How to grow Yalta onions from seed

Almost all the tourists who visited the Crimea, at least once but brought home the famous sweet Yalta bow. Many even tried to grow a sweet vegetable in their own vegetable garden, but they failed to achieve the characteristic taste that the Crimean onion possesses. Today we will look at why it is not possible at home to achieve the perfect taste of the Crimean Yalta onion, how to grow from the seeds in the middle lane in order to bring the resulting crop as close as possible to the famous vegetable.

Features grade

Crimean onion is considered salad variety, contains a minimal amount of essential oils that can irritate the mucous membranes, in addition, it also has many useful properties appreciated by consumers.

The most important feature of the Yalta onion is the fact that this vegetable with the preservation of all the taste characteristics can not be grown in other conditions than the southern coast of Crimea. Attempts were made to plant onion seeds in the mountainous areas of the Crimean peninsula in different ways, but the attempts were not successful, since in any other place the vegetable acquires a semi-sharp or even spicy taste. Yalta onion has following characteristicswhich are presented in the description of the variety.

Dry scales are of two types in color: purple and pink, succulent scales are painted in white, sometimes slightly pink, in total there are up to 7 pieces in one bulb. Succulent scales differ quite large thickness, which can reach 7 mm. The bulb is characterized by a rounded flat shape. Vegetable has a pronounced sweet taste with a barely noticeable bitterness. All these features of Yalta onions must be considered in order to know how to distinguish a vegetable from a fake.

The vegetation period of the vegetable is within 150 days.

Also an important distinctive feature of this vegetable is the fact that it is very poorly stored and in most does not lie longer than 4 months after harvest.

Choosing a place to grow

In order for the taste of Yalta onions to be as close as possible to the original, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to the selection of a suitable site and take into account some of its characteristics, so consider how to grow vegetables at home.

Lighting

The guarantee that your onion will be as sweet as possible is good illumination area throughout the daylight hours. Therefore, it is necessary to plant a vegetable in sunny open areas, where the territory will be constantly permeated with direct sunlight, only in such conditions the vegetable will get the most sweet taste.

The soil

Unsuitable soil conditions are the main reason why Yalta onions cannot be grown in other regions. Vegetable grows on the territory of the Yalta and Alushta regions in a small number of settlements that have as soil tavric shalewell warmed by the sun.During the day, this type of soil is heated to the maximum and during the whole night it gradually gives up the accumulated heat to the fruits of the vegetable.

Since at home it is impossible to reproduce all the characteristics of this type of soil, it is necessary to try as much as possible to pick the most fertile soil in order to plant the plant. The soil must first be well fertilized with ammonium nitrate and potassium salt in early spring.

Predecessors

The predecessors that can be planted on the site may be potato tubers, seeds of green crops, tomato and cabbage bushes.

It is strictly not recommended to plant this variety of onions, if the predecessors were other varieties of onions.

Site preparation

Preparing the area for landing must be produced from the fall period, at this time it is necessary to remove all weeds and plow the land up to 40 cm in depth, to level the soil and destroy the remnants of plants.All the necessary procedures for tillage should be completed in October, because if you do not comply with the time frame, overdrying will occur, which will affect the quality of the crop. When spring comes, the soil should be harrowed weekly before planting the onions, in order to well throb the soil and soften it.

Self-growing seedlings

In order to plant onions in open soil, you must first grow seedlings.

Optimal timing

The ideal period for sowing seeds is February-March. At this time they can be sown in greenhouses or greenhouses, if you live in the southern region, if your region of residence is northern, then you should grow seedlings in an apartment or in a heated greenhouse to provide the desired level of light.

Capacity and soil

For sowing seeds, you can use any containers that you have at home. A more careful approach to the selection of soil mixture. In this case, it is recommended to purchase sod land and humus, mix them in equal amounts, adding 50 g of mineral fertilizers.

It is necessary to fill the soil in a container so that the thickness of the prepared substrate is not less than 15 cm.

Seed preparation

In order to sanitize planting material, it is necessary to soak the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate for 40 minutes, while ensuring that the solution was slightly pink. After soaking, it is recommended to rinse the seeds well and keep in a growth stimulator according to the instructions. Next, you need to drain the liquid and dry the planting material well.

Sowing depth and pattern

In prepared containers, grooves should be made so that their depth does not exceed 1 cm, and the distance between them is 5 cm, then it is important to water them well and start sowing seeds. It is necessary to sow the seeds in such a way that the distance between them is 1 cm. After sowing, planting material should be filled with soil and watered with a spray bottle.

Sprouting conditions

As soon as the seeds are sown in the ground, the container should be sent to the warm, about 25 degrees, a place. Care must be taken to ensure that the container is always well lit.

After the seeds germinate, it is necessary to move the container to a cooler place and ensure that the temperature does not exceed 15 degrees. At night, the temperature can drop to 10 degrees.This is necessary so that the seedlings are not pulled out.

Seedling care

Caring for seedlings is required regularly. It is important to ensure that the topsoil is always wet.

During the growing period in containers it is necessary feed twice seedlings fertilizer. After 15 days, mineral fertilizers should be applied to the soil; for this, it is recommended to dissolve 10 g of superphosphate, 5 g of urea and 3 g of potassium chloride in 5 l of water. After 20 days it is recommended to fertilize the soil with saltpeter, for this it is necessary to dissolve the top dressing in water, using 1 g of fertilizer per liter of water.

When crops grow up, it is necessary to thin them so that they are from each other at a distance of no more than 1 cm.

In order to ensure normal lighting in the period of short light days, it is recommended to use fitolamps or other lamps, as the stretching and weakening of plants can occur.

When it comes time to plant the plants in the ground, it is necessary to pre-harden the seedlings, it is recommended to take them to the open air and leave for the whole day, and bring them into the room for the night, it is necessary to do this procedure for a week.In order for crops to take root well, you should gradually reduce their watering.

Planting seedlings on the site

When the seedlings get stronger and grow well, time will come and disembarkation in open ground, so consider the rules and time of disembarkation.

Optimal timing

To plant seedlings in open ground is recommended in early April, if you are late with the landing, the yield will be significantly reduced.

Landing pattern

In the soil should be made grooves in which to plant the plants. The landing pattern is wide-row and has aisle, not less than 40 cm. The distance between the plants should be about 10 cm. If you count, it turns out that on one square. m should accommodate about 35 seedlings.

Before planting, it is recommended to water the soil well, spread out the plants and immediately fill the roots of the onion with the ground, then seal the ground near each bulb and water it.

Competent care - the key to a good harvest

In order for the yield of onions to be high enough, it is necessary to carry out regular maintenance, which consists in watering, feeding and caring for the soil where the plant grows.

Watering

One of the most important conditions for the sweet taste and juiciness of the bulb is timely abundant watering. If you neglect this rule, then you get not a sweet Crimean onion, but the usual sharp, which looks similar to Yalta.

Weeding and loosening the soil

In order to provide the plants with direct sunlight and maximum light, it is imperative to regularly weed and loosen the soil, removing all weeds, which, in addition to the formation of shade, interfere with the normal development of onions.

Top dressing

Yalta onion loves fertilizer, so you need to feed regularly every 10 days until the end of July.

Primary fertilizer should contain a mullein with water or chicken manure with water. Korovyak is required to be diluted in the amount of 1 part of fertilizer and 5 parts of water, chicken manure is diluted in the amount of 1 part of fertilizer and 10 parts of water.Next, you need to use potash phosphate fertilizer, dilute it in accordance with the instructions, using 10 liters of water, where to add 20 g of potassium chloride and 40 g of superphosphate.

Harvesting and storage of the crop

Harvest is recommended in late August - early September, which is a later date than the collection of regular onions. The main thing in this case is not to delay with digging, since there is a chance that in the end of autumn heavy rains will go and the onions will rot. Since the Yalta onion has a very poor keeping quality, consider how and under what conditions to store the vegetable in order to maximize its shelf life.

Vegetable must be stored at air temperature that does not exceed 15 degrees and at low humidity - up to 50%. Most often, the Yalta onion is tied into bunches due to long shoots, which are gradually woven into the "braid", and a bunch of onions is formed. It is better to hang them so that they do not touch each other.

Thus, growing Yalta onions at home is a rather complicated and troublesome procedure. To achieve the most sweet taste and high-quality harvest possible, following the recommendations described in this article.