Onion Exhibition: characteristics and description of the variety, cultivation with photo

When growing onions, every gardener dreams of getting a big harvest. Among the many varieties of this crop, Exhibition onion stands out, capable of producing a good harvest when using a minimum area. This is achieved due to the fact that the bulbs are large and weigh up to 800 grams. Onions are in demand in large families not only because of their size, but also because of their pleasant sweetish taste.

A little about the variety

Exhibition stands out among the best large-fruited varieties. Bulbs, depending on care, can weigh from 150 to 800 grams, so the yield is from one square meter to 4.5 kg.

It is a Dutch variety that is obtained from seeds. In the southern regions, it is sown in open ground. In the middle lane and in the north, it is recommended to first receive seedlings, and in the spring plant them in a permanent place of growth.

Description of the Exhibition onion variety and its characteristics are as follows:

Large heads of yellow bulbs with thin scales have a rounded elongated shape, thickened neck.
The onion inside is white, juicy and tender in texture, with a sweet taste without bitterness. It is best to eat fresh, adding to salads. Does not irritate eyes and nose when cutting butter.
The vegetative period is about 130 days. Onions remain fresh for about 3-4 months, then begin to grow greens.

Seeds are sown for seedlings because of the long period of development. Onions grow well in any soil. When growing seedlings, the bulbs are very large: they weigh from 500-800 grams. When sown with seeds, they grow much smaller - up to 150-300 grams.

Planting with seeds and seedlings

There are two ways to grow onions - seedlings and from seeds. The first method is the most popular, because it is a 100% guarantee of getting onions. Seedlings take root and develop well. The seeds do not all germinate well, and there is no exact guarantee that a bulb can be obtained from each grain.

Choosing the required area for the bow

A well-lit area is required for planting onions.

According to the advice of gardeners, attention should be paid to:

friability of the soil and its acidity, which should not be high, better neutral and moisture resistant;
the place should be warm, the ground can be both sandy and sandy.

Preparing the soil before planting

Before planting plants, it is necessary to prepare the soil. It is good if the soil consists of sod land, humus and mullein, preferably rotted. All additives must be mixed with a rake.

Thanks to this preparation, it will be possible to grow a good harvest.

Preparing the beds in the garden

In order for the planting to be correct, the garden bed should be prepared in the fall. It is recommended to dig it up, remove weed roots, debris.

With the onset of spring, the soil in the beds must be loosened with a hoe and a rake, then draw grooves, keeping a distance of 30 cm.

Preparing seedlings for planting in the ground

To grow Exhibition onions through seedlings, it is recommended to treat the seeds with a solution of potassium permanganate. The temperature of the liquid should be around 40 ° C, then the seeds should be slightly dried so that they do not stick to the hands and can be sprinkled.

You can soak for awakening in warm filtered water with aloe juice, then wrap them in damp gauze and hold for about 3-4 days. Planting seeds for seedlings is usually recommended in late February and early March.

Preparation of seeds before planting

Growing exhibition onions from seeds is considered the easiest way, however, it does not guarantee the germination of all seeds.

Before sowing the seeds, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work:

Soak for 3 hours in warm water, the temperature of which should be 25 ° C. The seeds are kept in a damp cloth for about 3-4 days to swell.
Disinfected with a solution of manganese. In a pink composition, heated to a temperature of 40 ° C, the seeds are immersed all night: for about 8 hours. Lightly dry.
In order for the seeds to be planted at the same distance, they must be glued to toilet paper, which is cut in the form of ribbons, glued with a specially prepared starch paste. A drop of glue is dripped onto the paper at a distance of 5-7 cm, a seed is placed in it. It is important to wait until the glue dries and the achene sticks.
Such tapes are laid in grooves and covered with a layer of light earth, the soil can be slightly mulched to better hold moisture.
To avoid the occurrence of fungal diseases, the soil must be treated with Fitosporin.

Ground landing

Planting in open ground of the resulting seed material is carried out in early May.For this, grooves are drawn at a distance of 30 cm. A segment of 20-25 cm is observed between the bulbs. Holes are made with the help of fingers. Exhibition onion heads are planted to a depth of 3 cm.

What conditions are needed?

Growing and further care of Exhibition onions will require the maintenance of certain rules. First you need to prepare a container, fill it with moist soil prepared in advance, draw shallow grooves at a distance of 2 cm from each other.

Put the seeds on top, sprinkle with earth about 1.5 cm. Then cover with glass or film, put in a warm place.

After the seedlings are 2 months old, it is necessary to start hardening it, for this the containers are taken out to the balcony or loggia. Gradually increase the hardening time: start from 5 minutes, bring to 30, depending on the weather outside and temperature.

Temperature

An important condition for growing onions is maintaining the correct temperature not lower than 20-25 °C. In the future, it is advisable to monitor the humidity of the earth, but it is better not to water, because thanks to the coating it will not be able to evaporate. It is recommended to shake the formed condensate on the film on the ground. Onions germinate in about 10-14 days.

Lighting

To achieve a good harvest, when seedlings emerge, seedling boxes should be moved to a well-lit area. It is desirable that the temperature regime be observed. During the day it should not be lower than 17 ° C, and at night it is lowered to 15 ° C.

If the days are short, the seedlings must be illuminated, bringing the daylight hours to 12 hours to make it strong.

In addition, it is necessary to monitor the soil moisture, the ventilation of the room, for this, open the windows regularly, but avoid drafts.

Picking is not carried out, so it is possible to sow Exhibition onion seeds in separate cups of 2 seeds for the period of one season. Only one should grow, so a strong plant is chosen and the other is removed.

Care

After planting the seedlings or how the seeds will sprout, you need to create the right conditions for care.

It won't be difficult:

The soil must be mulched to maintain moisture. To do this, the beds are covered with straw, peat or moss.
Don't let the soil dry out. Carry out regular watering with settled water. At the end of July, watering is stopped so that the bulbs get stronger and are not loose. Since in this case the crop is poorly stored.
After watering, loosening between rows is recommended.
Be sure to fertilize Exhibition onions with fertilizers in open ground.
To prevent the onion feathers from falling off, they are fixed to a peg or cut to 10 cm.
So that the onion fly does not damage the onion, it is recommended to plant a bed with carrots nearby.

Feeding

You can count on a good harvest only by growing Exhibition onions with the necessary care. Do not forget about monthly top dressing, using potash, nitrogen, and phosphorus fertilizers when watering.

It is best to fertilize with complex mineral fertilizers. They are brought in every other day, with the expectation that 1 gram is diluted with 2 liters of water.

It is also important to keep the beds clean from the presence of weeds: they need to be removed during the loosening of the soil, which is best done after each watering.

It is important to remember: in July there is no need to feed the Exhibition onion with anything. The bulbs go into hibernation, and excessive feeding can only damage the crop.

Disease and pest control

Unfortunately, exhibition onions are also susceptible to diseases, as well as pest attacks. If diseased plants are found, it is advisable to immediately begin therapy.

Onions can be affected by the following diseases:

Rot. It is very difficult to recognize, only you can notice that the tops have turned yellow and lay on the ground. It extends right to the bottom. In the root part, the onion acquires a white coating. As a result, it stops growing and cannot be cured.

If there is a disease, the bulbs should be pulled out of the ground. Cut off the affected area and eat, they cannot be stored.

Smut. It is determined when gray stripes are found on onion leaves. The disease has a fungal nature, the disease is not treated.

When diseased plants are found, the affected onion feathers must be removed.

Grey rot. It affects the neck of the onion, has a fungal origin. Since the neck rots, the feathers do not receive nutrition, they begin to turn yellow.

These bulbs need to be pulled out, the disease is not cured.

Stem nematode. The reason is small worms living in the ground. Affected onion stalks acquire a light shade, then curl. The bulb itself begins to rot. There are special chemicals to fight this disease, but they are toxic, dangerous to use on plants when they are almost ripe and will soon need to be harvested. Sick bulbs are best removed.

Of the pests, the onion fly is the most dangerous. In addition to carrots, flowers with strong odors can be planted nearby, which will scare away pests and get rid of diseases.

These include:

calendula;
marigolds;
geranium;
petunia;
lavender;
nasturtium.

Wood ash protects well from pests, which is recommended to sprinkle beds with onions.

Onion harvesting

It is necessary to accurately determine the time of harvesting the onion Exhibition. A sign of maturation is the light tops, which means that the roots also began to dry out and the nutrition of the plants becomes worse. So, the time has come when the time has come to dig up the Exhibition onion from the beds. If this is not done in time, new roots will begin to grow, which will reduce the shelf life of the crop.

For onion harvesting, it is recommended to choose a dry sunny day, preferably with a slight breeze.Bulbs should be removed from the ground with a shovel or carefully pulled out. Lay out in rows on dry ground or cardboard, dry a little. Then it is recommended to dry it on the veranda, in a barn or other well-ventilated area.

As soon as the neck of the onion dries, it means that it is ready for winter storage. This will take about 14 days. Then it is necessary to sort the crop, reviewing each bulb, and select he althy ones for storage. Additionally sort by fruit size. If there is even a slight damage, the heads are set aside and consumed first.

Store onions in a dry place. It can be braided or knitted. When stored in boxes, it is recommended to sprinkle the heads with onion skins, which can be collected after drying and sorting the product.

Useful tips and reviews

Many people are interested in how to buy Exhibition onion sets. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get it, as it has a very short shelf life - only 4 months.

However, it is possible to grow a turnip for seeds if you manage to keep the bulb at least until February. It is best to place it in the refrigerator, in the vegetable section. Large onions deteriorate very quickly, so you need to set aside an onion weighing no more than 300 grams. And then:

When feathers appear, the bulb is planted in a small container not exceeding 2 liters. Instead of soil, a little sod land, river sand and sawdust, ash are taken.
The bulb is 2/3 immersed in the ground. Monitor soil moisture, lighting and temperature.
If the bulb is divided into three parts, then each is planted separately, the main thing is that they have roots. Planted in open ground in early May. Preferably away from other varieties of onions so that they do not pollinate.

Many people are also concerned about when it is better to harvest the Exhibition onion, for example, in Siberia it is mid-May, in the southern regions it may be April.

The variety is gaining popularity and value more and more. Basically, all the reviews about the Exhibition bow are only positive. The variety is especially appreciated by salad lovers. The product is large, juicy and sweet.