The benefits of green onions are difficult to overestimate. Those who do not like this type of greenery sometimes look at it. And for good reason. During the demi-season lack of vitamins in the body, it replenishes the missing elements, increasing resistance to diseases such as ARVI and influenza. And now that prices are on greens are growing inexorably, the problem of saving the family budget rises squarely. If for experienced housewives growing greenery will not cause any particular difficulties, then young and inexperienced housewives questions about how to grow green onions at home, save money and get an environmentally friendly product can be confusing.
There is nothing complicated in the process of growing green onions at home. All you need is desire. And there are always available materials and accessories in any kitchen.
Onion growing methods
Before planting onions at home on greens, you should familiarize yourself with the planting methods and rules and choose the most optimal option.
There are two ways to grow green onions at home:
- Distillation in water;
- Planting onions in the ground.
Both methods have long won their adherents and are popular. Each housewife chooses the one that suits her best, focusing on the illumination of the windowsills, temperature and humidity, as well as the size of the free space.
Forcing onions in water
In this case, any onion is suitable for growing. Even store-bought bulbs are guaranteed to yield a good harvest in 3 weeks, and you can pamper your household with green onion and egg pies or make a vitamin salad.
But he also has one drawback - after a few days, without proper care, the onion begins to rot. An unpleasant, putrid smell and midges appear. To prevent this from happening, the state of water in containers with onions must be monitored and changed regularly.
Rules for growing green onions in water
It is best to take for growing onions at home those bulbs that have already begun to sprout. Additionally, you will need a container of water. For this purpose, you can pick up anything: glass jars, plastic buckets or glasses for mayonnaise / sour cream, and even egg cells.
Water for growing green onions must be taken filtered or settled. The water temperature should be close to room temperature.
For forcing onions on a feather at home, only healthy bulbs are suitable, without signs of rot and damage.
Before forcing, it is advisable to process the bulbous heads in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 15-20 minutes. This will protect them from decay. Rinse them well under running water, especially the bottom. And the top, if the onion is not sprouted, needs to be cut off by 0.5-0.7 cm.
Place the prepared onions tightly in the container. The main thing is that they do not roll, but "sit" tightly and are strictly in an upright position.
Add enough water to the container so that it covers a quarter of the planting material. Add the required amount of liquid to the container in descending order until the bulbs have sufficiently long and strong roots.
Subsequently, the level of liquid in containers with onions must be significantly reduced.There should be a small air cushion between the bulb and the water, but at the same time the roots of the onion should freely reach the life-giving moisture. In this state, you need to maintain planting to the end.
At first, bulbs do not need bright light and warmth. Therefore, it is advisable to put the container with onions in a dark, cool place until the first green feathers appear. As soon as signs of feather growth appear, move the containers with onions to a bright and warm enough place. Best of all, green onions grow at home at a temperature of + 25˚C + 27˚C.
How can you grow green onions at home if there is not enough sunlight for the plantings? In this case, you can provide them with additional artificial lighting. It is important to turn the lights on and off at the same time of day. It is very simple to find out that the bulbs do not have enough light - the color saturation of the green onion feathers and their condition will tell you about this. If the feathers are pale in color, thin and break quickly, then you need to take care of additional lighting.
Planting care
For prophylaxis against decay, the water in containers with green onions should be changed regularly. At the first stage, until the roots appear, the fluid should be changed daily. At the second stage, you can change the water 2-3 times a week.
If an unpleasant odor appears in containers with onions, you need to carefully, trying not to damage the roots, rinse the bulbs under running warm water. If you failed to get rid of the amber, then it is advisable to throw out the rotting onion. Otherwise, you risk losing the entire crop.
When forcing green onions at home in water, it is undesirable to use various growth accelerators. They cause an unpleasant odor and cause rotting of the planting material. If desired, you can use a universal top dressing. Stir 5 grams (1-2 tsp) of wood ash in 1 liter of water. Pour the resulting solution into containers with onions as the water decreases.
To keep the feathers bright green and juicy when growing green onions, spray your plantings with a spray bottle daily. Note that only the green mass needs to be moisturized. In no case should the bulbs be moistened.
Harvesting
Home-grown onions are early ripening. After 2-3 weeks, you can cut off the green feathers and add fresh, fragrant and vitamin-filled greens to the dishes.
There are two ways to harvest green onions:
- as feathers grow;
- waiting for the green onions to fully ripen.
When forcing onions in water, the feathers are never the same height. Therefore, it is difficult to determine their maturity. But there are several signs that it is time to harvest:
- The bulb is very soft to the touch.
- The tops of the feathers begin to turn yellow.
- The active growth of feathers in onions slows down significantly.
As soon as you find any of these signs, immediately cut the entire crop.
Some housewives do not wait for the green onions to ripen and cut off the feathers gradually, as they grow, thus increasing the yield by 2-2.5 times. The bulb often remains firm until the end of the forcing with this harvesting method.
Growing onions in the ground
How to properly plant green onions in the ground at home? What types of onions are suitable for this purpose? How to choose and prepare the right land? Newbies have a lot of questions.
When planting onions on greens in the ground, it is advisable to give preference to early and mid-season varieties. The following varieties have proven themselves well:
- Union;
- Arzamassky;
- Timiryazevsky.
In addition to early maturity, they have another advantage, being multi-primordial, which makes it possible to increase the yield several times.
If you do not have planting material of a certain type of house, you can plant onion sets and even ordinary onions bought in a store in the ground.
Preparation of planting material
For the simultaneous harvesting of the bulbs, it is advisable to choose medium-sized bulbs of the same size.
Examine the planting material for signs of decay and damage. In the presence of even small lesions, it is better to discard the bulb.
Good planting material has the following characteristics:
- The bulbs should be firm to the touch;
- Shiny husk;
- A clean and large enough root cup.
When selecting bulbs, keep in mind that when you plant sprouted onions, you will harvest much faster.
The selected planting material must be soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 20-30 minutes. After soaking, remove the top husk from the bulbs. The top must be cut 0.5 cm to speed up the appearance of green shoots.
You do not need to cut off the top of sprouted bulbs.
Soil preparation
The most ideal container for growing green onions at home are plastic seedling boxes. But many housewives, in the absence of such boxes, get out of the situation by planting onions on a feather in flower pots, pallets, disposable containers from various products and even in bottles.
At the bottom of the container for growing green onions, pour a drainage layer of at least 2 cm so that excess moisture does not linger in the ground. Small stones or expanded clay can be used as drainage.
For planting onions on greens at home, neutral and loose soil is suitable. In the absence of good soil, you can purchase a universal soil mixture or soil for growing seedlings. The soil layer should be at least 10-12 cm.
Planting bulbs
Planting bulbs on a feather at home can be done one-time. Or you can plant onions at regular intervals to get a crop regularly.
The soil in prepared containers must be moistened. You need to plant the bulbs at 1/3 of the head height. The distance between them should be 2-3 cm. To form the root system, containers with planted onions must be removed to a cool and dark place for 8-10 days.
After the specified period, boxes or containers with onions should be placed in a bright and warm enough place - on a windowsill or a glazed, insulated loggia.
When growing onions for greens at home, it should be remembered that the more light it receives during the day, the more intense the growth and color of the green mass. In cloudy weather or during a period when daylight hours are short, as well as if your windows face north, plantings need to be provided with additional lighting. Fluorescent lamps or specialized phytolamps are placed at a height of 60-70 cm above the plantings. The lighting must be turned on and off at the same time.
In addition to light, the microclimate of the room affects the quantity and quality of the green onion harvest. With a lack of moisture, feathers immediately become faded, lethargic and thin. To prevent this from happening, spray the plantings from a sprayer once a day.
The air temperature in the room should not exceed the thermometer mark at + 23˚С + 27˚С. When these microclimate conditions are created, green onion feathers will grow to a height of 30 cm after 15-18 days.
The increased air temperature is harmful to the green mass. Its growth slows down, and decay processes begin in the soil. Make sure that the bulbs do not overheat.If necessary, you can wrap the containers with green onions in foil - it will reflect bright sunlight.
Review plantings regularly. From the moment the first green shoots appear, the soil in containers or containers should always be moist. It is better to use water for watering onions that has settled, the temperature of which is as close to room temperature as possible. Do not over-water the onion, otherwise it will start to rot.
It is not required to introduce top dressing into the ground and when watering onions. The ready-made soil mixtures are perfectly balanced. To build up green mass, the amount of nutrients that are contained in the soil and in the bulb is quite enough.
Harvesting
You can cut the feathers of green onions grown at home when they reach a height of 25-30 cm, or you can gradually. The second option is preferable. You can cut the greens with a sharp knife or scissors. Tearing off the feathers is extremely undesirable - you can pull the bulb out of the ground.
The fact that some bulb has already given up all the nutrients for the growth of green mass will be prompted by its appearance - it will become wrinkled, soft or start to rot. Such root vegetables need to be thrown away. A new bulb can be planted in the free space.
Thanks to this method of growing green onions at home, you will be provided with fresh greens filled with vitamins and microelements almost until spring.
Mini garden bed from a bottle
Often, housewives refuse to grow green onions at home for one simple reason - there is not enough free space. But even in such a situation, you can find a way out and plant onions on greens in a plastic bottle. The planting technique and subsequent care is no different from the previous method of growing green onions in soil.
- The neck of the bottle must be cut off. Punch some small holes in the bottom.
- Cut holes on the walls in a checkerboard pattern. The distance between them should be at least 4-5 cm.
- Gradually filling the container with soil, insert the bulbs into the holes.
- Immediately after planting, the soil must be well moistened.
Now you just need to water the planted bulbs in a timely manner, monitor the microclimate and cut off the grown green feathers as they ripen.
The author of the video will tell you how to grow green onions at home in a plastic bottle.
Conclusion
On the fragile shoulders of many housewives lies the difficult task of feeding the household with tasty, wholesome and healthy food. By growing green onions at home, you will not only be provided with an environmentally friendly and nutritious product, but you will also save a significant amount of money.
