The main rules for growing black onions: varieties, planting and care

If this is your first time hearing "black onion", do not be surprised, this is not some kind of this plant. The fact is that such a name was given to small seeds of ordinary onions. From these seeds, a set is obtained, from which, therefore, a one-year-old onion will be obtained, which will have a long growing season, or a two-year culture, which will be a small onion. And if you have not dealt with black onion seeds before, then this article can be very useful for you. It will be devoted to the cultivation of black onions and useful tips that relate to this topic.

Growing seedlings

Growing onions from seedlings is beneficial not only in the sense that the growing season will be longer, but also in terms of economy (planting material takes much less). By the way, some varieties recommend growing exclusively from seedlings. Chernushka onion seeds begin to be sown in greenhouses or greenhouses in the first decade of March. If you live in a city, then you can easily plant nigella onions on the windowsill in your own apartment. But you need suitable conditions for heat, light, moisture and, of course, soil.

Since the day at the beginning of spring is still quite short, it is necessary to extend it for plants - fluorescent lamps are perfect for this. Water as needed, here you need not to overdo it with water, so that the seedlings do not start to rot. It is best to do spraying with a spray bottle. Also, for planting black onions for seedlings, you need to prepare containers and soil in advance. With regard to containers, this should not be a problem - take at your discretion any boxes (it does not matter, plastic or wooden) of suitable sizes. The soil should include several elements that should be mixed in equal proportions: garden soil, compost, and peat with sand to make the mixture soft. You can also add a little wood ash and treat the soil with drugs to protect against diseases and weeds, but do not overdo it with chemistry.

The seed must also be checked for "professional suitability." About a month before planting, take a dozen seeds and place them in a damp cloth for 2-3 weeks. After this time, at least 80% of the total amount should germinate, in which case the similarity can be considered satisfactory. The bulk of the seeds, which is intended for growing seedlings, must be soaked for 12 hours in a warm solution of potassium permanganate. Further, immediately before sowing, they should be thoroughly dried to flowability. Additionally, you can cultivate the soil to protect against various diseases. Chernushka onion seeds in containers can be randomly placed or sown in a row, the main thing is not to be very dense. Place the seed 1 cm deep, lightly hitting the top of the soil.

By the end of April, the onion should already have at least 2-3 feathers, and the plants themselves can already reach 15 centimeters in height. You can now transplant seedlings into open ground.

Sowing in the ground in spring and before winter

Chernushka onion seeds are planted very early in the spring, even in thawed ground.It will be very prudent on your part to prepare the site in the fall - to loosen the soil, level it, mulch it with peat, and make sure that there are no lumps. You should not hesitate with planting - this is fraught with late ripening and a decrease in yield. Usually, when planting black onions, the seed is placed at a depth of 1.5-2 cm, but on light soils, it is advisable to increase the depth to 3 cm (after all, in this case, the top layer can be swept away by the wind), or roll the soil after planting. The row spacing should be approximately 20 centimeters. It is worth sowing sparingly, so that the seed consumption per 1 m is about 80 units if you want to get annual onions. Immediately after germination, thinning should be done, leaving 2 cm between seedlings, after three weeks, 5-6 cm should be left. Sowing in this way, you will spend more than one and a half gram of nigella per 1 m². If there is a calculation of sowing for sowing, then it should be quite thick. It is not necessary to water for some time, as a crust may form, which will impede the emergence. Then, periodic watering and loosening of the upper ball of the soil is needed, top dressing is carried out if necessary. The crop is harvested in early September, it must be harvested before the first frost.

Sowing before winter is not much different from spring. The garden bed is prepared in a similar way: it is leveled, lumps are broken, a ball of humus is added from above after sowing. Similarly, grooves are made for nigella and seedlings are taken care of. You should not plant nigella twice in a row in the same place, it is also not advisable to plant onions after cabbage, potatoes, cucumbers. In winter, you should pay attention to the fact that the area with nigella is under a layer of snow. Later, when it comes off, it is advisable to cover the soil again with a two-centimeter layer of humus or peat. Experienced gardeners sow nigella in the fall, because spring onions may not fully ripen by autumn, and, as a result, cannot be stored for a long time in winter.

Growing from seeds

Chernushka onion seeds are much easier to buy on the market than to grow yourself. The most popular varieties are Strigunovsky, Myachkovsky, Zolotnichok, Spassky, there are also Spirit, Standard hybrids. But you can grow nigella yourself, despite the fact that it is troublesome. First of all, you need to select several large suitable bulbs and plant them in the spring immediately after the snow melts, or before winter in well-prepared soil. By summer, flower stalks will appear from the bulbs, then umbrellas will form, containing a black seed.

Video "Black onion"

This short video provides a quick overview of the most popular black onion varieties, as well as tips for planting seeds.