What could be better in winter than fresh herbs grown on your own windowsill? Growing green onions in a plastic bottle at home is very simple. This does not require special costs or too complex care. All you need is a plastic bottle and bulbs.
When do onions begin to be planted?
Usually, onions in a plastic bottle are planted, starting from the autumn period, when it is no longer on the beds, and there is a long winter ahead with its beriberi. You can also grow it for greenery throughout the year. Especially this can be a good solution when closer to spring you already want green salads, and onions begin to sprout, spoiling at the same time. In order not to throw away and get the maximum benefit from such bulbs, they can be planted in a plastic bottle and enjoy fresh herbs, because they germinate very quickly.
Why in a bottle? Firstly, this method does not require the cost of buying special pots and trays, and secondly, this method helps not to force all the available window sills in an apartment or house with onions, but to getgood yield of green mass on a fairly small area.
How to prepare the container?
Onions in plastic bottles are grown in two ways:
- First - cut off the side of the bottle, use it as a regular pot, with a slightly increased area. For these purposes, you can use both one and a half and two-liter, as well as 5 and 6-liter containers. It all depends on their availability and desire.
- The second one is more convenient and profitable. 5 and 6 liter containers or even larger ones are suitable for it, in which all surfaces of the bottle are used, except for the bottom.
Onion in a plastic bottle. Container preparation
Let us consider in detail only the second method, since with the first everything is quite clear and understandable, and the method of care and the composition of the soil do not differ at all. So, in a 5-liter bottle, we cut off the upper part where the neck and handle are located, for greater stability it is better to cut off the neck a little higher from the place where it starts to narrow. Along the perimeter of the side walls, we make round holes of a slightly smaller diameter than the onion that we are going to plant. Holes are made as close as its size allows. To measure the gaps between them, you can put several bulbs together and determine how much distance from top to top is required. And from each hole, lay off to the side and up just such segments.
Thus, in one bottle, standing in a normal, upright position, independing on the size of the bulbs, you can grow up to 30-60 pieces. Now just imagine how much space this method saves!
Soil
Plastic bottled onions can be planted in commercially available general purpose or leafy soil. It is best to avoid soils for flowering plants, as they contain minerals that promote flowering, which can provoke the growth of arrows, which are completely unnecessary. When they appear, they must be plucked, otherwise the onion will stop producing lateral tender leaves, for which we grow it.
You can also prepare nutrient soil yourself, for this you need to mix ordinary garden soil with humus, you can add peat or organic fertilizers. Sawdust or sand can be used as a substrate for onions, however, in this case, if onion cultivation is planned for a long time, it will need to be periodically fed with fertilizers. But this method will reduce the possibility of contamination of the windowsill with earth flowing from the bottle.
The same effect can be achieved if the onion is planted in a plastic bottle tightly enough, and the holes are made quite small, just enough for it to germinate. For this purpose, onions are watered exclusively in the center of the container, this is also necessary because the roots are located exactly here, and watering the earth along the edge of the bottle can cause the bulbs to rot.
Disembarkation
A bow in a plastic bottle, in which the sidewall is cut out, sits in the same way asany other plant, there are no special ways for this. It is enough just to deepen the bulb so that only a small part “with a tail” remains at the top, where green shoots appear. Do not fully bury the bulb, this can prolong its germination time and add dirt, as the earth will show through the holes.
In the second method of planting, pouring a little earth on the bottom of the bottle, it is necessary to lay the first layer of bulbs, sticking each one out into the prepared window. This layer is covered with earth and slightly compacted. The second, third and so on layers are also planted. Having landed the last layer, it must be covered with earth from above, at least four centimeters thick. In place of the former narrowing of the neck of the bottle, also in a horizontal position, as usual, you can plant more bulbs.
Thus, one container replaces the whole bed. And growing onions in a plastic bottle will not be difficult, even for those who have never grown anything.
