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How in winter there are not enough fresh vegetables and herbs. Because of this, many suffer from vitamin deficiency. But there is a way to quickly grow green onions right at home. In addition, it is not just a tasty product, but also a flavorful addition to salads. And you can just eat it as a snack with any dish. Let's look at how to grow onions at home.
We create the necessary conditions
The process of growing onions in winter is usually called forcing. It’s very convenient that such a bow is always at hand and you don’t have to go to the store every time you need it. It's no secret that store-bought onions are very poorly stored, even in the refrigerator. It quickly loses its freshness and withers. Some people freeze chopped onions and use them when preparing various dishes. True, it is not at all suitable for salads, as it loses its color and usual aroma.
You never know how and under what conditions purchased onions were grown. Very often, manufacturers use growth accelerators, which means there can be no talk of any benefit. And green onions are quite expensive in winter. It is much more profitable to grow it yourself.
You don't need special utensils for this. You can take any container that will fit on the windowsill. Of course, it is not necessary to grow onions on the windowsill. But still, probably, nowhere else in the house is there as much light as near the window. The more light, the faster the greens grow. If you need to grow a feather in a short time, the air temperature in the room is increased. To do this, you can use a regular lamp or a special phytolamp. It should be installed at a height of about 60 cm from the container. It is best to leave the lamp on all the time.
There are several ways to grow green onions on the windowsill:
- in water;
- in the ground.
First, let's look at how to grow onions in water on a windowsill.
Growing onions in water
This is the most common and easiest way growing greens at home. Simply place a small jar of water and onions on the windowsill. It’s convenient that everything you need is always at hand. The only thing is that only one onion will fit in a jar, so to get a sufficient amount of greens you will need to prepare many jars. This is not always convenient, because banks take up a lot of space.
To grow in this way, take large bulbs so that they do not fall into the jar itself. One such fruit produces no more than ten feathers. Closer to spring, such bulbs begin to germinate on their own. They can simply be added to indoor plants.
As you can see, this method is very simple, fast and does not require any extra costs. You also don’t have to mess with the soil and look for special containers.But it is worth considering some of the disadvantages mentioned above. Some inconveniences can be easily avoided. For example, special containers are sold on store shelves that do not take up much space and do not spoil the appearance of the room.
Here are some rules for growing onions in such containers:
- Water is poured into the container. It will need to be topped up from time to time.
- Then a special cover is installed, which has a large number of holes. The bulbs will be placed in these holes.
- For cultivation you need settled water at room temperature.
- For greens to grow well, they need constant access to air. To do this, install an aerator, which is used for aquariums. If there is no such device, you can simply change the water in the container more often.
You can build a growing container yourself. To do this, take any wide container and place dense foam rubber in it. You can also make your own lid with holes, for example, from wood.
Growing green onions in the ground
Growing onions in the ground is no less convenient. In this case, the bulbs can be placed closer to each other. The fact is that onions dry out greatly in the ground, so they take up less space. Thanks to this, you can grow more green feathers in a small container.
It is very important to choose the right container. The container should have holes so that excess moisture can drain out. It is also necessary to place a tray under it, where the water will collect. Such containers can be purchased in specialized stores. It is very important that the capacity is high enough.Otherwise, the roots may push the bulbs to the surface, and the feather will simply break.
It is noteworthy that onions are undemanding to the soil. He himself gives nutrients to the soil. So even in ordinary soil, a feather can grow up to 20, or even 30 centimeters. Try to choose loose soil for growing, the acidity of which is no more than 7 pH. You can add sphagnum or sawdust to it.
A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the container. It is needed to retain moisture in the soil. Then it is lined with a thick layer of soil (about 10 centimeters). Next, the prepared onions are planted in the ground. The third part of it should be above the soil surface.
The ideal temperature for normal growth is +20°C. Minor deviations are allowed. If you increase the indicators to 25–27°C, then the greens will grow much faster. It is very important that the container with onions does not overheat in the sun. To protect the onions, you can wrap the container with regular foil. A sufficient amount of moisture will allow you to grow tasty and juicy green onions. With proper planting and care, you can get an excellent harvest of fresh young feathers.
Preparing onions for planting
Bulbs of different varieties and sizes are suitable for growing feathers. But it is most convenient to use small sets for these purposes. You can place a large number of small onions in one container and grow a good harvest of greens.
The feather that has grown from 15 to 30 centimeters in height is used for food. The bottom of the onion is cut off and discarded. Some housewives are accustomed to pinch off only the upper parts of the feathers and leave the lower parts. In this form, the onion can remain in the container for up to two months.
Multi-nest onions are also used for cultivation. It sprouts several sprouts at the same time, which allows you to increase productivity. This type of onion is also called a bush onion. On store shelves you can find the following varieties of multi-nest onions:
- "Bessonovsky";
- "Pozharsky";
- "Union";
- "Danilovsky".
The bulbs remain dormant for some time. Then in January they begin to be planted for forcing. Of course, sometimes you want to grow fresh herbs earlier. In this case, you will have to remove the bow from this state.
In autumn, the bulbs must be kept in a cool room. After this, the feathers will grow faster. The first thing to do before planting is to inspect the fruits and trim them at the point of maximum expansion. Thanks to this, you can increase the number of sprouted feathers.
Before planting onions should be soaked in a manganese solution. Plain water will also work. In this form, the fruits should stand for at least 10 hours. This procedure will help the onions germinate faster. Then it is kept for some time in a humid environment. In a couple of days, the rudiments of the root system will begin to form, and the upper part will dry out a little.
Important Rules
Onions for greens begin to be planted in January. You can do a trial run first. To do this, take one onion and place its bottom part in water. If the root system begins to actively grow, then it’s time to plant the rest of the onions.
Some people plant all the onions in one go. But in this case you will have to use it quickly. After just a couple of weeks, the feather will grow to the desired length and it will be time to harvest.If you do not need such a large amount of greenery, then it will be more convenient to plant the plants in several passes. For example, several dozen bulbs per week. For this, either one large container or several small ones are suitable.
Then the fruits are planted in water or soil. For the first 10 days, the container is placed in a cool place with good lighting for the formation of the root system. In other words, it is necessary to create conditions for the onion that resemble early spring. Next, you need to increase the air temperature so that the feathers begin to grow.
There is no need to feed the growing bulbs. However, to increase productivity, you can add wood ash to the water. For five liters of water take five grams of ash. To improve the appearance of the feather, you can spray the grown onions with warm water. It is important not to wet the fruit itself. At this stage, you can prepare the second batch of onions. In this way, you can cover the entire window with planted plants one by one. As a result, you will have fresh greens until the next harvest.
Conclusion
Not everyone knows how to grow green onions at home. But as you can see from this article, it is very easy to do. And most importantly, in this way you can not only provide your family with fresh herbs, but also save a lot of money. You don't need any expensive equipment to grow green onions in water. You just need to prepare a container, water and the bulbs themselves. Now that you know how to plant onions, be sure to put this knowledge into practice.
