What are the seed selection and seedling raising methods for sand onion (Allium mongolicum)?

 Sand onion is a wild vegetable found only in northwest China. It is a superior forage plant, with the characteristics of resistance to wind erosion, drought and poor soil, and it is now planted on a large scale in many areas. Sand onion is generally grown by sowing seeds, so how do you select the seeds? And how do you raise the seedlings? Let's find out below.

How do you select sand onion seeds?

Sand onion is generally planted from April to August each year. At present, the seed price of artificially grown sand onion is relatively expensive, so when buying seeds you must buy from a legitimate source to avoid being cheated.

The quality of sand onion seeds mainly depends on the time of seed collection and the selection method. Pick the seeds when all the petals have turned yellow and the neck has dried, and the seeds will be basically plump. Thousand-grain weight is an important indicator of seed plumpness, and there is also purity; the amount of impurities is inversely proportional to the price. When buying sand onion seeds, seeds that are generally plump, glossy, heavy and free of wormholes are high-quality seeds.

What are the seedling raising methods for sand onion?

1. Seed sowing

Before planting, the planting plot needs to be disinfected and plowed. The seeds need to be pre-germinated and disinfected; pre-germination generally uses the method of soaking the seeds. The sowing method is generally hole sowing, placing two to three seeds per hole, then covering with soil and watering. Generally, sand onion can sprout in about ten days.

2. Fertilization management

Although sand onion has a strong tolerance for poor soil, during the vigorous growth period of domesticated cultivated sand onion the nutrient demand is large. Apply a certain amount of chemical fertilizer or organic fertilizer together with watering. According to several years of experiments, the appropriate fertilization rate is 10-15 grams of urea per sq m each time, 10-20 grams of compound fertilizer per sq m, and 0.5-1 kg of decomposed sheep manure per sq m.

3. Watering management

In the greenhouse, water once every 10-15 days in summer and once every 15-20 days in winter, watering until the sandy soil is fully penetrated. In winter, the amount of water should not be too large, otherwise it will cause water accumulation in the root layer, reduce the air permeability of the sandy soil, and cause sand onion root rot and death.

4. Pest control

After several years of observation, no stem and leaf pests have been found so far. In the experimental plot, underground pests were found, mainly root maggots and small cutworm larvae, but the harm to sand onion is not serious, and insecticides such as phoxim can be used for control.

The above is an introduction to sand onion. The former wild grass has now become a treasure. At present, the areas in China where more sand onion is planted are mainly Inner Mongolia and Liaoning, among others. Sand onion has a very short fresh-keeping time, generally 5-8 days, so this is one of the reasons why sand onion is rarely available in cities, and it is also the main reason for the high price of sand onion.

For wonderful pictures and texts and popular comments about sand onion, you may be interested in the following recommended content from Nongxun Network. Welcome to read.

Agricultural products you may be interested in: high-quality sand onion seeds supplied nationwide