Growing onions in a plastic bottle
Greens are an important element of nutrition for every person, and we try to use them in large quantities, because they contain many useful substances and vitamins that are so necessary for our body. But it is precisely during the period when our body needs vitamins most of all that it is snowing in the yard. In the modern world, it is easy to solve the problem with a simple trip to the supermarket, where the shelves abound with fresh vegetables and herbs all year round. But there is another way available to everyone: grow onions at home in a simple bottle. Onions in a plastic bottle are a great way out.
How to grow onions in a plastic bottle
Preparatory stage
With the arrival of the first cold days, it makes sense to plant onions. The first green harvest on the windowsill will delight the eye and decorate the gray, dull landscape outside the window. Often in the spring, the vegetable starts up its own greens, so why not plant it? That's when the idea of growing onions in a bottle comes to mind.
The method is simple. The main thing is to prepare a container (it must be plastic) for planting, and an island of summer will appear at home. You can plant onions in a 5 liter bottle or a 2 liter bottle. It all depends on how many seeds there are. The places where the seedling will be located are marked on the bottle. It is advisable to do this in a checkerboard pattern. Each hole on a plastic bottle is tried on and cut out smaller than the size of the head itself. If you make a cut at the top, then you can plant there too.
Growing onions in a plastic bottle will only work in prepared soil. It is easy to buy ready-made in a specialty store, but it is also easy to make the mixture yourself at home. To do this, mix soil, peat and humus. Filling the container, carefully tamp it, otherwise the earth will spill out into the holes. There is a second way - growing on toilet paper. Previously, the paper needs to be well wet, squeezed out and laid out in a container so as to fill the entire void with it. Do not forget about regular watering.
Planting
We continue to figure out how to plant onions in a 5 liter bottle. Planting requires care and attention. If the plant already has a feather, then you should try not to break it off. It is important to make sure that the top of the head sticks out, then the greens can grow easily and quickly. In the first days, water will be washed out from watering, so it is advisable to put something under the container with the vegetable. It is important to water the onions in a bottle on the windowsill often, but not to pour them.
The basic rules for growing are as follows.
- The planting material should be selected in medium size: a large one is inconvenient to plant and it will not fit even in a five-liter bottle, and small heads will not be able to stop the soil from pouring out of the holes.
- It is important to remember that this is a sun- and heat-loving plant, therefore, it will be possible to grow onions in a bottle on the southern or eastern windowsill, otherwise the cultivation will not bring the desired results. As a last resort, greens will grow slowly and sparsely.
- Green onions in a plastic bottle will grow faster if the sprouts are planted slightly out of the holes.
- The planting of each next layer should be carried out at a distance of at least 3 cm from the previous one.
- Before planting, it is important to soak the heads in water, where they will sprout. Better yet, germinate them. So the green crop will appear on the table faster.
Adhering to these recommendations, it is realistic to notice the first feathers after one week.
Care features
Onions in a plastic bottle on your windowsill can delight you with a generous and juicy harvest, but for this you need to take into account the specifics of home care. First of all, regular watering is required. It is better to do this not along the edges, but in the center of the container, otherwise the earth will become covered with mold, and the roots may rot. Watering is carried out by sutra, this is reflected in the taste and smell of feathers. Drying out of the earth must not be allowed.
Before a green crop appears, you constantly need to loosen and fertilize the soil. Top dressing is suitable both dry and in the form of a solution. Growing will be accelerated if nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, saltpeter or nitrogen fertilizer are added to the soil.
The plant does not require any special care. It is unpretentious, but in this way it is really possible to provide constant greens in the family's diet. It is interesting to observe the very moment of forcing green onions in a bottle. Already on the third day, you can see the first green sprout on some heads, but by the seventh day most of the plants will begin to actively grow and release feathers, only rare of them will not "hatch". By the 11th day, some of them can already be harvested for the first trial. Grown for 2 weeks and already get enough harvest to prepare an appetizing salad. There is a possibility that some will not germinate, but new and new feathers will appear on the rest for a long time.
Growing onions in a plastic bottle using forcing is quite simple to observe: if there is no way to place a large container, then the alternative is a smaller plant, for example, in a liter container, where the set is planted. The planting and grooming procedure is no different, but the compact design will suit everyone.
Benefits
People have long sought to have greens on the windowsill, but if earlier they were grown in jars and bulky boxes, now they are growing onions in a plastic bottle. Such a bed captivates with its compactness and simplicity of design. A similar method is suitable for any housewife, because a minimum of effort and financial investment is required, especially since it looks more attractive in such a container than in a bank.
The disadvantages include time-consuming and meticulous manufacturing and planting. This method is not suitable for those who do not like getting their hands dirty: the activity is not clean and you will have to contact with wet ground. For such a suitable option is growing a vegetable with toilet paper. The necessary material is in any home.
If you follow simple tips, then the question of how to grow onions in an ordinary bottle will not bother you, and it will not be difficult, and the onion will only bring a lot of pleasure and delicious dishes with aromatic herbs.