When to plant family onions before winter and is it possible in the Urals

Family (aka multi-bud) onions are loved by many gardeners for their ability to grow in groups, when several grow from one onion. In early spring, it produces friendly shoots of healthy, juicy greenery. To get juicy greens in early spring, you need to take care of this in the fall.

Is it possible to plant family onions before winter?

Plant it before winter possible and necessary. Planting crops before winter has a number of advantages over spring work:

• the harvest of green feathers and turnips is obtained 25-30 days earlier;
• winter onions require minimal care;
• the heads grow larger;
• winter family onions are resistant to bolting and have good immunity to fungal infections;
• When the snow melts in the spring, the heads receive the necessary amount of moisture, which contributes to their rapid growth.

When to plant heirloom onions before winter

Planting in autumn is carried out 30-40 days before the establishment of stable frosts. Daytime temperatures should be kept within 0..+5°C, night temperatures should not fall below -3°C.

Important! Sevok must have time to take root before snow cover forms. If planted earlier, the planting material may germinate and die under the snow.

Planting times vary depending on the region.

In outskirts of Moscow

In the Moscow region, planting of the crop is carried out on the 10th-20th of October.

In the Urals

Climatic conditions Ural vary due to the extent of the region.In northern regions with harsh winters, the crop is planted at the end of September. In the regions of the middle Urals - in the second half of September - early October. In the southern Ural regions - from early to mid-October.

In Siberia

In Siberia, in conditions of early cooling and severe frosts, bulbs are planted in the second half of September, using only frost-resistant varieties. The beds are covered with spruce branches for the winter.

In the Leningrad region

In the Leningrad region, planting of family onions begins in early October and ends by the middle of the month.

According to the lunar calendar

According to the lunar calendar, planting work is carried out in the waning moon phase. For planting crops, they choose “Root days” - days on which the Moon is in the signs of Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo. It is believed that the Moon during this period has a beneficial effect on the growth and development of the underground part of plants (the root system).

Reference! It is not recommended to plant onions on new and full moon days.

In the fall of 2020, the following days will be successful for planting winter onions:

• September: 11, 12, 13, 20, 21, 29, 30;
• October: 9, 10, 18, 26, 27.

Unsuccessful:

• September: 1, 2, 3, 16, 17, 18;
• October: 1, 2, 3, 15, 16, 17, 30, 31.

How to plant family onions before winter

Before the start of autumn work, a suitable variety is selected, planting material and beds are prepared. Before winter, plant nigella or sevok. When choosing seeds, pay attention to the packaging date. Expired seeds have low germination rates. With the right sowing date, seedlings appear and take root before the onset of frost, which allows them to withstand the winter well.

Heirloom onion varieties are suitable for winter planting: Krepysh, Ural violet, Earring, Garant, Sprint. These varieties are all frost-resistant and produce 7-11 turnips per set.

Soil preparation

To grow family onions, choose a sunny area that is not located in low-lying areas. A month before autumn work, the ground is cleared of plant residues, dug deep, while adding organic matter and mineral fertilizers. For 1 sq. m add: 5 kg of humus, 300 g of wood ash, 50-70 g of superphosphate.

Attention! Before planting, check the acidity of the soil. If the indicator is increased, lime is added to the soil when digging.

Before landing the beds are slightly moistened. This will allow the plants to quickly form a root system.

Preparation of planting material

Special attention is paid to the preparation of planting material. Select high-quality, healthy specimens, discarding damaged and diseased ones. The selected material is disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate (2 g per 10 liters of water) for 30 minutes.

For better root formation, treat with growth stimulator “Epin” for 20 minutes, warm up in water at a temperature of +45..+50°C for 15-20 minutes.

Selection of predecessors

To obtain high-quality healthy turnips, much attention is paid to predecessors. Winter onions are best planted after beets, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, legumes, corn and other grain crops. It grows well after mustard and rapeseed.

It is not recommended to plant onions after potatoes, parsley, dill, beans, celery, garlic, and clover. Onions after onions are planted no earlier than after 4-5 years. Using the same area for planting onions for several years in a row will lead to an increase in the number of crop pests: onion flies, moths, hoverflies, weevils, and stem nematodes.

Landing

Family onions are planted in two ways: sowing nigella and planting sets.Patterns, depth, planting rules depend on the choice of planting material.

Seeds

Before planting before winter, heirloom onion seeds are soaked in solutions of growth stimulants “Epin”, “Zircon” (4 drops per 1 liter of water) for 30 minutes, after which they are dried. The seeds are placed in furrows to a depth of 1.5 cm with a gap of 3 cm between them. A distance of 18-20 cm is maintained between the rows. The furrows are covered with a layer of earth, slightly compacted, and moistened. After this, the beds are mulched.

If you plant nigella at the beginning of September, then at the end of the month sets will begin to form. During October it will take root and survive the winter well.

Sevcom

To get a large harvest of healthy “turnips”, planting material is calibrated:

1. Bulbs 1 cm in size (oat grass) are planted in the fall to obtain an early “turnip”.
2. Sets measuring 1.5-2 cm are planted to produce turnips and feathers.
3. Larger heads (2-3 cm) are planted to grow green feathers in the spring. The sets are planted densely - the heads will not be able to increase in size, the feathers will grow strong and powerful.

For landings select healthy bulbs with dry scales. Before planting, the seedlings are disinfected and treated with growth stimulants. This will increase the plants’ resistance to diseases, and seedlings will appear 14-20 days earlier.

Family onions are planted in rows, leaving a row spacing of 23-25 ​​cm. The sets are laid to a depth of 3-4 cm at a distance of 5 cm from each other. This distance is necessary for the plant to fully form a large number of heads (up to 12 pieces).

After planting, the furrows are filled with moist soil and mulched with straw and sawdust. In Siberia and the northern Urals, the beds are additionally covered with spruce branches. With the onset of spring, the mulch is removed.

Features of care after planting

Caring for winter crops is simple. Immediately after planting, the beds are insulated with a layer of mulch and spruce branches. In winter, snow is shoveled onto the beds. It will protect the beds from strong winds and freezing. In spring, the covering material is carefully removed, as young shoots may form under it.

Watering

If there was a lot of precipitation in winter, when the snow melts, the beds are saturated with moisture in sufficient quantities. Therefore, the need to moisten the soil in spring is minimal. Watering is required only when hot weather sets in. They are carried out as the soil dries out. 20 days before harvest, watering is stopped.

Loosening and thinning

After each watering or rain, the soil is loosened, preventing the formation of an earthen crust. Simultaneously with loosening, weeds are removed. If the crop plantings are very thick, thinning is carried out, removing weaker shoots.

Top dressing

The first spring fertilizing is carried out after the beds are freed from covering material. As soon as 3-4 leaves appear on the seedlings, the beds are watered with a urea solution (20 g per 10 liters of water). The second feeding is carried out during the formation of turnips.

Alternate organic and mineral fertilizers: ammophosphate (20 g per 10 l of water), potassium nitrate (15 g per 10 l of water), wood ash (100 g per 10 l of water), chicken manure solution (infusion of manure is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 10).

Important! Fertilizers are applied only to moist soil.

Pest and disease control

With the onset of spring, during the active growing season, the crop may be subject to some diseases and pest attacks. Diseases characteristic of the culture:

Powdery mildew – a fungal disease, the causative agent of which is transmitted through untreated planting material. The fungus develops in thickened plantings and with excessive watering. Yellow spots appear on the feathers in the form of a coating resembling flour.

Gradually, the spots acquire a dirty purple hue and become dense. Feathers droop, heads stop developing. To prevent the disease, planting material is kept for 3 hours in a rich pink solution of potassium permanganate, then 30 minutes in Baktofit. Affected leaves are sprayed with a 1% solution of copper sulfate, Topaz, Quadris.

Attention! Onion greens treated with chemicals are not suitable for consumption.

Rust – fungal infection of onion leaves, characterized by the formation of copper-red growths with a fluffy surface. In the affected areas the leaves turn black. Fungal spores remain in the soil after diseased plants are removed, tolerate frost well, and infect fresh greenery in the spring.

To prevent the disease, the seed is heated at 40-50°C for 2 hours. Before planting, the soil is treated with a saturated solution of potassium permanganate, Bordeaux mixture. In the fight against rust, fungicides “HOM” and “Kaptan” are used.

Fusarium (bottom rot) spreads through untreated soil and plant debris. Infected leaves turn yellow and dry out. Pinkish mold appears on the necks of turnips, the bottom and roots turn black, rot, and mucus oozes from the scales. For prevention, seedlings are treated in a “Fundazol” solution. The beds are watered with Trichodermin.

The most common crop pests:

1. Onion fly Most often it affects onions grown from seeds, especially thickened plantings. Parasites lay eggs in the axils of leaves.The larvae infect the neck of the bulb, causing it to rot. For prevention, tobacco dust, wood ash, and dry mustard are scattered on the beds. To repel the pest, carrots are planted around the beds.
2. Tobacco thrips feeds on the juice of leaves, causing them to dry out. "Turnips" stop growing. To combat insects, the drugs “Aktara” and “Karate” are used.
3. Onion moth larvae eat the pulp of the greens. To repel them, the soil is sprayed with a solution of “Entobacterin”, “Lepidocide”. If there are a small number of pests, the soil between the rows is watered with an infusion of wormwood (3 kg per bucket of hot water infused for a day) or calendula (with the same recipe).

Conclusion

Pre-winter planting of family onions has a number of advantages over spring planting of the crop: obtaining early greenery, minimal care in the spring, and high yields. For planting, the main thing is to choose the right frost-resistant variety and observe the planting deadlines. In this case, the crop will delight you with healthy greens even in the conditions of the Urals and Siberia.