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Onion sets: how to store them correctly? Video
It is not enough to grow a good harvest, it is still necessary to preserve it without losses, creating optimal conditions. And for the grown onion sets, which will become planting material next year, this is especially important.
In the southern countries, in the Central Asian republics of the CIS, onions are an annual culture. In one season, a full-fledged and full-fledged onion-turnip grows and ripens from the seeds. In the conditions of our harsh climate in most Russian regions where it is grown, onions are a two-year garden crop. In the first summer, only small bulbs have time to develop from onion seeds (seedlings). They are called onion sets. The harvest of the next year – turnip onions – will directly depend on how successfully the planting material overwinters. For this, onion sets must be stored in optimal conditions. How to store the set correctly so that in the spring it remains suitable for planting and does not go into the arrow?
What happens to sevk in winter?
If onions are stored in winter at temperatures from 0 to 150 ° C – in the underground, in the basement, then closer to spring you can notice that it begins to sprout, like other vegetables, by the way. Housewives use these arrow bulbs for forcing green feathers, placing them on the windowsill in glasses of water. Thus, the problem of lack of vitamins in the spring is partially solved. But if this process is not a tragedy for the onion intended for food, then for the set it is absolutely undesirable and even fatal. It is noticed that the buds of arrows in the bulbs are not formed at temperatures below 0 and above + 16–180 ° C, that is, at room temperature.
If you cannot create optimal storage conditions for seedlings, then it is better to buy planting material in the spring, choosing smaller bulbs. Small heads (smaller than 1 cm) tolerate violations of the storage regime better, and the yield is good
Storage at low temperatures
Of course, it is best to place the dried seed bulbs in the refrigerator, where at a temperature of -1 … -3 ° C it will be in a dormant state, and in the second half of winter, the rudiments of arrows will not develop in it. However, in an ordinary apartment, where space in the refrigerator is also needed for other important purposes, a lot of sevka cannot be stored this way. Therefore, most gardeners prefer another method.
Well-dried bulbs set at a temperature of + 25–35 ° С and with a residual moisture of 14–16%, when the scales begin to “make noise” to the touch, pack them into loose linen bags or old stockings so that the onions can breathe. Place this prepared planting material in rooms where the temperature will be maintained in the range of 18-25 ° C and the relative humidity of the air will be 50-70%.
Your seedlings will keep well and yield a good harvest.