How to propagate allium - we breed blooming balls

Tell me how to propagate an allium? Last year I bought one bush for trial. When it bloomed, I just fell in love with this huge lilac ball. I want to plant a whole garden bed along the house.

Did you know that onions can be not only a healthy vegetable, but also a decoration of a flower bed? We are talking about one of the most favorite spring plants among gardeners - allium. Dreaming of getting its large spherical inflorescences, many are interested in how to propagate allium. Despite the fact that this is a flower, and not a product for the kitchen, the cultivation of both ordinary garden onions and allium is almost the same. The structure of both cultures is the same, which means that they will reproduce in the same way. Accordingly, like all bulbs, allium is propagated by seeds and vegetatively (bulbs, division, bulbs).

Pros and cons of seed reproduction

If you already have at least one ornamental onion bush, the main advantage of this method is obvious. You do not need to spend money and buy planting material, because you can collect seeds in your garden. They are sown both in the current season, in September, and next spring. Allium from seeds is grown for 2 years, like onions. In the first year, the seeds will give small bulbs, and in the second season, full-fledged bulbs will appear from them.

It is better to collect seeds from the first, largest, inflorescences and only after they are fully ripe.

At the same time, the seed reproduction of allium also has its disadvantages:

plants obtained from seeds will bloom only after 3 years, and some varieties even at 6 years of age;
new bulbs do not retain varietal characteristics, and the color of their inflorescences is usually lighter;
for some varieties, such as the giant allium, stratification will be required - without it, the seeds rot and poorly enter.

How to propagate allium vegetatively

Vegetative reproduction allows you to fully preserve the parental characteristics and does not postpone flowering for so long. Get new copies decorative bow can:

Dividing the bush. Over time, allium forms many new bulbs, and it is recommended to plant such bushes every 5 years. In the spring, you should dig up the plant, divide the bulbs and plant them.
Seating the kids. An adult bulb grows overgrown with small bulbs. These babies can be separated and used for reproduction by placing them immediately in a permanent place. The larger the baby, the faster the new allium will bloom. In this case, the mother bulb must be at least 3 years old.
By planting the bulbs. At the end of flowering, most varieties of allium form airy bulbs in the inflorescences - bulbs. They can be planted by pre-treatment with stimulants.

Growing allium - video

allium reproduction