Decorative bow - planting and care in the open field

The decorative onion Allium (Allium) is a herbaceous biennial or perennial bulbous plant with a specific pungent taste and smell. Its pom-pom inflorescences, consisting of many small flowers, cannot be confused with any other plant. The variety of varieties makes ornamental onions, which are quite simple to plant and care for in the open field, popular among gardeners.

Planting ornamental onions in open ground

Allium is an unpretentious flower that fits perfectly into any flower garden. The round-headed and bent (wild) onion varieties, due to their moderate stem height of 50-60 cm, are suitable for decorating garden paths. The Bulgarian variety can be planted along an unsightly hedge, which it will decorate with its meter tall stems and flowers with unique colors ranging from green to burgundy with a white border around the edges.

Allium flowers

Choosing a landing site

Growing allium will not be a hassle if favorable conditions are provided initially. The place for planting should be chosen in an elevated area open to the sun, far enough from buildings, trees and flowers. The soil should be loose, easily air-permeable, with neutral acidity. With a high acid index, lime must be added in advance. Planting is carried out in September or spring, when the night temperature is set at around 10 ⁰С.

Preparation of planting material

For the cultivation of ornamental onions, it is recommended to choose the planting material very carefully. Bulbs must be carefully inspected for mold and plaque before planting. If there are doubts about the quality of the inoculum, then it is better to hold it for 30 minutes in a weak solution of manganese. If the wounds are completely fresh, then they are sprinkled with crushed coal or smeared with a solution of brilliant green. After finishing with disinfection, the bulbs must be warmed up at 40 ° C for 12 hours. This will protect alliums from diseases (downy mildew, neck rot).

Planting allium bulbs

Planting process step by step

Ornamental onions are transplanted into the ground in a certain sequence:

1. Choose a suitable place for the culture.
2. They dig up the soil, making it loose and saturating it with air.
3. They introduce compost and wood ash into the soil, improving its nutritional value.
4. Dig holes at a distance of 20-25 cm from one another.
5. A drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the wells (its composition can be any).
6. The bulbs are placed in the wells to a depth of 2 bulbs.
7. Sprinkle the holes with earth and carefully compact them with your hands.
8. Water each onion planted in moderation.
9. Mulch the planting site with coniferous needles or sawdust.

Reproduction of allium

Ornamental onions are propagated in two ways: by planting seeds and vegetatively (by bulbs or through rooting of bulb buds). Since different varieties bloom at different times, you can pick and plant them side by side so that they bloom continuously throughout the season.

Seeds

Seed material for propagation is taken from the largest completely faded inflorescences, since they are the ones that give the highest quality seed. They can be planted in autumn or spring, but you should not count on early flowering - this will not happen earlier than in the third year, and some varieties will form the first buds even later (after 4-7 years from the moment of planting).

At home, the process is carried out as follows:

1. Wet earth is poured into a linen bag.
2. The seeds are immersed in the ground.
3. The bag is removed to the vegetable refrigerator compartment for 2-3 months, sometimes getting it out and wetting it.

When the time for planting comes, the seeds are taken out, the rotten ones are removed, and the viable ones are planted in the ground according to the usual scheme.

Allium - planting material

Vegetative way

Vegetative propagation of ornamental onions is much easier than growing from seeds. The grown daughter bulbs are carefully separated from the mother ones or, in some varieties, the flower heads with the formed bulbs are cut off. For better rooting, both types of planting material can be treated with a growth stimulator.

Bulbs or bulbs are planted in the ground at a distance of 25-50 cm from each other, since they should have enough space for growth in the next 4-5 years (this is how long they will be in one place, increasing the children).

Caring for ornamental allium onions in the garden

Having correctly carried out the planting of the allium in the open ground, and he needs to be provided with appropriate care.

Watering

For normal development and flowering, regular moderate watering is required, depending on the level of natural precipitation. An excess of moisture will inevitably lead to rotting of the bulbs, and due to excessive dryness of the soil, plant growth will slow down. And yet, the scarcity of watering is not so detrimental to the allium, in this case it can quickly recover.

Top dressing

Top dressing of decorative onions is carried out several times during the growing season:

• in the spring, when the first feathers appear above the ground;
• at the moment the first buds appear;
• in the fall, after the allium has finished blooming, so that the plant overwinters better.

In the first two cases, the plants are fertilized with a mixture of compost with wood ash, and prepared for winter using a potassium-phosphorus granular preparation.

Watering decorative onions

Bulb care

After the leaves wither, the bulbs of some varieties (for example, Schubert, Christoph) should be dug up, disinfected, dried and stored in a dry ventilated room with a temperature of 18-20⁰С. Such storage will also not harm other varieties grown in warm regions, especially since the bulbs need to be transplanted to a new place every few years. In the spring, they are planted in the ground, observing the description of the planting conditions.

So that during the winter dormant period the allium bulbs do not freeze and do not suffer from the abundance of precipitation in the conditions of the Moscow region, it is recommended to mulch the soil. In the summer, the same care measure will protect the plant from the invasion of pests and weeds.

Spring care

In the spring, the area planted with allium is opened, cleared, the soil is loosened, fertilized and covered with a new layer of mulch. Allium leaves tend to dry out, which can spoil the decorativeness of the flower bed. You should not cut them off, otherwise the nutrition of the bulb will be disrupted.It is better to take care of this in advance by planting other plants nearby that will distract attention. Quite early blooming peonies and irises, as well as petunias and poppies, which bloom throughout the season, are suitable for these purposes.

What to do if it does not bloom

It rarely happens that the allium does not bloom. Most likely, this happens due to the youth of the plant, but it may also be that the growing conditions were violated:

• landing was incorrect;
• the bulbs are planted in excessively moist soil, in the lowlands;
• the air temperature is not warm enough.

In this case, it will be possible to get flowers only by correcting the errors made, if possible, and starting to care for the plant properly. However, a cold, rainy summer will prevent the normal flowering of the plant, and then it is better to take care of saving the bulbs from the waterlogged soil.

Allium combined with other colors

Pest control

The pests that can precipitate allium are the same as those of the usual onions and garlic. Onion fly larvae settle inside the bulbs, destroying the plant. Therefore, it is better to take preventive measures in a timely manner by sprinkling the ground around the plants with a mixture of ash and tobacco dust, black pepper, dried wormwood leaves.

The large number of allium varieties will allow any gardener to find something suitable for their site. It is not so difficult to grow a decorative onion, called allium, but bright lush balls of inflorescences, subject to agricultural technology, will delight both the grower and his guests.