Multi-tiered onion, or viviparous onion (Allium proliferum) is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Onion family, which is still quite rare in summer cottages and vegetable gardens. It is also popularly called Canadian, Egyptian, walking or horned. Despite its exotic and unusual appearance, the vegetable crop is extremely unpretentious in cultivation and care.
Origin and characteristics
It is believed that the multi-tiered onion originated from China and was the result of spontaneous natural hybridization of the baton and onion.An ancient Chinese herbal book dating back to the late 14th century mentions a plant with similar morphological characteristics called lau-qi-tsun. From East Asia, the culture came to the European continent in the 19th century, first to England, then spread to other countries. It was brought to Russia only at the very end of the last century.
Externally, the viviparous onion looks like a trampoline. It also has hollow, hollow leaves covered with a bluish waxy coating, reaching a height of 45-60 cm and a diameter of up to 1.5-2 cm. The plant produces a flower arrow up to 0.8-1 m long, but not seeds are formed on it, but aerial bulbs (bulbs). Moreover, the plant is characterized by the formation of several bulbous tiers (3-4, sometimes 5).
At the first level, the largest onions are formed with a diameter of about 2-3 cm and a weight of approximately 15-25 g. As you move up, their size decreases greatly and often does not exceed 3-5 g.
Before the airy bulbs appear, the leaves have a delicate juicy texture with an original pungent taste and are used as food in their green form. Then they become coarse and bitter. Slightly elongated onion bulbs are covered with thin scales of purple, golden or brown color (depending on the variety) and are more often used for preparing various pickles and marinades.
The root system of this plant is powerful and branched, it can go to a depth of 1-1.5 m. The mother bulb located underground is small and loose, unsuitable for consumption. Over time, it is divided into several parts, which, along with the bulbs, are used in the fall when transplanting or planting multi-tiered onions in another place.
Features of reproduction
Aerial bulbs produce roots directly on the bush and the plant easily reproduces with them; reproduction occurs only vegetatively, since seeds are never formed on this crop. Ripe bulbs are collected at the end of summer or autumn, immediately planted in the ground or stored in a cool place until spring. It is not recommended to cut green feathers more than 2-3 times per season, since the future seed material (bulbs) will be weak and too small.
The division of the uterine bulb is carried out at the same time, but it cannot be stored for a long time (due to its loose structure it quickly deteriorates), so the slices are planted immediately in a permanent place. It is allowed to divide the bush during the entire growing season, otherwise the plantings will become very thick.
Condition requirements
Multi-tiered onions do not cause any difficulties when growing; they are frost-resistant and drought-resistant and can grow anywhere. But in order to get the first green arrows as early as possible, you need to select rich, breathable loamy soils for this crop. Wet, acidic and heavy soils are unsuitable for viviparous onions.
When the substrate becomes waterlogged, underground bulbs quickly rot. A well-warmed and sunny area, from which the snow cover melts early in the spring and does not retain water, is most suitable.
An important condition for growing and obtaining an early harvest will be the timely application of organic fertilizers. It is recommended to plant this onion crop after beets, zucchini, potatoes, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers, and legumes.
Growing technology
Viviparous onions have some growing characteristics; they can be cultivated as perennial or annual.In the first option, before planting, add ammonium nitrate (10-12 g), superphosphate (30-40 g) and potassium salt (20-30 g) per 1 m² to the soil. In the second case, when digging into the ground, it is necessary to add 6-8 kg of humus or well-rotted manure per 1 m².
To obtain the first early spring greenery, earthen bulbs are not planted; only bulbs that have taken root should be planted. This should be done before mid-August, otherwise the heads will not have time to take root well. With later planting dates, the start of leaf collection is delayed and the yield decreases. If plant onions in spring, then the feather will be ready for cutting in about 3-4 weeks.
In open ground, planting material is planted in rows, leaving row spacing of about 25-30 cm. Large specimens are placed at a distance of 5-8 cm from each other, small ones - 3-5 cm. Planting depth is from 3 to 6 cm (depending on size). Thickened plantings are subsequently thinned out, using the above-ground part along with the bulb for food. If you plan to grow a bush in one place for several years, then leave at least 40-60 cm between plants.
To obtain greens, you can grow multi-tiered onions on a windowsill or in a greenhouse, the temperature not exceeding +10...+12 °C. Large bulbs and bulbs are planted tightly in boxes with a nutrient substrate and watered regularly. Planting material does not need to be prepared and stored in advance; you can dig up a bush directly from the garden bed during a thaw. A fresh feather reaches food grade in 20-25 days.
Features of care
Caring for onions of all perennial species consists of the following manipulations:
- Loosening. The soil between the rows is loosened once a week to saturate it with oxygen.
- Weeding.Weeds must be removed in a timely manner so that they do not take away nutrients.
- Watering. Moistening is carried out after the top layer of soil has dried. Approximately 1 bucket of water per 1 m² every 10-14 days. Otherwise, in dry weather, the yield decreases, the feathers grow poorly, and the bulbs increase little in size.
- Thinning. Dense plantings are thinned out, mother bushes are divided and planted.
- Feeding. Onion beds need to be fertilized periodically. The first feeding is carried out in early spring on snow (70-100 g of nitrophoska per 1 m²). Leaves that have grown to 35-40 cm are cut off at least 5-7 cm from the ground, then the bush must be fertilized with potassium salt, ammonia compounds or liquid organic matter.
- Garter. To prevent arrows with heavy aerial bulbs from breaking, they are tied to pegs or trellises.
In early spring, as soon as the snow melts, you need to remove all dead plant debris from the site, then fertilize the onion crop. The plantings are thinned out, 1 head is left in each nest, the rest are planted separately or used for food (this procedure can also be performed in the fall before winter). To speed up the growth of cut greens, cover the onion bed with film. In this case, the fresh feather will grow 10-15 days earlier, but it will have a lighter color and a less pungent taste.
Experienced vegetable growers do not recommend growing viviparous onions for more than 5 years in one place. This plant produces the best harvest in the first 2-3 years of cultivation. Aboveground aerial heads are collected as soon as basal tubercles appear on them, this time occurs at the end of July or beginning of August. If you do not have time to collect the bulbs in time, they will spontaneously spill out onto the ground. Then the arrows turn yellow and dry out.The foliage remains green and fresh until frost.
Horned onions are sometimes affected by fungal infections or insect pests, but no more so than other onion crops. For prevention purposes, it is recommended to spray the bushes with a solution of Bordeaux mixture (1%) and carefully remove all plant debris from the area. The row spaces are sprinkled with ash, mothballs, tobacco dust or hot ground pepper to repel insects. To get a bountiful harvest, it is necessary to carry out timely and competent care.
Varieties
The varietal diversity of this crop is not too great. The following varieties are recommended for growing in the middle zone:
- Gribovsky 38. Bush of medium height (up to 0.4 m), dense and compact. Frost-resistant and early-ripening variety of Egyptian onion, zoned for Siberia and the Urals. The first cutting of green feathers can be done 21 days after planting the bulbs.
- Likova. An early ripening onion, characterized by high yield (up to 4 kg of greenery per 1 m²), frost resistance and increased resistance to lodging. The foliage grows up to 0.45 m in 20-25 days and has a pleasant pungent taste. From 3 to 8 large dark purple heads are formed on the arrow. A small basal bulb with an unbranched root system.
- Odessa winter. The feather reaches 0.25-0.4 m in length, the yield is about 2.4 kg per 1 m². Recommended for southern regions. Often shoots in the first year. The number of tiers depends on the climate, weather conditions and how to care (two-tiered is grown in the middle zone, in the south 3-4 tiers have time to form).
- Memory. High-yielding (6 kg per 1 m²), early ripening, three-tiered variety, with a leaf length of up to 0.44 m. The bulbs are medium in size, red-violet in color.
- Chelyabinsk super early.The greens are short (up to 0.2 m), tender, juicy and soft, with a pungent taste. For 1 cutting you can collect 1.5-1.7 kg per 1 m².
Pros and cons of culture
Multi-tiered onions, planting and caring for which does not cause much trouble, are characterized exclusively on the positive side. This is a very frost-resistant plant, allowing you to get the freshest and earliest greens in open ground, a greenhouse or on a windowsill at home. The bulbs do not need to be dug up in the fall, as they will overwinter well under light snow cover, even when the air temperature drops to -45 °C. Since the plant does not have a dormant period, it can be planted at any time.
The leaves and heads of viviparous onions have a large amount of phytoncides and are rich in nutrients. Nitrates and other harmful substances do not accumulate in the green mass of this crop. The plant contains vitamins (C, PP, B1, E, B2), as well as potassium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, manganese and calcium.
