Cold-resistant type of onion "Slime"

For a long time, only a small part of gardeners grew slime onions, but recently its popularity has grown. The increase in the number of culture fans is associated with its unpretentiousness, rich chemical composition and pleasant taste without bitterness. Even novice gardeners can cope with the cultivation of slime onions. To do this, it is enough to familiarize yourself with the nuances and rules of its cultivation.

Description of culture

Slime onion - a perennial representative of the Liliaceae family... After planting, it gives an early harvest every spring for 4-5 years. The culture is considered an excellent honey plant - its aroma attracts worker bees and drives away pests. That is why experienced gardeners prefer to place this type of onion in beds with other plants.

Reference.The plant got its name "slug" because of the high content of special mucous substances. They are used to treat stomach ulcers and gastritis with high acidity.

The most popular and useful varieties of slime onions are:

• Leader;
• Green;
• Charm;
• Dwarf.

Origin and development

In their natural environment, wild varieties of slime are found in Altai, Siberia and Central Asia... At some point, people noted that livestock enjoyed the plant with pleasure, and tried to eat it. Over time, juicy sprouts began to grow in vegetable gardens, which led to the cultivation of the slime.

Chemical composition

Slime onions have a rich chemical composition. It includes the following beneficial substances:

• vitamin C - 18.8 mg;
• manganese - 0.16 mg;
• zinc - 0.39 mg;
• iron - 1.48 mg;
• potassium - 276 mg;
• carotene - 0.598 mg;
• vitamin B9 - 64 mcg;
• pantothenic acid - 0.075 mg;
• choline - 5.7 mg;
• vitamin PP - 0.525 mg.

All of them are perfectly absorbed by the body, and with regular use slime onions have a healing effect.

Reference. The greens of this onion have a low calorie content - only 32 kcal per 100 g of product.

Benefit and harm

Greens are recommended to be added to the diet when:

• anemia - increases hemoglobin;
• infectious diseases - improves immunity, relieves inflammation;
• poor appetite - improves the digestive tract and normalizes the acid-base balance;
• fragility of blood vessels - improves the condition of the cardiovascular system, normalizes blood pressure;
• metabolic disorders - stabilizes the thyroid gland and hormone levels.

Harm to health:

• the risk of allergies and individual intolerance;
• the appearance of heartburn;
• dry skin when applied externally;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases of the digestive tract and urinary system.

Ripening period

The first shoots appear 20-35 days after sowing, this is influenced by air temperature and soil moisture. In the second year, the greens hatch immediately after the snow melts, and the first harvest is ready for cutting in late April - early May.

Interesting on the site:

Perennial onion with a pleasant scent "Jusai"

What part of leek is eaten and how to cook it

Anzur Giant Garlic Onion

Yield

Slime actively builds up green mass throughout the growing season... Every year the number of shoots increases, in the second year of life the plant acquires 3-4 branches with 8-10 leaves. By the fifth year, their number reaches 20-25, and up to 200 leaves are formed on one bush.

Slime onion is a very productive plant... The Green variety stands out. With good care for one cut, it gives up to 6 kg of greenery from 1 m².

Important! Do not grow slug for more than 5 years, as by this time the plant “gets tired” and reduces shoot formation.

Disease resistance

From wild ancestors cultivated varieties of onion-slime received unpretentiousness, ability to repel pests and high immunity to various diseases... Breeders have endowed the onion with additional resistance to fungal and viral infections in the process of working on new varieties.

Characteristics of the bulb, description of the appearance, taste

The slime onion has dark green leaves, covered with a light waxy bloom... They have a pungent taste, and when broken, they secrete a slimy juice. The second name of this variety is drooping bow. The plant got it because of its arrows: the young have a twisted appearance and lean towards the ground. As the arrows grow, they gradually straighten, stretch up to 100 cm, and lilac-purple inflorescences are formed on their tops.

The slime has a developed root system, but it does not have a real bulb... Small cylindrical false bulbs grow from the rhizome with a diameter of 1.5-2 cm. By the end of the growing season, they grow around the central root and form a whole "onion" with a diameter of up to 25-30 cm. Some gardeners use such roots for food, but slug onions are most often grown only for greens.

Young leaves are added to marinades, salads and eaten as a bite with main dishes... They have a delicate, slightly sweetish taste with a slight bitterness, garlic aroma and are completely devoid of pungency.

Growing regions

Slime is winter-hardy and not afraid of cold weather, therefore it is grown in all regions of Russia... The culture takes root well and grows in Siberia, where it can withstand temperatures down to -40 ° C, even if the ground is not covered with snow.

Attention! Slime onions are moisture-loving, but they die during frequent winter thaws.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Slime has several advantages... These include:

• high productivity;
• early appearance of greenery;
• unique chemical composition;
• pleasant taste and aroma;
• unpretentiousness;
• frost resistance;
• the ability to grow a crop for 4-5 years after planting.

But like any garden plant, this the variety has several disadvantages:

• poor reaction to flooding of the garden during thaws and heavy rains;
• small onions;
• intolerance to long droughts.

Difference from other varieties

Among the features of the slime:

• lack of a rest period;
• greens retain their juiciness for a long time and quickly departs after frost;
• the harvest is harvested before autumn, since the foliage does not coarse and does not become bitter;
• stored for a long time in cut form.

Unlike other types of onions, slime contains small amounts of essential oils., so it doesn't taste bitter at all.

Features of planting and growing

Slime onion is an unpretentious plant, it does not require complex care and special growing conditions... However, in order to obtain a high-quality and plentiful harvest, it is important to know the rules for planting and cultivating this crop.

Preparing for landing

Before sowing, the planting material is prepared:

1. The seeds are placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 10 seconds, after which they are washed in running water.
2. Then they are soaked in a growth stimulant, for example, "Epine". To do this, dilute 1 ml of the drug in 2 liters of water.
3. After 8-10 hours, the seeds are removed from the solution and thoroughly dried.

Slime onions are planted on seedlings in early March.... A wooden box or plastic container is filled with nutrient soil and grooves 10 mm deep are made in it. They are plentifully watered with warm water and the seeds are placed in the recesses at a distance of 1 cm from each other.

The plantings are covered with a light substrate and sprayed with a spray bottle... The container is covered with glass, cellophane bag or plastic wrap. The covering material is removed after the first shoots appear.

Ground requirements

Slime prefers fertile loamy soils and grows well in peatlands... The place for the garden bed is carefully dug up, earth lumps are broken and the roots of weeds are removed. Since autumn, it is recommended to dig up the soil with humus or manure, and in the spring add a little urea or special fertilizer for garlic to the planting holes.

The culture does not tolerate high soil acidity... This leads to coarsening of the foliage, deprives it of juiciness, and also inhibits the growth and formation of a slime.

Timing, scheme and landing rules

Landing in open ground is carried out after the snow has completely melted, and the soil will have time to dry out and warm up. In the northern regions, this occurs in May, while in the southern regions, sowing is often done at the end of April. This is done according to the following scheme:

• groove depth - 15 mm;
• distance between rows - 40 cm;
• between plants - 15-20 cm.

Culture is not afraid of winds and cold weatherso it can be planted in open, unprotected areas. But it is better to prepare a high bed so that the slime does not suffer from stagnant moisture and flooding.

The nuances of care

Such onions are grown as a perennial crop... Its foliage is cut throughout the summer, without affecting the abundance of the crop and the formation of small bulbs. Between full harvests, a break of 2-3 weeks is taken, since new feathers grow in 15-20 days.

Without transplanting and reproduction, onions are actively growing for 4-5 years, and then begins to age: growth slows down, shoots die off. This species leaves for the arrow late, towards the end of July.

Slime needs minimal maintenance, its cultivation does not require investment of moneyas well as a great waste of time and effort.

Watering mode

Due to the lack of moisture, onion feathers become tough and lose their juiciness. During dry periods, slug is watered abundantly every two days. In normal weather, the irrigation schedule is determined independently, making sure that the soil in the garden always remains moist.

Attention! To reduce water evaporation and protect the crop from weeds, it is recommended to mulch the plantings with peat, hay, or cut grass.

Loosening the soil and weeding

After rains and watering, the bed is loosened to prevent the formation of a dense crust on the surface of the earth. Otherwise, it will prevent air from penetrating to the root system, and the bulbs will begin to rot. Weeds are removed as they arise.

Top dressing

For a rich harvest experienced gardeners feed the slime onions:

1. In autumn, the garden bed is dug up with manure or compost (7-8 kg / m²).
2. In the spring, 5 g of carbamide is added under each plant.
3. After cutting off a large number of feathers, 1 m² of soil is fertilized with 30 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium salt.

Disease and pest control

Of the pests, slime-onion attracts only onion fly... To get rid of this insect, the bushes and soil in the garden are sprayed with a solution prepared according to the following recipe:

• shavings from laundry soap - 50 g;
• wood ash - 100 g;
• water - 6 liters.

Slime is resistant to many diseases, but pathogenic microorganisms attack it... In this case, the culture is watered with a solution of potassium permanganate. To do this, 10 g of potassium permanganate is diluted in 2 liters of warm water. Also, this tool is used to treat the places of green cuts.

Read also:

How to properly grow green onions on a windowsill

Features of growing onions in hydroponics

Harvesting and storage

Knowledge of the peculiarities of collecting and storing slime onions will allow you to feast on vitamin greens for a long time.

How and when to collect

Harvested throughout the summer season... The feathers are cut with a clean, sharp knife or scissors. The last time the feathers are removed is at the end of August, after which they stop watering the plant.

Storage features and keeping quality of the variety

Greens are packed in plastic bags and placed in the refrigerator... Onions remain fresh and juicy for one week. Also, the crop is chopped, distributed in containers and sent to the freezer. Frozen feathers will be good to eat all winter long.

Important! To compensate for the lack of amino acids and minerals, it is enough to eat 250-300 mg of slime feathers daily during the summer season.

Tips from experienced gardeners

Experienced summer residents, who have been growing slug on their plots for several years, share tips for caring for this crop. They point out that for obtaining juicy feathers it is important:

• always keep the soil in the garden moist;
• do not forget about mulching;
• avoid strong waterlogging;
• plant bushes on hills or bulk high beds;
• cut leaves 15-20 cm long.

Reviews of the slime onion

The slime onion has already received many positive reviews.

Ivan, Kazan: “I have been growing slime onions in my garden for about 10 years. Every 2-3 years I propagate it by dividing the bulbs or planting seeds. I really like that he has tender greens without bitterness, which is not scary to give to children. ".

Anfisa, Azov: “Slime not only gives juicy and healthy greens, but also has good decorative qualities. It looks especially beautiful with lilac inflorescence balls ".

Conclusion

Slime onion has a good taste and many health benefits. Eating vitamin greens in food not only strengthens the immune system, but also eliminates the signs of vitamin deficiency. Unpretentiousness and lack of special requirements for growing conditions make this culture in demand in summer cottages and vegetable gardens.