Planting onion sets in spring in open ground

Onion is a cold-resistant plant, shoots of sharp varieties withstand frosts down to -6 ° C, sweet ones – up to -3 – 4 ° C. Seeds germinate at 5-7°C (1). Therefore, onion sets should be planted as early as possible, in the second half of April.

You can sow the seeds dry, without any preparation, but in this case they can germinate for a long time – up to 3 weeks. To speed up germination, soak for 18 – 24 hours in water (2) or a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then wrap in a damp cloth, place in a warm place with a temperature of 20 – 25 ° C and keep there until the seeds hatch: they Roots equal to half the length of the seed should appear. And you can sow.

If the weather does not allow, germinated seeds should be put in the refrigerator, they will slow down in development, the roots will not outgrow. However, even if everything is fine with the weather, it does not hurt to keep the germinated seeds in the refrigerator for 10-15 days – this will harden them and increase the resistance of seedlings to frost.

Onion seeds for sets are sown to a depth of 1,5 – 2 cm. If planted deeper, they will germinate slowly and unfriendly. The distance between rows is 10 – 15 cm, in a row – about 2 cm. The crops should be thick enough so that the sets do not overgrow, ideal for planting onions should be 1 – 2 cm in diameter.

Seeds are sown in grooves, which must first be well watered. Cover with dry earth – in this case, no soil crust is formed.

Sevok ripens in 90 – 100 days, it is usually harvested in mid-August. From 1 sq. m beds, you can collect about 1 kg of planting onions.

Then they will need to be stored in the winter, and planted in the garden in the spring.

How to prepare sevok

Seedlings of sevka, like nigella seedlings, easily tolerate frosts, but there is another problem: after sub-zero temperatures, the onion massively goes into the arrow – it blooms. Therefore, it is better not to rush. In the middle lane, it is better to plant sets in mid-May, but the rocks can be adjusted – it is important here that the soil warms up to 12 ° C to a depth of 10 cm.

How to plant sevok

Before planting onion sets in open ground, it must be prepared.

First of all, warm up for 8 – 10 hours at a temperature of 40 – 45 ° C (you can put it on the battery). This will help prevent archery shooting in the summer.

Then – soak and disinfect. The easiest way is to soak the onion sets for 30 minutes in a strong solution of potassium permanganate. But it is even more reliable to soak it in a fungicide – a special antifungal drug. Suitable Fitosporin-M, Planriz and Gamair (3) according to the instructions.

Dry the onion after soaking. And only post to plant.

Seeds are planted to a depth of 2 – 3 cm (from the shoulders). Distance between rows – 20 cm, in a row – 8 – 10 cm (4) or 6 – 7 cm if the onions are very small. You need to plant in well-watered furrows, and cover with dry earth on top.

How to choose sevok

Many summer residents prefer to buy ready-made sets in garden centers. Good bulbs should be evenly colored – free of stains, mold and obvious damage, dense to the touch and dry. On the package (usually it is sold in nets) there should be a label indicating the variety and the expiration date (storage).

Care for seeding

A place. To get large and juicy bulbs, you need to choose the sunniest site.

Fertilizers. Before sowing nigella and planting seedlings, the soil must be fertilized – add (per 1 sq. M):

• humus – 1/3 bucket;
• ammonium nitrate – 3 teaspoons;
• superphosphate – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• potassium salt – 1 tbsp. a spoon.

Fertilizers should be evenly scattered over the surface of the soil and dug onto a spade bayonet. You can’t bring fresh manure under the onion – it will rot!

Watering. Onions have very short roots, they are located in the upper layer of the soil, namely, it dries out the fastest. Therefore, it needs to be watered. But rarely and little by little: after 10 – 12 days, 3 – 3,5 liters per 1 sq. m. But you need to water the onions only in the first half of summer, until mid-July. Then watering is contraindicated for him, otherwise he will not be stored.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about planting onion sets with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. A group of authors, ed. Polyanskoy A.M. and Chulkova E.I. Tips for gardeners // Minsk, Harvest, 1970 – 208 p.
2. Fisenko A.N., Serpukhovitina K.A., Stolyarov A.I. Garden. Handbook // Rostov-on-Don, Rostov University Press, 1994 – 416 p.
3. State catalog of pesticides and agrochemicals permitted for use on the territory of the Federation as of July 6, 2021 // Ministry of Agriculture of the Federation

   https://mcx.gov.ru/ministry/departments/departament-rastenievodstva-mekhanizatsii-khimizatsii-i-zashchity-rasteniy/industry-information/info-gosudarstvennaya-usluga-po-gosudarstvennoy-registratsii-pestitsidov-i-agrokhimikatov/

4. Yakubovskaya L.D., Yakubovsky V.N., Rozhkova L.N. ABC of a summer resident // Minsk, OOO “Orakul”, OOO Lazurak, IPKA “Publicity”, 1994 – 415 p.