Content
Zebrun onion is an unusual shallot variety in appearance with good yield indicators. Before planting a variety on a site, you should carefully study its features and characteristics.
Origin story
The Zebrun variety has a long history. In the 1940s, shallots were brought by refugees to the Lancloitre region of France and were grown in home gardens for approximately thirty years. In the 1970s, traders became interested in the variety and wanted to sell it on an industrial scale.
In 1992, shallots received the official name La Cuisse de Poulet du Poitou. In 1994, another name was proposed - Escalon (Echalion), under which the variety appeared in various catalogs in 1996. But on sale it can most often be found under the name Zebrune.
Description and characteristics of onions of the Zebrun variety
Zebrun shallots, or Poitou Chicken Thighs, are an early-ripening French variety with elongated underground heads. The length to width ratio of the latter is approximately 5:1.The bulbs are slightly curved, reaching an average weight of 25-50 g; in rare cases, specimens weighing 100 g are found. The shape of the shallot head most resembles chicken drumsticks, which is reflected in the name.
Zebrun bow demonstrates resistance to gunfire
The husk of varietal onions is thin, copper-yellowish or pinkish-beige. The first leaf has a purple tint, although it can sometimes be brownish or whitish green. The inner scales of onions are soft, juicy, with a subtle delicate taste and piquant pungency. There may be 5-10 heads in a nest.
The Zebrun variety is grown both for turnips and for feathers. Shallot greens are aromatic and tasty, grow quickly and are suitable for harvesting throughout the growing season from spring to autumn.
The ripening of the bulbs occurs on average 1.5-2 months from the emergence of seedlings, which is considered a very short period. Zebrun can be harvested as early as mid-August. From a meter of garden, with good care, the variety allows you to collect about 2.5 kg of juicy bulbs and up to 4 kg of heads along with greens.
A special feature of the Zebrun shallot is its good keeping quality. After harvesting, onions can be stored in a dry place at moderate temperatures for up to ten months. The fruits lie quietly in boxes or cardboard boxes until February or March. Most other varieties of shallots spoil much faster.
The variety demonstrates good frost resistance, does not die during the cold winter, and even frozen bulbs can be restored in high-quality soil. Zebrun is almost not affected by root rot and thrips.
The use of shallots is universal. Most often, the variety is used in salads and dressings, and is also added to hot dishes and preserves.Zebrun is most delicious when fresh, as it fully retains its spicy notes.
Advantages and disadvantages
Before planting Zebrun onions on the site, it is necessary to study the strengths and weaknesses of the variety.
Pros: · good taste; · Both turnips and greens are suitable for eating; · high productivity; · resistance to cold weather; · rarely suffers from diseases and insects; · ripens in an average of 150 days; · has a long shelf life. | Minuses: · heads are small in size; · often suffers from onion flies. |
If you want large and weighty bulbs, then Zebrun is unlikely to be suitable for planting. Otherwise, the variety has all the advantages characteristic of shallots and is a good choice for the site.
Landing rules
It is necessary to plant Zebrun shallots in a greenhouse or as seedlings from February to March, with the arrival of calendar spring. The seeds of the crop are first treated in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or a fungicide, and then slightly dried from moisture.
The landing algorithm looks like this:
- In a greenhouse or closed container, nutritious soil is prepared with the addition of humus and sand.
- Make 1 cm depressions in the soil, leaving 20 cm gaps between rows.
- Sow the seeds in the holes, making indentations of 2 cm.
- Sprinkle soil on top and moisten with a spray bottle.
Under a film in a warm place, the seedlings are germinated until greenery appears. After this, the shelter is removed and Zebrun onions continue to be watered as needed. The optimal growing temperature is 15-18 °C.
At the 3-4 leaf stage, the seedlings are pruned, removing the weakest seedlings. Between strong plants there should be approximately 8 cm of free space.After another month, thinning is repeated, keeping one seedling for every 20 cm in the row.
Zebrun onion seedlings are transferred from a box or greenhouse to open ground in early May
Features of care
During cultivation, it is important for Zebrun onions to provide high-quality watering and periodic feeding:
- Shallots need regular moisture in the absence of natural precipitation. The soil in the beds should not dry out; on hot summer days, watering is carried out 2-3 times a week. At the same time, a month before harvesting turnips, they stop moisturizing Zebrun so that the onion stops growing greenery and accumulates more useful substances in the underground part.
- After each watering and cutting of feathers, the soil in the beds is loosened and weeded to remove weeds. With insufficient oxygen access to the roots, Zebrun develops worse and produces small heads.
- The plant is fertilized twice per season. For the first time after the third leaf grows, urea or urea solution is added to the soil in a proportion of 15 g per 10 liters of water. The second feeding is carried out after the appearance of the fifth feather - 5 g of potassium monophosphate is diluted in a bucket and the beds are watered with the resulting fertilizer.
The Zebrun onion harvest begins in mid-August. Underground turnips are carefully lifted from the beds using a fork and left to dry for several days, and then sorted and dried indoors. Onions should be stored in wooden boxes or cardboard boxes in a cellar or attic, in conditions of moderate temperature and low humidity.
Harvesting begins when the green onion feathers dry out and lodge.
Conclusion
Zebrun onions are a tasty variety with elongated underground turnips and juicy green feathers.It is distinguished by good yield and endurance, as well as a long shelf life unusual for shallots.
Reviews from gardeners about Zebrun onions
