Onion "Blanco Duro" (Southport White Globe)

Hibernal Onion "Blanco Duro" (Southport White Globe).
Variety for salads. The bulb reaches up to 650 g.
Intermediate to long day type. Tight white skins and mild flavor. Very tolerant to poor soil conditions. Medium keeper. Makes great onion rings.
1,0 g = 250-320 seeds.

* ONION FROM SEEDS.
Life cycle: biennial plant.
Features of the crop: unlike other vegetables, in the phase of 4-5 leaves, under unfavorable conditions, it can form a bulb and go into a dormant state. When growing onions from seeds, the growth and development of the plant in the first period (45-50 days) occurs very slowly. The first leaves are very small. Only a month after germination, the leaf apparatus reaches several cm. Intensive plant growth begins after the formation of 4-5 leaves.
After the formation of the bulb is completed, the neck becomes soft, thin and the feather lies down, which is a sign of technical maturity.
Onions are a cold-resistant plant. Seeds germinate at a temperature of +3+5°C. In the phase of 1-2 leaves, seedlings tolerate frosts down to minus -3-5°C. The optimal temperature for plant growth is +20+25°C, maximum +30+35°C.
Sowing: onions must be sown according to the best predecessors, depending on the growing zone. Autumn tillage is carried out to a depth of 22 cm. Before planting, the seeds are pre-germinated. Sow in the spring, as early as possible (at the end of April), in moist soil, in furrows 2-3 cm deep with an interval of 25-30 cm, with a row spacing of 70 cm. Shoots appear on the 12-15th day.
If the strip width is 10-15 cm, then the sowing rate is 7-8 kg of seeds per 1 ha, which ensures a density of 700-800 thousand plants. A scheme of 40x40 and 60 cm with a strip width of 6-8 cm is also acceptable. After sowing, the field is rolled with rollers.
Soil: the crop is very demanding on soil fertility. It is better to place it after the fertilized predecessor, then only mineral fertilizers are applied locally (N-60, P-90, K-60).
During the basic preparation of soil for onions, special attention is paid to weed control.
Care: the rows are loosened to a depth of 8-10 cm, when 2-3 true leaves appear - to a depth of 3-4 cm. The following loosening is carried out when weeds appear in the rows (onions need frequent weeding) or if there is a crust on the surface of the soil. Water the onions in such a way that from germination to the beginning of the formation of the bulb, the soil moisture is 75-80%, and from the beginning of the formation of the bulb - 65-70%.
Harvest: at the beginning of leaf lodging, around the end of August. The pulled out onions with tops are left in the garden to ripen for 8-10 days. In such conditions, the onion finally forms and dries out.