Characteristics of Rocambol garlic
Garlic Rocambol is an amazing plant that combines the qualities of onion and garlic. It is also known as hairstyle, Spanish or Egyptian garlic. This hybrid has impressive size, useful properties and piquant taste, and its agricultural technology is not too complicated and is similar to the technology of growing ordinary garlic.
Characteristics of Rocambol garlic
Features of culture
Rocambol is a perennial species of onion, which can be planted in autumn or spring (like spring or winter). In fact, the plant belongs to the bulbous family, although the bulb itself consists of giant garlic cloves. In addition, Rocambol has edible leaves and stems. European gardeners are well aware of it, and Russian agricultural technicians have long appreciated the beneficial properties of onion and developed new varieties suitable for regions with colder climates.
Rocambol is a healthy product rich in vitamins, antioxidants and other valuable substances (vitamins C, B, PP, carotene, potassium, calcium, iron, essential oils, etc.).
At the same time, one head of the onion can reach 10 cm in diameter and weigh about 200-300 g. The taste resembles garlic, but less pungent, and the smell is much less pungent than that of onions or garlic.
Popular varieties
- Elephant Rocambol (or White Elephant) is a large hairstyle bow. On average, an onion gives 6-7 cloves and weighs from 100 g to 200 g. Also, resistance to cold is attributed to the advantages of the variety.
- Pearl (or Pearl) is another popular variety bred in Russia. The cultivar is well adapted to cold climates, but it has smaller bulbs (about 50 g) and a spicier taste.
- Janissary is also a Russian variety that is cold-resistant. The cultivar is characterized by an excellent yield, the size of its bulb is a cross between the bulbs of the previous 2 cultivars.
Beneficial features
The use of a vegetable is widespread not only in cooking, but also for medicinal purposes. Representatives of medicine note the benefits of the product for the work and the state of the human cardiovascular system. It has the properties of improving blood circulation, dilating blood vessels and increasing their elasticity, preventing the risk of blood clots.
By consuming this vegetable, you can significantly reduce the level of cholesterol harmful to the body. The plant has the ability to increase immunity and fight infections, and its essential oils are recommended to be inhaled with a stuffy nose. The product has a beneficial effect on the digestive system and helps to get rid of toxins. Its juice is often used by cosmetologists to treat hair and skin rashes.
Contraindications
A description of the properties of this vegetable would not be complete without a list of contraindications and possible health hazards. First of all, onion garlic should not be overused, since it still belongs to rather spicy and specific products.The consequences can be headaches, indigestion, unpleasant burning sensation in the chest, vasospasm and allergic reactions.
You should refrain from eating this vegetable for diseases of the gallbladder. In addition, radialis should not be eaten for stomach ulcers. Also, contraindications apply to people with internal bleeding and kidney disease. You should be very careful to consume the product during pregnancy, it is better to start giving it to children no earlier than 4-5 years.
Breeding specifics
Rocambol's garlic is a flowering plant, but its showy purple buds do not produce any seeds. To propagate the hairstyle, the so-called "babies" are used - additional cloves growing on the bottom of the onion. On average, about 10 such cloves appear on each plant.
To grow Rocumboll from babies, the bulbs should be harvested on time in order to have time to prepare the planting material and plant it on time. In case of delay, the babies manage to separate from the mother's bulb, which greatly complicates the process of collecting them. However, the children left in the ground can safely lie there all winter and germinate in the spring.
Landing
We sit down by all the rules
Planting Rocambol onions is done in open ground in the spring or before winter. It is better to plant seed bulbs on a well-warmed, but not too dry area of land. To prepare the soil, organic fertilizers and thorough loosening are required (there should be no lumps or stones in the soil). The first preparation is done immediately after harvesting the previous crop.
In autumn
The winter bulbs are planted 3 weeks before the onset of frost, usually in the first ten days of October. Before planting the teeth, it is recommended to soak them for a day in a manganese solution, and then for a couple of hours in a decoction of wood ash. The cloves should be planted 10 cm deep, at a distance of 20 cm from each other. It is recommended to use mulch to insulate the plants for the winter - 3 cm of cover will be enough.
In the spring
Experienced agricultural technicians recommend arranging spring beds in the direction from south to north. In the spring, before planting Rocambol, the earth is loosened again, carefully digging up the soil 20 cm deep. Humus or compost can be used as organic fertilizers, and wood ash can be used for disinfection. Planting depth and distance between teeth in open ground are the same as when planting in autumn. It is also better to plant the teeth in spring with a mulch cover, since the soil has not yet warmed up enough after winter.
Care
Caring for Rocambol garlic is not very difficult, however, it requires certain rules. The first loosening is carried out immediately after the emergence of sprouts. Moreover, the beds are loosened extremely carefully so as not to harm the delicate sprouts. During the first growing season, plant care implies thorough watering several times a week (depending on the dryness of the climate and the regularity of precipitation), per 1 sq. m requires at least 10 liters of water. In the future, the beds are watered as needed.
To grow a good crop with large bulbs, you should regularly get rid of weeds and loosen the soil. The care measures also include feeding the plants, especially if the leaves look weak and pale. For the first feeding, you can use nitrogen fertilizers, for the second - organic, for the third - a mixture of water and wood ash.
Collection and storage
Harvesting Rocambol garlic is recommended to be carried out immediately after the lower leaves turn yellow. Violated terms often lead to a decrease in the quality and keeping quality of the crop, since cracks appear on the husks and cloves, and the children fall off and are lost in the soil. In addition, late harvesting periods often lead to fungal diseases and rotting of vegetables.
In order for the Rocambol garlic bulbs to retain their beneficial properties and presentation for as long as possible (for example, if it is necessary to sell part of the crop), they must be properly prepared for storage.
Without cutting off the leaves and stems, the bulbs are placed on a net under a canopy and left until the leaves are completely dry. Drying usually takes 4 weeks, at the end of which the dried leaves are cut off, leaving 10 cm of the stem on the bulb. They need to be stored in a dry room, regularly ventilating and maintaining the temperature, depending on the purpose of vegetables (for food purposes - at 0-1 ° С; for seeds - at 19-20 ° С, reducing the temperature at the end of the storage period to 4 ° С ).
Helpful information
- The dishes that can be prepared with onion garlic are varied, but most often this vegetable is used as a seasoning for fish, meat and marinades. The leaves of the plant are recommended to be eaten fresh. In Mediterranean cuisine, baked onion is a popular dish: it is believed that in this form it strengthens the gums well.
- Traditional medicine recommends growing chaliceum to fight worms, treat tumors in the digestive organs and gout, reduce pressure, and heal wounds.
- The cultivation of this crop is especially effective in areas where cucumbers or zucchini used to grow. It is also good to plant the garlic immediately after the radish or alfalfa. Legumes and cabbage are also considered good predecessors.
- Almost all species of this plant give an arrow with a large spherical inflorescence (the exception is the White Elephant, which does not bloom at all). The single flower looks like a miniature bell in deep purple color. To improve the properties of the bulb, the arrow is usually cut off, but not everyone knows that the onion can also be grown for decorative purposes. In the gardens and flower beds, you can see Rocambol, which blooms brightly along with other flowers - such a composition looks very impressive.