Chives at Home - Growing, Harvesting, and Benefits of Chives
Your Kitchen friend adds onion and garlic flavor to your food. The highly nutritious herb contains Vitamins A, C, K Minerals such as Potassium, Manganese, Magnesium, Calcium and Fibre. Suitable companions of Chives are Mint, Oregano, Thymes, etc.
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Health Benefits of Chives
Vitamin A in Chives helps to develop and maintain your immune system.
Vitamins C is good for growth and tissue repair to keep your body fit. Vitamin K helps
to clot your blood when you get wounded and plays an important role in Bone
Metabolism.
Minerals like Potassium helps to regulate the blood pressure, Manganese is very
much important to keep the nervous system strong, Magnesium is good to have
healthy heart and strong bones.
Fibers (Dietary Fibers) reduces constipation and helps to maintain bowel health.
Pot Selection: A clay pot with 6 to 8 inches depth and have holes at the bottom to drain out excess water. You can transfer it container to container
as per the need.
Sowing: If you are using seeds for chives plantation, soak them in a suitable amount of water and plant food (a weak solution of green tea and water or a solution of Gelatin and water).
Pour a layer of moist soil in a pot. Sprinkle Chive seeds (each seed should be 3 inches away from each other). Press the seeds lightly
inside the soil and pour another layer of moist soil to cover the seeds.
Add some water and cover the pot with a plastic bag to lock the moisture for germination process.
Remove the plastic bag once sprouts are peeping out of the soil!! It takes at at least 2 weeks to germinate.
Temperature: Chives like humidity in the air so, 60 - 70 degrees Fahrenheit ( 15° - 20° Celsius) is the ideal temperature for Chives.
Sunlight: Direct sunlight for at least 6 to 8 hours
Note: Not getting enough sunlight? No worries!!! Use 40 Watt bulb and plug/hang it at least 6 or 12 inches above the plant.
Soil: Moist, fertile, and well-drained soil is with the addition of organic fertilizers or compost in good amounts. If you can make a soil ball
inside your fist but not too soggy then it is good to go. (pH range up to 6.0 to 7.0)
(Know more about: How to make compost for your plants at home)
Water: Don’t overwater your Chives. Water them once you are done with planting until the water starts draining out of the holes at the bottom.
Once the 1 inch of the soil top starts dry out (you can check it by inserting your finger near the edge of the pot) then you can water it.
Fertilizers: A balanced granular NPK 3-3-3 (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in 3-3-3 percentage respectively) fertilizers can be used every
two weeks ( 1 tablespoon for 6-8 inches deep pot along with a small shower of water to make the fertilizer release its nutrients
Pests and Cure: The strong smell of chives acts as a self-repellent to keep insects away. In an exceptional case you can make use of soap and water
liquid mixture as per the need (Do not use much).
Harvesting: Make sure your chives are 8 inches tall before cutting them. It is good to cut chives when they are 6 inches tall leaving at least 2 inches
of green leaves behind above the soil (make use of sharp knives and garden clippers). You can harvest them again when they are 8 inches tall.
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Repotting: You can repot your chives if you feel it is time for repotting, repot it in the 10-12 inches larger pot. Remember to add fertilizers in double
amounts than that of 6-8 inches of pot that is 2 tablespoons.
Chive Plant Care
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Do not add fertilizers during the winter season.
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Chives seedlings should be planted at the same depth in the pot that where they were in the nursery pot.
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Mulch the chive with a 2 inches of Bark layer once it is 6 inches tall, do not
mulch before that -
Do not fill the pot entirely with the soil, leave ½ space between the top of
the soil and edge of the pot -
Harvesting at regular will benefit in the rapid growth of the Chives
