Growing green onions at home on a windowsill in water

Daria Vorontsova

Reading time: 9 minutes

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Green onions, unlike onions, cannot be prepared for the winter without losing their taste and characteristic aroma.

You can extend the season of fresh greens by growing them in an apartment in ordinary water. This method of forcing onions into feathers has been around for decades.

Using information on how to properly grow onions on a windowsill in water, you can enjoy vitamin-rich greens all year round. To do this, it is enough to get acquainted with some of the nuances of planting and care, which will allow you to get the maximum number of green feathers in a short period of time.

Failure to follow the rules will lead to rotting of the turnips and a short harvest period.

Benefits of growing onions in water

In the autumn-winter period, a lack of vitamins negatively affects the body, so growing onions on a windowsill in water is one of the ways to support the immune system. The plant contains trace elements of copper and magnesium, vitamins A, C, B1, E and folic acid. Eating the culture helps strengthen tooth enamel and blood vessel walls and normalize appetite. The product is low-calorie and has no contraindications for use.

Growing green onions in water on a windowsill is recommended for the following reasons:

• a simple way to plant and care for crops;
• the possibility of obtaining fresh onions throughout the year;
• saving the family budget and guaranteeing the consumption of plants, which can be obtained without the use of chemicals.

Important! The most useful part of the crop is 10 cm of stem from the bulb; it has a bitter taste.

How many days do onions take to germinate and when can the feathers be cut off?

Onion greens can grow to the required length in just a couple of weeks. It will now be possible to harvest and eat. In order to collect onions constantly, and not in one go, when they ripen at the same time, it is necessary to plant them, observing a certain time interval. A few days or a couple of weeks. Which depends on your own needs and the required amount of crop.

It is absolutely easy to grow onions at home. This way, on weekdays and on holidays, beautiful greenery will appear on the table. It is very healthy and tasty. Also, this can become an additional source of profit. Green onions are always in demand. Especially in winter and spring.

How to plant onions in water at home

There are about 300 varieties of the crop, but Schnitt, Onion, Batun, Leek and Shallot are suitable for growing at home. Each species differs in taste, appearance and growing conditions.

Batun was cultivated in Asia and is distinguished by its high yield and ease of care. The variety is frost-resistant (up to -8 ° C).

The Schnitt variety is grown for cooking and creating decorations in the garden: the stems are aromatic, up to 25–45 cm long, and have spherical apical inflorescences (the crop blooms a year after planting).

Shallot is an unpretentious variety, characterized by early ripening and high yield. The culture is rich green in color and has a waxy sheen. The length of the shoot when grown is 20–45 cm.

Leeks are unpretentious and have a powerful stem that can reach a height of up to 1 m. Onions have a pronounced aroma and taste similar to garlic.

There are several ways to grow greens: in soil or water.

Conditions for growing onions for greens

Onions are often planted on the windowsill - this is the most accessible raw material. To grow it in water, you need to choose the optimal place: a warm windowsill, greenhouse or greenhouse. At home, green onions grow on the windowsill all year round, in suitable rooms from April to October, if it is possible to provide sufficient lighting and temperature all year round.

To grow green onions at home in water, they practice using plastic products: jars, ceramic dishes, plastic glasses and bottles. The main requirement for a container is a wide neck.

When growing crops in water on a windowsill, glasses and cups are rarely used: onions are prone to rotting. To prevent the destruction of raw materials in water, a cloth is placed at the bottom of the container so that the liquid is absorbed into it. The roots of the plant will independently draw out the required amount of moisture.

When growing on a windowsill, plastic salad boxes are used as containers: a sheet of cardboard is prepared according to their size, in which holes are made for green onions. It is also possible to place a cardboard egg rack in a container.

When using a plastic egg lattice for growing, it is necessary to install plastic partitions between the parts: straw tubes or ordinary handles. This will avoid over-immersing the vegetable in water and will ensure air circulation between the cells.

It is possible to grow green onions on a windowsill in water using a hydroponic installation - special equipment for the procedure. A device is presented in the form of a tray with holes and a compressor, the task of which is to enrich water with oxygen. Using a hydroponic system allows you to grow the required amount of green onions in a short time.

Use ordinary plates to plant bulbs on the windowsill: pour settled water into them and place them tightly so that they are in a vertical position, ¼ immersed in it.

Important! It is not recommended to use metal containers or containers with iron parts for growing when selecting containers for green onions.

Preparing bulbs for planting

The correct selection of raw materials and their processing before placing them in water is one of the main stages of growing a crop on a windowsill. It is recommended to use intact vegetables of small size (2–5 cm in diameter).

Before planting green onions on a windowsill in water, they are processed as follows:

• the top is cut off by 1/4 so that the pulp is exposed (the roots are left intact);
• the water is heated to 40–50 °C, after which a few grains of potassium permanganate are added to obtain a light pink solution, the purpose of the procedure is to disinfect the raw materials;
• the cut head is transferred to water and left on the windowsill for 20 minutes;
• After the time has passed, the prepared seeds are transferred to cold water and wait until they cool completely.

Important! Greens grow evenly and ripen instantly if you plant onions on a windowsill in water of the same size.

How to plant onions on greens in water

After preparing the raw materials and choosing a container for growing, the planting location is determined. A well-lit room is suitable, in which an optimal temperature level is maintained (+18–20°C) and regular ventilation is carried out.

To plant onions on greens at home, sprouted fruits are lowered into a pre-prepared container so that water covers them by ¼, providing the root system with the necessary amount of moisture. After the root system has formed, drain the water so that it covers only the roots, and there is no need to secure it.

When growing seedlings on a windowsill, it is recommended to grow them on a windowsill, after making sure there are no drafts and the optimal temperature in the room. Before planting green onions, the container is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate and wiped dry.

Growing on a windowsill using a hydroponic setup:

• Before planting, dry, absolutely healthy (hard to the touch, without unpleasant odor or rot) seeds are selected, it is recommended to keep them in a warm and humid room;
• vegetables up to 3–4 cm in diameter are peeled, leaving only the last layer, and immersed in a tank with warm water; it must be equipped with a compressor and sprayer;
• for 6–12 hours, the bulbs should be in a tank of water, where there is an active supply of gas, which activates growth processes in the plant;
• after time, the head of the vegetable is cut and planted in special cells, and the container itself is filled with water;
• To facilitate air access, pierce with a needle at the growth point - this allows you to grow green onions faster.
• a day after planting, the necks of the plants are cut crosswise with a sharp knife, which facilitates the growth of feathers;
• dissection of the fruit to 1/3 of the depth is carried out in order to obtain a fluffier bush of greenery, but at the same time the growth rate of shoots slows down;
• Optimal room temperature is +25–27 °C.

When growing crops in a hydroponic system, it is recommended to use the Arzamassky or Strigunovsky green onion variety. The root system grows within a few days. On the 4th day a feather appears, the active growth of which continues until the 11th day. The duration of pasturing the sprout is 15–17 days. The advantage of using a hydroponic system when growing is ease of operation and prevention of the development of putrefactive processes in the bulbs.

Creating the necessary conditions

If you want to get the maximum benefit from onion heads, you need to create favorable conditions for growth. I will describe in detail the factors influencing development.

Following the rules - have your own greens on the table all year round

Illumination

Friends, it turns out that onions love light 24 hours a day. I placed mine on the kitchen windowsill and illuminate it with a fluorescent lamp, from the moment the sun sets until sunrise all night. After 2 weeks, the onion feather grew 17 cm.

Author's note

Natalia Papanova

Blog author

If you are saving electricity, it is enough to turn on the backlight for 4-5 hours in the evening for a total of 12 hours of daylight.

Temperature

Bulbs are cold-resistant vegetables and do not tolerate heat.

. See the table for ideal temperatures for development and growth.

Watch the video on how to grow onions with sugar:

Air humidity

Onion feathers develop at normal air humidity of 70-80%.

During the heating season, I place a jar filled with water next to the radiators.

Author's note

Natalia Papanova

Blog author

To determine humidity without a device, place a dampened cloth next to the containers where the vegetable grows and observe:

1. If after 25 min. the rag will dry - the air humidity is low..
2. If it dries halfway, the humidity is normal.
3. Remains damp - increased air humidity.

Have you read about the optimal conditions for onions? Look at what you need to grow parsley from seeds on a windowsill, you will have your own mini-garden with vitamin-rich herbs without chemicals and nitrates.

How to grow green onions in water

The first harvest occurs 10–15 days from planting. To accelerate plant growth, care is carried out using mineral fertilizers.

Grow green onions on the windowsill, adhering to the following principles:

• Before the root system is formed, it is recommended to leave the container with plants in a place where the temperature is several degrees below room temperature;
• until the roots appear, the water is changed twice a day, and after the root system has formed, it is washed;
• when grown, only the lower part of the plant comes into contact with water;
• To prevent the vegetable from rotting, it is necessary to remove it from the cells and leave them to air dry for 2–3 hours;
• to obtain a continuous harvest, it is recommended to plant green onions in water on the windowsill every two weeks;
• When signs of fetal death appear (it becomes soft, turns black, shoots are flaccid), it is necessary to remove it from the cell and change the water.

Without a timely change of water, the risk of putrefactive processes in the plant and its death increases. The root system is also destroyed: without moisture, the roots quickly dry out.

To grow good onions at home in water, they practice using fertilizers. The most accessible fertilizer is wood ash, which is used as follows: dissolve 2 tsp in 1 liter of boiled water at room temperature. mixture, mix well. Add growing food to the water for green onions after the crop produces its first feathers. If there is no ash, it is recommended to use mineral fertilizer by dissolving 2 tsp. mixture in 1 liter of water.

For 10–15 days of growing green feathers, one feeding is carried out: more frequent use of fertilizers does not help accelerate growth, but provokes the proliferation of bacteria.

Care

It is not at all necessary to feed planted bulbs. But to get more yield, you should add a small amount of wood ash to the water. Dilute 5 grams of wood ash in 5 liters of water. And to improve the appearance, you should spray the grown greens with warm water. Just don’t wet the bulbs themselves.

Green onions are a popular guest on our table. It can be grown not only in spring and winter, but also in August. From our materials you will learn about forcing vegetables into sawdust, as well as how to grow a crop from seeds and the best ways to store it.

Collection of greens

It is difficult to say how many days it will take for your particular onion to germinate. It depends on the bulb itself and on the conditions that you create - whether there is high humidity and a greenhouse effect or not.

1. If the onion was initially soaked and trimmed, then you can expect a harvest in about 17 days.
2. If the bulb was initially sprouted, then the time is literally reduced to 10–14 days.
3. If the conditions are not the most comfortable or the bulb has not been pruned, then the full maturation of the feather can reach 20–23 days.

In any case, it is better to focus on the length of the feather itself - as soon as it has reached 20-25 centimeters, you can safely use it in a salad.

The feathers must be cut off and not pulled out, since in this case the head can be moved out of place. It is best to use scissors or a knife.

Feathers are removed from the edges as new shoots appear in the center.

You must understand that after cutting the feather, the bulb can no longer be used to re-produce greens. You can't eat it either, so the only way out is to throw it away.

Recommendations

To get a large harvest of greens, you should adhere to the following recommendations when growing onions:

• To water the plants, you need to use filtered water heated to room temperature. It is better to let it sit for 10-12 hours.
• It is necessary to water the soil or sawdust only as the top layer dries. If over-watered, the bulbs may rot. But you shouldn’t allow prolonged drought, as this will have a bad effect on the yield.
• To prevent the container from overheating from the sun's rays, it is worth wrapping it in foil. And also the container should be kept away from heating devices.
• The bulb grows greenery for 60 days. After this time, the plant begins to die, it is necessary to replace it with a new one.

When harvesting onions grown on a windowsill, you should not cut off the first greens. This will lead to the fact that most of the shoots will not wake up and the plant yield will be significantly reduced. And it’s better to get several feathers from each bulb at a time. Then you can harvest much longer.

Egg container

Holes are made in the egg tray to drain the water, and the container is placed on a tray. For this purpose, you can use the lid of an egg tray, or a second tray that has no holes.

10-20 bulbs are planted in the recesses of the container. For this method, you can also use sets; they are planted in 2-3 pieces in one recess of the tray. In this case, the container should be filled halfway with earth.

The tray is filled with 1 cm of water, and egg trays with plantings are placed on top. You need to water through the tray. With this method there will be less rot, because the upper leaf plates remain dry.

Rules, secrets and tricks for beginners

Friends, have you decided to try planting onions yourself for the first time? I’ll share some little tricks for beginner gardeners:

1. I choose an onion of the correct shape to make it easier to choose a container for it.
2. If the onion falls into the jar, I cut out a square from cardboard with a circle inside, the diameter of which corresponds to the size of the onion head.
3. I disinfect the planting material with manganese (1 crystal + 100 ml of water).
4. I germinate until the root system forms in a dark, cool place (12-15 degrees).
5. When the roots appear, I put them on the window.
6. I change the water daily.
7. I feed it 2 times a month (see what I feed it in the column “Feeding onions in water”

Fertilizer

Housewives also appreciate onions because they do not require any fertilizers. It itself contains all the necessary nutrients. This applies to both bulbs and seeds. The only thing that needs to be monitored is the condition of the soil: it should be soft, loose and slightly moist.

The only option when fertilizer may still be required is if the variety involves multiple harvests.

For feeding, it is best to use a solution of nitroammophos or urea: 1 gram of substance per 1 liter of water.

You can also enrich the soil with wood ash: you need to use only 5 grams per 1 liter of water.

Important! All fertilizers are intended for the soil, that is, you only need to water the soil. Avoid getting fertilizer on the bulb or its feathers.