Nowadays, how to grow shallots has undergone many innovations and advancements. Many farmers use the latest technologies for shallot cultivation, so the yields are also more abundant. Shallot is a seasonal holtikutura species that has a high economic value. When the harvest season is carried out simultaneously sometimes makes the price of shallots drop. Therefore it is necessary to plant red onions outside the planting period in general.
Onion cultivation outside the planting period needs to be done so that there is no buildup of shallots on the market. Moreover, the durability of this commodity is relatively short so that if there is accumulation, decay will occur. This certainly will harm the farmers who cultivate this plant. To do this, certainly the role of the government is needed in educating farmers who grow shallots.
Red onion cultivation is suitable when summer arrives, because plants need more than 12 hours of sun exposure every day. For shallot cultivation, you should choose an environment that is at an altitude of 0 to 900 below sea level. While the temperature of the area that supports the growth of shallots is around 25 to 35 degrees Celsius. While the soil acidity ranges from pH 5.6 to 7.
Below will be discussed about the technical guidelines for shallot cultivation in an easy way. This method has been widely applied by shallot farmers and has obtained satisfactory results. Immediately start for the steps to plant shallots.
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There are many varieties of seed onions that you can cultivate. Among them are local seeds until imported hybrid seeds. For seeds sold there are seeds, there are also seeds in the form of tubers. The second type of seed is widely used by farmers in shallot cultivation. A good shallot seed is a seed that comes from tubers harvested old or around the age of 80-100 days depending on the location of planting.
The number of seeds needed in the cultivation of shallots also depends on the varietes of what will be planted. For a spacing of 20 x 20 with a weight of 5 grams of seed, it takes around 1.4 tons of seed for each hectare. For the same tuber seed weight and using a 15 x 15 spacing it takes around 2.4 tons of seed per hectare. If the size and weight of the seeds are smaller, the need for seeds per hectare is even less.
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Before planting shallots, it is necessary to prepare a planting area first. Make beds with a width of 1-1.2 meters, a height of 50 cm beds, and display beds adjusted to the available land. Make the distance between beds about 50 cm, as well as being used as a trench with a depth of 50 cm. Spread the soil in the beds by hoeing 20 cm deep. The shape of the bed surface becomes flat.
If the condition of soil acidity is less than pH 5.6, use lime or dolomite as much as 1-1.5 tons for one hectare of land. The addition of lime should be done about 2 weeks before the soil is planted with shallots.
For basic fertilizer, use manure or compost. Spread the fertilizer over the beds then stir with the soil evenly. You can also add chemical fertilizers such as ZA, SP-36 and KCL as much as 47 Kg, 311 Kg and 56 Kg for one hectare of land. Combine all the artificial fertilizers then let stand for one week before the beds are planted with onion seeds.
Prepare the bulbs or seedlings onion that are ready to be planted. If the seeds used are less than 2 months old, it should be scratched at the end of the tuber, about 0.5 cm This aims to break down the dormant period so as to accelerate the growth of plant buds.
The way to plant shallots in the dry season is to provide the spacing to be compressed to 15 x 15 cm. While planting in the rainy season make a spacing of at least 20 x 20 cm. How to plant red onion seeds by immersing all the tubers into the soil.