Ultra-early and cold-resistant salad type of onion “Ellan”

The Ellan onion variety has captivated gardeners with its extremely early ripening period and semi-sharp taste. It is planted not only in spring, but also before winter for a quick harvest. The culture is resistant to light frosts; the bulbs themselves are rich in ascorbic acid.

Description

Ellan is a salad variety. It is grown before winter by planting seeds in the summer or sowing in the fall.

Origin and development

Ellan is from Kuban. Included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation in 1997.

The originator of the variety is the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Kuban State Agrarian University named after I. T. Trubilin”.

Composition and beneficial properties

The onion is rich vitamins and minerals.

Chemical composition per 100 g:

• calcium - 31 mg;
• phosphorus - 58 mg;
• magnesium - 14 mg;
• potassium - 148 mg;
• silicon - 5 mg;
• sulfur - 70 mg;
• iron - 0.8 mg;
• zinc - 0.85 mg;
• boron - 200 mcg;
• cobalt - 5 mcg.

Vitamins per 100 g:

• B1 - 0.048 mg;
• B2 - 0.019 mg;
• B5 - 0.1 mg;
• B6 - 0.2 mg;
• B9 - 53 mcg;
• C - 12.5 mg;
• PP - 0.52 mg;
• E - 0.2 mg.

Nutritional value per 100 g:

• calorie content - 41 kcal;
• proteins - 1.7 g;
• fats - 0.2 g;
• carbohydrates - 8.2 g;
• water - 86 g;
• dietary fiber - 2 g.

The vegetable is useful for consumption raw, as it contains a large amount of macro-, microelements and vitamins. It has antiseptic, tonic, antioxidant properties. Normalizes the functioning of the endocrine, immune and nervous systems.

Ripening time and yield

The growing season for Ellana is 64–99 days when grown from sets.

The commercial yield of turnips in the North Caucasus region is 100–250 c/ha. Up to 2.5 kg of onions are harvested from 1 m2.

Disease resistance

The variety is immune to yellow dwarf and mosaic. It is mildly affected by peronosporosis. When grown in too wet soil, it is susceptible to powdery mildew, gray rot and rust.

Characteristics

The main qualities of Ellan variety bulbs:

• round or slightly flattened shape;
• the flesh is white;
• weight - 64–123 g;
• number of yellow dry scales - 2-3;
• the taste is sweet, slightly spicy.

The rosette of leaves is dense. Plant height is up to 30 cm. During the growth period, the greenery stands upright and practically does not lie down. The feathers are dark green with a waxy coating, medium in diameter.

Regions for planting

The variety is recommended for cultivation in the North Caucasus. These include the Republics of Adygea and Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Crimea, North Ossetia-Alania, Kabardino-Balkaria, Krasnodar Territory and Rostov Region.

Advantages and disadvantages

Positive characteristics of Ellan:

• early maturation;
• aligned bulb shape;
• frost resistance of seeds and sets (they sprout even at +1…+2°C);
• good taste;
• high ripening rate (before harvesting - 82%, after ripening - 96–100%).

Disadvantage of the variety - short life storage. Vegetables quickly begin to deteriorate and dry out.

The main difference between Ellan and other varieties is its early ripening. Winter onions are harvested already in June - July, when last year's vegetables are running out and new ones have not yet grown.

Features of planting and growing

Onion Elan grown by seeds or sevkom. Planting is carried out both in early spring and before winter.

Preparation

You can obtain onion seeds of the Elan variety yourself or buy them in a store. In the first case, they wait for the shooter with round balls on which there are seeds. When the arrow begins to dry out and the seeds turn black, they are collected for subsequent processing and storage.

The planting material is filled with water and left for an hour. Full large specimens will settle to the bottom, and dry ones will float to the surface. They are thrown out. The remaining seeds are disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate and hardened. To do this, a bag of grains is first placed in hot water at a temperature of +60°C, and then in cold water. Seeds are planted in open ground in the spring. The garden bed has been prepared since the fall.

When growing onions, the smallest specimens with a diameter of up to 2 cm are selected from the sets. The larger ones are left for feathering, as they shoot heavily.

It is important to observe crop rotation. Onions are planted where legumes, cabbage, potatoes or grain crops other than oats used to grow.

Bad predecessors:

• garlic;
• carrot;
• onion.

Soil requirements

To plant Ellana, prepare a bed with nutritious soil. Soil acidity should not be higher than 7 pH. If the soil has a high clay content, its acidity will be too high. To reduce the rate, 7–14 days before landings lime or dolomite flour is added to the soil.

By the way! The pH level is measured with special strips, which are sold in hardware stores.

The soil should not be dense so as not to interfere with the outflow of water after watering or rain. Therefore, the site is chosen with a slight slope. Add a little sand or peat to the ground.

For better development of the crop, 3–5 kg/m² of humus and any phosphorus-potassium fertilizer are added when planting.

Dates, scheme and rules of planting

Growing from seeds begins in early spring, when the soil warms up to at least +1°C. Most often - in March - April.

Seeds are planted between rows. To do this, dig up the area and form small trenches, leaving 15–20 cm between them. Rotted manure is placed at the bottom. This is especially good for early planting as it will serve as a source of heat. 1.5 g of seeds are planted per 1 m² of plot, planting them to a depth of about 2 cm.

Pre-winter planting of sets is carried out in October or November in not yet frozen soil, 3 weeks before stable frosts. Spring sowing is carried out in April, but the harvest is obtained a month later.

The sets are planted in rows, leaving 10–15 cm between them, and 1.5–2 cm between the bulbs.

Nuances of care

Onion seeds have a hard shell, and at low temperatures they do not germinate well. Therefore, it is good to plant them in the ground already germinated.

The variety is frost-resistant and does well with a short drop in temperature to -4°C.

When growing crops for feathers, the temperature should be within +20...+25°C.

It is important to follow all recommendations for watering, weeding and fertilizing the plantings.

Watering mode

Basic moments:

• moisten the plantings only if the soil is dry;
• pour water carefully into the root zone;
• do not water areas where there are no onions, so as not to promote the growth of weeds;
• To regulate humidity, mulch the beds.

Irrigate the plants with water at room temperature. Liquid that is too cold will harm the plantings and cause diseases.

The frequency of moisturizing is at least once every 7 days. During the growing season, you will get about 9-10 waterings.

Loosening and weeding

After moistening, the soil becomes compacted and a crust forms, which prevents the supply of oxygen to the roots.To prevent this from happening, the day after rain or watering, loosen the ground with a garden hoe or other tool. Movements are directed away from the onion to make room for further development of vegetables.

To prevent weeds from taking nutrients from the soil, the beds are weeded in a timely manner. When the onion sprouts are still small, the weeds are removed by hand.

Important! To weed the beds less often, mulch is laid out between the rows - sawdust, leaves, dry grass.

Weeding is often combined with loosening: first the weeds are pulled out and then the plantings are loosened.

Top dressing

During the growing season, onions are fertilized twice: when the plants reach a height of 2-3 cm and 3-4 weeks after the first time.

Organic dosages:

• mullein or rotted manure is diluted in the ratio of 1 bucket of manure per 10 liters of water;
• 1 bucket of bird droppings is added to 15 liters of water.

When using mineral fertilizers, prepare a composition from:

• 30 g superphosphate;
• 15 g ammonium nitrate;
• 15 g potassium chloride;
• 10 liters of water.

The first feeding is important for the development of leaves and stimulating the growth of the root system, the second - for the development of bulbs.

Some farmers fertilize onions a third time, but exclude products containing nitrogen.

Disease and pest control

In soil that is too moist, fungi appear, which cause rotting of the bulbs and roots and wilting of the leaves.

To prevent fungal diseases, plantings are treated with the following solution:

• copper sulfate - 2 g;
• zinc - 1 g;
• urea - 10 g;
• water - 10 l.

Downy mildew damages foliage and bulbs, so when watering, make sure that water does not get on the green parts of the plants. As a preventative measure, the beds are treated with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.

Dangerous pests:

1. Onion fly. The insect lays larvae in the leaves. Having hatched, they develop in the neck of the bulb and stop its development. To prevent the appearance of the pest, the beds are mulched and the plantings are sprinkled with wood ash.
2. Nematodes - small worms that feed on onion juice. Bulbs and leaves are damaged. To combat them, crop rotation is observed and the seeds are treated with hot water.

Difficulties in growing

When cultivating Ellana, vegetable growers face the following problems:

• the occurrence of fungal diseases in wet soil;
• attack by nematodes and onion flies.

At the beginning of development, the culture requires a lot of water and little light; as it grows, the opposite is true.

Harvest and storage

The ripening time of onions depends on the planting date and weather conditions.

How and when to collect

The Ellana harvest is obtained on average 90 days after planting the seed. A yellowed onion feather serves as a signal for harvesting. Dig up vegetables in dry, windy weather.

Onions with drying feathers are left in the garden for 2-3 weeks to allow the scales to thicken. Then it is removed from the soil and transferred to a dry room to dry.

The feather and roots are cut off. Only a tail 2-3 cm long is left. After 10–14 days, the vegetables are placed in boxes.

Storage features and keeping quality of the variety

The onion room is pre-treated with a solution of freshly slaked lime. Harvest storage temperature is +14°C, humidity is within 70–80%.

Attention! Onion sets are kept only in a warm room at a temperature of +20°C. When it drops to -1°C it will go to the arrow.

The keeping quality of the variety is low: the shelf life of onions is up to 4 months.

Advice from experienced gardeners

Some summer residents advise applying fertilizers only to the root zone and not watering the soil deeper than 3–5 cm, otherwise the fertilizing will be washed into the deeper layers of the soil.

Only fresh seeds are used for planting, since over time their germination percentage decreases.

Reviews

Among the advantages of the variety, farmers note the early ripening and pleasant taste of vegetables. Summer residents do not like the low shelf life of the crop - at best, it can last until mid-winter.

Margarita, Grozny: «I have been planting this variety for 4 years now. Now we have been eating our own onions since mid-May. I plant in October or November with sevkom. I dig up the beds well and fertilize them with compost.”

Ilya, p. Cossack Camps: “I liked the description of the Elan variety, and the bulbs in the photo look very attractive, so I bought onion sets and planted them in the spring. I watered and fed according to the standard scheme, and sprinkled wood ash on the beds to prevent diseases. The result was pleasing: the vegetables are smooth, sweetish, but do not last long.”

Nika, Sochi: “The variety is excellent, but the short shelf life of the crop does not allow us to enjoy it all winter. When planting sets, I advise you to take only small bulbs, otherwise everything will go to waste.”

Conclusion

Ellan onions are easy to care for, resistant to light frosts and ripen quickly. Smooth vegetables with a sweetish taste have made it a favorite among salad types of culture. The variety is suitable for growing before winter, which allows you to get an earlier harvest.