A Detailed Guide to the Planting Time and Planting Methods of Chinese Onion (Allium chinense)
Many people today may not know what Chinese onion (Allium chinense) is, but for the generation of our parents, Chinese onion was a kind of delicacy in their lives, and it could be seen everywhere in the countryside, both home-grown and wild. Back then, digging for Chinese onion was also a childhood joy. Nowadays, Chinese onion is mainly used for pickling as a pickle, and the taste is very good too, but because its smell is a bit strong, quite a few people can only eat it secretly at home. So today Qinnongwang wants to share with everyone the planting time of Chinese onion and its planting methods. If you like it, you can save it.
Planting Time
Chinese onion has relatively strong vitality. In fact, it can be planted all year round, but if it is planted between September and October each year, both the yield and quality are excellent. In particular, Chinese onion also needs to be kept for seed. If the planting time is too early or too late, then there will be certain defects in the quality of the planting, leading to poor yield and quality in the next year's planting. Therefore, we generally control the sowing to be completed from early September to early October.
Planting Methods
1. Land preparation and fertilization
Chinese onion is a moisture-loving plant, but there must not be standing water in the field. When preparing the land, we need to level the soil, fill in potholes with soil, and dig trenches in the middle at intervals of 1.5 to 2 m, which is conducive to drainage and water diversion and also makes later management more convenient. Finally, sufficient base fertilizer should be applied. On average, scatter 2,000 jin of livestock manure per mu.
2. Reasonable close planting
First, we need to select the seeds of Chinese onion, choosing seeds of uniform size, then separate the tubers. On the prepared land, dig trenches at a row spacing of 15 to 20 cm, with a trench depth of 8 cm and a trench width of about 10 cm. Then place the Chinese onion neatly in rows with the heads facing upward at a spacing of 10 cm per plant, and cover them with a thin layer of soil. To promote the germination speed of Chinese onion, we can appropriately cover them with a layer of dry grass or dry livestock manure, and of course plastic film can also be used instead.
3. Field management
If plastic film is used, then it must be uncovered immediately after the Chinese onion breaks through the soil, otherwise the seedlings will be burned. After one week, check whether there are missing seedlings in the field. If there are, then replant them in time to ensure a full stand of seedlings. After replanting, water them, which can ensure the survival rate. When the Chinese onion seedlings grow to about 15 cm, if the Chinese onion seedlings in the field look yellow, then it indicates that the nutrients in the soil are insufficient, so topdressing is needed. For the fertilizer, manure and urine water mixed with an appropriate amount of urea can be used for irrigation, and the effect is excellent. Weeds in the field can be controlled by intertillage and weeding at the seedling stage, but once the Chinese onion grows to a certain extent, only hand weeding can be done. Also, the field should be watered frequently, and the soil moisture should preferably be kept at about 70%.
4. Pest and disease control
Since Chinese onion also has certain similarities to scallion, the pests and diseases are basically the same. The main diseases are downy mildew and purple blotch, while the main pests are thrips and leafminers. Its diseases mostly occur in summer during hot and rainy periods, and can be prevented and controlled by clearing field debris and draining trenches. If severe, Bordeaux mixture or chlorothalonil can be used for control. For thrips and leafminers, we can use deltamethrin for root drenching or spraying.