Content
Growing onions from seed sets has a lot of advantages, and getting planting material from seeds is not difficult at all. FROMThe most important thing is to preserve the onion sets until next spring, because in winter it faces a lot of troubles: from rotting and freezing to drying out and early germination. As you know, it is the improper storage of onion sets that leads to the shooting of adult plants and the loss of most of the harvest.
This article will be devoted to how to store onion sets in a private house or city apartment. Here, different storage methods will be considered, and the spring and autumn preparation of planting material will be discussed.
How to prepare onion sets for winter storage
Sevka is usually harvested at the end of August. The fact that the onion is fully ripe can be recognized by the state of the tops: the leaves should lie on the ground and turn yellow.
After the onion set has been collected, it must be sorted out and sorted. For planting in spring, only whole, healthy bulbs are suitable, without traces of damage and rot. It must be remembered that even one infected bulb can lead to spoilage of all planting material.
The second important step is the drying of the onion sets. It is recommended to dry the set in the sun, and a dry and well-ventilated room or a place under a canopy is also suitable.
How and where to store onion sets before planting
For storing seedlings, only trellised containers or bags that allow air to pass through are suitable, because onions must be constantly ventilated so as not to rot or become moldy.
Therefore, onion sets are most often stored in:
- bags;
- nets;
- wooden boxes;
- plastic containers;
- trays;
- in bulk.
Storing onion sets in bulk does not mean that the heads are simply laid out on the floor. Planting material should be high above the ground, so it is customary to place it on shelves or in attics. In these cases, the onion is laid out in a 15-20 cm even layer. There must be good ventilation in the room with the set, otherwise rot cannot be avoided.
How to keep onion sets warm at home
Most often, this method is used by those who live in an apartment or do not have their own basement.
You can store sevok before sowing at home, but you should follow some rules:
- do not allow onion sets to overheat, therefore, do not place storage near batteries and heating devices (a pantry or a warm loggia is most suitable for storage);
- do not overmoisten the air near the onion sets, so do not lay it near water sources (do not store seeds in the kitchen or bathroom);
- ensure regular airing of the onion;
- avoid direct sunlight;
- periodically sort out the sevok to remove rotten or infected heads.
At home, onion sets are usually stored in cardboard boxes, small wooden or plastic boxes, or in bags.
How to properly store onion sets before planting in the cellar
Residents of country houses usually do not have a question where to store onion sets until next spring. After all a home basement or cellar is best suited for these purposes, where a stable above-zero temperature is maintained throughout the winter.
The method of storing seedlings in the basement is called the cold method, and it gives better results compared to storing onions at home:
- fewer rotten heads;
- sevok does not dry out;
- no early germination;
- mature plants do not follow the arrows;
- onion yield is large and stable.
In the cellar, onions are stored in any convenient container, these can be boxes, bags or boxes. Sevok is perfectly stored in the basement until spring, and it must be warmed up before planting. To do this, 2-3 weeks before planting, the heads are brought into the house, sorted out and laid out in a dry and warm place.
How to keep onions in the ground
There is another, very unusual way - onion sets are stored simply in the beds, that is, in the ground. For this, the heads are planted in late autumn as they would have been planted in the spring. In the period of low temperatures, the seedlings will freeze, and with the onset of heat, it will "wake up" and quickly grow.
This method has its advantages:
- heads do not dry out;
- in a frosty winter with stable temperatures, the onion will not start to rot;
- seedlings begin to germinate very early, therefore, it will be possible to harvest the crop ahead of schedule;
- the owner does not have to take care of the container and storage space, provide the onion set with the necessary conditions, sort it out and warm it up;
- in the spring, you do not need to plant sevok, because it is already in the garden.
Storing onion sets in a bucket
This method is similar to the previous one - the onions will also be frozen. Only sevok in this case is not planted, but buried in the ground. For these purposes, it is convenient to use an old bucket.
A thick layer of dry sawdust is poured onto the bottom of the bucket, and onion sets are placed on top. Do not fill the container to the brim, because the seeds must "breathe". From above, the planting material is covered with approximately the same layer of sawdust.
It remains to dig a hole and place a bucket of onion sets under the ground. The container is preliminarily covered with a lid. The layer of earth above the bucket should be 15-18 cm.
What mode is needed for sevka for proper storage
Most of the planting material should "survive" before the spring planting - this is the task of the gardener. Each of the storage methods requires certain conditions for keeping onion sets:
- With the cold method, that is, during the period of saving the heads in the basement, a stable temperature should be maintained in the room at the level of 2-8 degrees.
- If the onion is stored underground, it must be kept frozen at all times to keep the temperature below -3 degrees.
- For those seeds that are in the house, a positive temperature is needed - from 17 to 24 degrees.
- In any case, the relative humidity should be 65-75%.
Whichever method the gardener chooses, he should know that onion sets cannot be stored for more than one season: from harvesting to planting.
How to save a "sick" onion set
Good is the onion that lasted until spring unharmed, the heads remained dense, and the husks were dry. It is not a problem to grow a decent harvest from such seeds. What to do if, during the next sorting, the gardener noticed rotting of the heads?
As you know, rot spreads very quickly, and if you do not take the right measures, you can lose all planting material in a matter of days. First, it is necessary to remove the affected heads from the general container as soon as possible.It is better to remove the adjacent bulbs as well, because they may already be infected with rot, which is not yet visible.
When a large number of bulbs have turned black, there is only one option: to "strip" the seedlings, that is, to clear the heads from the husk infected with rot. You can not be afraid and even remove all the husks from the onion, because this plant is unique - the onion set is able to "grow" its scales anew.
Conclusion
Keeping your own garden is not an easy task. It will seem to many that storing sevka is a complicated process, and none of the methods gives one hundred percent result. Therefore, most gardeners and summer residents go every spring to buy planting material, and onion sets are quite expensive.
Practice shows that it is only necessary to find a method for storing onion sets that is suitable for a particular region, and then it will be possible to significantly save on the purchase of planting material. This is especially important when growing vegetables on an industrial scale.
