Preparatory work

To be able to grow green feathers in winter, it is necessary to install a greenhouse. The greenhouse is built from different materials. It can be glass, polycarbonate, film.

Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages:

• The advantages of a glass greenhouse include durability, good light transmittance, and high thermal insulation properties. In manufacturing, you can use material that has already been used. Glass is perfectly cleaned from dirt and can be easily replaced if necessary. When building a glass greenhouse, wood is used, which is an environmentally friendly material. The disadvantages include the large weight of the structure. The structure requires a good foundation, which takes up quite a lot of space. Also, glass is a fragile material, which can lead to its frequent replacement in unfavorable cases.
• Film greenhouses are characterized by ease of installation and low cost. There are several types of film covering that allow you to protect plants from adverse weather conditions. Unfortunately, in winter, they are not cost-effective to use due to the difficulty of heating this type of structure.
• Greenhouses made of cellular polycarbonate have become widespread. The positive qualities of this type of covering include lightness, durability, high light transmission, and flexibility. It has a long service life - up to 10 years. When installing this type of greenhouse, a foundation is not required. The disadvantages include a fairly high cost. When exposed to high temperatures, the material has the property of expanding, so when fastening it, this feature must be taken into account. The coating should be protected from mechanical damage.

Features of growing in a greenhouse

Once you have decided on a greenhouse, you need to prepare the soil suitable for growing this crop. Onions grow best on sandy soil fertilized with humus and peat additives. When planting cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse, you must first dig up the soil and add fertilizers: one bucket of compost, one tablespoon of sodium chloride and 2 tablespoons of superphosphate per 1 sq. m. The predecessors that were grown in the bed before the onions are also taken into account.

Desirable predecessors may include root crops, tomatoes and eggplants.

This soil can be used without replacement for up to 4 onion growing cycles. You can use fine sawdust instead of soil. The substance of sawdust is light, hygroscopic and does not require as frequent change as with soil.

Cold unheated greenhouse

A cold, unheated greenhouse is suitable for early plantings, with harvesting in the middle of the spring months in mind. Such greenhouses are more suitable for growing from nigella (seeds).

The seeds are sown in late autumn or in the first spring months, after being calibrated. To speed up germination, the seeds are prepared as follows:

1. Soak in a warm solution of potassium permanganate per day at a temperature of about 25 degrees.
2. Next, the swollen seeds are distributed in an even layer over the burlap. and cover, making sure that the fabric does not dry out before the sprouts appear.
3. A week after soaking, when the seeds have sprouted, they can be planted, after drying them first. The beds must be prepared in advance.

Sprouted seeds are planted in furrows 3 cm deep, the distance between the grooves is about 20 cm.

After planting, mulch with peat to avoid the formation of a soil crust, which prevents oxygen from reaching the roots. Regular loosening should be carried out twice a month.

To accelerate the development of plants, it is necessary to carry out additional feeding with nitrogen fertilizers. In winter sowing, the consumption of fertilizers is increased by 20 %, in spring they are applied based on 2 g per square meter.

If the onion was planted to obtain green feathers, the harvest is collected when the feathers reach a length of 25 cm.This method is more labor-intensive and takes longer than growing feathers from bulbs.

This method is also used to update the varietal characteristics of certain types of onions.

You can also prepare the bulbs for planting in winter as follows:

1. In mid-autumn, before the onset of stable frosts, it is necessary to plant a selection of bulbs so that the planting material has time to take root. The bed is dug up with the addition of superphosphate, potassium chloride and compost fertilizers.
2. Planting is carried out in rows with a distance of about 3 cm between plants and they are covered with a 4 cm layer of peat. After the ground freezes, a layer of peat is added to a height of 20 cm. At the beginning of spring, the insulation is removed, the bed needs to be watered with warm water and several nitrogen fertilizers should be applied.

Heated greenhouse

Growing onion feathers in winter requires strict adherence to certain conditions:

• maintaining the temperature during the daytime up to +20 degrees, at night up to 15 degrees;
• daylight hours are at least 12 hours;
• the need for regular watering;
• Ventilate frequently, avoiding drafts.

To be able to maintain such conditions, it is necessary to purchase the necessary equipment. The most convenient and effective method of growing is considered to be the production of feathers on racks. To do this, it is necessary to organize the planting of plants on special racks in width, which is ideally 35 cm. On them, the soil warms up more evenly, causing earlier germination of bulbs. The area of the greenhouse is used much more efficiently, it is convenient to care for the plants, there is no need to bend over during work.

To maintain the required length of daylight, it is necessary to install vertical fluorescent lamps, taking into account the uniform illumination of all tiers of the racks.

If it is possible to install greenhouses in sunny areas, then you can save on artificial lighting. But additional lighting for plants is essential due to the short days in winter.

The plantings are watered with warm clean water. For watering, it is easier to organize automatic equipment in the form of drip irrigation, which will significantly save time and labor costs.

The comfortable temperature for growing onions is 20 degrees Celsius. To maintain such a climate in the greenhouse, it is necessary to heat it. For this, electric or, if possible, gas boilers are used. The pipes from them are distributed along the perimeter of the structure. You can organize stove heating, which will not be very convenient, since it requires constant monitoring of the electric heaters.

Technologies

Planting of plants for obtaining a harvest of green feathers can be done all year round, the harvest is obtained in a month. For the continuity of the process, a new planting should be done every two weeks.

Before planting the material, you need to prepare by selecting small bulbs and cleaning them from excess husk. You can keep the husk - it will be a valuable fertilizer for other crops, which you can read about here. After that, you need to soak them in warm water for 12 hours, then dry them. The top of the bulb is cut off for quick germination of greenery.

Various methods of cultivation are practiced: bridge, ribbon, or use the hydroponic method:

• using the bridge method, the bulbs are planted very tightly, slightly pressed into the ground. This saves labor costs, since weeding, loosening and mulching are excluded. This method is most effective when using racks and planting in boxes. The soil is pre-enriched with fertilizers. The consumption of planting material is 10 kg per square meter;

• ribbon. Onions are planted in furrows, the distance between plants is 3 cm, between furrows - 20 cm. Seeds are planted in the same way, which are then thinned out. This method requires weeding, loosening and sprinkling with peat;

• for growing onions by hydroponics method special equipment is required. It consists of a container filled with water and a lid with special holes for planting onions, equipped with a compressor with a sprayer. It is possible to make such equipment yourself. For root growth, the liquid temperature is maintained at +20 degrees, then increased to +25 degrees to accelerate growth. For easier care, an aquarium heater is used. Avoid exposing the roots of the bulbs to light, which is achieved by tightly fitting the lid to the container. Bubbling with a compressor for 12 hours.

To successfully grow onions, it is necessary to organize the necessary care, which consists of the following procedures:

• abundant watering after planting and maintaining a comfortable temperature;
• after two weeks, the beds are watered with a solution of manganese to prevent the occurrence of mold and other diseases;
• it is necessary to remove substandard bulbs;
• regularly ventilate the greenhouse, while avoiding drafts;
• weekly watering with warm water.

If fertilisers are applied before planting in the beds, additional feeding during cultivation is not required.

For sale, the harvested crop is packaged in 50 g pieces; for wholesale, packaged onions are packed in kilogram bundles.

Types of onion varieties

To obtain feathers in winter in heated greenhouses, the following varieties of onions are used:

1. Onions It is recommended to choose by multi-germ for more lush greenery and increased yield. The varieties that prevail here are Stuttgarter Riesen, Strigunovsky local, Bessonovsky urozhny, Danilovsky 301
2. Batun is a perennial onion that does not form a bulb. It is winter-hardy and is planted in December. The following varieties of batun are common: Gribovsky 21, Maysky 7 and others.
3. U Slime softer taste in contrast to onions, there is a garlic aroma. This is a winter onion variety, it is not whimsical to watering, planting is carried out all year round.
4. Multi-tiered is the most promising for growing in winter in a heated greenhouse due to multi-germ varieties for obtaining a larger harvest. Recommended varieties: Bessonovsky Urozhny, Stuttgarter Riesen and similar.
5. Leek grown from seeds. A small bulb is formed. Seeds of early varieties, which are the most productive, are planted in the greenhouse.

Conclusions

Onions are considered to be a fairly unpretentious crop. Various varieties are grown in winter. To create comfortable conditions, the greenhouse is equipped with lighting, gas or electric heating. Greenhouse onions are often used to implement a business

In winter, it is more effective to plant bulbs for faster harvesting. To speed up forcing, bulbs are processed. Planting is done in prepared beds, sawdust or hydroponic systems. Regular watering of onions and fertilizing if necessary are carried out as care.