Not every gardener buys seeds for planting - some people are more interested in growing, collecting and preserving seed on their own. This article will discuss how to properly store with onion sets in order to subsequently get a rich crop of onions.

Did you know? According to statistics compiled by UN experts, the largest number of onions is consumed by Libyans (34 kg per year for each resident). This vegetable is present in almost all dishes. In second place are the Senegalese, followed by the British and French.

What and how affects winter storage of onion sets

The safety of seed bulbs is influenced by many factors:

1. Duration of storage initially depends on the variety of onions. Yellow-golden seed is better stored than white or red varieties.
2. Harvest time. When the collection is delayed, the plants grow the root system and prepare for wintering in the ground. This disrupts the biological rhythm of plants and significantly impairs the quality of the onion bulb. Rainy weather also negatively affects the storage time, so it is advisable to clean the sevka in dry weather.
3. Lthe sticks are conditionally divided on the first (1.2–2.2 cm), second (2.3–3.3 cm) and third (larger than 3 cm) fractions, as well as on non-standard seeds - up to 1.2 cm. Fine seed material, such as a non-standard, does not release the shooter, but very often dries out during storage. Bulbs larger than 3 cm are prone to the formation of arrows. Therefore, the highest quality planting material is the first and second fractions.
4. To improve the wintering of onion sets, it must be properly prepared (we will talk about the methods a little later), and also sort by size and leave the seeds of the first and second fractions for planting. Small onions can be let out on greens, having planted it in the greenhouse or on a window sill. Large bulbs can be used as food or also allowed to distill.
5. Periodically (2 times a month) onion sets must be checked for mold, mildew, or rotten bulbs. Spoiled seed should be removed so as not to lose all the onions.

How to prepare bulbs for storage

The quality and duration of storage of onion sowing material largely depends on its preparation, which consists of the following stages:

1. Timely harvesting has already been mentioned.. Yellowing of the tops and its bending to the ground can be considered a sign of the readiness of the vegetable to start harvesting. Usually, the harvesting date is in August, but it all depends on the variety, as the ripening period for different varieties lasts from 90 to 120 days.
2. The next step is sorting the bulbs. First, the damaged or rotted onion sets are discarded, and then sorted into fractions.
3. Dry sevka in a well-ventilated room at a temperature of + 25 ... + 32 ° C. You can also do this on the street, preferably under a canopy, which will protect the bow from rain and scorching sunlight. Drying in the sun is possible, but care must be taken that the rays do not cause burns and greening of the bulbs. Sevc periodically need to be ted up. If you use a grid to dry, which ensures uniform blowing, then you can not turn the onion so often. The drying process lasts from 4 to 7 days. The readiness of the product is determined by hand: if the palm of your hand easily slides between the bulbs, then drying can be completed.
4. The penultimate stage is warming up.. For this, the bulbs are placed in an oven heated to + 40 ° C and, periodically turning it off (so that the onion does not crack), leave for 1-2 hours.
5. The last step is cooling. At a temperature of about + 20 ° C, the sowing should be about 3 days.

At the end of the preparatory measures, onion sets can be sent for storage.

How to store onion sets at home

You can store seeds grown for planting in various ways. Let us examine in more detail the possible options.

Warm way

With this method of storage, onions are contained in the pantry, in the room, on the mezzanine or other place with the appropriate conditions:

1. The temperature must be maintained at + 18 ... + 25 ° С.
2. So that the onion does not sprout, the humidity should not exceed indicators from 50 to 70%.
3. It is necessary to provide good ventilation, therefore containers for wintering onion sets need loose. For this purpose, nets, stockings, boxes, boxes with cells or lattice openings are suitable.
4. The onion layer in the container should not exceed 20 cm.
5. Differences in humidity and temperature should be avoided. These indicators must be stable, which will ensure the quality of storage.

Important! You can not use packages for storing onion sets - they are airtight and can cause rapid decay.

Cold

If you have a basement or a shed, cold storage is a good option.

A place for savings must also meet a number of requirements:

1. Constant temperature is maintained at a level of –3 ° С to 0 ° С.
2. Humidity does not exceed 80%;
3. Just as during storage in a warm way, jumps in temperature and humidity should be avoided. Such jumps not only affect the quality of planting material, but can also trigger bowing in the future.

Another option for a cold storage method is a refrigerator. If you have a large refrigerator, this option will be an alternative to the cellar. Onions must be packed in a linen bag, net or nylon tights and placed on the coldest shelf of the refrigerator. With this storage method, maintaining a constant temperature and humidity will not be difficult, and the loss of bulbs will be minimal. An interesting wintering method for planting onions is the use of sawdust.

This method consists of several stages:

1. Place a layer of sawdust about 10 cm thick on the bottom of the bucket.
2. Pour onions onto sawdust, but not to the very top - leave about 15 cm.
3. Fill the bucket with sawdust, leaving about 5 cm to the edge of the bucket, and close the lid. Thus, an air gap is obtained above the sawdust.
4. Dig a hole and place a bucket of onions in it.
5. Fall asleep on top of the ground. The soil layer above the bucket should be at least 20 cm.
6. In the spring, after thawing the soil, the tank must be removed.

The advantage of this method is that the bulbs remain juicy and fresh.

Important! When using the cold storage method, the onions should be planted no later than 10-12 days after extraction, since a change in temperature will cause damage to it.

Combined storage method

This option combines the above methods. Many gardeners retain onion sets, alternating temperatures.

But this method does not imply sharp temperature changes, but systematic changes corresponding to the biological rhythms of the plant:

• after drying, the onion set contains until the first frost at a temperature of + 18 ... + 20 ° C;
• in case of frost, the seed is sent to a room with a temperature of –3 ... –1 ° С;
• spring onions are again placed in heat (about + 24 ° C).

With any of the above methods, the seeds must be warmed up before planting. The heating temperature is about + 35 ° C, and the duration is 3-5 days. This will serve as an impetus to the beginning of growth and help to avoid the occurrence of diseases.

Features of storing seed onions in the apartment

Even if you are a resident of a high-rise building, this does not mean at all that it is not possible for you to save onion sets before sowing. The storage methods in the apartment are no different from the above, the main thing is to provide the necessary conditions and allocate a suitable place.

During cold wintering, it is a good option to store seed in a refrigerator, and for a warm method you can keep onions in a pantry or on a warm balcony. the packaging must be loose and ventilated.

The greatest danger during wintering is the occurrence of rot. To prevent this, the seeds must be in a dry container. From time to time, you need to view the planting material and discard the bulbs when spoilage is detected.

Tips from experienced gardeners

So that the seed material successfully wintered and you can get an excellent crop from the seed, it is worth putting the advice of experienced vegetable growers into practice:

1. To accelerate the maturation of seedlings, the beds are treated with a 0.2% sodium salt solution 14 days before harvesting. You can also dig in the bulbs with a pitchfork, which will damage the root system and accelerate the death of greenery.
2. You can extend the shelf life if you stop watering 3 weeks before harvesting.
3. Sevc must smell of dust. If sevoc has an onion smell after purchase, this indicates that the product was in a room with high humidity. In the future, this can cause decay.
4. Using chalk will improve storage of onion sets. This substance absorbs excess moisture, and prevents rotting and bulb growth. For 10 kg of onion, you need to take 200 g of chalk.
5. Sevoc folded in old stockings, panty hoses or pillowcases is best hung on the wall for storage.
6. Some vegetable growers prefer winter onion sets. Having wintered in the ground, especially if the winter is snowy, such an onion emerges early and gives an early harvest. There is a big advantage to using this method - no need to save seeds. But this practice does not always justify itself, therefore it is better to play it safe and not to plant the whole plant in the fall - to leave part of the bulbs for spring sowing.

Did you know? The largest leek was grown in 1983 by Hankey Bishop from the UK, the weight of the vegetable was 4.34 kg. And another resident of Misty Albion in 1997 grew a bulb weighing 7.03 kg.

We tried to predict all possible issues that may arise during storage of onion sets. From this article, you learned at what temperature and humidity you should store sowing onions, is it possible to save it in an apartment, as well as much more.