Description of chives varieties, features of cultivation and care

Chives belong to the onion family and are grown for food and decorative purposes. Growing is not difficult, the plant adapts to any conditions, but it is important to know and take into account some features. The culture is beneficial for the human body; it contains many vitamins, minerals and natural phytoncides. The thin, dark green plumes and small chives are added to many foods, salads and appetizer recipes.

Description and features of chives

Chives, translated from German, means cut onion and belongs to the group of herbaceous plants. Another name for the crop is onion, but there are many other synonyms. The description of the culture indicates the features of the underground and above-ground parts.

The culture grows in the form of a small bush; bright green tubular leaves reach 25 cm in length. The leaves widen slightly at the base. In four years, a bush can grow up to 60 cm in length and consist of numerous stems with inflorescences (up to 100 pieces).

The underground part of the plant consists of thread-like roots, on which oblong bulbs of up to 20 pieces are formed. The color of the bulbs can be brown-white or purple-red. In the second year, flowering arrows are formed.

It blooms for several weeks with beautiful purple, lilac or whitish flowers, spherical in shape. It blooms at the end of May and the period lasts until August. The seeds are formed in a capsule; as they ripen, they acquire a black color and an angular oval shape.

Popular varieties

All varieties of chives are most often grown for eating green leaves, since large bulbs do not form. The leaves quickly grow back after cutting, so you can harvest greens up to three times during the season.

Skoroda onions do not require special care; all varieties are cold-resistant and highly resistant to diseases and pests. The seedlings can withstand short-term frosts down to -4 degrees.

Chives are divided into two large groups. The first group includes varieties that are grown as a vegetable crop. Popular varieties include: Honey plant, Khibinsky, Siberian, Prague, Crocus.The second group includes varieties bred for decorating flower beds and borders: Moskovsky, Elvi, Bordyurny.

Beneficial features

High taste properties determine the widespread use of chives in cooking. The composition contains more than 3% sugars, a sufficient amount of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Fresh, as a spice, added to salads, fish, and meat dishes. The green leaves are tender, without bitterness, so they add a special piquancy to baked goods, omelettes, sauces and other dishes.

Ornamental shrubs can decorate a site; the crop looks especially beautiful during flowering. In this case, the crop is grown as a perennial. The pleasant aroma of flowers attracts the attention of pollinating insects.

Due to its vitamin composition, chives are classified as medicinal plants. Useful components include:

• vitamins (A, C, B, E, K);
• minerals;
• phytoncides;
• amino acids (lysine, histidine, methionine);
• trace elements (selenium, zinc, manganese).

Thanks to a whole list of useful components, chives increase appetite, improve the functioning of the digestive system, enhance immunity, have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the kidneys, gall bladder, and cardiovascular system, and are an anthelmintic.

Preparing the soil and planting chives

Chives do not have any special requirements for soil composition, but develop best in fertile, loose, moist soil rich in lime.

The place intended for planting is cleared of weeds. In the fall, the site is dug up to a depth of 28 cm and fertilizers are applied. If the soil is dense and clayey, add humus or compost. It is also useful to add mineral components such as superphosphate and urea.

In the spring, in the first half of April, the area is dug up again, leveled and slightly compacted, only after that they begin dividing into furrows with a distance of 30 cm. The seeds are deepened by 1 cm.

The first shoots should appear within a week. At this time, it is useful to loosen the soil between the rows. This will improve the supply of oxygen to the roots. As soon as the first true leaf unfolds, thinning is carried out, leaving a distance between shoots of 11 cm. The next care consists of timely weeding, loosening and watering.

Selection of location

When choosing a site for planting chives, you should take into account that the crop does not tolerate direct sunlight. In the sun, the leaves become coarser, lose their juiciness and become unsuitable for use in cooking. The soil must receive sufficient moisture.

All varieties of chives in the onion family grow well in well-drained, loose soil. Loamy, sandy loam composition is well suited. Growing from seed is not recommended in sandy soils due to poor moisture retention.

If you plan to grow chives as a perennial crop, then it is best to choose a shady, humid place. In this case, the bush will form juicy, green leaves for a long time. As an annual plant, onions are grown in separate beds.

Predecessors and neighbors of onion skoroda

The best precursors for chives are herbs, cucumbers, radishes, and potatoes. Diseases of cucumber and other permitted predecessors do not pose a danger to onions. You can plant carrots and tomatoes next door. Does not develop well next to legumes, cabbage and beets.

The most popular variety of chives is Bohemia. The plant cannot be planted in the same place for more than 4 years.Characterized by high yield and semi-sharp taste of green feathers. Can be used as a decoration for a summer cottage.

Caring for chives

When growing chives, a number of standard conditions must be met:

• in the first year after planting the seeds of the crop, it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil;
• it is important to prevent the growth of weeds, as they choke the growth of young bushes;
• watering is regular and plentiful;
• it is recommended to mulch the soil with fine mulch (peat, rice husks, sawdust);
• In autumn, dry leaves are removed.

To get juicy green mass, you need to fertilize with organic and mineral components several times a season.

Feeding

The site for planting onions begins to be prepared in the fall. It is dug up and mineral and organic fertilizers are applied. It is necessary to mix 5 kg of manure, 25 g of superphosphate, 17 g of potassium salt. Ammonium nitrate is added in the spring. The supply of nutritional components is sufficient for the entire first year of plant development.

In the second year of growing and caring for the crop, it is necessary to start applying fertilizers after the first cutting of the greenery. Cut off the greens when the feathers reach a height of 30 cm. You can use wood ash, a liquid solution of mullein or bird droppings. From mineral fertilizers you can choose nitrophoska, azofoska. The following fertilizing is carried out after each cut of greenery.

The main pest of chives is onion stalker. Seed treatment and timely application of fertilizing will help reduce the risk of attack by insect pests. Additional nutritional components increase the plant's immunity.

Watering chives

Cultivated chives require regular and abundant watering.The soil should always be moist, but do not allow moisture to stagnate near the roots.

If the soil is allowed to dry out, onion leaves begin to coarse and lose their juiciness and beneficial properties. In this case, you need to cut off all the coarsened greenery and wait for new feathers, avoiding dry crust on the surface of the area.

Propagation of chives

Chives are propagated by seeds, seedlings, bulbs or dividing the bush. Each method involves its own characteristics of cultivation and care. You can grow chives from seeds on a windowsill, in open ground and in a greenhouse.

Propagation of onion by seeds

Onion seeds retain their germination capacity for two years; later this property decreases. When grown for many years, propagation occurs by self-sowing. The seed pods crack as they ripen, or you can collect the pods and collect the seeds yourself.

Seeds are sown in early April, July or late September. They are pre-soaked and dried. The chives seeds are small, the seedlings appear weak, and therefore require special care and attention. It is best to propagate by seedlings or dividing the bush.

The best varieties of chives for growing by seeds: Chemal, Siberian, Bohemia, Khibinsky, Velta. Growing onions from seeds involves regular watering, loosening the soil, and weeding.

Growing seedlings

Chives can be planted as seedlings. Seeds need to be soaked in warm water for a day before planting. They begin to plant in early March in prepared boxes with loose soil mixture. Place one seed in prepared holes 1 cm deep and cover with soil. Then the boxes are covered with film and put in a warm place.On the 4th day the first shoots should appear. The temperature in the room should be about 20 degrees.

When is it better to transplant seedlings into open ground? After two months, when two true leaves on each bush have unfurled, they are transplanted to a permanent place. The distance between rows is 35 cm, in a row the interval should be 25 cm.

Dividing the bush

Gradually, as it develops, the chives cover the soil with overgrown bushes. The yield and quality of green mass is reduced. The crop is grown in one place for no more than 5 years. After this, they are replanted, dividing the chives into several parts.

The selected perennial onion bush is carefully dug up and divided into 3-4 parts, so that each part has roots. Holes are made in the prepared area, watered with water, the separated parts of the plant are planted, and covered with soil. The soil is compacted a little and watered again.

Green cuttings

For the whole year, up to 3-4 cuttings of greenery are carried out. Fresh leaves can be cut after they have grown to 30–40 cm in height. The first cutting is carried out in mid-May, and the last cutting occurs in the last days of September.

When the crop is grown annually, cutting is carried out throughout the season, and in the spring the bushes are dug up along with the roots, using the bulbs as food. If grown properly, you can get a good harvest.

When the crop is grown for many years, the bushes begin to be dug up after 3–4 years. Part of the plant is used for further propagation, and the rest is used in cooking.