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How to grow onions using hydroponics. The technology of growing greens in hydroponics at home Growing in hydroponics onion sets fertilizer

For those not in the know, "Onion Happiness" is a brand of pseudo-hydroponic system that, according to the manufacturer's brochures, allows bulbs to be grown by forcing up to 1.5 kilograms of green onion feathers per month. Why is the system pseudo-hydroponic, the reader, inexperienced in this matter, will probably ask? It's simple: the hydroponic system involves the complete introduction of micro and macro elements into the nutrient solution in which the roots of the plant are located, and in this case ordinary settled water is poured into the pan, and the nutrients are stored in the body of the bulb at the time when it grew in the ground. So what is this marvel of commercial thought? Let's dwell on this in more detail. And it represents the following: a low tray into which water is poured, a lid-tray with recesses into which the bulbs are placed, a low-power aquarium compressor, an air duct and an air diffuser. The price of such a product both in stores and on the Internet is prohibitively high and averages more than 15 US dollars.
Upon closer examination, it turns out that such an installation can be made independently from available materials that are widely sold and it will cost at least half as much as buying it entirely. So let's get started. We go to the nearest pet store and buy the smallest aquarium compressor, not a pump with a filter, but a compressor.

We also buy a meter of silicone tube there, and 2 air spray stones. Next, we go to a flower shop or to the market and buy a tray for sprouting onions on a feather. The retail cost of such a tray is mere pennies - 1-1.5 dollars. Then everything is simple: in the lid of the tray we make a hole with a diameter of 6 millimeters (you can drill or melt it with a nail of the desired diameter heated on fire, and in extreme cases, dig it with a knife or scissors).

Then we pass a tube through this hole, from which we first cut off 2 pieces of 10 cm each. At the end of the tube, which will be immersed in water, we put on a tee with short tubes and sprayers put on the outlets. We put the opposite end of the tube on the compressor fitting. All. The installation is ready to go.

We install the structure on the windowsill, pour settled water into the pan, immerse the sprayers in water and cover with a tray. We put the bulbs in the cells of the tray and turn on the compressor in the network.

If the bulbs for distillation were chosen correctly (not rotten, with the beginnings of a feather and roots), then after 2 weeks you will be able to harvest your first green feather crop, but if the onion has not sprouted, then you will have to wait 21 days for the harvest. Of course, 1.5 kilograms of greenery will not be there, because the advertisers of Onion Happiness shamelessly exaggerated, and, nevertheless, it is much more profitable than buying such an installation or a ready-made green onion feather.

We buy an onion and begin the procedure for preparing it for distillation. For distillation, bulbs with a diameter of 3-4 cm are used. To do this, take an onion, peel off the husk on it and immerse it in a tank of water, the water temperature is 26-28 degrees. A tank equipped with a compressor and atomizer is switched on. This process is called - Bubbling. In order for the onion to wake up, it is bubbling for 6 to 12 hours. After that, we cut the neck of the bulb. Due to such an execution, the feather begins to grow much faster. Landing is best done in the Aeroponics System for 120 seats. Unique nozzles that spray the solution at 180°C allow the use of AERO technology in industrial practice. Dutch pot Aero is a very effective technology for those who want to achieve high yields of anything while covering the roots well. You can purchase this unit from our store. Warm water was previously poured into the tanks, a temperature of 25-26 degrees is quite suitable. The optimal pH for onions is 7-7.5. The best distillation solution is water. The operating temperature in the room is 25 degrees. To grow onions in hydroponics, take forcing varieties of onions (for example, Rostovsky local, Spasssky local, Strigunovsky, Arzamas local, Bessonovsky local, Soyuz, Timiryazevsky, Pogarsky local).

For forcing use bulbs with a diameter of 3-4 cm (with a cut neck). Or onion sets. Bulbs are planted on a substrate (gravel, expanded clay) close to each other in many heads, in a bridge way. The first 2-3 days the roots grow on the bulb. From day 4 to day 11, the feather tends to rise higher and higher. On the twelfth day, we turn on the light for three days to give the pen a rich green color. Mode 16 days 8 nights.

A little more about the world. From the moment the onion is planted in the system and until the feather germinates up to 10-15 centimeters, light is absolutely not needed. If the pen is already a decent size, then it’s time to light it up. Lighting can be both natural light and artificial. You can use lamps, with them the onion turns green in a very short time.

Economic part. will cost you 65.000 tr. Two sets of lighting (lamp, launcher, lamp) 11.000 tr. Every month, in such a room, you can grow about 200 kilograms of green onions or about 1500 standard bunches of green onions weighing about 100 grams and having a market price of 15 to 20 rubles.

water method

The plant is rooted using an organic substrate, such as moss or sawdust. Peat will also work. It is laid in a thin layer on the grid and lowered into the nutrient solution. In this state, the selected crop is grown. The roots germinate and enter the nutrient solution, from which they receive everything necessary for growth and development. This is the oldest and most common method, but it is not considered the best, since with it the plants do not receive enough air, so that the roots cannot be completely immersed in water, they must partially be above the solution.

Substrate method

With this method, the roots are placed in a thick layer of the substrate. It can be fine gravel, expanded clay, coarse sand, vermiculite, etc.

With this method, the irrigation system is slightly more complicated. They use drip irrigation - in which a drop of water comes under each plant from time to time, backwater - in which the nutrient solution is constantly located only at the bottom of the roots and flows through them to the entire plant, and the method of periodic moistening, in which the tank with plants is periodically saturated with a nutrient solution , after which it is lifted and waiting for complete drying. After that, the process is repeated.

Aeroponics

With this method, plants are not placed in any solution at all, they do not use a substrate. They are in a “suspended state, and a nutrient solution is sprayed on them periodically, several times a day for 3-4 minutes. The droplets that are sprayed are very small, almost like fog, they easily penetrate through the pores of the root system and nourish the plant.

A bit of history

The very first experiments on growing vegetables using the hydroponic method were undertaken back in the late Middle Ages - scientists tried to cope with the problem of hunger in Europe. These attempts were not entirely successful, but future developments were built on their experience.

Further attempts resumed in the 19th century, but the society itself was not yet ready to grow vegetables using hydroponics on an industrial scale, enthusiasts promoted the matter. One of the pioneers of soilless growing was the British scientist William F. Gerick, who is considered the founder of this method. He also introduced the term "hydroponics", created the first nutrient solution for such cultivation. His book, where he describes in detail all the processes, is still very popular and sells well.

It began to develop rapidly during the Second World War, when the US Army faced the problem of food shortages in the Pacific Islands.

Hydroponics made a huge leap in its development in the 60s of the last century, when they began to produce plastic structures that were lighter and more convenient, better retained nutrient solutions.

In 1978, the General Hydroponics company appeared, when its founder Lawrence Brooks managed to improve hydroponic structures, they became smaller, more compact, it became possible to install even in an apartment.

Soon various designs appeared, hydroponics continues to develop, more and more new installations and nutrient solutions are being developed.

Historians believe that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were irrigated by hydroponics, using a system of pumps.

onions in hydroponics

Onions can be grown hydroponically in a variety of ways. It is important to know what kind of final product should be obtained. It can be grown from bulbs and from seeds. In principle, any method involves growing a sufficiently large number of onions in a relatively small area. This method is also good because the onion containers can be installed in several tiers, it will still rise and be equally bright and beautiful.

Most often, onions in hydroponics are grown precisely on a feather, and they do this mainly in winter - in summer it makes no sense, onions grow well on any soil.

Landing

This process consists of several stages.

Before you start growing, you need to choose the right bulbs. They should be small - 3-4 cm in diameter, dry and healthy.
Peel the onions, leaving only the last one.
Place the prepared onion in a tank with warm (28-30 degrees) water. The tank must be equipped with a compressor and sprayer.
The onion undergoes bubbling for 6-12 hours - that is, a gas is supplied through warm water under tension, which activates the bulb and makes it germinate more actively.
Next, the head of the bulb is cut - this will make it germinate even faster.

After that, the bulbs are planted in the system. It is most convenient to plant on fine gravel or expanded clay. The bulbs must touch. The best liquid for growing is water, the nutrient substance can be different, there are different types in specialized stores. However, experts recommend vermiculite. It is covered under the roots of the bulbs.

It is also important to maintain the desired temperature in the room. The most optimal is 25-27 degrees. The same temperature should be the water in which it will grow.

How does it grow

For a better harvest, you need to take special forcing varieties of onions. For example, Strigunovsky or Arzamas.

The first few days the bulbs grow roots, there is practically no feather. It appears only on the 4th day, and actively grows until the 11th day. From the moment the onion is laid to the pasture of the feather, 15-17 days pass.

Light

At first, the onion does not need a lot of light, but from the 12th day it is required to turn on the light on an almost constant basis, especially if the onion is driven out on a feather in the winter season, when there is little sun. During this period and until the end of distillation, it is necessary to maintain a light regime in the proportion of 16/8 - 16 hours of bright light, 8 hours of darkness. Then the onion will turn out to be a bright saturated green color.

Usually, the need to highlight it can be determined by the height of the feather itself - it should reach a size of 10-12 cm. It is better to highlight lamps with warm tones, with them the bow acquires the necessary shade in a shorter time.

Hydroponics for onions at home

In principle, it is produced in exactly the same way as it is done in farms and in industry, except for the size of the container for growing onions and the quantity of finished products.

What to grow

These can be branded hydroponic installations specially designed for growing vegetables. Most often they are large, in which several hundred bulbs are grown at the same time. At home, they are often not necessary and you can make the desired design from improvised materials. For example, from a foam tank or any other, only opaque. It can be a large flower pot, in which there is no hole in the bottom, or an ordinary large pot.

A plastic tank with dimensions 80/40/20 is best suited. It would be ideal if it has a tight-fitting lid.

Holes are made in the lid for onion roots. They are cut taking into account the diameter of the bulbs themselves, so that the roots themselves are in complete darkness, and the bulbs do not slip through them into the water.

The lid of the tank must be sufficiently strong and resilient, as the weight of the bulbs will begin to increase over time.

Holes in the plastic cover are cut with a thin sharp knife.

In order for the holes to be at an equal distance from each other, draw a grid on the lid with a simple pencil, as in a notebook in a cage. At the intersection of the lines and make holes. Since the diameter of the bulbs is 3-4 cm, the holes should be slightly smaller.

It should be borne in mind that you can not overload the tank with bulbs too much - otherwise there will be little water in the tank, the air from the compressor will not reach all the bulbs, they will simply swell and will not be able to germinate. The result will be “water for painting Easter eggs”, and not green onions.

The water in the sprouting tank should be warm, but it cannot be heated in the microwave - with such water, the onions will not germinate at all, and the bulbs themselves will only rot.

When growing onions at home, it is also necessary to sparge and slightly trim the “bottom” of the onion. This will wake up the plant and make it actively grow.

Even more stimulates the bulb, if you remove the protection from it - all the husks. In the ground, it protects against various pests, fungi, mold, etc., but with a hydroponic method of cultivation, none of this threatens the onion.

All the time the onion germinates, it is necessary to maintain the temperature of the water and oxygen saturation. For this, the aerator works - it is unacceptable to turn it off even at night.

After bubbling, it is better to immediately transplant the onion into warm water. As such a heater, you can take an aquarium.

All the time of germination, the water in the tank should be maintained at a level of 27-28 degrees. When the onion reaches a height of 10-12 cm, it is recommended to lower the temperature by 2-3 degrees, otherwise the feather will turn out thin and brittle.

Growing onions from seeds

They can also be grown hydroponically.

From the very beginning, the seeds are germinated in any convenient way - most often in special cassettes with mineral wool or other similar substances. 4-6 seeds can be placed in each cell of the cassette.

Freshly germinated seeds cannot be “fertilized” and fed with anything - this will only harm them. Seeds use the substances that were laid in them at the embryonic level, and additional nutrition received from the outside will chemically burn them.

Healthy onion seeds germinate in an average of a week.

They do not like too high temperatures, germination occurs at 18-19 degrees.

From the moment of germination to technical maturity, about 3-4 months pass.

For germinating seeds, plastic egg packaging is suitable.

They also practice planting onion seeds directly into pallets. In this case, you must adhere to this formula - for every 3 cm of the bed there are 10 seeds, there is also a distance of 3 cm between the rows. They must be planted to a depth of 1.3-1.5 cm. When watering from below, the appearance of rot and other seedling diseases is unlikely.

When its height is 7 - 7.5 cm, the seedlings must be transplanted to a permanent place.

It has been noticed that seedlings take root better if they are planted in the evening, especially if the weather is cloudy. Rules for planting seedlings - between plants and between rows should be 10 cm. Everything is well compacted with vermiculite. You can not close it too deep, it must be on the surface all the time. It is necessary to loosen the nutrient solution every day and make sure that it is constantly wet. Be careful, the bulbs have very delicate roots, they are easy to damage, and this is unacceptable, the bulb may die.

A nutrient solution is supplied until the bulb reaches the desired size, after which the bulb ripens in dry vermiculite. When it matures, it is removed from the nutrient medium.

Other types of onions, such as leeks, are grown in the same way.

Nutrient Solutions

You can create them yourself.

In doing so, attention should be paid to the following points:

Water quality - it must be well purified, free of chlorine impurities
Contain all the necessary micro and macro elements
Follow the phases of plant development, since at different times the plant needs different nutrition.
Monitor the concentration of nutrients so that the solution does not turn out to be toxic to the plant.

So it’s better to use ready-made solutions, so that the hydroponic beds on the windowsill grow and develop in good conditions, and the result will only please you.

What mineral fertilizer did you use?

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complex mineral vitamin * 5%, 158 votes

For the whole procedure we need:

1) Shop-bought onions are better for autumn harvest (bulb diameter 3-4 cm).

2) Compressor for purge complete with atomizer.

3) Styrofoam tanks or any other light-tight containers.

4) Fluorescent lamp for additional lighting at the last stage of distillation.

From		Before

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in 15 days

And so, let's go. We take the purchased onion and begin the procedure for preparing it for distillation. To do this, we take the purchased onion, peel off the husk on it and immerse it in a tank of water. Warm water was first poured into the tank, a temperature of 25-28 degrees is quite suitable, a spray bottle was placed at the bottom. We put the prepared onion in the tank and turn on the compressor.

For blowing bulbs, it is better to take a larger container. More capacity more onions at a time will be blown. Do not forget, but that you can not overload the tanks with onions, because due to the large volume of onions there will be very little water and the air will not reach all the bulbs. The result may be brown onion soup, and not what we need.

I also wanted to tell you a little more about what kind of containers I use for distillation. And so, a standard growing tank is 80 cm long (0.8 m), 0.4 m wide, and 20 cm high.

I am very pleased that the lid of this box fits snugly enough to the bottom, so that the roots are in almost complete darkness and in very comfortable conditions for growth. I want to draw your attention to the fact that such a number of holes in the lid is not accidental. Do not forget that we will insert a bow into the holes, so there will be no load, and with a large number of holes, rigidity will be lost, which may not be very good in the future, since the weight will be over time
increase. To create holes, I used an ordinary sharp knife with a thin blade.

In order to get the holes at the same distance, I usually use a marker and a ruler. Everything is very simple, we draw lines and put dots at their intersection, we get a notebook in a cage. You can choose the distance between the holes yourself by first calculating the width between the lines. The holes are cut, as mentioned above, with a sharp, thin knife. I won’t tell you the exact dimensions of the holes, I can only say the following, that all the holes were cut in the form of a cone, thus in
almost all bulbs of approximately the same size fit the hole + - a couple of centimeters.

A very important point is the atomizer in the tank. For good growth, onion roots, in principle, like all plants, require air. Therefore, at the bottom of such a tank, I lay two long, almost the entire length of the atomizer, to which I connect the compressor.

If you are planning a lot of tanks, then you can save on compressors by buying one, but powerful and organizing a hose distribution system. As an option for a powerful compressor, the HAILEA piston compressor, which is able to pump many tanks or your systems, thanks to its high performance.

Ready to land module

I would like to outline the goal and objectives that I would like to achieve in this green onion forcing project.

The goal in a small area is to get a good result in forcing greenery in a minimum period. I will slightly underestimate the planned result for safety reasons and assume that the yield of pure greens will be 75-80% of the weight of the bulbs, we will try to achieve this result in 21 days. In fact, as a rule, the result is usually higher, time will tell how much I missed. And we will strive for 80-85% of pure greenery in 15 days. In the best case, it will be 88-90%, time will tell.

In order for the onion to awaken, it is usually best to sparge it from 6 to 12 hours. If time does not endure and there is no desire to wait, less is possible, but not desirable. The less bubbling takes place, the longer the onion will think in the tank, i.e. the longer it will take time until it starts to grow.

The first day

This is what the bulb looks like after 4 hours of bubbling.

Another couple of hours have passed and the results of our expectation are already visible.

In theory, we are close to the desired result, but due to my lack of time and desire to wait, I am already placing the onion in the forcing tanks. I wanted to draw your attention to the fact that since we promised to drive out the bow in such a short time, we need to help him. To do this, after bubbling, we cut the neck of each bulb and a slightly decapitated bulb turned out, due to such an execution, the feather begins to grow much faster.

I want to tell you a little about my onion forcing tanks. As you have already noticed, they are completely composed of foam. This is a fish tank, previously washed, cleaned and dried. After long experiments, I came to the conclusion that the optimal number of holes in such a tank is 60. There are 50 planting cells in this tank. With a strong desire, laying the onion in the cells takes about 50 seconds.

Second day

While everyone is busy with their work, the onion does not doze, it grows and slowly builds roots. Pay attention to the heater in the tank, thanks to it, the optimal temperature for the roots is always maintained in the tank.

After 18 hours, you can already notice that the bow has adopted and is slowly starting to grow. The sections of the necks of some of the bulbs were tightened and swollen. If you pay attention to the roots, they have already grown twice and this is in 18 hours! A well-awakened onion may well grow 2-3 cm of root in the initial stages per day.

Day Three

At the moment, the onion is very actively growing roots, therefore, as long as there is an opportunity, I will show a photo. The time has passed about 18 hours, please note that the growth points are already swollen and ready to start, and some have already sprouted.

Pay attention to the roots, they have become even larger. The picture shows that the bulbs that are on the sides have much smaller roots than the rest - this is due to the fact that the atomizer tubes are slightly away from the edge, so there is no such rapid bursting of bubbles in their area. If you notice the same disgrace in yourself, then I recommend that you simply change these bulbs in places with the central ones.

So I would like to talk about what needs to be done in order to drive out the bow as soon as possible and with the greatest possible return. The best way to stimulate growth is a powerful purge during bubbling and cutting the bottom of the bulb. The optimal temperature, in my opinion, is about 30-32 degrees. The more bubbles there are during bubbling, the better, so you can safely put 2-3 stones instead of one. The neck of the onion is best trimmed just before planting in the place for distillation. Thus, we stimulate the point of growth to awaken. If the growth point is already swollen a little, you can cut it a little higher, it is very important not to damage the growth point itself during these procedures, but if this has already happened, then it's okay. She will heal quickly and start to grow.

Next moment. As we know, the scales on the onion are not simple, it is a protective shell, from insects, diseases and cold. So, for the fastest exit from hibernation, it is better to remove them, since without them growth will begin much faster. It is better to take them off before blowing, and even after, if they disappear, then it is better to peel them off.

Another nuance, in principle, not mandatory, but positively affecting growth. The photo above shows that there is an aquarium water heater in the tank with water, it is not there for nothing. After transplanting the bulbs from the warm environment of the bubbler to distillation, it is better to heat the water in the tank to 26-28 degrees. Such warm water has a very positive effect on the further development of the roots, which continue to hatch and reach for the water. All the time, after planting the bulbs, the aerator or compressor should work, it cannot be turned off even at night. Remember, the more atomizers in the tank, the more bubbles there will be, thereby
pen growth.

12-16 hours after transplanting the onion, turn off the heater. Onion roots grow very well and actively at temperatures up to 20 degrees. If you plan to use a rack structure, then at the first stages of distillation, it is best to place the tanks on the floor, it is cooler there, just what you need for active root growth.

After a while, after about 3-4 days, although more by eye, we see that the root system has grown very well, we raise the water temperature to 25-26 degrees. Thus, we stimulate the growth of the pen. All of the above is purely advisory in nature, you can experiment and find your optimal interval. With an increase in temperature, the root system will continue to develop, but not as intensively as before, all the forces of the bulb will be thrown into growing the feather. Everything done above reduces the forcing time, if you have nowhere to hurry, then you can not conjure like that. Let me remind you that technically mature
a feather is a feather of 30 cm. As soon as the feather grows to this size, we stop heating the water, unless of course you warmed it.

Another very important nuance. At a high temperature of 26-28 degrees, the feather grows quickly, but it turns out to be very thin and dead, do not miss this moment, otherwise the feather will bend. As soon as you notice that the feather has grown to the length that you would like to see in the final result, we immediately transfer the bow to a low solution temperature and begin to illuminate. So the pen stretches to the top much better and saves electricity well. At a lower temperature and light, the feather begins to grow stronger, becomes green and more fleshy. Feather growth does not stop, although it becomes noticeably slower.

A little more about the world. From the moment the onion is planted in the foam holes and until the feather germinates up to 10-15 centimeters, light is absolutely not needed. For this I used a black opaque black film. Even when it reaches 15 centimeters, it is not at all necessary to illuminate it, although the hit is not so harmful. When light hits, the feather slows down a little in growth, but not significantly. If the pen is already a decent size, then it’s time to light it up. Lighting can be both natural light and artificial. You can use lamps
DNAT, with them, the onion turns green in a very short time (I will make a slight digression from Valery’s words and add from myself - it would probably be better to use lamps with an increased amount of blue spectrum, such as DRIZ, for supplementary lighting). You can also use fluorescent lamps, the most simple and ordinary. When using these lamps, it will take a little longer to give the pen a rich green color. Using such lamps for supplementary lighting, to give the pen a green color and
meatiness takes about 4-6 days for 16 hours. Using HPS will take only 2-3 days, and it is not at all necessary that the lamp be very powerful. Remember that a large amount of bright light and a long daylight hours have a negative effect, so if you illuminate with HPS, then the daylight hours should not be long. Rarely, but it happens that I illuminate with HPS 600 Watt Grolux, two or three days for 12 hours are enough for the bow.

It is better to shine on the bow from the top, as with side lighting, the likelihood of wringing the feather increases. When illuminated from above, the feather continues to grow a little more.

It is also very important that no fertilizers or other stimulants are used during forcing, all growth is carried out at the expense of the resources of the bulb. So, after much experimentation, the best solution for distillation was found - this is water. At the same time, the water does not need to be changed often, I manage to harvest 3 feather crops without a change, but at the same time, after each harvest, I only change the water a little, draining a little old and adding fresh. I experimented a little with additives, and came to the conclusion that with a small amount of biogumas in water, growth accelerates a little, so I add 3-4 liters of water enriched with this stimulant to a tank of 40 liters. It turns out 37 pure water + 3 liters with biohumus. I also tested the growth of the feather on the water, where I did all 40 liters with biohumus, the effect is negative.

You can use bright light, long days, warmth, good feeding, but it is better in limited quantities and try not to combine one with the other. Otherwise, the bow begins to act up - it releases an arrow, collapses, small onions grow. Thus, the trade dress is lost.

Day four

I think words are not needed here, the difference is visible to the naked eye. Morning photo.

Day five

Vershki, who aspire higher and higher.

And as always, a couple of photos of the root system.

As we can see, the roots have already grown large enough and powerful, so that you can already start building up the feather. We increase the temperature of the water in the tank to 26-28 degrees and wait for the result, which will not keep you waiting.

Day seven

In order to better track and observe, I decided to make signatures on the bulbs. At the moment, there is already an active growth.

Some information about humidity. For onions, 60% ambient humidity is sufficient. Sometimes onions can be sprayed with a spray bottle to raise the moisture. Remember that due to insufficient moisture, the bulb may begin to grow not a feather, but scales that perform a protective function, which will lead to a complete stop in the growth of the feather.

On the issue of pH. I don’t lower or change the pH of water for onions in any way, since onions grow well at a solution pH of 6.5 to 7.3. And tap water typically has a pH of around 7.0. So, there are no problems with this.

Day eight

The method of growing in hydroponics allows you to harvest a good crop of vegetables in a limited area in the shortest possible time. All it takes is quality seed and simple installation.

Hydroponics - this is a special way of growing plants without soil using a special nutrient solution, which is fed to each plant automatically. The solution necessarily contains magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, sulfur and nitrogen in significant quantities. For each culture, the composition is selected individually, taking into account the characteristics and needs.

What is hydroponics used for?

Hydroponic method of growing plants used in small areas in a greenhouse, private courtyard or apartment. The essence of the technology lies in the fact that valuable elements are supplied to the root system in a liquid medium in a dosed amount. Support for the roots is created in a special substrate. Like any indoor growing method, hydroponics has its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

Onion hydroponic setup allows:

significantly save usable area and grow plants indoors in several tiers;
grow vegetables in a clean environment, without the use of soil or any polluting substance;
get a crop of excellent quality in the shortest possible time with minimal labor costs;
fully automate the process of supplying carbon dioxide to the root system, the duration of daylight hours in the greenhouse, temperature indicators.

Hydroponically grown vegetables are environmentally friendly and safe, do not contain insecticides and other toxic substances.

Flaws

The disadvantages of growing cultivated plants in a nutrient solution include financial costs for a special automated installation.

Hydroponics Growing Methods

There are several types of cultivation of cultivated plants by the hydroponics method.

air method

With the air method of growing plants on a water nutrient substrate the root system is in the air, in a closed dark container. The nutrition of seedlings occurs through regular spraying of rhizomes.

water system

When organizing the cultivation of plants by the water method the root system is lowered into an aqueous solution at the time of planting. However, with this method of growing, there is a high probability of rotting of the root system.

substrate

In this case each plant is placed on a special inorganic substrate(expanded clay, crushed stone, sand) or organize a litter of moss, peat or sawdust.

What varieties of onions are suitable for growing hydroponically

The profitability of growing onions on a feather directly depends on the yield of planting material. Not every variety is suitable for growing onions on a feather using the hydroponic method.. When buying, it is recommended to pay attention to the number of cobs inside the bulb. To do this, 1-2 copies are selected from the batch and cut lengthwise. Bulbs with three or more cobs are suitable for distillation.

Attention! Bulbs with a diameter of 3-4 cm are suitable for forcing on greens.

Ural family;
Seryozha;
Semiletka;
Union;
Bessonovsky.

What do you need to grow

To organize the process of growing onions on a feather in the limited conditions of an apartment Requires a minimum amount of consumables.

Plant preparation

Bulbs from an autumn harvest are suitable for best results. To stimulate growth, stage-by-stage preparation of bulbs is carried out.:

Sediment in a warm room for 3-5 days.
Manual cleaning from the top layer of dry husks.
Bubbling. To do this, the prepared bulbs are placed in a container with water and lowered into the compressor unit for 10-12 hours. The temperature of the water in which the bubbling bulbs are placed is about +38°C.
Pricking the upper part of the bulb with a thin long needle for intensive oxygen supply to the sprout.
Landing in specially equipped containers.

Preparing a container for growing at home

For growing onions on a feather using the hydroponic method choose plastic containers with a depth of 20 cm. When growing onions in an aqueous solution, there is a risk of stagnant water and rotting of the root system. To prevent such a situation, the containers are thoroughly washed with 72% laundry soap and rinsed with running water. Then the box is treated with an intense pink solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) and dried.

How to make and install a hydroponic setup

Growing green onions hydroponically is easy at home. To organize hydroponics for onions with your own hands, you will need:

plastic box with a lid, the optimal size is 80 × 40 × 20 cm;
minimum power aquarium compressor;
a pair of fluorescent lamps with a switch;
two pieces of PVC tube 60 cm long with small holes;
sharp clerical knife, ruler, marker.

The lid should fit snugly on the container and not let in light. so that the root system is in complete darkness.

How to build an installation:

The lid is marked according to the scheme: 5 holes wide and 10 long (total 50 holes). Cut out cone-shaped holes with a thin sharp knife. Additionally, a hole is drilled for the entry of tubes from the compressor. The lid is tightly fixed on the box.
The compressor is connected to PVC pipes, the junction and the free end of the pipe are insulated. The tubes are threaded into the prepared hole and the compressor unit is tightly fixed.
Fill the tank with warm water to a height of 15-16 cm through the free holes. Prepared planting material is installed in each hole.
They put the box in a safe warm place near the outlet, fix the fluorescent lamps on top.

Technology

The technology of growing onions on water at home requires compliance with several rules.

Temperature

Feather growth rate directly depends on the air temperature in the room and the water in the container. Optimum temperature regime - +25…+27°С. At lower temperatures, feather growth will slow down by 7-10 days.

Light

Bulbous plants are tolerant of the absence of a lot of light.. When forcing a pen on a heated loggia, you can do without additional lighting. When organizing the process in living rooms, an additional light source is necessary to prevent the pen from being pulled out. The recommended length of daylight hours for hydroponically growing onions is 8-10 hours. After the pen reaches 15-20 cm, it is not necessary to illuminate it.

Solution for hydroponics

Hydroponically, onions are also successfully grown in plain water. But you can get greens of high commercial quality only on special nutrient solutions. For cooking you will need:

magnesium sulfate - 0.5 g;
potassium chloride (potassium salt) - 0.25 g;
calcium nitrate (calcium nitrate) - 2 g;
potassium phosphate monosubstituted - 0.5 g;
iron chloride - 0.02 g.

The mixture is dissolved in 0.5 l of distilled water, thoroughly mixed until dissolved and diluted with 1.5 l of water again.

An easier and cheaper way to make formula- use humate, humin, "Epin" according to the manufacturer's instructions.

On a note! It is recommended to change the nutrient solution in a hydroponic setup every 7-8 days.

Features of care

To purge daily turn on the compressor unit for 30-40 minutes. This procedure avoids stagnation of water and rotting of the root bottom of the vegetable.

When and how to harvest

A direct sign of the feather's readiness for harvest is a soft onion. When growing onions on a feather on a nutrient solution in compliance with the temperature and light conditions, the crop is harvested on the 13-15th day. To do this, the bulb is pulled out of the nest and the old husk is cleaned.

Conclusion

Growing onions for greens using hydroponics at home is a simple and profitable activity. The organization of the process requires a minimum amount of time and money. The expected yield of greens is 70-80% of the weight of the seed. With a responsible attitude to business, a high-quality, expensive harvest is obtained from one container every 13-14 days.