Farmers and gardeners place high demands on onions. It should have good taste and also store well. The Sturon onion meets all these requirements and is easy to grow. The variety attracts the attention of both novice summer residents and professional farmers.
Description of the variety
Sturon is of Dutch origin, but is perfectly adapted to our climatic conditions. The shape of the bulbs resembles an ellipse; when ripe, the shell acquires a rich golden color with prominent brown stripes. The weight of one Sturon head reaches 210 grams.On the surface of each bulb there are about 5 layers of scales, under which there are several more layers of juicy white-green scales.
The characteristics indicate that Sturon is classified as a mid-season variety. From the moment the first shoots appear until technical ripeness, at least 100 days pass. The taste is at a high level. Onions have a bitter and slightly pungent taste, as well as a classic tart aroma. Due to its universal properties, the harvested crop can be consumed fresh, canned, or sent for long-term storage.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The features of Sturon provide it with a number of advantages over its competitors, thanks to which more and more gardeners prefer this variety. This includes:
- possibility of growing in the climate of the northern zone;
- high productivity;
- large onions;
- high quality harvest;
- possibility of long-term storage;
- increased frost resistance;
- increased resistance to major diseases.
If you choose the right soil and create the necessary conditions, you can get up to 35 tons of high-quality onions from one hectare. Due to the fact that Sturon perfectly retains its qualities for up to 8 months, it is grown on an industrial scale. According to reviews from farmers, increased resistance to diseases and pests makes it possible to avoid treating plots with pesticides. The harvest is environmentally friendly.
Sturon has a number of healing properties. Onions contain valuable micro- and macroelements that are vital for the human body:
- magnesium;
- potassium;
- iron;
- copper;
- zinc;
- calcium and others.
The bulbs of this variety contain 11 substitutes for important amino acids. In addition, they contain vitamins of almost all groups.
Onions of the Sturon variety bring a person not only benefits, but in certain cases also harm. People suffering from chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are contraindicated from eating raw onions. If you do not control the amount of product consumed, you can cause asthmatic attacks or heart rhythm disturbances.
A side effect of an overdose of Sturon onions is increased blood pressure.
Features of cultivation
Planting and caring for Sturon is not difficult, but there are some peculiarities in this matter. Onions are grown as one-year and two-year-olds, but in the first year you won’t be able to get large-sized heads. To obtain feathers in winter, bulbs are planted in greenhouses in the fall. Planting material can be purchased at the store or grown yourself.
With special responsibility, choose onion sets, the size of which is about 2 cm in diameter. The surface must be flat. The following bulbs cannot be taken for further cultivation:
- having mechanical damage;
- having slight signs of decay;
- moisturized;
- having characteristic signs of disease or pest damage;
- not at rest.
If Sturon planting material is purchased in the fall, it is sent for storage. The room is selected to be dry, well ventilated, with an air temperature of 18–20 °C.
Landing dates
By choosing the optimal planting time, you can grow excellent Sturon onions without any hassle. The description of this variety suggests an early start of planting. As soon as the soil thaws 5–6 centimeters, sowing begins. In the southern regions this time falls at the end of March, in the rest - early or mid-April.
Rules for planting seeds
Preparing a site for planting onions begins with digging up the soil and adding compost. One square meter will require half a bucket of fertilizer. Wood ash and phosphorus fertilizers are also added. In the spring, a couple of days before planting Sturon, the area is plowed and the beds are marked out. After this, the soil is compacted and covered with black film so that it warms up well.
Before sowing, seeds are soaked for a couple of hours in a solution of potassium permanganate or aloe juice. Then they are placed in a moistened piece of cloth for 2 days. Before sowing, the beds are watered abundantly and furrows are made. The distance between the rows of Sturon onions is 10 cm.
Basic care
Onions of the Sturon variety are undemanding in care, but some attention should be paid to them. To obtain large sets, seedlings are thinned out after emergence. The soil needs constant loosening, which helps mix fertilizers and remove weeds. Watering is carried out only occasionally, when the top layer of soil is very dry.
As soon as the Sturon onion greens fade, they stop carrying out all types of work in the beds and wait until the plant withers and the neck becomes soft. During this period, they begin to harvest their harvest. Harvesting time is usually in the middle or end of summer.
Growing two-year-old onions
It was said above that Sturon is also grown as a two-year-old. To do this, a few weeks before the onset of frost, they take seedlings and plant them in pre-prepared beds. The variety is not afraid of frost, therefore, with the beginning of the first thaw, the onion will gain strength and the heads will grow.
Sturon is planted even with the arrival of spring. In the fall, organic fertilizers are applied to the intended planting site, and mineral fertilizers are applied immediately before planting.The heads are buried 2–3 centimeters, leaving 2 centimeters of soil above their shoulders. The distance between the bulbs is left at 9–12 centimeters.
Under no circumstances should Sturon be fertilized with chemicals containing nitrogen. The fact is that onions tend to accumulate nitrates, which is why they subsequently cause great harm to the human body.
The Sturon variety has proven itself well and continues to gain popularity among domestic farmers due to its unpretentiousness and resistance to diseases.
