring it is better to change the soil to fresh.
Growing onions on a windowsill is easier if the window faces east, south or west. In the conditions of the northern windows, the experiment, most likely, will fail, because the batun is photophilous.
Soil preparation
To grow onion-batuna at home on the windowsill, you can take any substrate: from coconut fiber enriched with biohumus to ordinary garden soil. There are several conditions for the selection of soil:
- High nutritional value;
- Weak or neutral acidity;
- Only one part of sand or peat can be allowed in the composition of the soil;
- The best soils are loamy and sandy.
The garden soil is steamed for half an hour in a water bath or watered with a solution of pink potassium permanganate. Humus is mixed with it or enriched with humate fertilizers according to the instructions. You can mix garden soil with store-bought soil. The soil should not be cold, at room temperature.
seed Processing
The onion on the windowsill will be strong if its cultivation starts from soaking the seeds. Pre-sowing treatment involves more than one action.
Seeds are disinfected for 30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
Then the seeds of onion-batun are soaked in warm water for 8-10 hours, changing the water twice. Do this procedure to accelerate the germination of seeds in the ground;
Now the seeds must be carefully dried, they are sown dry.
Sprout care
Onion seeds are deepened into the soil by 1,5-2 cm, the container is covered with a film and kept in a warm place until germination. When sprouts appear, the container is placed where the temperature will not rise above 18 degrees. In such conditions, it is aged for a month. Fortified onion plants can be placed in a warmer place – up to 23 degrees. Young onions are not put in heat so that they do not stretch out.
- Daylight hours for onion-batun should last at least 12 hours. In March, the sprouts should be illuminated with fitolamps. Ordinary incandescent lamps are not suitable for this purpose. Their spectrum does not bring any benefit to plants.
- Water the onion sprouts with warm water, in a moderate mode. In the spring, when the sun quickly dries the soil in pots, you need to water more.
- High humidity – up to 70-80% is maintained if 2-3 open bowls of water are placed next to the onion container;
- The soil is mulched with coarse sand or crushed bark.
If there is a balcony, it is worth transplanting the onion-batun into separate pots and taking it out into the air. On the balcony, the plants will be stronger and juicier, as will the color of the leaves.
Fertilizing home greens
Both in the garden and on the windowsills for high-quality greenery, onions need to be fed.
- Complex mineral fertilizers help. They are used by carefully studying the instructions;
- Top dressing in the form of solutions is carried out twice for each summer month;
- Biohumus is also purchased, which is sprinkled on the soil in containers once a month.
You can make an infusion of herbs. It will be a good organic fertilizer. 3 g of any herb is soaked in 120 liters of water. The container is tightly closed. Three days later, onions are poured with infusion.
Collection of greens
They begin to collect a small crop of green onions in the summer, when the leaves grow to 15-20 cm. They take one or two feathers from each bush. In autumn, the greens are completely cut off. If there is a lot of it, put it in plastic bags in the refrigerator.
Onion batun will continue to grow on the windowsill in winter. During this period, he is provided with a temperature of 18 degrees and moderate watering without top dressing. From February, the greenery will begin to actively develop, so the plants will need fertilizer.
Simple cares will give the joy of green sprouts, and then a treat for salads.
