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It is difficult to name a vegetable more popular than onions. It is grown in many regions, in different climatic conditions. Due to their excellent characteristics, red varieties are most in demand, one of the best is the Red Baron onion.
Description and characteristics of the Red Baron onion variety
Onion Red Baron (Allium cepa L Red Baron) is the result of the work of Dutch breeders. In 1997, the variety was included in the State Register and approved for cultivation on the territory of the Federation.
It is cultivated both in personal subsidiary farms and in farms for commercial purposes. The Red Baron bow is unpretentious, does not require much time and effort for care, its purpose is universal.
Appearance
The bulbs of the Red Baron variety are membranous, have a rounded, leveled, slightly flattened shape. The average weight of each is 80-150 g. The scales are tightly fitting. Dry outer ones are purple, and inner ones are deep red. Difficult to separate. The leaves are tubular, dark green, with a slight wax coating. The root system is powerful, which allows you to grow onions even in regions with a dry climate.
The flower arrow reaches a height of 150 cm. Inside it is hollow, and at the top it ends with an umbrella inflorescence. The fruit is a capsule in which up to six trihedral black seeds ripen.
Onion taste Red Baron semi-sharp
Ripening time and yield
Red Baron is an early ripe variety. The period between sowing and full lodging, together with the yellowing of the foliage, is from 80 to 95 days. Onions begin to be harvested from the second half of July. When grown on large areas, the yield is 150 centners per hectare. On personal plots, you can grow 150 kg per hundred square meters. Among the features of the Red Baron variety is ripening after harvesting.
Disease and pest resistance
Viral and fungal infections, the spores of which live in the soil or plant debris, can completely deprive the onion crop. The Red Baron variety is highly resistant to root rot, fusarium, peronosporosis. While maintaining moderate soil moisture, its regular loosening of the disease does not develop.
The bulb fly can lay its eggs at the base of the head, causing the foliage to wilt and die. Subject to crop rotation, removal of weeds, tillage with ash, it is possible to avoid damage by insect pests.
On Red Baron onions grown on turnips, feathers must not be plucked so as not to provoke the development of diseases
Composition and Properties
Onion Red Baron not only has an excellent taste, but also has a beneficial effect on the body. The explanation for this is the rich chemical composition of the vegetable:
- vitamins K, C, group B;
- beta-carotene;
- trace elements (K, Se, Fe, Mg, Ca, Na, Zn, Cu).
The use of Red Baron onions improves health:
- Reducing the risk of stroke.
- Decreased blood sugar levels.
- Removal of bad cholesterol.
- Prevention of the development of cardiovascular pathologies.
- Stabilization of the nervous system, kidneys and liver.
- Removal of excess water from the body.
- Prevention of beriberi and the growth of cancer cells.
Application
Onion Red Baron is used in folk medicine. Vegetable juice helps to get rid of colds, coughs, runny nose. Green shoots are used for inflammation of the gums. Onion juice mixed with honey is used for gastritis and hemorrhoids. A decoction of the husk is taken orally in violation of the monthly cycle. Bulb gruel relieves itching after an insect bite, helps get rid of corns and warts.
If insomnia torments, fresh onion slices are applied to the temples for a few minutes.
The taste of Red Baron onions is distinguished by the absence of bitterness, so its use in cooking is somewhat wider than that of ordinary onions. It is used in salads, pizza, marinated. With skillful use, onions added to an ordinary dish can surprise even gourmets with their taste.
Growing regions
The Red Baron variety is recommended for cultivation in the Central Black Earth region. Since it is quite cold-resistant and can withstand temperatures as low as +2 ⁰С, its cultivation is acceptable in the North-Western, Central, North Caucasian regions, Siberia, the Urals and the Far East. To minimize the risks, it is necessary to adjust the disembarkation dates depending on weather conditions.
Advantages and disadvantages
In addition to the fact that the Red Baron onion can be grown in most regions of the country, it has other advantages compared to ordinary onions.
The bulbs contain a high concentration of ascorbic acid.
Grade advantages:
- unpretentiousness in care;
- fast maturation even in cool summer conditions;
- beautiful presentation;
- long-term storage;
- excellent transportability;
- immunity to most diseases;
- high yield;
- the possibility of ripening after harvesting;
- excellent taste;
- large sizes of bulbs;
- saturation with useful substances.
Disadvantages of the variety:
- difficulties with harvesting sevka;
- the need to grow onions with seeds.
Features of landing
Red Baron onions can be grown from sets and seeds. The option is chosen depending on the conditions and the availability of planting material.
Growing onions Red Baron from seeds
The seed method has some drawbacks – it is more laborious, it will take a lot of time to grow onions. Among the advantages are low material costs and the complete absence of arrows. They operate according to the scheme:
- Seeds are soaked for a day in a pink solution of potassium permanganate to facilitate their germination.
- Rinse under running water.
- Lay out on a damp napkin for germination.
- Sow in boxes with a loose substrate.
- After the emergence of seedlings and reaching a height of 4 cm, they dive into separate glasses.
- A week later, they are fed with mineral fertilizer.
- Upon reaching a height of 5-7 cm, the seedlings are planted in open ground.
Seeds close up to a depth of 1 cm
How to plant Red Baron onion sets in spring
Before planting, Red Baron red onion sets are stored in a cool, dry place, heated at a temperature of +30 ⁰С for two weeks to avoid shooting. Planted in open ground at the end of April. Choose a site with fertile loose sandy or loamy soil. In the fall, compost, humus or superphosphate with potassium chloride are added.
Before planting, the bulbs are cut off the neck and soaked overnight in warm water. Planted in rows, leaving a gap between the bulbs of 5-7 cm, between lines – 20 cm.
Onions are planted in their original place only after 3-5 years.
Planting onions Red Baron before winter
The Red Baron variety is sometimes used as a winter crop. The method allows you to get a full harvest two weeks earlier than usual, protect plants from peronosporosis, and not worry about how to save the bulbs in the winter. This method has other advantages:
- Harvest better and last longer.
- Plants are more resistant to onion fly damage.
- In the fall, there is enough time for planting.
- The cost of seed material is lower than in spring.
- Weak Red Baron bulbs are weeded out naturally.
Planting sowing in the ground is carried out during the period when the air temperature is kept at +5 ⁰С for several days, a month and a half before the onset of frost. In the middle lane, onions are planted in the first decade of September, in the southern regions – 2-3 weeks later. Dates are indicative and subject to change based on weather conditions.
The disembarkation process itself is the same as in spring. The difference is that the site should be chosen highly located, open to the sun, so that it warms up quickly in the spring. The soil must be mulched with sawdust, peat or straw, and covered with snow in winter.
Bulbs of the Red Baron variety, planted before winter, have time to form five leaves and a neck 5 mm thick before frost
Onion Care Red Baron
Despite the unpretentiousness of the Red Baron onion, it is difficult to grow a good crop without proper care. Plants need moisture, loosening the soil, weeding, periodic top dressing. Watering should be especially plentiful in the first half of the growing season. Later it is carried out as the soil dries up, but at least once a week, spending 10 liters of water per 1 m2. Loosen after each watering or rain to destroy the crust that forms on the surface.
Three times a season, Red Baron onions are fed. Two weeks after germination – with a solution of mullein (1:15). Then every two weeks – potassium sulfate (1,5 tablespoons per 10 liters of water).
Watering Red Baron onions is stopped one and a half weeks before harvest
Fighting diseases and pests
Despite the high immunity of the Red Baron variety, in adverse weather, plants can suffer from an onion fly. She feeds on nectar, and her larvae damage the bulbs and can destroy up to 90% of the crop. An effective way to control insects is to cover the beds with non-woven breathable material and use insecticides (Zemlin, Mukhoed).
Onion hoverfly is no less dangerous for the plant. The fly lays eggs, and the larvae feed on the foliage and succulent parts of the bulbs. The pest control measures are the same as with the onion fly.
The most dangerous disease that affects the Red Baron variety is white rot. It can be identified by a fluffy coating on the bottom of the bulb. As a preventive measure, it is necessary to observe crop rotation, to prevent high humidity. With the development of the disease, fungicides are used (Ordan, Raek).
Conclusion
Onion Red Baron not only has an attractive appearance, but also has characteristics that allow you to easily get a product with excellent taste. With strict observance of agricultural technology and minimal care, even novice gardeners can do this task.
Reviews of gardeners about Red Baron onions
