Contents:
- Which onion varieties should I choose for cultivation?
- How to sow onions?
- How to grow onions from seedlings - how to plant?
- Growing onion coordinate
- Onion diseases and prevention
- Onion shell slurry
This popular vegetable is a frequent guest of our flower beds. We owe it to our culinary tastes and the versatility of this species.Onions can be grown from direct sowing, from seedlings and with the use of spring onions. Onion, like most species of the garlic family, is a permanent plant, but in our climatic conditions and in cultivation it is a biennial plant.
Which onion varieties should I choose for cultivation?
Among the best varieties of onions, we can divide them according to the color of the shell and the inside of the flesh. Below you will find information on what to use them for and how to care for them during cultivation:
Yellow onion is one of the most popular varieties used in processing and household. The color can range from straw to coppery. It is a disease resistant variety and extremely widely used for stewed dishes, during frying or stuffing.Some of the tastier ones that are worth sowing or planting are:
"Błońska Early"- it is quite an early and wintering variety. Hulls are most often used in the preparation of liquid manure and in the fertilization of compost. The flesh is whitish and extremely juicy.
"Cymes"- this is one of those varieties that is more resistant to fungal diseases. Perfect for cooking and eating raw. It is an early and fertile variety.
""Cyclops"- is an excellent variety of onion resistant to gray mold, which also appears on strawberries. It has a white flesh and is extremely juicy. Good to eat raw and to fry. "
"Czerniakowska"- characterized by a creamy flesh and a slightly brownish shell. She can resist most fungal diseases and is extremely easy to grow. Good in storage and does not lose its firmness.
"Dakota"- this is a very fertile variety that has a creamy flesh and works well when eaten raw and in stewed dishes. It's a late variety.
Red onion is characterized by a purple shell and a slightly whitish interior with a purple shell. It is often used in salads, stewing and frying.It is spicy in taste and more distinct than the yellow variety. The most recommended are Cora - seeds, Red Baron, Rubillion F1 and Retano F1.
White onion is slightly milder in taste than the yellow variety. It is used both raw and in cooked dishes. It is extremely important to use it immediately after peeling, as it loses its properties quickly.
Pearl onion is a variety related to garlic. It appears in the crops of its western neighbors in Germany or the Netherlands. It is slightly more aromatic than yellow or silver.
Y alta onion is characterized by a flattened shape and a reddish skin. Inside, the flesh is whitish or slightly pinkish. This is one of those onion varieties that can be eaten just like an apple.
How to sow onions?
It has high soil requirements and moderate water requirements. It grows best in humus soils with a pH of 6.5-7.It should not be cultivated on catchment, heavy, acidic and heavily weeded soils. Onions are not very sensitive to the forecrop, but grows best after cucumbers and potatoes; he may return to the same position after 3-4 years. The seeds of Polish varieties should be sown as early as possible, then the plants will develop a large leaf rosette and then a large onion.
Due to the slow germination of seeds (in optimal conditions, they appear after approx. 3 weeks), during direct sowing, lettuce or radish seeds can be added to them, which will mark the rows.Onions during emergence are very sensitive to weed infestation, so weeds need to be regularly removed.
How to grow onions from seedlings - how to plant?
It is best to grow onions from seedlings, because plants in the phase of a few leaves are not so sensitive anymore. Cultivation of green onions is mainly used for early bundle cultivation or for summer harvesting, in regions with shorter growing season and in poorer soils.
When planting from seedlings, it is important to do so on well-drained and thoroughly weeded soil.This is a key rule for the proper development of the plant. If we want it not to be exposed to the mildew plague, we should provide it with airy and quite spacious place. The best proposal will be a foil tunnel, which will provide optimal conditions - just mix the compost soil with weeded peat.
Growing onion coordinate
Coordinate cultivation of onions, i.e. the so-called correct neighborhood of vegetables, allows you to avoid many pests and fungal diseases of plants. Onions when grown in an inspection frame or in a foil tunnel are quite intense in smell, especially on muggy days. Its volatile compounds help to scare away some pests.
In the first place, it effectively scares off the carrot glitter, which destroys carrot roots creating corridors in its center. Additionally, it protects against onion cream. Planting onions with wild strawberries and strawberries naturally prevents gray mold.The same applies to the proximity of garlic.Sowing together with garden fennel makes the plant grow faster and more properly.
Beans and peas are the worst neighborhood for onions.Remember not to sow or plant it on fully decomposed compost as it may be damaged by nematodes.
Onion diseases and prevention
Diseases of the onion that most often appear during cultivation:
- Gray mold
- Fungal diseases caused by the invasion of downy and true mildew
- Onion alternariosis
- Onion neck rot
- Root rot
- Leaf spots
The best ecological treatments for these plant fungal diseases are nettle spraying, horsetail spraying, cow's milk whey spraying, and onion skin liquid manure.
Onion shell slurry
Below is a recipe for onion shell slurry, perfect for spraying against plant pests:
Ingredients:
- onion shells and leaves
Preparation:
- The shells and leaves of the onion should be covered with lukewarm water and covered for about a week.
- Then lightly strain the prepared slurry and apply diluted 1: 10
- It is perfect for spraying fruit trees and shrubs.
- It is effective against powdery mildew and downy mildew.
- Additionally, it prevents the appearance of gray mold and brown rot on cruciferous plants.
- It is an excellent preparation against vegetable cream and mites.
- If we want to have better crops while growing currants and gooseberries - this is one of the best spraying.
