How to Grow Welsh Onions? Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Video Tutorial

The welsh onion originated in Siberia and has a long history of cultivation in China. Its leaves are round and hollow, and the base of the leaf sheath wraps together to form a “false stem.” When young and tender, both the leaves and the white stalk can be eaten. Because of its strong adaptability, high yield and good returns, it is planted on a large scale throughout the country. Below let us take a look at the welsh onion cultivation techniques video!

Welsh Onion Seedling-Raising Techniques

1. Sowing time: According to different requirements for the product, it can be sown in all four seasons. The best sowing period for high-yield welsh onion cultivation is autumn sowing (with the ten-day average temperature steadily at 16.5°C-17°C, which is exactly early October). The climatic conditions in the north and south of the country differ, so sowing times also vary. The best time is determined by the size of the seedlings before overwintering: if too large, they easily pass through vernalization and bolt the following spring; if too small, they cannot overwinter safely. The standard for pre-winter seedlings is to grow to two leaves and one heart. Spring sowing is around Qingming Festival.

2. Preparing the seedbed: The seedbed should be chosen as a plot that is level, fertile, close to a water source and convenient for drainage. Before making the beds, the seedling plot should be shallow-plowed and finely harrowed so that the top is loose and the bottom is firm. Apply 50 kg of compound fertilizer per mu as base fertilizer, and at the same time apply 2.5 kg of carbofuran per mu and 0.5 kg of carbendazim powder to kill underground pests and pathogens (very important). The bed length is 20-25 m, inner width 1 m, bed ridge 30 cm. After the bed ridges are trampled firm, use an iron rake to repeatedly level the inside of the bed, with no clods.

3. Sowing: Before sowing, first take out the covering soil from the bed, then irrigate the bed with sufficient water (the irrigation amount must be large). After the water has infiltrated, mix the seeds with sandy soil and scatter them twice in the bed (spread evenly). Finally cover with soil, with a covering thickness of 1.5 cm-2 cm. The covering soil must be even. The seed quantity for the seedling field is 1.3 kg per mu, which can transplant 3-5 mu of welsh onions. On the morning of the second day after sowing, use an iron rake to lightly rake the bed surface once to prevent uneven soil covering.

Welsh Onion Seedling-Stage Management

1. Autumn-sown seeds emerge after 7 days, and spring-sown seeds emerge after 8-12 days. Before the cotyledons straighten, control watering to avoid crusting and smothering the seedlings. If rain occurs during this period and the soil crusts, an iron rake can be used to lightly scratch the surface. The first watering should wait until the cotyledons straighten. Weed (herbicides cannot be used). When the seedlings grow to about 2 cm, roughly when they straighten, promptly apply medicine to prevent fungal diseases. Generally spray once every 5 days (mainly medicines for treating dead roots and rotten seedlings, viruses and gray mold). After the seedlings grow above 5 cm, according to soil fertility, urea can be applied at the appropriate time to promote seedling growth.

2. Before winter, the main task is to cultivate strong seedlings. The standard: plant height 8-10 cm, true leaves reaching two leaves and one heart, leaves green and robust, base diameter not exceeding 0.3 cm. During this period, according to soil moisture, water 1-3 times. Before freezing, water with freezing water, and generally cover with a layer of farmyard manure, plant ash or fine pen manure, with a thickness such that the ground is not visible and the leaf sheaths are exposed.

3. After the Beginning of Spring for autumn-sown seedlings, the roots, hearts and leaves of the onion seedlings begin to stir. Rake the bed surface all over once to remove debris, so as to prevent pressing the seedlings, achieve moisture retention, increase temperature and promote early growth. In early March, water with green-returning water, but not too early, so as to avoid low temperatures affecting the early growth of onion seedlings. Combined with watering, apply 10 kg of urea per mu to urge the seedlings. From late March to early April, when the seedlings are about 30 cm high, thin the seedlings 1-2 times, filling gaps and thinning dense areas, maintaining a seedling spacing of 3-5 cm. From late April to early May, when the seedlings are about 50 cm high, this is the vigorous growth period of the onion seedlings, and fertilizer and water management must be done well. Urea, diammonium and compound fertilizer can be applied in stages, at least twice and at most three times, 10-15 kg each time, and combined with spraying, apply compound trace-element fertilizer 2-3 times. Also apply medicine in time to prevent fungal diseases, with special attention to preventing and controlling onion maggots, onion thrips and leafminers. Stop watering 15 days before transplanting and carry out seedling hardening to promote steady growth.

Welsh Onion Transplanting and Field Planting

1. Choose a plot with high terrain, good drainage and fertile soil, preferably oriented north-south. Apply sufficient base fertilizer. The base fertilizer can be 5000 kg of farmyard manure per mu, 100 kg of phosphate fertilizer, 10 kg of urea, 15 kg of potassium fertilizer, or 30 kg of diammonium, or 50 kg of compound fertilizer. Then plow and sun the soil to eliminate disease sources and weeds and improve fertility. Finally, open trenches with a trench spacing of 80 cm and a trench depth and width of about 25 cm each.

2. Plant early at the appropriate time, generally from mid-June to early July. Water once two days before lifting the seedlings. When lifting seedlings, dig deep to get the roots, or lift them in handfuls, shake off the soil, and lay them flat. Eliminate damaged and diseased seedlings, and divide them into three grades according to size, height and thickness. When seedlings are sufficient, generally do not use third-grade seedlings. Do this so that seedlings are lifted, graded and transplanted in sequence, keeping the onion seedlings fresh at transplanting. The transplanting spacing is preferably 3-4 cm.

3. Field planting methods

(1) Dry planting method: After opening the trench, arrange the onion seedlings in order along one side of the trench wall at a certain spacing, with the onion leaves lying flat against the trench wall, then use a hoe to cover with soil. The soil depth should preferably not bury the heart leaves. After planting, tread firm. Or use a shovel to plant at a certain distance, then tread firm. After planting, water once immediately, preferably without delay.

(2) Water planting method: Place the selected seedlings on the back ridge in one-meter handfuls, arranged evenly. First water in the trench. After the water infiltrates, one person every 8-10 m squats on the ridge back and inserts them. When inserting, use a rice-planting stick made from a peeled branch, with a “V”-shaped fork at the top. Mostly use the left hand to hold the seedlings and the right hand to hold the rice-planting stick, use the fork to press against the fibrous roots of the onion seedlings, and while the soil at the bottom of the trench is wet and soft, insert the onion seedlings straight down. Seedlings of different grades should be planted in different plots or in separate sections, and must not be placed side by side with mixed heights and uneven sizes, so as to facilitate management.

Welsh Onion Cultivation Management

1. Timely watering: After transplanting, it is the hot season with high temperature and frequent rain, so generally do not water. Continuous rainy weather will cause root rot and dead seedlings, so pay attention to timely drainage. If high temperature and drought occur, water to lower the temperature and promote growth.

2. Earthing up and fertilizing: As the white stalk continuously elongates, earth up and topdress in time. The final ridge height after earthing up is 70-80 cm. When earthing up, the heart leaves must not be buried. Topdressing and earthing up are carried out at the same time. The first time should start from the Beginning of Autumn: apply 5000 kg of farmyard manure per mu and 10-15 kg of urea, then water after application. The second topdressing is carried out at the End of Heat: apply 15-20 kg of urea per mu and 50 kg of cake fertilizer. The third topdressing is at White Dew. At this time the white stalk enters the peak expansion period, and fertilizer and water management is key. Along the trench, apply 1000 kg of human manure and urine, 15 kg of urea, 50 kg of phosphate fertilizer and 5-10 kg of potassium fertilizer, then water. The fourth topdressing is carried out at the Autumn Equinox: apply 10-15 kg of urea per mu, earth up and water. Around White Dew, spray compound trace-element fertilizer, generally once every 5-7 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays, with an obvious yield-increasing effect.

3. Pest and disease control: The main pests and diseases of welsh onion include leafminers, onion thrips, onion maggots, purple blotch and downy mildew. For specific control methods, please read "Welsh Onion Pest and Disease Control Techniques." The editor will not repeat them here.

4. Harvest and storage: Around the Beginning of Winter, the onions have grown enough and can be dug for harvest. After digging, tie them into bundles of 15 kg and place them in a cool, ventilated place, with 5-6 bundles per row and a 50 cm passage left between rows. If hot weather occurs, untie the bundles and dry them. During storage they fear heat but not cold, and rain must be prevented.