Chalcedony onion

Chalcedony onions are widely known among summer residents. This healthy vegetable will be a godsend for beginners in vegetable growing, because it gives high yields and requires almost no care.

The described onion variety was bred back in the 80s, but it got into the State Register only in 1993. Development and selection were carried out in the Transnistrian Research Institute of Agriculture under the leadership of Khaisin and Vasilyeva. Today you can buy seed from such companies as Agrofirma Poisk and Sortsemovosch.

Chalcedony is a mid-season onion. This culture has several advantages at once:

• 100% ripeness of bulbs;
• trouble-free storage for 10 months;
• density of heads and good balanced taste;
• undemanding care;
• low susceptibility to disease;
• lack of response to temperature fluctuations, excellent drought resistance;
• the possibility of winter sowing.

The main disadvantage is the price of the set. This variety is not cheap. The bulbs are quite large, if the gardener loves miniature specimens, then you will have to choose a different variety. Chalcedony can also suffer from cervical rot.

The green mass of the plant can reach 16 centimeters in height, but there are also higher specimens. The feathers are even, straight, cavities are observed inside. The color of the feathers is emerald green, attractive, the walls are quite thick. The feather is characterized by increased juiciness.

The bulbs are even, beautiful, marketable in appearance. They are round or oval. The average weight is 88-134 grams, there are also copies of 150 grams. The sizes of the heads are large, the diameter is about 12 centimeters. Dry scales are colored brown, cast beautifully with bronze. Juicy pulp is represented by a white color scheme. The heads are single- and three-pronged. 1-3 bulbs are formed in one nest.

Chalcedony is characterized by a pungent but not particularly pungent taste. It also has sweetish notes. You can eat both feathers and turnips. Fresh onions are in great demand as they contain a huge amount of nutrients. It is put in salads, first and second courses, used as a seasoning for baking and stewing food. Due to its high commercial qualities, Chalcedony is grown on an industrial scale.

Chalcedony is a mid-season onion. When it rises, you will need to wait about 110-120 days, and you can harvest. Massively feathers fall on 115-125 days from the beginning of germination.

Good care ensures the collection of onions in the amount of 7 kilograms or more per square meter. The output per hectare is 202-630 centners. After ripening, the onion ripens 100%. The assembled heads should be stored in a dark room, where the temperature is from 2 to 5 degrees Celsius, and the humidity does not exceed 70%.

Chalcedony is especially common in the Lower Volga and North Caucasian regions. However, it grows with excellent success in the Central region. In addition, summer residents of Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova are interested in the variety. The climate of the countries is quite suitable for the described onion culture.

Summer residents plant Chalcedony with seeds if they plan to grow onions as an annual crop for a turnip.In open ground, the grains can be sown in early April.

Also, the seeds can be used to obtain seedlings, then the heads will grow even larger. The material is planted for seedlings from February 25 to March 10. After April 15, the seedlings will be completely ready for transfer to unprotected soil.

Chalcedony can also be planted with sevka. When choosing a spring planting, the seedlings are placed in the substrate in the last days of March. If this is a sub-winter sowing in open ground, then the work should be completed by the second half of October. If you want to grow onions on a feather in a greenhouse, seedlings are planted at the end of the second autumn month.

Whichever method of growing onions is chosen, the plants should be cared for. In this case, special attention should be paid to watering. They should be regular, but the amount of fluid should be controlled. So, in late spring and in the first month of summer, Chalcedony is watered as soon as the soil dries out. If it rains frequently, you need to stop watering, since the variety is prone to neck rot. It is necessary to water the culture from a watering can, very carefully. Starting from July 15, watering is stopped, since at this time the active formation of heads begins.

It is quite possible to get large and even bulbs, if you do not forget about feeding. When the feathers grow up to 10 centimeters, you can feed the onion with a mullein diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 10. If there is no such product, it will be successfully replaced by mineral complexes for vegetable crops. After 21 days, a second top dressing is introduced, it will include:

• urea (20 grams);
• potash mixture (30 grams);
• superphosphate (40 grams).

The dosage values ​​are sufficient for one square meter.

The formation of a crust on the ground is very dangerous for Chalcedony, so you should regularly loosen the substrate. It is most convenient to do this on wet soil, penetrating the tool into the ground by a maximum of 3 centimeters. An additional point is the removal of weeds. They should be removed by hand, pulling out by the roots. It is impossible to wait until the weeds become large, because when they are pulled out of the ground, they will displace the onion. It is worth weeding the soil after watering. Loosening is carried out after weeding.

Chalcedony has very weak roots, so it is difficult for it to get food from the ground. For this reason, this variety should be planted in fertile soil. Loose and light weakly alkaline substrates are suitable, which are fertilized with organic matter in advance. The plant loves warm soil, so a couple of days before planting, the ground is covered with a film.

Onions of this variety need abundant lighting.It will grow in the shade, but it will be less tasty. Wind, draft are unacceptable. Chalcedony is one of the few varieties that germinate even in extremely low temperatures - +3 degrees. But it is still better to plant it when the indicators reach at least + 15 ° C. The plant tolerates drought very well, but during these periods it needs more frequent watering.

Despite the fact that Chalcedony does not belong to hybrids, it has excellent immunity by nature. Gardeners who water onions correctly, follow a feeding regime and choose a good place to grow can forget about diseases. If you water it incorrectly and plant it too thickly, then decay of the neck cannot be avoided. The diseased bow will only have to be dug up and destroyed.

The main pest, of course, will be the onion fly. You can fight it with tobacco broth. The onion moth is expelled with an infusion of potato or tomato tops. Carrots planted nearby will help scare off both insects, you can also plant calendula, mustard. The stem nematode disappears quickly after watering with saline. Usually 0.4 kg of salt is taken in a bucket of water.