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Fresh herbs are rich in vitamins. In order not to know the lack of it in winter, you can grow green onions at home. It contains a large number of healthy substances – iron, vitamins B and C, iodine. Its essential oils are natural phytoncides that protect against bacteria and viruses. Green onions are used as a spice – they are a natural flavor enhancer.
You can buy this vegetable in the store, or you can grow it on the windowsill yourself. For this, no effort is needed, it does not require special care and constant attention, and the result will exceed expectations.
Growing in the ground
How to grow green onions and get high yields? To achieve the maximum yield, carefully select planting material and prepare a place for planting it. For cultivation, windows facing south and southeast are suitable, and greens from rhizomes and root crops are best driven out in wooden containers or boxes.
Planting material
For planting and subsequent forcing, large sets, samples, seeds and seedlings are used. The larger the material for planting, the higher the yield. Local varieties are chosen for forcing at home. Most often, ordinary medium-sized onions (more than 6-7 cm in diameter) are used as planting material. Bulbs should be chosen healthy, with a bottom without damage and a thin neck. Try to use onion heads grown on your site, and when choosing in a store, choose medium-sized ones that have already begun to germinate. For 1 sq.m. land area need about 10-11 kg.
If the bulbs have not yet sprouted, their necks must be cut off and soaked for a day in water just above room temperature. This speeds up germination. A day later, we plant them in wooden boxes with pre-prepared soil, the distance between the planted plants should be 1,5-2 cm so that they do not interfere with each other during growth, and the planting depth should be such that half of the bulb is above the soil surface.
Forcing green onions is also possible from seeds. How to grow green onions from them? Before planting, the seeds must be soaked for 10 hours in warm water or a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After planting in a container to a depth of 3 cm. You need to sow sparsely so that you do not have to thin out later. Then pour, cover with film or glass and put in a bright place. Remove the cover only when shoots of green onions appear. With proper sowing, it takes up to 10 days for the first shoots to hatch from the ground.
When using small bulbs as planting material, be sure to add top dressing to the soil for greater germination.
Landing site preparation
For forcing green onions at home, any container is suitable: from plastic cups and plates to wooden boxes. It all depends on the amount of onions that you decide to grow.
The selected containers must be filled with soil mixture. You can buy such soil at any flower shop or cook it yourself in the fall. When buying in a store, give preference to a soil mixture for cacti – it contains the largest amount of sand. If you decide to prepare it yourself, take the soil from the garden with humus and mix it in equal proportions with ordinary sand. When growing green onions from seed, plant them in well-drained soil. Place boxes and containers with planted bulbs in sunny, but not hot places.
Care
Forcing green onions does not require special care. It is worth adhering to only a few rules:
- water for irrigation should be warm (about 35-40 degrees);
- the temperature in the room should be between 18-220C, with a significant increase, onion feathers become sluggish, lowering the temperature to 120C is well tolerated;
- if the forcing of green onions takes place in a poorly lit room, additional light sources are needed;
- green onions from seeds immediately after germination require mineral feeding.
Many people wonder how to grow green onions without top dressing? The answer is simple – high-quality soil and proper watering make it possible to completely abandon additional feeding and get a completely natural crop.
How to grow on water
Forcing green onions does not have to be done in boxes or containers with soil. There is a cleaner and no less effective way to grow green onions at home. For those who do not want to mess with the earth, there is a method of sprouting in water. You can’t grow green onions from seeds like that, but this option is suitable for ordinary bulbs. In winter, this approach is very relevant.
The selected bulbs are cut in half without damage and immersed in ash, manganese solution or hot, but not boiling, water for 20-30 minutes. After they are placed in cold water, the husk is completely removed and planted in any container with water: jars, glasses, special containers for germination.
There are several recommendations for obtaining the greatest result with this method of growing:
- until the roots have grown, keep the dishes in a cool place;
- the water in the container must be changed 2 times a day until the roots grow, after that 1 time per day;
- if you add mineral fertilizers, water changes are allowed once a week;
- to avoid rotting of the bulbs, leave them without water for 3-4 hours or dry them with a towel;
- roots need to be rinsed with running water periodically.
The main problem when forcing onions in water is the rotting of the lower part. To avoid this, take an old clean sock or cloth bag and place the bulb in it. Water, impregnating the fabric, will rise to the roots as needed, this will help to avoid an excess of moisture.
Video “Home hydroponic plant for growing green onions”
In this video, an overview of a home container for growing onions in hydroponics.
It is best to grow in special germinating containers. They are sold at any gardening store. How to grow green onions in such containers is not a great science: the bulbs are placed in the holes intended for them, water is poured into a closed pan and it is sprayed all the time with the help of a compressor. The roots practically do not come into contact with water, but grow quickly and give a good harvest.
Harvesting
In boxes with earth, the onion begins to give the first shoots after 2-3 days, and after about 16-18 days, depending on the variety, its feather can reach 30 cm. The bulbs grown in water yield a crop for 15-17 days. In winter, these periods may increase slightly due to short daylight hours.
Carefully cut the stems with sharp scissors, do not cut off. If the bulb is rotten or shriveled, the root crop should be removed and another one should be planted in its place. This will allow you to have fresh greens on the table continuously – in autumn, winter and spring.
Video “Growing green onions at home”
In this video, tips on growing greens at home. Growing in water (hydroponics) and in sawdust.
