Advantages of Luke Troy, how to get a rich harvest

Description and characteristics of the variety

Troy onion is a winter hybrid bred by Dutch breeders. Main characteristics of the culture:

• early ripening variety: from planting to lodging of tops - 75 days;
• the bulb is round or flat-round in shape, resistant to the formation of shoots; brown or dark yellow. Weight - 80-90 g;
• yield - 5 kg/m²;
• high quality of dry flakes allows mechanized cleaning;
• leaves are dark green, waxy, 20 cm long;
• plant height - up to 60 cm, has good branching;
• light-loving, moisture-loving vegetable. An unpretentious hybrid to grow and care for, with a moderate-sharp taste;
• frost-resistant plant, resistant to diseases.

When is it better to plant - in spring or autumn before winter?

The Troy variety is a winter crop, which is why it is recommended to plant it in the autumn. The hybrid plant tolerates any soil well , but a greater yield is obtained when planted in drained areas, loam with a large amount of organic fertilizer and acidic soil with the addition of lime. But when growing seeds, planting is done in the spring, when the snow is just beginning to melt.

Attention! Troy is a light-loving crop; when planting, it needs to select beds that receive a large amount of sunlight.

Benefits and harms

Thanks to its medium-sharp taste, Troy onions are widely used in cooking for preparing first courses, marinades, and salads. Long-term storage (4-5 months) makes it possible to consume fresh vegetables all year round. The fruit contains: phytoncides, essential oils, micro- and macroelements, glucose, high content of vitamin C.

• Main beneficial properties:
• stimulation of digestive processes, activation of metabolism, improvement of hematopoiesis, blood purification;
• the juice of the plant is a natural antibiotic: it helps in the treatment of sore throat and flu, and serves as a preventive measure for colds;
• effectively burns fat;
• used in folk cosmetology and medicine: cleanses the skin, disinfects rashes, relieves pain after a bee sting, suitable for the treatment of non-healing wounds, inflammations, abscesses;
• serves as an excellent adapter when changing time zones;
• prevents the formation of cancer cells due to the content of flavonols;
• useful for diabetes: reduces blood glucose levels.

However, for gastritis, peptic ulcers, pancreatitis, and disorders of the cardiovascular system, onions should be consumed in moderation: a large amount of onion juice causes an increase in acidity and irritation of the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, which can cause severe pain. It is better for a nursing mother to refrain from fresh onions: because of them, the milk acquires a bitter taste and an unpleasant odor. For children under 2–2.5 years old, it is better to eat vegetables that have undergone heat treatment.

Did you know? In Ancient Greece, Olympic athletes would accompany their training by eating large quantities of onions to improve their physical fitness.
Later, in Ancient Rome, gladiators massaged their muscles with onion oil for elasticity.

Features of cultivation

Onion Troy F1 is a heterotic winter variety characterized by good yield, shelf life and taste. The F1 index in the name means that the agrochemical qualities of the plant obtained by crossing are maximally manifested in the first generation. It is not worth planting seed from subsequent generations: the indicators will “disintegrate” into the parental ones and lose their basic qualities. And the definition of “heterotic” indicates that the qualities of the hybrid are higher than those of both parent crops.

Optimal planting dates

A high-quality Troy onion harvest is obtained by correctly and timely planting sets grown from nigella - seeds that are sown in early spring. You can purchase sets at a specialty store or grow them yourself. Bulbs should be planted in the fall to get an early harvest of strong onions.

Important! The last fertilizing is carried out no later than 30 days before harvesting.

Another advantage of planting before winter: good vitality and developed root system of the plant. In addition, winter onions are stored longer and are resistant to bolting, diseases and pests. Optimal planting time: three weeks before the onset of frost. If the temperature stays at +5°C for several days and does not rise, it’s time to plant onions.

Preparation of planting material

There are several ways to prepare seedlings for planting:

1. Wipe the bulbs with a solution of copper sulfate.
2. Dip the turnips in boiling water for a few seconds.
3. Place the onions wrapped in cloth in a glass container and microwave for 90 seconds.

Growing conditions

Sunlight and moisture are the rules for getting a good harvest of Troy onions. The area should be in a sunny place, well ventilated. Lowlands where meltwater collects in the spring or rainwater accumulates in the summer should be avoided: excess moisture will spoil the harvest.

Soil and fertilizers

The best soil composition is loam with a high amount of organic matter, well-drained soil. On acidic soils, liming is necessary to obtain a high-quality harvest. Before planting, the bed is dug up, cleared of weeds and plant debris, and humus is added. It is best to plant sets after peppers, tomatoes, legumes and grain crops. It is not recommended to plant onions in one place for two years in a row.

Did you know? In the Middle Ages, onions were valued so highly that the French, during the Crusades, ransomed their captives from the Arabs for it: 8 onions per warrior.

Sowing technology

For planting onions for the winter, planting in ridges is best suited:

1. The dug up and cleared of weeds bed is well loosened with a rake.
2. The beds are formed: ridge height is 15–20 cm, row spacing is 60–70 cm.
3. Grooves 4-5 cm deep are made along the ridge.
4. Water generously.
5. Carefully lay the “turnips”, lightly pressing them into the soil, at a distance of 10 cm.
6. Sprinkle the seedlings with a mixture of peat and humus and cover with soil, slightly compacting the soil with the back of the rake.
7. Before the onset of severe frosts, insulate the bed with spruce branches and fallen leaves. Cover with fallen snow.

Sevok

Before planting the Troy set in winter, you need to either buy it or grow it properly. Properly grown seedlings, subject to proper care conditions, will give a good harvest of winter onions. Onion seeds - nigella must be planted in early spring. In the autumn of the same year, you can plant the sets in the winter, and harvest the onions the following summer.

Pre-winter sowing - early harvest

Conditions:

• The soil for planting nigella should be slightly warmed up and the snow has barely melted off.
• Nigella should be sown thickly.
• The depth of the strip for planting should be 1-2 cm, the width of the strip should be up to 6 cm.
• The distance between the strips should be convenient for weeding.
• Winter Troy's nigella covered with soil must be lightly rolled.
• To protect the soil and improve its properties, it is advisable to cover it with humus or compost.
• Carry out the first watering when planting. Repeat watering immediately after seed germination, subject to dry weather conditions.
• When the leaves have turned yellow and fallen, it’s time to dig up Troy’s onion sets.
• Leave the dug seedlings in the garden bed to dry.
• Peel the dried winter bulb seeds of Troy from the leaves.
• Troy bulbs for sowing in winter should be small - less than 1 cm in diameter. The smaller the seeds of winter sowing, the less likely it is to bolt.

Basic rules of care

Winter Troy is an unpretentious plant. After the onset of spring, the following agricultural technology is produced:

• remove insulation from beds;
• clear the rows of snow to avoid the accumulation of melt water;
• apply urea between rows;
• carefully, so as not to damage the bulbs, loosen the soil;
• after all shoots have appeared, the plants are thinned out: the distance between plants is 7-8 cm;
• To protect against pests, branches of tansy, yarrow, and wormwood are placed between the rows.

Irrigation rates

Onions love moisture, but do not tolerate its excess. In the spring, if the winter was snowy, the seedlings receive enough moisture from melt water, but it must be avoided from stagnating in the garden bed. The plant should be watered as needed, with water at room temperature, until tubers form: from May to mid-June. It is better to water the rows without flooding the sprouts.

Learn how to properly water onions.

Loosening the soil and weeding

The next day after watering, you need to loosen the rows. The procedure will enrich the soil with oxygen and improve moisture circulation. Weeding is done every 10–14 days. Weeds around turnips are removed manually, carefully so as not to damage the surface of the fruit. The row spacing is weeded manually or with a cultivator, while simultaneously loosening the soil.

Fertilizing

Fertilizing is a means of obtaining a high yield of bulbs suitable for long-term storage:

• The first fertilizing is applied after the onset of consistently warm weather. In the second half of April - early May, organic fertilizers are applied;
• the formation of strong tubers will be helped by the addition of liquid mineral fertilizers containing sodium and phosphorus;
• Another fertilizer option: ferment an infusion of medicinal herbs (nettle, chamomile, dandelion), strain, and water generously between the rows. After a day, loosen the soil.

Best way to plant

For growing a variety such as winter Troy, the Chinese method on ridges is very successful. It significantly increases the yield of bulbs, as the turnip grows large. In addition, this method allows you to increase the plant’s resistance to rot - this allows you to reduce maintenance costs. With this method, the sets are planted in ridges 15 cm high. The gap between the ridges is 30 cm. The sets are planted to a depth of 4 cm, and the distance between the bulbs is at least 3 cm. Before the onset of frost, the sets covered with soil must be covered with spruce branches and cut tops plants, sawdust or dry leaves. Caring for the plant in this way will save it from frost. No need to water.

A good harvest begins with planting

In winter, onions also need care. It is advisable to retain snow in beds with winter onions to protect the future harvest from severe frosts.

Diseases and pests of onions

Troy is a disease-resistant variety. Planting for the winter and prevention will help avoid “traditional” onion diseases and pests:

• peronosporosis (downy mildew) - affects leaves, leading to wilting and drying out. It affects plants when using low-quality seed material. It is treated with the drug "Oxyx" (two treatments with an interval of 14 days);

• gray rot. It affects the neck and tubers if soil agrotechniques are not followed, and cannot be treated. Affected bulbs must be removed and destroyed;

• onion mosaic affects leaves. Carried by aphids and mites. To prevent plantings, they are treated with insecticides;
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• onion fly affects mature bulbs, causing rot. For prevention, rows of onions are alternated with carrots. If a fly is found, the onion is treated with a saline solution (250 g of kitchen salt per bucket of water);

• onion moth affects young plants and their leaves. For prevention, the rows are sprinkled with ash or tobacco dust every seven days.

Reproduction

Before planting Troy onion sets for the winter, you need to purchase them in the store or germinate them yourself. If the sets are grown according to the rules, onions planted before winter will give a high yield. Seed material (nigella) is planted early in spring. This same year, in the fall, you will be able to plant seedlings for the winter, and the next year (summer) you will already be harvesting your own harvest of this vegetable crop.

In order to grow Troy onion sets in your own garden according to the rules, you must meet some conditions:

1. The snow cover should melt and the soil should warm up slightly.
2. Nigella is sown quite densely . The furrows for sowing should be made 1-2 centimeters deep and up to 6 centimeters wide. You need to leave space between the furrows so that you can weed comfortably.
3. The nigella of the winter onion variety Troy is covered with soil and compacted a little. To protect the soil and improve its characteristics, it is necessary to sprinkle the surface with fertilizer or manure. What winter onion varieties are is described in this article.
4. First water the sown onions during planting . The next watering is done after the seedlings appear, but only if there has been no heavy rain.
5. We dig up Troy onion sets only when the leaves turn yellow and droop. We leave the dug up bulbs to dry right in the area where they were dug up.
6. After drying, Troy's sets are peeled off from the leaves. To plant onions before winter, we select small bulbs - less than 1 cm in diameter.

We have grown winter onion sets Troy, now we can plant them in the soil to get a harvest.

Harvest and storage

Winter onions ripen 40–50 days earlier than conventional varieties. It is better to harvest in sunny weather. After harvesting you need:

• set aside unripe fruit for immediate use;
• sort turnips by size: large onions last longer.

Store onions in a dry, warm place. You can hang nets with bulbs, lay them out on a dry surface, and braid them. If the temperature (0...-3°C) and moisture (75–90%) are observed, the harvest will be preserved until a new one appears. Inventory should be regularly checked for spoiled items, which should be removed immediately. If the onion is damp, dry it and put it in a dry place.

You will be interested to know how to properly store onions in winter at home.

Differences

Useful tips

Several tricks will help you grow a high-quality hybrid Troy crop with high marketability:

1. You need to buy seeds in specialized stores, from trusted manufacturers.
2. The beds for onions must be prepared high so that the sets do not freeze. It is good to loosen the soil before planting.
3. Only the row spacing should be mulched; plastic film should not be used.
4. After the onset of heat, the mulch is removed from the beds and the rows are loosened.
5. Watering is stopped after tubers begin to form to avoid rotting.
6. Before storing, the onions must rest for 7–10 days. This measure will help to reject low-quality fruits immediately.

So, Troy winter onions do not require much labor or financial investment. With proper care, it produces a high yield, which is stored for several months and provides the dinner table with vitamins throughout the year.

Reviews

Reviews from gardeners on forums confirm the positive characteristics of the hybrid.

Evgeniy, Kursk region : “I have been planting Troy for 6 years in a row, the hybrid is excellent. I always buy ready-made seedlings and plant them before winter. It has never happened before that the harvest was small or spoiled. A couple of damaged bulbs don't count. I store vegetables in the cellar, they stay there until the New Year without any problems.”

Anna, Oryol region: “I usually don’t get along with winter onions: I seem to plant them in mid-October, but they still manage to germinate, and then they freeze and die. Last year I tried to plant Troy, and it was a success. I don’t even know what’s wrong: either I guessed right over time, or the onion itself is excellent. Overall, I liked everything: the harvest was large with minimal care, the taste of the vegetables was mild.”