To harvest onions 2.5-3 weeks ahead of schedule, gardeners grow them through seedlings. Learn more about this method.

Growing onion seedlings is a laborious process, but manual labor costs can be reduced by 2 times if the cassette method is used. It is important to know some of the subtleties of this simple technology.

Soil preparation for seedlings

Cassette cells can be filled with both a ready-made balanced seedling mixture, which does not need additional enrichment (the consumption will be small), and a self-made substrate.

Before you start sowing seeds, you need to create a favorable microclimate for them. To do this, the cassette block filled with the substrate is covered with glass, film and heated to 25°C.

To quickly warm the soil, you can use a heat chamber. If there is no special equipment, buy black cassettes – the soil will heat up faster in them.

Preparing seeds for sowing

The preparation of seed (germination of seeds) is started at the moment as soon as the soil is covered with a film. Selected seeds with high germination are scattered between two boiled and well-wrung pieces of cotton fabric. Rags with seeds are rolled up and wrapped in plastic wrap or a bag. The bundle is placed in a warm place.

The seeds are monitored daily: as soon as white sprouts appear, it’s time to sow.

Technology of sowing onion seeds in cassettes

Seeds for seedlings are sown in cassettes in the second decade of February. In one cell with heated and slightly settled soil, 3 seeds are placed to a depth of 2 cm. Then the cells are covered to the top with a substrate. Crops are slightly compacted, watered, covered with glass or film and brought into a room where the temperature does not fall below 20 ° C.

Window sills and racks where cassettes with seedlings will stand must be even, otherwise watering will be uneven.

Caring for onion seedlings in cassettes

Cassettes are inspected daily, the film is lifted and the mini-greenhouse is ventilated. After the appearance of green loops, the film is removed and the cassette is transferred for 5 days to a bright room, where the air temperature during the day does not exceed 15 ° C, at night – 10 ° C.

After that, the seedlings are returned to a bright room, where the daytime temperature is up to 25 ° C, the night temperature is not lower than 15 ° C. Temperature the mode is maintained at the desired level by ventilation or by transferring the container to a warmer (cooler) room.

Since the volume of the cell is small, seedlings after removing the film need frequent watering – every other day. Seedlings in a special soil for cassettes are watered after 3 days.

You can purchase a drip irrigation system designed for indoor plants. Seedlings in cassettes cannot be watered with a stream of water, since the cells have an excellent drainage system, which means that all useful substances will quickly leave with water.

Another way to maintain moisture is to pour water into a pan. But do not overdo it: waterlogging, like drought, will lead to the death of seedlings. To control moisture ingress, place a mat of lutrasil, spunbond, or other non-woven material in the tray and moisten it periodically.

Since the seedling cells have no bottom, the roots of the seedlings can grow into the mat. To avoid this, cover it with a dense moisture-permeable cloth.

After the appearance of the first leaf, if the soil is not special, watering is combined with top dressing with water-soluble complex fertilizers, such as Vermisol, Humisol, etc. The frequency of top dressing is once every 10 days.

In addition, once every 10 days, onion seedlings are sprayed with Previkur, Prestige, Topsin-M. These drugs will save seedlings from common diseases.

Planting onion seedlings in the ground

Onion seedlings are planted on ridges at the age of 35-40 days. At this time, the seedlings already have a well-developed root system, at least 3 leaves over 10 cm high.

A week before planting seedlings in the garden, hardening of seedlings is carried out. The estimated time for planting seedlings is from March 15 to April 10, the specific date depends on the region and weather conditions.

Try and put into practice this method of growing seedlings! After all, experienced gardeners claim that onions in cassettes take root well and give an earlier and more abundant harvest.