2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Chives (Latin Allium schoenoprasum)
represented by perennial herbaceous plants of the Onion family. It is often called - chives, chives, sibulet onions. In nature, chives grows in a temperate zone. Typical places are wet meadows and river valleys. Currently cultivated in India, USA, China, European countries and Russia.
Description
Chives are called herbaceous plants that form oblong ovoid or conical bulbs, which do not exceed 10 mm in diameter. The bulbs of the culture in question are equipped with leathery fibrous shells that feel like paper. As a rule, the casings are brownish in color. The stem of chives is thickened, depending on the variety, it can be smooth or slightly rough, it is partially covered with leafy sheaths, reaches a height of 50-70 cm. The foliage of the culture is semi-cylindrical, fist-shaped, in length below the stem.
The flowers are small, collected in spherical or bundle-shaped capitate umbrellas. The perianth is shiny, can have a pinkish (very light) or pale pinkish-violet color, it consists of lanceolate or linear-lanceolate slightly drawn-out pointed or obtuse petals. The fruits are boxes. The flowering of chives is observed in the second decade of May - the second decade of August. The culture enters fruiting in June - July.
Features of cultivation
Chives is a light-loving plant, but it also feels good in an openwork shade. In the second case, the leaves of the plants remain juicy for a long time. Onion-chives are undemanding to soil fertility, although it develops best in moist, light, non-saline and mineral-rich soils that are not infested with weeds. The best predecessors of the culture in question are Solanaceae and Cabbage, as well as herbs and cereals. Onion chives can be useful for carrots, it can be planted along the ridges, with its smell it will scare away insects.
Subtleties of reproduction
Chives are propagated by seed and vegetatively. You can get seeds from plants, but not in large quantities, especially if you compare it with other members of the Onion family. Self seeding is also present. Sowing seeds is carried out in the first decade of May or the second time - in the first decade of July. Before sowing the seeds, they are soaked in warm water for a day, then slightly dried, then sown in the prepared soil with lines or nests (3-4 seeds per nest), leaving a distance between the lines equal to 25-30 cm.
Autumn sowing of chives under cover in the form of sawdust or dry foliage is not prohibited. In this case, you can do without soaking. Furrows for autumn sowing are prepared in advance. The depth of seeding is 2 cm. Onion-shnitt is characterized by increased cold resistance, although the seedlings do not tolerate commonwealth with sudden day and night temperature drops.
Vegetative propagation of culture involves dividing the onion into several parts, each division should contain up to 8 onions. The planting of the cut is carried out in rows with a distance of at least 30 cm. Immediately after the planting of the cut, abundant watering is carried out. It is advisable to carry out this procedure in early spring or late summer.
Care
Caring for chives is simple, it consists in weeding and loosening the aisles as needed, top dressing and moderate watering, avoiding overdrying. Thinning is permissible if the crops are too thick, otherwise the appearance of various diseases and pests cannot be avoided. Loosening is carried out three times per season, and it is best to do this after watering or precipitation.
The first two years of weeding is a vital procedure; in the future, chives grows and forms dense sods. They feed the crop in the middle of summer; for these purposes, complex mineral fertilizers and organic matter can be used. It is not forbidden to use manure diluted with water as top dressing, to which potassium-phosphorus additives can be added.
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Chives: Breeding In September
Chives, like some other common types of onions, do not form bulbs in our usual presentation. It is prized, like the batun onion, for its dense greenery. But unlike the batun with its thick juicy leaves, the stems of the chives are thinner and more tender. In the spring, this perennial herb is propagated by seeds, and in the fall, the division of mother plants begins
Chives: Reproduction By Division
In August, they begin to reproduce by dividing adult chisel plants, as they also call chives. He has good ability to quickly build up green mass, moreover, he is not afraid of frosty weather. Therefore, do not miss the opportunity to occupy more area with this useful vitamin crop before the arrival of the autumn cold weather
