The presence of onions can not do a large number of dishes and preparations, since it is this plant that accentuates the taste of the products and gives them sharpness. However, the species diversity of this culture is not limited to the well-known leek, and a good alternative is the batun onion, which is described below.
What is a bat onion
Onion batun - perennial plant, characterized by the presence of bulbs with malochnyemi and thin scales that are poorly stored in the winter. That is why the food is used only leaves and stems, for which, in fact, grow this species.
The plant reaches 40-60 cm in height, throwing arrows up to 45 cm long in the second year of life. Young feathers have a high level of frost resistance and calmly tolerate frosts down to -6 ... -8 ° C, which means that for normal development the plant is not required more heat.
Batun onions are the most popular species among perennial onions, which can be grown both from seeds (this method is most common) and vegetatively.
Important! In appearance, the plant is very similar to the young onions, only the fist leaves of this species are much larger and larger, reaching a length of 40 cm (with 2 cm in diameter).The onion-batun does not form a real bulb (unlike the already mentioned bulb), and instead of it a kind of thickening is formed in the ground, called the "false bulb". It is also worth noting that the taste of the batun is much softer than that of the onion, and an additional advantage is a higher content of vitamin C.
Did you know? The onion-batun quietly grows in one place for more than 4 years, although there are cases when even after seven years it was possible to get a rich cut of greenery.
However, experienced gardeners are advised not to delay in planting in other areas, because over time, due to the strong growth of the underground part, crop yield is significantly reduced.
Choosing a landing site
Considering the possibility of long-term cultivation of the onion batun, the place for its planting should be chosen taking into account all the basic needs of the plant for a long time. With regard to the composition of the soil, the plant in this regard is not distinguished by capriciousness and grows well even on acidic soils.
However, if you want to get a rich harvest of onions, then the preparation of the soil for planting should be appropriate: in depleted soils contribute organic matter and make them light and water-permeable, and too acidic additionally lime. Not suitable for growing marshy or heavy clay soils.
Onion-batun does not tolerate bright sunlight, so if you want to protect his arrows from fast wilting, you can sow a bed along a fence or not far from trees, so that the plant grows in partial shade.
Important! You can not create beds with onions in areas flooded after heavy rainfall or snow melt, even though the bat onion loves moisture.The chosen place should be flat, not have slopes, so that the seeds are not washed away with a stream of water.
The optimum temperature for plant development is + 18 ... +22 ° C, but this does not mean that it is not grown in colder climatic regions.
Preparatory procedures at the site
For planting onion batun in the spring, a garden bed is prepared from the autumn or a couple of weeks before sowing, adding a bucket of good compost and 150 g of wood ash per 1 m². If the soil in your plot is too lean, then about 5 kg of humus, 25 g of ammonium nitrate, 15 g of potassium chloride and 25 g of superphosphate must be added per 1 m².
Also consider the acidity of the soil. For this type of onion, soils of pH 7-7.2 are well suited. Too acidic soils require chalking or dolomite flour.
The selected area should be well dig and smooth, then "cut" rows at a distance of 25 cm from each other. Before direct sowing of onions, the soil is well moistened.
Preparation of seeds of onion batun before planting
When planting any plant seed preparation plays a very important role, because even before placing the seeds in the soil you already have the opportunity to identify viable specimens.
The onion batun should not land in the same place, because only by adhering to the sequence in the crop rotation you can get a good supply of seed for the next season, just wait for the arrows to ripen. Selected for planting seeds, it is desirable to pre-soak in water or a special solution of micronutrients (one tablet is designed for 1 liter of liquid).
Important! The process must be controlled, as the seeds should not give long shoots, which significantly complicate the landing.
As an alternative, you can soak the seeds of onion batun in a warm solution of potassium permanganate (for 20 minutes), and then leave for a day in ordinary warm water, which will need to be changed 2-3 times. After this time, all seeds are dried to a friable state and sown. Soaking the seed accelerates the emergence of seedlings for 5-7 days.Good and bad predecessors for batun's onions
The composition of the soil is significantly affected by the plants that grow on it. However, not all of them are "friends" with each other, which means that some cultures may grow poorly after their predecessors. Therefore, when they put on a bat onion, look, so that garlic, carrots, onions (no matter what kind) or cucumbers should not grow in front of him as in the earth there are a lot of pests and pathogens of onion diseases.
At the same time, so that the land is not empty (if, for example, you decide to sow onions only in summer), you should land on it lettuce, cabbage, radish or dill, and after they are harvested they sow the batun. These vegetables will not become an obstacle to obtaining a bountiful harvest of this crop and will not create problems in its cultivation.
Dates of sowing seeds onion batun
Having collected seeds from one or two of the largest arrows of the onion batun, you will be provided with seed for the next season. Sowing of crops in the open ground is performed from early spring to the beginning of summer, and there are no fundamental differences in terms of planting and caring for plants planted at different times.
Since this type of onion is great for our climate, the ambient temperature when forcing arrows can be as little as + 10 ... +13 ° C.
Simply put, even when left on the beds, he will calmly survive the frost, and the germination of feathers will begin almost simultaneously with the thawing of the soil. Onion feathers withstand short-term lowering of the temperature to -4 ... -7 ° C, therefore, waiting for the soil to warm, you can safely sow the seeds.
Annual plants are sown as soon as severe frosts subside (usually in March and early April), and the long-term batting onions are planted closer to the beginning of summer or with the arrival of autumn, but only so that it can germinate before the onset of frost. It should be noted that the onions sown in the autumn, begins to grow green as soon as the snow melts and thaws the ground.
Scheme and depth of sowing seeds
If, when sowing seeds, the width between the rows is 18-20 cm, then the sowing scheme can be five or six lines, with a depth of 1-3 cm (in this case, 1.5 g of seeds per 1 m² is considered the norm). In general, the seeding rate is 1.2-1.6 g of seeds per 1 m². Between the rows often leave at least 25-30 cm.
Important! If the soil is heavy, then it is necessary to close the seeds to a depth of 2 cm, and in other cases it is better to deepen the seed by 3 cm.
Ready crops mulch with a layer of humus in 1-1,5 cm and condense a little. From sowing seeds to the appearance of the first shoots, it usually takes from 11 to 17 days.Care and cultivation of onion batun
Caring for an onion batun cannot be called too complicated, as this process boils down to three main actions:
- watering - the soil should be moistened by 20 cm (in most cases it is enough to apply the liquid twice a week, but during dry periods the plants are watered every other day);
- weeding - without it, it will not be possible to get a good harvest, especially the onions can deteriorate at all or become ill with any disease provoked by the activity of weeds;
- loosening - contributes to the respiration of the roots of the bulbs, and thus accelerates their growth.
Watering mode
With a lack of moisture in the soil, the feather of the onion batun changes its shade and becomes bluish-white, and its tip is bent. At the same time, if there is too much fluid in the soil, the plant becomes a pale green color.
Opinions about the frequency and amount of watering onions are divided. So, some gardeners recommend watering the plant once a week, at the rate of 10 liters of water per 1 m² of plantings, increasing the dose only during severely dry periods. However, the other half of experienced summer residents claim that you can get juicy greens only when you water the onions 3-4 times a week, adding 10–20 liters of liquid per 1 m² (3-4 hours after watering the rows between rows).
In any case, the climate of a particular area and the characteristics of the site will help you determine the regularity of watering.
Weeding and loosening between the rows
If your crop was too thick, you can thin out the seedlings at a distance of 6-9 cm. After the first weeding the soil between the rows must be loosened, because this process is the key to obtaining a good harvest. Further loosening between rows is carried out after irrigation, but only infrequently and very carefully, so as not to damage the roots of young plants.
From the second week of July (but not later), all the leaves are cut a little above the false stem, leaving only young light green feathers on it. By the beginning of autumn the leaves will fully recover, but during this period they are not recommended to be cut. It is noteworthy that the beds with feathers are left to hibernate, and the cleaning of dried leaves is carried out in the second year, simply raking them with the help of a rake.
Did you know? 228 types of onions are vegetables.
Fertilization
When growing onion batuns, a mandatory condition for high-quality yield is the application of fertilizers (organic and mineral) to the soil. Than to feed onions batun, decide on the basis of a specific period of its growth and development.
For example, during the growing season, the plant actively consumes nutrients from the soil, but given that when planting the soil and so well fertilized, new fertilizers are applied to the ground only next year.
The first time the onions are fed in early spring, using mainly organic fertilizers (mullein in a ratio of 1: 8 or an infusion of bird droppings 1:20), and the subsequent feeding is carried out using mineral fertilizers, without making nitrogen-containing components.
In the spring, up to 15 kg of organics per 1 m² of bed are often introduced under deep digging, and 120 g of ammonium nitrate or 60 g of ammonium nitrate, 40 g of potassium salt and 50 g of superphosphate are also added to it.
Liquid mineral fertilizers are applied in the fall, immediately after harvesting. In this case, you will need 50 g of ammonium nitrate, 3 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium chloride per 10 liters of water.
Harvest
The first harvest of the onion-batun can be harvested after 25-32 days after planting, and after 55-65 days, the harvesting is repeated, cutting off all remaining foliage. In the next 2-3 years, nothing changes in this process, since growing this type of onion is advisable only for the sake of green feathers.
In the second year after planting, the plants grow very early, and when they reach a height of 30-35 cm, they can already get their first crop, cutting feathers at a height of 5-6 cm from the ground surface.
Important! In the first year of plant life in the northern regions, cutting off young leaves is impractical, since the root system of the onion batun should be well established, which will help it to endure harsh winters. Cutting the leaves, you will force the onions to use all their efforts to restore them, to the detriment of the growth of the root system.Considering that the onion-batun is planted only for the sake of getting young leaves, the planting should be rejuvenated annually, digging up powerful two and three year old plants, which eventually form 5-7 arrows.
Diseases and pests of onion batun
Many diseases and pests of onions are similar for its different species. It is therefore not surprising that the onion-batun often suffers from the same ailments as its onion congener. The most common problems are fungal diseases, onion moth and onion fly. However, with proper cultivation and compliance with all agrotechnical requirements, it is not necessary to deal with these pests.
For example, to prevent the development of fungal diseases, you must:
- avoid excessive dampness in the garden (do not flood the plants when watering);
- do not thicken the planting, avoiding the formation of impassable thickets;
- timely remove weeds, since it is on them that most diseases accumulate.
Among other, no less unpleasant diseases of onion-batun are:
- downy mildew (it is manifested by a grayish bloom or rusty specks on the foliage), which can be managed with microbiological preparations, copper oxychloride, Bordeaux mixture and copper sulfate;
- rust (dirty yellow strokes are distinctly visible on the feathers of the bow, and eventually they take the form of pads);
- neck rot (appears during long-term storage of the harvested crop, because of which the vegetable softens and an unpleasant pungent odor appears);
- smut (manifested during storage of the harvested crop, when black strokes are formed between the husks);
- fusarium (softening and decay of the plant during storage, with the formation on the bottom of a light deposit of fungus, which can be seen between the husks);
- mosaic (viral disease, which appears on the leaves and inflorescences with elongated specks or stripes, sometimes the leaves become corrugated);
- aspergillosis (or black mold) is clearly visible on the upper scales of the bulb and eventually leads to decay of diseased vegetables.
It is impossible not to recall the possible pests of onion batun. These include:
- covert beetle - it cuts the feathers of a vegetable and puts its larva, eating away soft tissues, inside the plant;
- onion hover - pest larvae penetrate into the bulb and destroy it, as a result of which the affected onion rots;
- root tick - gnaws the bottom of the bulb and penetrates inside, also causing the vegetable to rot;
- Medvedka - gnaws the stems and roots of mostly young onions, although it does not hesitate and mature plants;
- stem nematode - small roundworms that damage the leaves and bulbs, because of which they shrink, swell and deform;
- tobacco onion thrips - forms silvery spots on the leaves, and leaves its feces on the feathers of a vegetable (in the form of black dots).
However, do not forget about preventive measures, including the purchase of high-quality seed, compliance with the rules of crop rotation and the requirements for agricultural engineering.
Distillation of green onion batun in winter
In October they begin to harvest onions of the third year of cultivation. To do this, the bushes are completely dug out, and the leaves are cut to 2/3 of their height, after which the bulbs are sorted (large specimens are stored separately) and placed in a cool room with a temperature of 0 ° C until January.
After that, they can be planted in boxes of earth before the forcing of the pen. The depth of placement of the bulbs should be 1-2 cm more than when disembarking in open ground.
Important! The obligatory rest period of the onion batun should last at least 4-6 weeks, which is why he is planted for distillation in January. With early planting growth will begin later.
Onions-batun can be grown on the windowsill, as is done in the winter with onions. However, in this case, you should not expect very high yields.
