How to grow onions in a plastic bottle at home

When it's winter outside, there is a lack of vitamins and juicy fresh greens. Many housewives try to grow parsley, cilantro, basil and mint on the windowsill. The most common "home" culture is onions. Many people did experiments on germination as a child, planting an onion in a glass jar of water.

Today, an interesting way of growing onions in a plastic bottle has gained popularity among gardeners.

Is it possible to grow onions in a plastic bottle

A plastic bottle as a container is great for planting onions. For a great harvest, follow these simple guidelines. To determine how much container to use, assess your family's nutritional needs for greens.

The advantages and disadvantages of this method

The method of planting onions in a bottle has many advantages:

• saving space on the windowsill (a five-liter water bottle holds up to 12 bulbs);
• aesthetic appearance;
• convenient care;
• all plants are evenly lit;
• onions are almost not damaged by diseases, since the plants are well ventilated;
• the method is suitable for growing a feather for sale;
• confidence in the environmental friendliness of the product.

There were no significant drawbacks to the method. Some gardeners complain about the laboriousness of preparing containers and the complexity glazeif not using a pallet.

Suitable varieties of onions

For growing on a windowsill, multi-pronged onion varieties with 2-5 growth points are suitable. A cross section of such a bulb shows several green midpoints. The best varieties:

• Strigunovsky local;
• Ryazansky;
• Danilovsky;
• Rostov;
• Arzamas local;
• Chernihiv 4;
• Studgarten Riesen.

Besides onions, for growing in a bottle are suitable chives, shallots, varieties of tiered onions. If you cannot buy varietal material, use the bulbs from the grocery store.

How to grow onions in a plastic bottle

To get started planting onions, prepare containers, planting material and soil. Use a plastic bottle that has previously been filled with water or other food, as chemicals remain on the plastic and end up in the bulbs.

Preparatory stage

Preparing containers requires patience and accuracy. Preparation technology:

1. A plastic bottle with a volume of 5 liters (it is more difficult to work with a smaller volume) is washed with water and rinsed with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. This will protect the plants from fungal and bacterial infections.
2. A neck with a cork is cut off from the bottle.
3. On the sides of the bottle, round holes are cut out for the onions in a checkerboard pattern. It is more convenient to do this with nail scissors. The size of the holes depends on the diameter of the selected bulbs.

The volume of a large container allows for multiple holes. The more there are, the better ventilation of the roots and drying of the soil will be.

Preparation of planting material:

1. Strong, healthy bulbs without visible mechanical damage are selected for planting.
2. Calibrate the planting material by size. The optimum diameter of the bulbs is 2-4 cm.
3. Soak in a pink solution of potassium permanganate at a temperature of 50-55 ° C for 30 minutes.
4. Rinse for 10 minutes in cold water.
5. Dry and cut off the dry top by 1-1.5 cm.

For planting in a bottle, you need loose nutritious soil, consisting of two parts of humus and one part of peat.Onions do not grow well on acidic soil, so dolomite flour is added to the composition at the rate of 300 g / m². If it is not possible to prepare the ground on your own, they buy a ready-made substrate for seedlings. The soil is disinfected before use by spilling a hot solution of potassium permanganate.

Landing

When everything is ready, you can start planting. To facilitate further care and grow healthy plants, planting technology is followed:

1. At the bottom of the bottle, drainage from expanded clay is laid with a layer of 3 cm.
2. A layer of sand 1-2 cm is poured on top of the drainage.
3. Cover with soil to the level of the lower holes.
4. The bulbs are laid, carefully pushing them with growth points into the holes so that they look out by 1/3. Pour the soil into a bottle between the bulbs and lightly compact the soil. The bulbs are filled up to the top of the bottle.
5. The remaining soil is poured on top and the remaining onions are planted horizontally, as in an ordinary pot.
6. The first watering is done in the bathroom. The bottle is placed in a tray or basin and thoroughly spilled from the shower head with a weak pressure of water. When the soil is well saturated with moisture, the containers together with the pallet are transferred to a permanent place.

When the onion grows, from the side, the whole structure will resemble an outlandish cactus or palm tree.

Necessary conditions and care

Onions are unpretentious to growing conditions. He needs warmth, light and water to grow. There is no need for top dressing, since there is a sufficient supply of nutrients in the soil and bulb.

Lighting

To grow a long, succulent feather, onions need diffused light. The best option for spring growing would be a light window on the southeast, southwest, or west side. In winter, onion bottles are placed on the south window.

Daylight hours should be 10-12 hours. When growing feathers during the winter months, onions need additional lighting during dark hours. In order for the plants to receive the sun's rays evenly, the container must be turned 45 ° every week.

Temperature

For germination of greens, it is necessary to maintain 18-20 ° C. As soon as the first green feathers appear, the temperature is increased to 25 ° C. Experienced gardeners sprout onions in a cool room (on a loggia, in a bathroom), and then transfer them to a warm place.

Attention! On hot days, if the thermometer rises to 30 ° C, shade the bow against sunburn with gauze or white non-woven fabric.

Humidity

Humidity should not be too high - no more than 70%... In apartment conditions, the air in winter is usually dry, within 60-65%. In very dry air, bulbs may shrivel and feather tips dry out. To prevent this from happening, plantings are sprayed daily with warm water from a spray bottle.

Further measures for the care of growing onions are reduced to periodic watering (rarely, but abundantly), draining excess water from the pallets and timely cutting of the feather. In the first week, the onion devotes all its strength to rooting and does not grow.

Important! Watch the topsoil to water the onions on time. Once it is dry at a depth of 1 cm, water the plants abundantly.

Possible problems

It is easy to care for onions, but the harvest of greens is not always possible. The reasons for a crop failure can be very different:

1. Onion fly - a small insect that looks like a common housefly. For plants, its larvae are dangerous, eating the bulb from the inside. An effective way to repel an insect is to dust the leaves with ash sifted through a fine sieve.
2. Onion moth - a small butterfly that damages the flesh of the leaf, gnawing holes in its tissues. Infection occurs through the soil. The most common in the Ivanovo and Yaroslavl regions. Destroy it by spraying with infusion of red capsicum.
3. Root mite - a microscopic insect that affects the roots and bottom of onions. After the infection of plants with a tick, fungal rot develops as a secondary infection.A tick appears if the room has high humidity and temperatures below 20 ° C. To solve this problem, tar treatment is effective: for root irrigation, take 2 tsp. tar and dissolved in 10 liters of water.
4. Fusarium - a fungus that affects the root system. The bottom of the bulb softens, the roots turn pink and die off. The disease is not detected immediately, but after a few days, when the plant stops growing and brown spots appear on the leaves. Diseased plants are thrown away, the remaining healthy ones are transplanted into another land, the bulbs are treated with the Maxim fungicide - a solution in the ratio of 2 ml of the drug to 1 liter of water.
5. Rust infects the onion feather, causing light yellow or rusty yellow streaks. Subsequently, the leaves dry out completely.

At home, onions in a bottle grow in an average of 2-3 weeks. During this short period, the plants rarely get sick. The causes of most diseases and the appearance pests - contaminated land, planting material and highly waterlogged soil. To avoid problems, pickle the soil and bulbs before planting, and remember to drain the pan. Scare away insects with the help of strong-smelling products - decoction of garlic, kerosene, dry pepper.

Attention! When growing onions, you cannot use chemical protection measures on the feather.

Terms and rules for harvesting

Harvesting begins 15-20 days after planting the bulbs. A feather 20 cm long is cut around the entire circumference of the container. To obtain several harvests, cut the onion above the point of growth of the shoots - over 3-4 cm from the bulb.

Council. Try to plant onions in this way with the children - pleasant emotions from the process will be provided.

Tips & Tricks

Experienced gardeners and housewives give useful advice to those who first decided to grow onions in a plastic bottle:

1. There is a way to grow onions in bottles without soil - in toilet paper, mineral wool. It is better for novice gardeners to opt for traditional planting in the ground. This makes it easier to track the moisture content of the substrate and completely eliminates the need for plants to feed.
2. Try to make holes for medium-sized bulbs. For too small, it is difficult to find the right bulbs, and water will flow through the large ones.
3. So that the feather grows back faster after cutting, process planting with aloe juice. Chop 2-3 lower aloe leaves and pour 250 ml of boiled water. Insist during the day. Bring the volume of liquid to 5 l and store the solution in a dark place. All plants in the home and garden can be treated with this natural stimulant.

Conclusion

Home-grown onions are distinguished by an early and harmonious return of the harvest. It ripens in 3 weeks. By planting onions in this way, you can cut the greens all year round. Its green feathers will create a spring mood and provide the whole family with essential vitamins in the winter.