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Onion is one of the “basic” crops in the home gardens of gardeners. Among the many varieties and hybrids bred by domestic and foreign breeders, they most often choose those that are easy to care for, good taste, and the ability to adapt to the local climate. All these criteria are met by the Stardust F1 bow, which is not without other advantages.
History of origin
Onion Stardust (Stardust) F1 is a hybrid bred by breeders from the Netherlands. The originator is the world famous agricultural company Bejo Zaden BV
Onion Stardust can be considered a biennial variety. In the first season, he provides the gardener with a good harvest of greenery, the bulbs ripen the next year.
In Europe, the variety appeared on sale in the mid-90s. The application for admission to Our Country was submitted by the originator in 1998. After a variety trial lasting about a year, the Stardust onion was officially recognized as suitable for cultivation in all regions where gardening can be done at all. With the appropriate recommendation, it was included in the State Register in 1999.
Breeders set themselves the goal of creating a two-in-one hybrid, and they succeeded
Description and characteristics of Stardust onions
Reviews of gardeners and a fairly long practice of cultivating Stardust onions in different countries suggests that the hybrid almost exactly matches the description given by the originator. You can grow it in almost any conditions.
Appearance
The plant is quite powerful, with a thick neck. The leaves of the Stardust onion are erect, 20-30 cm high. They are painted in a green color typical of “feathers”, covered with a not too dense layer of “wax” coating.
The shape of the bulbs in the hybrid Stardust varies from almost round and slightly flattened to rhomboid and prismatic. Dry superficial scales are silvery-white in color, juicy inner scales are snow-white, as if with a mother-of-pearl tint. Weight varies between 40-60 g.
The outer scales are weakly adjacent to the bulbs, but inside they are dense.
Ripening time and yield
Stardust F1 – early ripe onions. According to the originator, technical ripeness occurs 68-85 days after seed germination. However, many gardeners indicate a longer period – 90-100 days. Based on it, Stardust is a mid-season bow. This “scatter” is due to the climatic features of different regions. The hybrid is thermophilic, cool summer can also “slow down” its maturation.
When grown on greens, Stardust onions are cultivated from seeds as an annual, characterized by high productivity, intensive leaf formation. One plant gives 30-50 g of “feather” per season, from 1 m² they get up to 3 kg.
Bulbs can be obtained by planting seedlings that have matured after the first season in the garden next year. The yield varies between 4-6 kg / m². With quality care, you can raise this figure to 8 kg / m². If Stardust onions are cultivated on an industrial scale, the yield is 42-45 tons per hectare. At the time of harvest, according to the originator, about 87% of the bulbs ripen, after ripening the percentage rises to 98%.
For greens, Stardust onions can be grown year-round in greenhouses
Disease and pest resistance
Onion Stardust is rarely affected by diseases and pests. Breeders have provided it with high resistance (but not absolute immunity) to viral diseases typical of the culture, true and downy mildew.
For most pests, onions are in principle inedible due to their causticity. However, those that are exceptions (onion fly, root and stem nematodes) are also not particularly interested in this hybrid.
Composition and Properties
Stardust onions are very beneficial for health. With a low (about 40 kcal per 100 g) calorie content, it contains:
- vitamin C, E, PP, group B;
- macronutrients (phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur);
- trace elements (iron, iodine, manganese, copper, zinc, aluminum, chlorine, fluorine, molybdenum, silicon, cobalt, chromium);
- organic acids;
- amino acids;
- phytoncides;
- flavonoids.
The positive effect of Stardust onion on the body is as follows:
- normalization of blood composition, lowering sugar and cholesterol levels;
- restoration and maintenance of vascular elasticity.
- powerful antioxidant effect – the fight against free radicals, the prevention of aging of the body;
- strengthening immunity, prevention of seasonal colds, tuberculosis, streptococcal infections, spring beriberi;
- diuretic effect for kidney problems, severe edema;
- promoting sputum discharge in diseases affecting the bronchi and lungs.
Bow Stardust can also be used in home cosmetology to improve the condition of the hair. They are rinsed with a decoction of the husk after washing, the gruel is used as a means to “activate” the follicles. Added to face masks, onion juice levels and restores healthy skin color.
Applications
Onion Stardust is appreciated by gardeners due to its original taste and high juiciness. It is not too spicy, rather spicy, with a sweet aftertaste. Excellent qualities provide versatility of appointment.
Stardust is especially in demand in European cuisine. It is added fresh to vegetable salads. It is also suitable for cooking onion soups, any second courses and side dishes, homemade preparations for the winter.
Stardust onions are often used for pickling. It can also be frozen without losing the taste and juiciness of the scales. The hybrid is also suitable for drying.
The characteristic onion aroma of the hybrid is not particularly pronounced.
Pros and cons of the variety
Luke Stardust manages to remain popular with several generations of gardeners due to its significant advantages:
- high seed germination;
- consistently good yields of greens and bulbs, little dependent on the vagaries of the weather;
- relative ease of cultivation;
- the presence of good immunity, protection from certain pests;
- almost record keeping quality, good transportability;
- the possibility of cultivation in a one-year or two-year cycle;
- early harvest time, rapid growth of green mass;
- excellent taste of bulbs, their one-dimensionality;
- high quality greenery;
- ease of cleaning.
The only significant minus of the Stardust onion is the need to carefully ration watering. With a lack of moisture, it loses its juiciness, acquiring an unpleasant bitter aftertaste. With its excess, the bulbs quickly rot.
Stardust is one of the very few early white onion hybrids suitable for long-term storage.
Ways to plant Stardust onions
Most gardeners cultivate the hybrid in a two-year cycle. First, the seeds are planted, getting Stardust F1 onion sets.
The next season, full-fledged bulbs ripen from it.
Growing seedlings from seeds
The most commonly practiced is the cultivation of seedlings of Stardust onions. When planting seeds in open ground, given the thermophilicity of the hybrid, there is a risk that they will suffer from recurrent frosts.
Before planting, the seeds must be culled by immersing them in a saline solution (25-30 g / l). Those that do not have an embryo are significantly lighter, so they quickly float to the surface. Then the Stardust onion seeds are etched for 30-40 minutes in a solution of a fungicide or potassium permanganate (crimson-pink) to prevent fungal infections.
Growing seedlings of Stardust onions is easy:
- Germinate the seeds by wrapping them in a damp cloth and leaving them for 2-3 days next to the radiator. Do not let the fabric dry.
- Plant the seeds in pre-prepared containers with moist soil, deepening them by 1-1,5 cm. The interval between neighboring plants is 1,5-2 cm, between rows – 2,5-3 cm.
- Spray the soil, turn the container into a greenhouse, tightly tightening it with cling film or covering it with glass. Provide no light and heat. Do not allow the soil to dry out, and condensate to accumulate.
- After the emergence of shoots, transfer to a bright place, lowering the temperature of the content from 24-27 ° C to 20-22 ° C. Continue to monitor soil moisture.
- In the phase of the third sheet, pinch the “feathers”, shortening them by about 2/3.
Stardust onion seedlings are ready for planting in the ground 55-60 days after the seeds sprout. In central Our Country, this is the second half of April. They are planted at intervals of 7-8 cm with a row spacing of 15-20 cm. Wells and plants should be well watered after planting. Until the seedlings take root, it is recommended to install arcs over the bed, pulling any white covering material over them.
Two weeks before transplanting to the garden, it is recommended to start hardening seedlings.
Planting seedlings in open ground
Onion sets Stardust must be inspected before planting, rejecting bulbs with traces of mold and rot, mechanical damage, any suspicious spots on the surface scales, and also obviously dry.
2-3 days before planting, they are disinfected, like seeds, then thoroughly dried. Directly in front of it, with a sharply sharpened clean knife, cut off the top and shorten the roots by about a third.
The place for the Stardust bow is chosen so as to provide it with enough light and protection from cold drafts. The soil suits him nutritious, but light, with a neutral acid-base reaction. The bed has been prepared since autumn, digging it up, removing all the garbage, and applying fertilizer.
Without good lighting, you can not count on a rich harvest of Stardust onions.
Stardust is planted in well-moistened holes 4-5 cm deep. 10-12 cm are left between adjacent bulbs. The recommended row spacing is 20-25 cm.
Stardust onion care
Stardust onion care includes the following activities:
- Watering. The intervals are constantly adjusted to take into account the frequency and intensity of natural precipitation. On average, one watering per week is enough if the weather is relatively cool. In hot weather, Stardust onions need to be watered twice as often. 1-5 liters of water are consumed per 7 m² of beds. Stop watering 12-15 days before harvest. This is necessary so that the bulbs acquire juiciness and rich taste. But if the weather is very hot and dry, then the soil continues to be moderately moistened about once a week.
- Weeding and loosening. It is carried out as needed, at least once every 7-10 days. It is convenient to combine the loosening of Stardust onions with watering – moist soil is easier to process. Plantings are loosened to a depth of up to 5 cm. Weeding cannot be neglected, otherwise the yield is sharply reduced.
- Application of fertilizers. Stardust onions are fed three times, at intervals of 10-12 days from the moment of disembarkation. For the first time, mineral or organic fertilizers containing mainly nitrogen are applied. Further, plants require mainly phosphorus and potassium. You can feed them with wood ash or a special purchased fertilizer for onions.
- Disease prevention. To avoid the development of fungal infections, experienced gardeners recommend dusting Stardust onions with sifted wood ash, colloidal sulfur. Instead of ordinary water, it can be watered every 2-3 weeks with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or any biofungicide.
Conclusion
Onions Stardust F1 – quite a suitable option for a not too experienced gardener. The only important nuance in care that should not be neglected is proper watering. The rest of the plant is very unpretentious. Gardeners appreciate the hybrid for outstanding taste, consistently high productivity. This applies to both green “feathers” and the bulbs themselves.
Reviews of gardeners about onion Stardust
