Features of the garlic variety Rocambol

Description

Rocamboll has many names: hairstyle, garlic onion, Spanish garlic, Egyptian onion, etc. He came to us from the vastness of Central Asia. Being unpretentious in cultivation, he quickly won the hearts of vegetable growers. Differs in high productivity, rich in vitamin composition, while it has a pleasant slightly pungent taste, becoming an indispensable ingredient in many dishes. Its positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract is also noted: without irritating the damaged mucous membrane, at the same time it contributes to its recovery.

Rocambol combines the characteristics of onion and garlic and is a perennial plant. In height, the stems reach 1.5 meters, crowned with a spherical inflorescence with a large number of miniature flowers. Despite the obvious similarity with bulbs, this inflorescence does not produce seeds, since it is completely sterile. The plant bulb begins to divide into cloves only in the second year of cultivation. Subject to the growing conditions, the bulb reaches 10 centimeters in diameter, weighs about 250 grams. Forms up to 15 bulbs, weighing 2-4 grams.

For food, you can eat both one-tooth and bulbs divided into cloves, as well as the leaves of the plant. The chemical composition of the culture contains essential oils, carbohydrates, vitamins, phytoncides, carotene, ascorbic acid.

Growing features

There are two ways to grow Rocambol: by sowing one-tooth or using one-tooth children from the bottom of the main bulb. In the first year of cultivation, it is easy to confuse the bulb with the onion bulb due to the fact that it is not divided into cloves. However, by sowing them in the second year, you will get the usual onion, divided into 5-7 cloves.

This variety prefers sunny places in the garden, without excessive stagnation of water. Any soil is suitable, the main thing is that it is fertile, contains many organic elements and is not overly acidic. Rocambol can be planted after legumes, cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant.

Place the beds from south to north so that the plants receive enough sunlight and warmth throughout the day. A place for planting is prepared in the fall: they loosen the soil, fertilize it, dig it to a depth of at least 20 centimeters.

Before planting, the seed is sized by size, and then disinfected and tempered in a solution of potassium permanganate or ash liquor.

Landing

Mark the beds in the selected area. The distance between them must be at least 25 centimeters, and between the teeth of Rocumball at least 15 centimeters. Planting depth - 10 centimeters. After you have placed the cloves in the ground and covered the beds, you need to water them well and mulch them with a 3-centimeter layer of humus, peat or straw. It is especially important to mulch the beds if you are planting Rocambol for the winter, since it cannot boast of high frost resistance.

The landing time for Rocambol for the winter is early October. In this case, you need not soaked cloves, which are planted at a distance of up to 15 centimeters, regardless of their size.

If your area has cold winters, the mulch layer should be increased to 5 centimeters.

Care

As soon as you notice the first spring shoots of Rocumboll, begin to loosen the soil between the beds and, in rare cases (being careful), directly near the plants themselves. Watering Rocambol is necessary often, be sure to loosen the ground before watering so that the plant receives as much moisture as possible.

Remove weeds in a timely manner, as Rocambol itself cannot cope with this. If the plant looks weak, its leaves turn pale green, then it's time to feed. Nitrogen fertilizers work well. In the middle of the growing season, phosphorus and potassium must be added to the soil. You can also water the beds with yeast solution (diluting 10 grams of yeast in 10 liters of warm water, and then diluting the solution 1:10).

It is advisable to carry out prophylactic spraying with fungicides and insecticides in order to protect plants from damage by fungal microflora and insect pests.

Cleaning and storage

The variety is harvested as soon as its leaves begin to turn yellow and dry.

Watch the plant carefully, since it is not recommended to overexpose Rocambol in the ground - the likelihood of infection with fungal spores increases. In addition, the scales on the bulbs become thinner and burst, so that the cloves disintegrate and quickly begin to deteriorate.

Like regular garlic, Egyptian onions are gently pried with a pitchfork with flat teeth, laid out under a canopy, where they are cleaned of the earth. It is advisable not to leave the bulbs in the open sun so that they do not get burned - this will damage the plant's sowing ability. Allow 7-10 days to dry, focusing on the color of the stem - as soon as it turns yellow, you can cut off the stem and roots, and then put it in storage.

Rocambol is stored in a dry, cool place, it is desirable that the air temperature does not exceed 7 degrees. Otherwise, you can use the same storage tricks as with garlic: sprinkle with salt, make a powder, store in oil.

Pros and cons of the variety

Among the advantages of the Rocambol variety, it should be noted:

• high productivity;
• large size of bulbs and weight of cloves;
• unpretentiousness when growing;
• spicy taste;
• a rich set of vitamins.

However, there are also disadvantages that, although they do not spoil the pleasure of growing the variety, should be voiced:

• cultivation for two years;
• low frost resistance, as a result, loss of part of the crop;
• vulnerability to fungal microflora;
• a high probability of causing an allergic reaction in a person.

Video "About Rocambol"

In this video, a story about Rocambol garlic, its benefits, properties and uses.