Workout

What is chives. Planting and care how to grow from seeds on the windowsill. Chives: planting, care, cultivation

Schnitt - onion is a perennial frost-resistant plant. Schnitt - onion has other names - chives (cut off a feather) and onion - skoroda (soon to be born). It has beautiful red-violet inflorescences and dense foliage, small subulate tubular thin leaves with a diameter of 3-4 mm and a length of 30-35 cm, tender and tasty. Bulbs are very small. The onion grows early in the spring, strongly branches. In the first year, a bush is formed from 3-4, and in the second year - from 20 plants. It reproduces vegetatively by dividing the bush and seeds. It grows in one place for 4-5 years. Schnitt - onions are grown in order to get a green feather, periodically cut from early spring to late autumn. It differs from other types of onions in the rapid growth of the feather.

Green feathers are cut at a young age, when they reach a height of 20-25 cm, and new ones grow after 7-10 days. Sowing chives in the garden, and for the winter - on the windowsill allows you to have tasty and healthy green onions for a whole year.

Pre-sowing preparation

Seeds for seedlings are sown before winter or early spring (in March). In both cases, 10-16 seeds are sown per hole. The holes are located in a row every 20-25 cm, and the rows - every 25-30 cm. Seeds are planted to a depth of 0.5 - 1 cm.

Seedlings should be fed twice with a solution, 1 liter of which contains 1 g of ammonium nitrate and potassium chloride and 1.5 g of superphosphate. Seedlings are watered after 1-3 days.

Landing

Chives - onions are propagated by seeds that are sown in the ground in early spring or before winter, and by dividing perennial bushes into small sods containing eight to ten shoots with bulbous thickenings and roots.

Parts of the bush are planted at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other in a row and 30-50 cm between rows. When planting, the upper part of the feathers and the roots are cut off 1/3. The best planting time is early spring or late August.

The holes prepared for planting are watered with water at the rate of 0.5 - 1 l per hole, then chives plants are planted in them - onions not lower than the level at which they were before the division of the bushes. The plants are lightly pressed, and then sprinkled with soil. After planting, they are watered 1-2 times a week (10 l / m²).

When propagating onions with seeds, they are sown in grooves to a depth of 2 cm at the rate of 1-1.5 g / m². After sowing, it is better to mulch the rows with peat or humus. To make the seeds sprout faster, they can be pre-soaked in running water for 18-24 hours. Then they are slightly dried and sown.

cultivation

Care for chives is the same as for other onion pitchforks (weeding, watering, top dressing, as well as loosening row spacing at least 8-10 times during the growing season). A layer of soil 5-6 cm thick should always be loose, then moisture is better preserved, and plants grow faster.

The seed plants are also fed 2 times: the first time in the spring, as soon as the seedlings appear, with the same composition as the seedlings, the second time before flowering. If the plantings are covered with plastic wrap, then the harvest of green onions can be obtained 7-10 days earlier.

During the growth period, young plants need nitrogen and potassium fertilizers, which are applied in the phase of two to three true leaves at the rate of 10 g of each per 1 m².

Top dressing is best done after rain or watering. You can combine it with irrigation by dissolving fertilizers in 10 liters of water. After fertilizing, the area is watered again with clean water.

Leaves for eating are cut off in the second year of plant life (from May 10-15 to September 15). Leaves are not cut from plants left to seed. Areas reserved for cutting leaves need to be watered more often. This contributes to the formation of tender, juicy leaves and thickening of plants.

If you want to have green onions on your table every day, plant eleven rows of chives in the garden (the length of the row should correspond to the one-day needs of the family).

Upon reaching a height of 20-25 cm, cut off the feather in the first row, the next day - in the second, etc. The eleventh row is not touched, leaving it for seeds. After 10 days, the onions in the first row can be cut again. Learn a continuous conveyor.

In early spring (early March), the overwintered onion bed is lightly sprinkled with peat so that the snow melts faster, and covered with a film, which will speed up the growth of the feather by 2-3 weeks.

After 4-5 years, chives - onions are transplanted to a new place in the fall by dividing the bushes. This is a convenient way to propagate chives. If this is not possible, then the seeds are sown before winter or in early spring (in March) for seedlings.

Schnitt greens - onions can be grown at home in late autumn and throughout the winter. To do this, turf 8-10 cm thick from perennial plants, with the onset of cooling in October - November, is transferred to heated greenhouses, placed tightly to each other and watered.

In such conditions, the leaves begin to grow relatively quickly. Small sods 5-6 cm thick can be planted in ceramic pots, watered and placed on the windowsill. As the leaves grow, they are cut off. Green chives - onions are very tender, juicy and fragrant. It is used as a seasoning for soups, filling for pies, served with meat and fish.

Harvest

At the end of June - July, when the testicles turn brown, they are cut and dried, spread on linen or paper, and then threshed and aired.

In September (but later than the beginning of October), a feather is cut off on a seed row, the plants are dug up and dividing the bushes, the roots are cut by 1/3, planted in boxes for growing green feathers in winter on the windowsill.

The feather is cut to frost. When frost occurs, the entire onion is cut off so that it does not interfere with earlier regrowth in the spring.

Nutritional value, chemical composition

Chives leaves - onions are high in vitamin C, carotene, carbohydrates, sugar, proteins, phytoncides, they contain up to 18% of dry matter. In terms of nutritional and dietary value, this onion surpasses all other types - onions.

Schnitt - onion is used as an antihelminthic and strong antiscorbutic agent, it is successfully used in the fight against atherosclerosis.

There is no consensus about which country is the birthplace of chives - China, Eastern Siberia or Northern Mongolia. In any case, this culture is ubiquitous today. There are two varieties of plants - Alpine and Siberian. Our culture is known by several names. Someone calls her "rezun", others - "chisel". But still the most popular name is chives. Next, we will talk about the features of growing this plant.

This culture belongs to perennials. Its narrow awl-shaped leaves can grow up to 45 cm long. The bulb, which has an elongated shape, smoothly passes into the stem. Several bulbs in a bush fit snugly together. The first outlet is strongly branching, and the second, on the contrary, branches weakly, but the leaves on it are larger. In the lower part of the shoot of an adult seedling there is a thickening up to 0.9 cm in diameter, covered with dry scales.

This onion is known for its frost resistance. He is able to survive even at very low temperatures, characteristic of the Far North. Upon the arrival of spring, the bulb wakes up, and this happens quite early. Young seedlings can withstand frosts down to -3..-5 degrees. In one place, the culture can successfully produce greens for 8-9 years. However, it is recommended to repot the plant every three years, as in subsequent years, there is a decrease in yield and quality. Seeds appear only in the second year after planting.

This onion variety has been grown and used for a very long time. Unlike other countries, we plant it in small volumes. Although this plant has many useful properties. In particular, it is valued for its complete chemical composition. Chives are rich in proteins, which in turn contain substances such as methionine, lysine, tryptophan, histidine, and arginine. In addition to proteins, greens contain various sugars, mineral salts, zinc, manganese, iron, carotene, boron and vitamin C. Like other types of onions, phytoncides are contained here, which play an important role in the treatment and prevention of various colds. But this is not limited to its use in medicine. So, the culture is part of the medical nutrition, which is prescribed for diseases of the gallbladder and kidneys.

This plant thrives in our climate. In particular, it can easily overwinter in open soil. Moreover, the older the culture, the lower the temperature it can withstand. So, if young sprouts feel good with frosts down to -3 degrees, then adult seedlings can withstand twice as low temperatures. It is thanks to these properties that the fresh greenery of the plant can be removed from the beds even at the end of autumn.

If you want to grow chives greens in a short time, then first of all you need to cut off the leaves on which arrows with seeds have already formed, then mineral fertilizers are applied to the soil at the planting site, then it must be loosened and watered. Without this, it is impossible to get a good harvest. If the culture is little or not watered at all, then the leaves will become rough and it will no longer be possible to use them in cooking.

It will be useful to make organic and mineral top dressing. This is best done when plowing the soil. This chives treats very well. He is also responsive to fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers in the spring. The best time for this is pre-sowing tillage. Any green onion is grown to produce green arrows, and chives are no exception. As for the bulbs of this plant, they are usually not used anywhere and are simply thrown away.

The culture has a great ability to branch, which can occur even in the first year after planting. Moreover, the older the plant, the more shoots it has. So, two-year-old seedlings have up to 25 branches, three-year-olds - up to 90, and older ones - 120-140 shoots. Due to such strong branching, the crops become dense, which makes it problematic to care for the plant. In addition, it negatively affects productivity. The problem is the leaves are getting smaller. Therefore, in one place the culture is grown for no more than 3 years.

All stems of one plant go to a short but massive root. But after the seeds ripen, the root system begins to update, i.e. old roots die and new ones appear. Thus, by the end of November, a powerful root stem is formed, largely due to which the plant winters without problems in open soil. As a result of branching and interweaving of the roots, a continuous turf is formed under the bush, thanks to which it is possible to separate the shoots from the main bush without any problems.

Chives: cultivation and care

culture propagation

Two types of propagation are mainly used - using seeds or dividing the bushes into parts. When using the first method, great attention should be paid to the soil. The fact is that the seeds of this onion are very small, smaller than those of the onion "brother". For this reason, his seedlings appear weak. Moreover, it is important to have time to protect them from weeds. After collecting the seeds, they remain viable for up to 2.5 years. Seeds are usually planted as early as possible, when the soil allows. They are planted in holes, between which they leave a small distance. In summer, you can plant seeds that have been recently harvested without prior preparation, but this option usually does not give good seedlings.

If you can grow chives in the open field before winter, then in winter this will require specially equipped greenhouses. In urban apartments, you can grow chives on the windowsill. To do this, a plant is planted indoors, which was dug out in the fall, after which the greens are cut off and the roots are leveled.

As for the second way of propagating a culture, namely, by dividing a bush, it is worth learning a few important rules:

So, do not store the bulbs for a long time after digging. they may start to rot. This is possible due to the defeat of some ailments, and in particular, rust, powdery mildew, mining moth and onion fly.
In addition, for planting, the soil must be prepared, namely, leveled and compacted.
In autumn, manure or peat compost is applied at the rate of no more than 55 tons per hectare. In addition, phosphorus and potassium salts are added to the soil at this time. At the onset of spring, the earth is "fed" with ammonium nitrate.
When the seedlings are planted, it must be watered, and throughout the summer, do not forget to periodically loosen the soil between the rows.

Chives: growing

Let's take a closer look at how to plant chives. The best period for planting seeds is considered to be the middle of spring. But before that time, they still need to be prepared. In order for them to germinate faster, they are soaked for a day. During this time, the water is changed three times. The seeds that flared up during the first soaking are considered empty. So they just get thrown away. When soaking, planting material should occupy only a third of the container. The rest of the volume is filled with water. Then the seeds must be thoroughly mixed with water, after which they should be allowed to settle. After a day, they are dried and planted in place in the soil, which must also be prepared. The depth of planting seeds is about 2 cm.

If you do not prepare the soil, then it is hardly worth waiting for a good harvest. Preparatory measures, in particular, include loosening the earth to a depth of 0.5 cm. This cuts the weeds. However, usually after such a procedure, weeds sprout again after a while. Therefore, loosening is repeated.

After about a couple of weeks, the land is plowed. If by this time the weeds have grown strongly, then the soil is cultivated. In early spring, before planting the seeds, water retention work is carried out. This will allow you to get rid of weed shoots, as well as create conditions for uniform seed placement.

Before sowing, the soil should be compacted and leveled. There are several suitable times for sowing seeds throughout the year. So, this can be done in the spring, when the snow melts, in the middle of summer, and also at the end of autumn. Plant seeds in holes arranged in 1 row. There should be at least 25 cm between the holes, and at least 40 cm between adjacent rows. Annual plants can be planted in rows with a distance of at least 35 cm between them. The same goes for biennial plants. For perennials, this distance can be increased to 50 cm.

For forcing into greens, this onion is stored in a non-damp cellar at a temperature not higher than +1 degree. If the temperature regime is violated, the greens will begin to grow ahead of time, which is why rot appears on the bulbs. For the normal development of the root system, the soil layer must be at least 20 cm. Forcing can be successful both in an apartment on a windowsill and in a greenhouse. In either version, it usually starts in December. Annual plants are not suitable for forcing, only two- and three-year-old varieties. When forcing the bulbs are planted close to each other. Thanks to this, on one sq.m. you can grow up to 8 kg of greenery. After planting, do not forget about watering - the water should have a temperature of about +30 degrees.

chives: care

On heavy soils, when it rains, a soil crust forms on the surface, which interferes with the emergence of onions. For this reason, it is recommended to mulch the earth. For this purpose, sawdust, needles, humus or peat are suitable. Alternatively, you can just loosen it between the rows in time. In general, timely loosening of the soil is, one might say, the basic rule for caring for crops and plantings. In addition, care includes weeding, watering and fertilizing. During the first year after planting, crops need to be thinned out.

When sowing seeds, the harvest usually begins to be harvested only from the second year. If the onion was planted vegetatively, then the leaves are collected selectively at the end of May. Care includes loosening the soil between rows, cutting arrows, and weed control. In addition, it is recommended to remove dead leaves in early spring. It is best to loosen and water after each cut of the shoots. This is usually done twice per season. In addition, mineral and organic fertilizers are applied. Moreover, it is recommended to alternate the introduction of both.

No matter how the crop is grown, it needs abundant watering. Unlike other types of onions, chives grow in a relatively short period of time. The timing of their maturation is highly dependent on the temperature regime. In particular, at a temperature of +21 degrees and above, fresh greens can be cut in a couple of weeks. It should be noted that the use of chives is not limited to the use of greens during cooking. After all, it is still used as an ornamental plant that can decorate beds and flower beds. This is possible due to the fact that the seedlings have beautiful inflorescences in the form of a round rosette. Moreover, they look good both in the form of individual plants and as part of garden compositions in a group with other undersized plants. The inflorescences are great for use in winter bouquets. After all, their color after drying practically does not change. In addition, the flowers of this onion have a lot of nectar, which makes it an excellent honey plant.

» Onion varieties

Benefits and beauty are a rare combination for garden crops. Chives have these qualities. He is a pantry of vitamins and is able to turn an ordinary garden bed into an elegant flower bed.

Schnitt onions are not afraid of frost, are not whimsical in care, grow quickly and are very pleasant to the taste.. That is why on personal plots you can often see thin onion feathers, decorated with lilac and pink “balls” flowers.

Spicy onion Schnitt is a multinational plant. He knows how to adapt to different climatic conditions. He is loved in the central and southern regions of Russia, in Siberia and the Far East.

Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia, Italy and Portugal, America, India, Germany - everywhere a smart bow feels like at home. It has many names: chisel, skoroda, winter or English onion, tribulka and sibulet.

In the wild, it grows in flood meadows, in river valleys, on poor and moist, sandy, loamy and comestine soils.

Description

Onions of the Schnitt variety have thin, awl-shaped feathers, a juicy emerald green color with a slight wax coating. The length of the pen is up to 15 cm. The bulb is small, oblong, not suitable for food. Roots filiform, white. Seeds are small, black. It differs from ordinary onions in the following parameters:

early growing season;
lack of typical bulbs;
unusual bloom;
pleasant and unobtrusive taste.

Bloom

Flowering onion Schnitt is original. It starts in May and continues throughout the summer. Inflorescences in the shape of a ball are formed on the arrows. The balls consist of many umbrellas in which seeds are hidden. The color of umbrellas can be all shades of purple, lilac and pink. Often Schnitt onions are used in landscape design. He is able to decorate borders, alpine slides and flower beds.

Beneficial features

Schnitt feathers not only taste good, but also have beneficial properties, taking care of human health. They include a group of vitamins, trace elements and amino acids: vitamin C and B, iron, calcium, carotene and proteins.

Among other things Schnitt helps control garden pests, drives away onion and carrot flies, kills fungal spores affecting roses, fruit trees and gooseberries. With its flowering, it attracts bees, which collect nectar from its sweet umbrellas.

cooking

Young juicy feathers that have not reached flowering are suitable for food. Salads are prepared from them, they are added to the first and second courses, used for filling pies, and of course, Russian okroshka with chisel is always tasty and fragrant.

Schnitt is attractive because it lacks the typical onion aroma and harsh aftertaste. Often this miracle onion can be found in French and Italian cuisine.

Onion flowers are edible and have a mild, delicate flavor. They are ideal for fancy soups and salads, for fish dishes and cheese sauces.

cultivation

Onion variety Schnitt is grown in three traditional ways:

sown with seeds.
planted seedlings.
grown by dividing the plant.

The onion grows quickly and the easiest method of growing is by dividing.

seedlings

You can grow onions for seedlings from seeds at home. The best sowing time is March. This will require:

fill the container earth;
shed priming;
sow seeds;
slightly sand;
container cover with foil and put in a dark place;
ventilate daily and moisturize with a spray bottle;
when sprouts appear remove the film and place the container on a sunny windowsill.

Landing in the ridges is carried out at the end of April. Fertilize the earth with compost, dig up, remove weed rhizomes. The depth of the planting holes is 1.5 cm, the row spacing is 20 cm. 3-4 plants are planted in each hole. Water when the soil dries out.

With the seedling method of growing, already in the current season it will be possible to taste juicy greens.

seeds

Onion seeds are small and have a low germination rate. To work with them, you can use the method of sticking on paper tapes.(starch paste is applied to toilet paper and the seeds are densely placed).

dig up the earth, loosen;
do fine grooves 0.3 cm for a width of 20 cm;
spill water, you can add complex fertilizer;
sow thick seeds;
sprinkle grooves;
slightly compact the soil;
carry out mulching sawdust, old newspapers, wood decay;
water as needed.

The density of shoots is thinned out after the roots get stronger. Excess plants are not thrown away, but planted in another place, for example, in a flower bed.

When sowing onion Schnitt with seeds, it is advisable to let it get stronger and do not pluck it on a feather in the first year.

By dividing the bush

Rezanets grows quickly and takes root without problems. You can divide onions in spring or in September. It's not hard to do this:

dig up the plant and divide into parts 8-10 roots in each.
prepare holes and spill water
plant vertically to a depth of approximately 3.5 cm. 30 plants can be planted per 1 sq.m;
after landing compact the soil;
spend active watering.

Thus, in 2-3 years, you can grow a large number of onion shoots.

Landing before winter

Onions can be sown before winter, by analogy with spring sowing, make ridges with sandy and drainage soil. Sowing is carried out in late September, early October. Do not pre-soak the seeds.

After sowing, water the bed and mulch it by 1 cm. Cover the bed with foliage, spruce branches and rags. After the snow falls, make a snow blanket. Thus, the seeds will harden and show friendly shoots in the spring.

If desired, you can division of mother plants and plant "babies" in a new place in the month of September. In this case, cut off the old pen to the neck. In a month, the plant will give young roots, and at the first frost, it is advisable to cover the bed with transplanted onions with spruce branches, foliage and woven material.

Watering and lighting

The cutter is not demanding to care. The main thing is to water it abundantly in dry times, he loves moisture. The rest of the rules of care are elementary: loosen, fertilize, remove weeds, and when thickened, thin out and plant out.

It is desirable to water with settled water, with the absence of chlorine. As for the sun, the Schnitt variety can grow in partial shade and in the sun.

top dressing

It is often not necessary to fertilize under the chisel. Enough 1 time per season, in July. Fertilizers can be organic(infusion of mullein, bird droppings) or industrial preparations based on minerals, phosphorus and potassium salts.

Diseases and pests

Chives have a strong immunity to diseases and pests, and yet it sometimes happens that they can get sick.

Disease prevention

In order to protect the future harvest from "evil spirits" you need to properly care for the plants. To carry out loosening of row-spacings, weeding of the soil on the ridges, to apply biological, potash and phosphorus fertilizers. Do not overdry or overwater the soil. Inspect the onion for the appearance of primary signs of the disease.

Harvest

Schnitt is an unusual onion and its harvest in the fall is not harvested in the form of bulbs. There are many other ways to save the harvest. Onion feathers are frozen, dried, pickled. It can be dug up and transplanted for the winter into a flower container at home, where it will grow all winter.

You can cover the ridge with a film and feast on fresh and tender greens before the onset of severe frosts. Onion seeds can also be collected for storage. They are dried and added to dishes. Do not forget about onion flowers - they can also be dried, pickled or frozen.

As you can see chives have no negative characteristics. A beautiful, tasty, non-capricious, early onion chisel seems to be created in order to satisfy all the wishes of gardeners with its presence in the beds.

We know almost everything about the value of vegetables that are constantly present on our table, but we don’t even know that the most commonly used of them can be replaced by expensive cosmetics. Here we will talk about the bow, how to use it to improve the condition of the hair.

What is useful bow for hair

Juice helps to accelerate growth, restore bulbs, strengthen hair. All because of the presence of microelements and vitamins in it, which are simply indispensable for hair nutrition. It suffices to name just a few of them:

potassium and calcium;
magnesium and iron;
phosphorus and sodium;
maltose and fructose;
protein and sucrose;
vitamins PP, C, B, D, E.

The composition of the onion contains burning substances, which, irritating the hair follicles, stimulating them, make the hair grow faster. Therefore, using a bow it is possible to solve such problems as:

dandruff;
baldness;
increased oiliness and dryness of hair.

How to get rid of onion smell

Along with the obvious benefits of using onions, there is one, but a very large minus - this is a persistent and very unpleasant odor. Because of this feature, many people refuse such an effective method of hair treatment.

Preventive measures

This problem is also solvable, you just need to follow some rules:

strain the juice very carefully so that not a single particle of pulp gets on the hair;
supplement masks with lemon juice, banana pulp, you can drop a little cognac or 5 drops of lavender, rosemary, lemon, orange, tea tree essential oils;
Rinse the onions from your hair with lukewarm water, and when rinsing, add a little apple cider vinegar to the water.

Special masks

If even after the precautions taken, the smell remains, the following masks will help:

We heat kefir and dilute a little henna in it, add 1 tsp. dry mustard and drops of 7 essential oils. Distribute the mixture through the hair, leave for 1 hour and rinse.
We take 1 large spoon of honey, 2 yolks, 5 drops of essential oil, mix and apply to the hair. Wash off after an hour.
Dilute 1 tablespoon of henna in hot water, mix, leave for 15 minutes. After applying to the hair, leave for 20 minutes and rinse.
We mix honey, rye bread pulp, a little lemon juice and a few drops of aromatic oil. Apply immediately after washing off the healing mask from the onion.

Several recipes for onion masks

For the preparation of masks, onion juice, husks and green feathers are used. To obtain juice, the onion is grated, placed in a blender, turned into gruel, then squeezed.

Firming green onion mask

If you often dye your hair, and even do a perm, then soon a hard hair will form on your head, which is difficult to comb and cannot be styled. An ordinary green onion will come to the rescue:

my feathers, finely chop;
pass through a blender to form a thin slurry;
apply a mask to the roots;
wrap with polyethylene and a towel;
wash off after an hour.

Onion and garlic hair mask

This mask is very effective for baldness. A mixture of onion and garlic juices has a beneficial effect on damaged follicles, restores them. After completing the full course, you can return your once thick hair. We prepare the mask as follows:

we take 40 g of onion and garlic juice, 1 yolk, 20 g of burdock oil and cognac;
mix all the ingredients;
put on the head;
hold for 0.5 hours, wash off.

Onion and kefir against hair loss

The mask is also good because it does not have a characteristic onion smell due to the presence of sulfur in the essential oils present in onions. We prepare the kefir-onion mixture as follows:

measure out 1 part of onion juice and kefir, add 1 yolk;
mix;
lubricate the head;
withstand 0.5 hours;
Rinse off without using shampoo.

Onions with honey

For intense hair loss, use an onion juice mask in combination with honey. It is suitable for everyone, except for those who are allergic to the second component. So, the preparation of the mask:

take 4 teaspoons of onion juice and 1 tsp. honey;
mix everything and apply on the head;
let stand 0.5 hours and wash off without using shampoo.

onion peel

Onion peel is an effective remedy for strengthening hair of any type. After such a mask, the hairstyle becomes lush, voluminous. So:

take 25 g of onion peel;
we insist 1 hour;
filter, add the same amount of honey, 50 g of burdock oil and 3 tablespoons of boiling water;
put on the head;
stand for 20 minutes;
wash off.

mix 2 tablespoons of vodka, a large spoonful of onion juice, 2 tablespoons of burdock oil, if the hair is dry;
apply to the roots, warm with a hat, hold for 30 minutes;
wash off with warm water shampoo.

Without any fear, use onions to prepare healing hair masks and always be beautiful.

Today I want to continue talking about the large onion family. In previous articles, we examined the issues of growing onions from and from

Onions are an annual crop, but among the onion family there are also perennial onions, such as: chives, slime onions, multi-tiered onions.

I have been growing all these onions for several years now and I am very pleased with them, as they are tasty, can grow all year round, are unpretentious and very useful.

They, as soon as the snow melts, rush into growth and give us the first vitamin greens.

In this article, we will talk about soft and delicate in taste, which feels great both in the country house and in a city apartment. And it looks no worse than flowers, but it is still edible and useful.

Thin, tubular, awl-shaped feathery leaves taste very tender and less pungent than onions.

chives it has a high yield due to its ability to grow very quickly: from one bulb planted in spring, a rather voluminous bush already grows by autumn.

This bow is capable of producing up to 50-70 shoots the next year after planting, that is, increasing its mass by 50 or more times!

The length of the leaves of an adult schnitt reaches 35-40 cm, and each shoot produces 4-6 leaves.

Although chives can grow up to 8-10 years, nevertheless, a better crop is obtained from plants grown for no more than 4 years, since in the future it becomes smaller and begins to shoot massively.

The plant is cold- and drought-resistant, can winter in open ground, and endure late frosts down to minus 3-4 degrees in spring.

Chives are very useful in the garden, as they have insecticidal properties that repel aphids, earth fleas on tomatoes, cabbage and flower plants.

Also, by planting chives near carrots, we can protect them from the carrot fly. Planting chives successfully prevent the appearance of fungal diseases on fruit and ornamental trees and shrubs.

Chives, like any other early greens, are very useful for spring beriberi, for general strengthening of the immune system. It is also good to use for the prevention of diseases of the liver, kidneys, gallbladder.

It is also useful for people who have suffered a myocardial infarction and those who suffer from diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Chives are also an excellent honey plant that is often grown for ornamental purposes, such as a wonderful border plant for a garden path or flower bed.

It begins to bloom in May and pleases us with its lilac flowers for a very long time.

Site selection and garden preparation

Although chives are undemanding to the soil, they are best planted on fertile, slightly acidic, moderately moist soil. In this case, it will grow well for several years in one place.

Try to prepare a bed for onions in advance, since autumn, in a well-lit place.

Chives are advised to plant after crops such as cucumbers or potatoes.

Since autumn, we have been adding organic and mineral fertilizers for digging at the rate of 1 sq.m - 4-6 kg of manure, 2-3 kg of humus, 20-30 g of superphosphate and 15-20 g of potassium salt.

And if the soil is too acidic, then add another 250-450 g of lime. In the spring, before planting, it is necessary to add another 15-20 g of nitrogen fertilizer (ammonium nitrate).

Propagation of chives

There are several ways to propagate chives: firstly, if you already have it growing, then by dividing 2-4-year-old bushes; secondly - seeds.

It is best to divide the bushes in the spring or at the end of August.

We dig up a chives bush and shorten the leaves to 15 cm, the roots to 5-8 cm. Then we divide it into parts so that each has at least 2-6 bulbs.

Sods are planted at a distance of 20 cm from each other, and between rows - 30-60 cm and watered well.

With the second method of propagating chives, we can sow the seeds in early spring (late April-early May) directly on the garden bed or in seedling boxes.

We pre-soak the seeds for two days in warm water, then dry them and sow them in grooves to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. We make the distance between the grooves about 45 cm.

Seedlings appear in about two to three weeks. After the emergence of seedlings, we thin out the plantings.

If you grow chives in seedlings, then at about 50-60 days of age, seedlings must be planted in open ground.

Seeds can also be sown before winter, in which case we do not soak them and sow them dry, and we must mulch the rows with peat or humus.

Care and feeding

The main care for planting chives is timely loosening, weeding, fertilizing and watering.

Weeding does not take much time, as the chives grow very quickly and completely drown out the weeds.

But you need to water it well so that the feathers stay green and juicy longer.

Also, it is desirable to feed onions 2-3 times per season. In the spring, in the phase of 2-3 true leaves, we feed the plants with mineral fertilizers from the following calculation: per 1 sq. m - 10-15 g of ammonium nitrate and superphosphate, 8-10 g of potassium chloride.

You can add some mineral fertilizers to the solution. If you want to get greens early, then in early spring, before the soil thaws, cover the bed with a film and you will get vitamin greens 12-15 days earlier than usual.

In addition, the leaves will be much longer and much more tender.

I also want to draw your attention to the fact that in the process of growing chives bushes, bulbs may be exposed. They must be periodically sprinkled with humus.

Cleaning and storage

The young leaves are most often used as food in chives. They can be cut partially or completely 2-3 times a season before the arrows appear.

However, at a young age, the arrows are still tender and very juicy, and if they are cut early, along with the leaves, the quality of the product does not deteriorate.

Plants can also be harvested by separating some of the bulbs with green leaves from the bush. The rest of the bush will need to be fed.

Young greens can be dried and stored in airtight jars. It can also be salted for the winter or frozen.

Cut leaves can be stored for 10-15 days in the refrigerator in tightly sealed plastic bags.

In order for the plant to overwinter well, it is better to stop collecting leaves in the second half of summer, since chives need to accumulate reserve nutrients.

In late autumn, dead leaves must be removed so that pests do not overwinter in them.

Forcing chives

Chives are good for winter forcing. To do this, in October we dig up 2-3-year-old plants, then cut off the leaves on them and transplant them with a large clod of earth into large flower pots or other containers.

Since chives require a dormant period, with the onset of frost we transfer it to the basement, where we store it at a temperature of 0 ... -1 degrees.

In winter, we bring the containers into a warm room and water regularly. After 25-30 days, it will be possible to cut the green leaves for food.

If you do not have a basement, then dug out sods can be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of 0 ... + 4 degrees, and in winter they can already be planted in containers and placed on the windowsill.

In home warmth, with good lighting, chives will intensely produce fresh greens all winter.

And it will be very pleasant for us to watch (while there is frost and snow outside the window) how quickly it grows and stretches upward.

That, perhaps, is all that I wanted to tell you about chives, and if such a wonderful onion does not yet grow on your site, then I advise you to definitely plant it, you will not regret it.

See you soon, dear readers!