A Beginner's Guide to Growing Green Onions in the Basement
Green onions contain a rich supply of health-promoting compounds. IN winter time Eating vitamin greens eliminates vitamin deficiency. If you have a basement, onions can easily be grown there on shelves even in winter. It is enough to create the necessary conditions for forcing feathers and provide additional heating of the room. Read on for details on how to grow onions in the basement.
Is it possible to grow green onions in the basement?
When growing For vitamin vegetables, extremely simple technology is used. It is important to create suitable conditions: provide sufficient lighting, temperature and constant air circulation.
Advantages and disadvantages of this method
Advantages of growing crops in the basement:
- getting a green feather regardless of the time of year;
- forcing a large amount of onions;
- care does not depend on external weather conditions;
- ease of cultivation;
- possibility of cultivation in all regions of the country.
The disadvantage of growing in winter is the cost of lighting and heating the room.
Premises requirements
The room for high-quality onion growth must be equipped with air heating and ventilation systems and sufficient lighting. The required temperature conditions must be maintained in the room. The basement must be dry and clean.
Before installing the shelving, it is recommended to disinfect the walls with copper sulfate. The drug is dissolved in water in a ratio of 120-150 g per 1 liter.The resulting composition is used to treat walls, ceilings, and shelving. If the floor is earthen, water it with the mixture and allow the liquid to be absorbed. After treatment, the room is ventilated so that all surfaces dry thoroughly.
Shelving equipment
The design of the racks allows you to plant crops in several tiers and significantly save space. And it is convenient to attach fluorescent lamps to its shelves.
The dimensions of the rack should be such that there is space between it and the basement walls for movement while caring for the crop. If the size of the room allows you to install several shelves, leave approximately 1 m between them. The height between the shelves is 55-60 cm.
You can make the rack yourself from wood and self-tapping screws. This will require a minimum of cash investment.
Attention! The disadvantage of wooden shelving is the appearance of mold and fungi in humid conditions. The tree rots quickly.
Metal structures are more reliable and durable. To prevent corrosion, paint should be applied to the rack first. If you make side borders 9-12 cm high on each shelf, the growing boxes are ready. Thick plastic film is laid out on the shelves, wrapping it over the edges of the sides. Then the soil mixture is poured onto the film. Often, wooden or plastic boxes with substrate are simply installed on the racks.
Lighting and ventilation
When growing green feathers, lighting plays an important role. To do this, fluorescent lamps or phytolamps are attached to the shelves. Ordinary incandescent lamps are not used - they heat the air above the onion plantings. Lighting is not needed immediately, but when the first shoots appear.
Daylight hours when forcing onions should be 13-15 hours.If there is insufficient light, the feathers will grow thin, weak and pale. The lamps are mounted above the plants, which allows the greenery to grow straight up, gaining strength.
The basement is equipped with a ventilation system. Fans are used for constant air circulation. Additionally, they provide a periodic supply of fresh air from the street. These measures will prevent the formation of fungi and mold on the shelves.
How to Grow Green Onions in the Basement
Growing process green onions in the basement is not particularly difficult.
Preparation
Before planting, planting material is selected. Rotten, damaged heads are not suitable for germination; they will rot immediately. For planting, choose healthy, strong heads with dry, shiny scales and medium size.
It is best to germinate bulbs with a diameter of 4-5 cm. Before planting, the selected material is heated for two days at a temperature of +35..+38°C. Then the neck of the heads is cut to a depth of 0.7-1 cm, this stimulates the awakening of dormant feather growth points. After this, the bulbs are soaked for 2-4 hours in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.
Important! An important factor for obtaining a high yield is the selection of bulbs with not one, but 2-3 “buds”. The yield of green mass from one growth point will be insignificant.
Landing
To grow the crop, use a ready-made substrate or make a mixture of 4 parts garden soil, 1 part sand, 1 part peat. The root system of onions is fibrous and has many thin thread-like roots. A deep container is not required for its germination. It is enough to fill the shelves with sides with prepared soil in a layer of 5-7 cm.
The heads are planted at a distance of 2 cm from each other.They are not buried completely, but only to half the size of the head. You cannot deepen the cut top - the process of rotting will begin in the soil. After planting, the soil is slightly moistened.
Care
For rapid feather growth, adhere to the recommended temperature regime. During the first week, the air temperature should be within +13..+15°C. This is necessary for the growth of a healthy root system. After this, the temperature is maintained at +22..+25°C. If there is a lack of heat, the growth of greenery will slow down.
To obtain strong, juicy feathers, fertilizing is carried out. Before planting, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are added to the soil in the form of a solution: 25 g of superphosphate, 30 g of urea, 20 g of potassium nitrate per 10 liters of water. The second feeding is carried out 14 days after the sprouts appear: 100 g of chicken manure is infused for two days in 10 liters of water, then the soil is watered between sprouts.
Important! Feed only on moist soil.
Fertilizing with wood ash gives excellent results - it prevents the formation of mold and fungi. Ash is scattered around the bulbs or an aqueous solution is prepared for irrigation.
Water at room temperature under the root, making sure that the water does not get on the green feathers. Watering should not be abundant, as this will cause the heads to rot. A week before cutting the feathers, stop watering so that the greens are not watery.
Possible problems, diseases and pests
If there is insufficient lighting, the seedlings will grow thin and pale. Lower temperatures will slow feather growth. Do not allow moisture to get on the growing points, this will lead to rotting of the plant. Drafts have a detrimental effect on green plantings.
Green onions are often affected by diseases such as powdery mildew and rust.
Rust – a fungal disease that occurs under conditions of excessive watering and excess nitrogen fertilizers. Small yellow growths appear on the feathers. The disease causes feathers to dry out. To eliminate the disease, the soil is watered with a medicinal composition: an aspirin tablet, 5 ml of liquid soap, 10 g of baking soda diluted in 5 liters of water. For severe lesions, biological preparations “Fitosporin” and “Baktofit” are used.
Powdery mildew – fungal infection, appears with high humidity and lack of ventilation. It is characterized by the appearance of a yellowish coating on the leaves. The disease leads to drying of the leaves and loss of the crop. Whey is used as a safe treatment method: 1 part of the whey is diluted with 2 parts of water, and the affected plants are sprayed. The soil is watered with a solution of wood ash (200 g of ash per 10 liters of water).
Frequent pests of green onions:
- Onion fly – lays eggs inside the bulb. The larvae feed on the pulp, causing the onion to wither and rot. When an insect appears, use tobacco dust, which is sprinkled between plants or watered with a solution: 250 g of tobacco dust and 10 liters of water are infused for 24 hours.
- Thrips feed on the juice of green feathers, this leads to drying out of the leaves. To kill insects, the premises are fumigated with sulfur. The soil is shed with Fitoverm and Spintor. Sticky traps are laid out between the rows: glue is applied to yellow and blue cardboards to catch flies.
Harvesting
Subject to the correct growing conditions, the green mass reaches a height of 35-40 cm within 20-30 days. After the feathers reach a height of 40 cm, harvesting begins.
Green feathers are cut with a clean, sharp knife and collected in bunches of 50-70 g.The bundles are tied with a rubber band or wrapped in cling film. They are then placed on storage.
Is it possible to make this a business?
Growing green onions all year round, especially in winter, is a profitable business, since the cost of greens in winter is high, and the costs are low. Once you gain enough experience, you can organize your own business, gradually increasing profits.
The business does not require large financial investments and special skills when caring for the crop. Vitamin products are in great demand all year round. It is only important to choose and plant the onions correctly, carefully care for the plantings, preventing disease.
Environmentally friendly products can be delivered to grocery stores and canteens. If desired, sell on the markets yourself. Consider the increased demand for greens before various holidays - this is an excellent chance to increase profits many times over.
Profitability
Gardeners have calculated that the cost of green onions grown in a basement is 45 -50 rubles/kg. In supermarkets and on the market, the price of green products in winter is in the range of 130-180 rubles.
When grown by the bridge method on racks with an onion consumption of 10 kg, the yield of green feathers is 8.5 kg. This is an excellent result, since the cost of greens is 2.5-3.5 times higher than the cost of onions.
Tips and tricks
To save space when planting, onions are planted using the bridge method. The heads are planted in rows close to each other. This method allows you to produce more crops in a small growing area.
The effectiveness of lighting is enhanced by reflective surfaces. To do this, shelves, walls, and sides of shelves are covered with foil.
Used to grow feathers varieties, capable of forming an increased number of primordia.
These varieties include: Karatalsky, Rostov local, Stuttgart, Chalcedony.
Conclusion
Green onions are an unpretentious and sought-after crop. Growing it in the basement in winter is not difficult.
By following the recommended rules of agricultural technology when caring for green beds, you will definitely achieve high yields. And then in winter there will always be juicy, healthy, vitamin-rich greens on the table.