When to plant Chinese onion? Detailed timing and methods

Many people today may not know Chinese onion (Allium chinense), but for our parents' generation, it was a delicacy in their lives, and it could be seen everywhere in the countryside, both cultivated and wild. Digging Chinese onion back then was also a childhood joy. Nowadays Chinese onion is mainly used for pickling as a pickled vegetable, and it tastes very good, 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 you the planting time of Chinese onion and its planting methods; those who like it 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, there will be certain defects in the planting quality, leading to poor yield and quality in the next year's planting. So we generally control 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 be no standing water in the field. When preparing the land, we should level the soil, fill in hollows with soil, and dig trenches in the middle at a spacing of 1.5 to 2 m, which is good for drainage and water flow and also makes later management more convenient. Finally, sufficient base fertilizer should be applied, evenly spreading 2,000 jin of livestock manure per mu.

2. Reasonable dense 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 spacing of 15 to 20 cm per row, 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 up at a spacing of 10 cm per plant, and cover the seeds with thin 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 once the Chinese onion breaks through the soil, the film must be uncovered immediately, otherwise the seedlings will be scorched. After one week, observe whether there are missing seedlings in the field. If there are, then timely replanting is needed to ensure a full stand. 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 means 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. For weeds in the field during the seedling stage, the method of intertillage and weeding can be used, but once the Chinese onion has grown 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 around 70%.

4. Pest and disease control

Because Chinese onion also has certain similarities to scallion, it is basically the same in terms of pests and diseases. The main diseases are downy mildew and purple blotch, while the main pests are thrips and leafminers. Its diseases mostly occur in summer during high-temperature and rainy periods, and can be controlled by clearing debris in the field 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.