April onion

Onions are grown in any summer cottage, because such greens are very useful for human health. When choosing a variety, gardeners often give preference to old varieties that have long been known in the field of gardening. For example, the April bow has been familiar to summer residents for almost 40 years.

An early batun Aprelsky was developed at the VNIIR experimental station in the Far East. Since 1974, its tests have started, and since 1981 the culture has been listed in the State Register.

Batun April belongs to salad onions. It blooms twice a season, since it is early. You can grow a plant in a multi-year cycle. The plant is resistant to cold weather and gives the first early harvests. The onion feathers of this variety are full of vitamins, the content of nutrients is increased. However, when a crop is grown as a perennial, after several seasons it begins to lose its qualities, degenerates, and releases many flower arrows.

The reel rosette has an upright configuration. The feathers are long, juicy, rather delicate. Young specimens are the thinnest; as they mature, the feather thickens. Feathers are painted in a dark green shade.

The bulbs are characterized by an elongated shape, they are reduced. They are very large in size, weighing 200-300 grams. Dry scales are colored dark yellow, juicy - white.

Batun Aprelsky has a semi-sharp taste, both feathers and the bulb itself. This onion is used mainly fresh, using feathers in pure form or adding to salads. Culture beautifully decorates the first and second courses, serves as an excellent seasoning and flavor enhancer, whet the appetite. And also it can be easily frozen for the winter.

April ripens early, at 102-142 days, but for some gardeners this happens even earlier.

Batun has excellent productivity. If you grow it for yourself, then you can collect 2-4 kilograms per square meter. The maximum amount is 6.7 kg. As for the cultivation for sale, the average indicators will be 100-181 centners / ha. In rare cases, the yield can rise to 31 tons per hectare.

April's feathers are very frost-resistant, they are not afraid of temperatures down to -10 degrees. This characteristic allows gardeners from any corner of the country to grow onions. Very often, such a culture is chosen by summer residents of the Urals and Siberia.

Most often, the batun is planted with seeds. Sowing begins at the end of April and can last until August. Despite the possibility of winter sowing, autumn seeds often die.

Sevok is planted in April or May, and seedlings are planted in March. According to gardeners, they use the seedling method least often.

Seeds will be planted in grooves, the distance between them should be about 20 centimeters. The gap between the seeds is 5 centimeters. For 1 square meter, 2 kg of seeds are taken if the onion is planned to be grown for perennials. Three kilograms will be needed for an annual crop. Sevok is planted according to the scheme of 20x30-40 centimeters. Fresh plantings can be covered with covering material if there is a risk of frost return.When sprouts appear, it will be necessary to thin them out so that the distance between them is at least 5-7 cm.

Irrigate the culture abundantly. In dry periods, this is done every other day, and if the weather is normal, a couple of times a week. After watering, attention is paid to loosening and weeding. As soon as the onion sprouts, you need to wait a week, and feed it with a mullein solution - a ratio of 1: 15. Then, 2-3 more treatments can be carried out during the season, dusting with wood ash will be enough.

It should be noted that April does not require fertile soils. But nevertheless, on nutritious soil, it gives large yields. Therefore, if possible, it is worth choosing light loam or sandy loam, black soil. To saturate the soil with useful substances, they dig it up in the fall, while adding mineral supplements.

April is a hardy onion. But a very young growth is afraid of the cold, so for the first time it is better to cover it. Batun prefers to grow in a sunny, open area. He doesn't like shadows. Drafts should also be avoided whenever possible.

Aprelsky is not affected by diseases, except in the most extreme cases. Of the pests, it attracts the onion fly and the lurking proboscis, which can be removed with insecticides. As a preventive measure against the appearance of an onion fly, gardeners combine onion plantings with carrots.

April onion has long established itself among vegetable growers. It is grown in different ways. Some summer residents sow with sevka, while others prefer the seed method. Judging by the reviews, winter forcing for feathers in greenhouses is also practiced. Summer residents are very pleased that the onions ripen early, and you can carry out several cuts per season. The fact that it grows as a perennial crop has become an added bonus for many, as time for transplanting is saved. The onion rises amicably and pleases with its immunity. Care, according to summer residents, is minimal and no different from caring for ordinary onions.

There is an April vegetable growers prefer fresh, although it can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a week. But many did not like dried onions of this variety.It loses its delicate semi-sharp taste, becomes less saturated, freshish.