Onions grown the Chinese way are unusually large and healthy.
Gardeners will like this method of planting, but there are nuances that it would be useful to know so that the harvest will be unusually pleasing.
How to Grow Onions the Chinese Way
Traditionally, it is better to grow onions the following year after:
- cabbage;
- spinach;
- cucumbers;
- pumpkins;
- tomatoes.
If such a site is not found, then up to 5 kg of manure humus is added to the onion bed in advance, no more than 1 tablespoon of superphosphate per 1 m², 1 teaspoon of nitrophoska, 2 tablespoons of dolomite flour, which can be replaced with chalk.
The bed is dug over again in early spring and watered if the soil is too dry.
Then make several ridges, the distance between which should be 30 cm, the height – 15 cm.
Several weeks before planting, the onion sets are warmed up in a convenient way at a temperature of 40-45° for 8 hours. This trick protects the onion from bolting and diseases.
Before planting, the scales are removed. It is this that slows down the growth of the bulbs, and the dry part of the neck is also cut off, but so as not to touch the sprout.
The bulbs are soaked for 24 hours in warm water. Sowing is carried out at the end of April or at the beginning of May.
Onions are planted in ridges at a distance of 15 cm, deepening them by 2-3 cm, and each bulb is tightly pressed with soil.
After a few weeks, you can add mullein or bird droppings, the solution of which must be prepared in advance.
In dry weather, abundant watering and loosening of the soil is necessary.
In June, the bulbs open, which helps them to freely grow in width. They acquire a flatter shape. At this time, you can add another fertilizer: organic or mineral.
Watering is stopped 3 weeks before harvesting, and 7 days before, if the bulbs are not fully ripe, the roots are cut with a shovel to a depth of 6-8 cm.
Onions are harvested in August or early September on a convenient day according to the lunar calendar.
