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The human body constantly needs vitamins. Fresh onions contain a lot of useful vitamins and minerals. But it is not always possible to purchase natural, fresh herbs with a minimum of additives and chemicals. But you can grow onions on a feather and other greens at home on the windowsill. And this does not require special financial costs and a large amount of time. You just need to arm yourself with information on how to grow onions on the windowsill and start planting.
Proper selection of planting material
What are the features of growing onions on the windowsill? In order to plant onions on the greens on the windowsill in the apartment, first you need to choose the right planting material. Planting of seed material can be carried out from the head, onion seeds. According to the experience of many gardeners, the easiest and fastest way to grow green feathers is from onions. Bulbs planted in an apartment in winter contain a large amount of essential nutrients that, under the right conditions, will be able to ensure the growth of feathers.
How to grow green onions on a windowsill in winter? To grow onions on a windowsill in the ground, you need to choose the right planting heads. It should be round or oval, the structure should be dense, without signs of a putrefactive process. Onion roots should be large, without signs of damage. A good root cup will sprout green window feathers faster. To grow onions on a feather on the windowsill, you should pick up large, slightly sprouted heads with shiny scales.
If there are no roots, carefully cut the bottom of the head so that the green feathers come out faster. There are 2 ways to grow onions on a windowsill: in the ground or in water (hydroponic method). Before planting onions on the windowsill, it is recommended to soak the onion in heated water. Such a procedure will be needed if the onion is planted on the windowsill in the ground. If the onion at home will be grown in a container with water, soaking is not necessary.
It is important to provide conditions for this plant. It is cold-resistant, the optimal temperature conditions for it are indicators of 18-19 degrees above zero. To grow onions on the windowsill in winter, you need to consider that there should be no sources of heating nearby. The window sill should be on the side where there is no direct sunlight, otherwise the onion may get burned.
Soil Requirements
If the onion on the windowsill is planted hydroponically, then it is important to control that the bulb is only a third under water, otherwise its lower part may begin to rot. For hydroponically grown onions, it is recommended to cut out a cardboard with a hole in the center, place the planting material there.
Onions do not like high humidity. But to ensure the juiciness of green feathers, you can periodically spray the growing stems, avoiding liquid getting on the bulb itself. To cultivate onions in the ground, he will need to prepare the right soil. It should be neutral acidity, loosened. You can purchase ready-made soil material at specialized points of sale.
container requirements
Growing feathers from onion seeds on the windowsill will need to be stable, as the root mass will raise the head during growth. Therefore, it will be necessary to create a recess during planting. You will need the following materials:
- a container with pre-prepared soil mass (you can take a wooden or plastic container);
- a container with prepared recesses (if hydroponics is used).
It is important to ensure that the onion heads are fixed in such a way that only their roots are under water, otherwise they will rot and exude an unpleasant odor.
Help green mass in growth
When the first sprouts appear, they can be helped to accelerate growth. To do this, remove the scales, keep in warm water. If there are no roots, their appearance can be accelerated by soaking with a solution of potassium permanganate. The top is cut off by about one centimeter. Soaks overnight.
Regardless of the method of planting, it is better to put the container in a cool, slightly darkened place for a week. So the onion root system will develop quickly. After seven days, transfer the container to a light windowsill. To accelerate the growth of green mass, you can artificially lengthen the daylight hours by supplementing the illumination with a lamp. You can illuminate the plant around the clock.
The harvest will be better if you put a container with planted bulbs on a loggia or on a glazed balcony and equip lighting there. The longer the light is on, the faster the feathers will grow and the more massive the feathers will be. If the temperature is too low, the greens will grow slowly. The temperature must be at least 25 degrees.
So after two or three weeks, you can grow onions from seeds and get feathers, about 30 cm long. To maintain the desired temperature, you can use any source of heating. To prevent overheating in the sun, the container is wrapped in foil.
Features of growing in water
The easiest way to plant onions in water is the hydroponics method. To grow green feathers, it is recommended to simply dip the head into a small container of water. But this method has its drawbacks – the container takes up a lot of space, besides, the liquid darkens over time, becomes cloudy. There will be very little production.
A large onion head makes it possible to get up to ten feathers. Therefore, it is better to use it in the spring, during this period it will sprout on its own. At the same time, it is not necessary to lower it into a glass jar. Can be planted in a pot with any indoor flower. The main positive aspect of this method is that it is not necessary to use the soil mass for forcing feathers.
For a more compact placement of onions grown on the windowsill, it is recommended to use special containers with cells.
Cultivation features:
- pour preheated water into the container, periodically add it if necessary;
- from above, the container is closed with a lid, which is equipped with holes, and the bulbs are lowered into them;
- it is very important to change the water as often as possible, you can install an aerator to supply air inside the container. Before replacing the fluid, it must be defended.
Features of cultivation in the soil
The mechanism of cultivating onions for greens in the soil mass is that the heads will not increase in size, but will dry out, so it is very important to plant them as close to each other as possible.
In the dishes used for planting onions, there must be holes for draining excess moisture into the pan. If greens are grown in containers with a solid bottom, this is fraught with wrinkling and falling off of the green mass. The dishes should be of such a height that after the feathers germinate, the bulb does not rise to the surface, since the root system will push it out of the container. You can purchase ready-made containers in order to grow greens in the soil.
Onion is unpretentious to the ground, it gives all the nutrients of greens. It is recommended to choose loose soil, with an acidity of at least 6. You can also use sawdust and moss. To eliminate possible pathogenic microorganisms and pathogens of various plant diseases, the soil should be steamed. The bottom of the container is covered with drainage (you can take sawdust for this). Due to it, moisture will be retained in the dishes. From above, you need to lay a layer of soil – about 10 cm. Plant the heads so that their third is visible on the surface.
You should also avoid overheating the plant in the sun. Watering is carried out as the soil dries up. It is better to irrigate often, but little by little. If there is a shortage of liquid, the feathers will not be juicy and tasty. This method of cultivating onions on a feather at home provides high yields over a long growing period.
The use of dressings
For onions, you can not use any fertilizer. And you can add complex fertilizers purchased in specialized stores. It is important to breed top dressing, strictly following the instructions. It is better to feed with a syringe.
Periodically, it is recommended to add a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide or diluted potassium permanganate to prevent rotting of the root mass.
Observing all the simple rules of cultivation, you can get an excellent crop of green onions, juicy foliage, a large amount of vitamins, regardless of the season.