Proven methods for preserving onion sets until spring at home

It is not enough to grow high-quality onion sets; it is equally important to preserve the harvest until next spring.

Following the recommendations of experienced gardeners, preserving the seed until it is planted in the ground will not be difficult.

Read the article about how to properly preserve onion sets until spring at home, at what temperature.

How to properly prepare for storage before planting?

Proper preparation of onion sets for storage combines several stages:

1. Timely harvesting. The main sign of ripe onions is the yellow color of the tops. Typically, harvest time falls in the last week of August.
2. Sorting - an important stage in the preparation of seed, since by planting bulbs of the same size, you can be sure that they will ripen at the same time.

   First of all, damaged, rotten bulbs are separated. Then the bulbs are sorted into fractions. The smallest onion (size no more than 14 mm) is very difficult to preserve until spring; it is used for planting in late autumn.

   Medium-sized (up to 21 mm) and large (more than 30 mm) onions store well and are planted in the spring. Particularly large bulbs are planted for green feathers.

3. Drying. At this stage, the sorted planting material is laid out on a horizontal surface in a well-ventilated, warm, bright room (temperature not less than +25°C, humidity 45%).

   Drying lasts at least seven days. Periodically, the seed must be turned. After the bulbs have dried well, they are manually peeled off from the upper falling scales, dried roots and tops.

Preparing containers

When choosing a container, you need to make sure that it is clean, dry, free of foreign odors, and there should also be special openings on its walls for ventilation.

There are a sufficient number of types of containers in which you can store onion sets:

1. Wicker baskets. Natural manufacturing material and natural weaving holes help preserve onion sets from the moment of harvest until spring.
2. Cardboard boxes. When choosing such containers, you must ensure that the cardboard is durable, clean, and dry. It is important that the boxes have holes for ventilation.
3. Wooden boxes very convenient for storage. Wood is a natural, durable material that allows air to pass through.
4. Bag suitable for storage if it is filled no more than 20 cm. Otherwise, the seed will swell and begin to rot.

At what temperature and humidity?

You can preserve high-quality seed until it is planted in the ground subject to certain conditions:

• optimal storage temperature +20-25°C;
• air humidity from 50 to 75%.

Methods

Depending on the variety, as well as the possibility of implementing certain conditions, there are three ways to store onion sets.

Warm

Storing planting material throughout the winter at room temperature (18-25°C) is called the warm method.

In addition to temperature it is very important to maintain the required humidity level (45-50%), as well as carry out regular ventilation.

A sharp drop in temperature and humidity can cause germination and rotting of planting material.

Cold

Before mortgaging cold storage, planting material must be thoroughly heated for ten days at a temperature of 35°C.

The optimal air temperature for cold storage varies from 0 to +4°C, humidity 75%. After cold storage, before planting, onion sets are reheated for fourteen days at a temperature of 35°C.

A good alternative to the cold method of storing crops - in a bucket, on the street. To do this, pour a layer of sawdust into a suitable container, then lay out carefully sorted, dried onion sets and lay out a layer of sawdust again.

The container is closed with a lid and an earthen pit is placed, the depth of which should not exceed the height of the bucket by more than 20 cm. The bucket immersed in the pit is sprinkled with earth and left in this form until spring. With the arrival of warmer weather, onion sets can be planted in the ground.

Combined

The combination of warm and cold storage methods is a combined method, includes several stages:

• prepared, dried seed is stored in a warm place (temperature + 20-25 ° C) until the onset of the first frost;
• with the arrival of winter, the room temperature is gradually reduced to 0°C;
• with the arrival of spring, the temperature is gradually increased to +25°C;
• As soon as the degree on the thermometer has reached the desired level, the temperature is reduced to +20°C and the onions are stored in such conditions until the time comes to plant them in the ground.

How to store in an apartment?

In an apartment in a multi-storey building, the best option for storing onion sets is a warm method in cardboard boxes, plastic containers or bags.

During storage, it is necessary to periodically carefully inspect the onion sets and remove spoiled, rotten heads (they are the ones that can cause damage to the entire crop).

What kind of troubles might arise and how to deal with them?

The main problem that arises during onion storage is the appearance of rotten, spoiled bulbs.

The cause of this situation can be fungal diseases, damage to the bulb by a stem nematode or onion root mite.

The problem cannot be ignored. A single spoiled bulb can ruin the entire harvest.

To prevent the spread of damage, inventory must be audited at least once every three months onion set

Spoiled bulbs are immediately removed.The husk with traces of rot is removed, the onion is dried and left in a warm place until a new, clean and healthy husk appears.

Adviсe

It is important to follow the following recommendations:

1. You can make sure that the onion set is well dried by the rustling sound that appears when the small onion is rolled.
2. By choosing a cold method for storing onion sets, the risks of early germination of the seed are reduced to zero.
3. You should not store onion sets on the balcony, since in such a room it is very difficult (almost impossible) to maintain a constant air temperature and humidity level.
4. You can use old stockings to store onion sets in the basement. Filled with onions and hung on hooks from the ceiling, they help preserve planting material not only from spoilage, but also from being eaten by mice and other rodents.

You will find a lot of useful information about storing onions Here.

Video on the topic

The video will show you how to prepare and what to store onion sets in:

Conclusion

Strict adherence to all recommendations for storing onion sets will help you get a rich harvest of high-quality onions in the future.