Onions are among the most unpretentious garden crops. Nevertheless, to obtain good yields, onion beds must be fed with mineral and organic fertilizers.
Onion responsiveness to fertilizer
Onions when fertilizing immediately responds with enhanced growth. Most of all, he “likes” minerals that have different effects on the development of onions. Nitrogen contributes to the growth of greens and an increase in the size of bulbs. Potash compounds intensify metabolic processes, provide resistance to temperature changes and improve the appearance of bulbs and their durability. Phosphorus increases onion resistance to disease and stimulates its growth.
Onion dressing calendar
Feeding onions should correspond to the stages of its development. It’s not easy to pinpoint the days and months of feeding, since onion sowing can be carried out at very different times: in early spring (March), with soil warming up to 10-12 aboutC (for the temperate zone - the second half of April) and when the soil warms up to 15 aboutFrom (beginning of May).
- The first top dressing is carried out 14-16 days after planting, when the bulbs sprout and the feathers reach a height of 4-5 cm. Nitrogen fertilizers are used, which are scattered dry on the soil surface.
- The second feeding is carried out 20-22 days after the first - phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied.
- The third top dressing is carried out in the summer, when the bulb reaches a size of 5 cm. Use ash, superphosphate or Effekton.
Feeding onions with minerals
Mineral fertilizing helps to quickly saturate the onion with the necessary trace elements
Table: the use of mineral dressings
No. of top dressing | Type of fertilizer | Consumption | Application Method |
1 | Ammonium nitrate | 2 tbsp. spoons per 10 l | The introduction of a solution under the root |
Nitrophoska | 2 tbsp. spoons per 10 l | ||
Ideal and urea | 2 tbsp. spoons per 10 l | ||
Vegeta and urea | 2 + 1 tbsp. spoons per 10 l | ||
Urea | 4 tbsp. spoons per 10 l | ||
2 | Nitrofoska or azofoska | 2 tbsp. spoons per 10 l |
|
Superphosphate and Potassium Sulphate | 2 + 1 tbsp. spoons per 10 l | ||
Agricola | 2 teaspoons per 10 l | ||
3 | Potassium salt and superphosphate | 1 teaspoon + 1/2 tbsp. spoons per 10 l | Root top dressing. |
Agricola |
|
| |
Potassium chloride and superphosphate | 5 + 8 teaspoons per 10 l | Basal watering. |
Trace elements are introduced in the form of ready-made compositions, for example, Nano-Mineralis (contains about 10 elements). It is used for foliar top dressing when 2-3 leaves appear at the rate of 30-50 ml / ha (previously dissolved 100 g per bucket of water).
Organic onion dressing
Organic fertilizers are also a necessary component of onion nutrition.
In addition to organic matter, wood ash contains calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. Make it before planting onions (0.5 kg per 1 m2) To feed and protect against pests, the beds are pollinated in the spring at the rate of 100 g / m2 or watered with infusion (0.25 kg of ash is poured with a bucket of hot water and insisted for 3 days).
Feeding from ash - video
From my experience of growing onions, I can note that ash helps to increase the onion's resistance to weather changes and stimulates the growth of strong feathers and large bulbs. It is very useful to enrich the ash with nettle-calendula infusion (I fill the bucket with three-quarters of chopped herbs and fill it with water, insist 3-5 days). In the finished infusion, I dissolve 100 g of ash and 10-15 g of laundry soap. I spray the mixture of plants in cloudy weather or after sunset. In addition to saturating the beds with microelements and improving the structure of the soil, the treatment helps to deter the onion fly and nematode, as well as to prevent powdery mildew.
Cooking nettle infusion - video
It is very useful for onions bird droppings (dissolved with water 1:20), make it when the feathers of the onions reach a length of 10 cm, and then repeat after 2 weeks. You can use rotted manure (1 kg is poured with 10 liters of water and insisted for a week, then diluted with water 1:10 and spent 10 l / m2).
The use of folk remedies for feeding onions
Folk remedies often work no worse than conventional fertilizers.
One of the effective folk remedies is baker's yeast. Yeast can be used both fresh and dry. On a bucket of water put 1 kg of fresh or 10 g of dry yeast and 40 g of sugar, and after the start of active fermentation, dilute with warm water in a ratio of 1: 5.
It is recommended to add ash to the yeast infusion or to introduce yeast after pollinating the soil with ash (200 g per 1 m2) Contribute to the rows one month after planting, and then twice more after 2 weeks.
Yeast as fertilizer - video
For spring onion feeding, you can use ammonia, which contributes to:
- feather extension (dissolve 1 teaspoon in 1 liter of water);
- anti-yellowing feathers (3 tablespoons in 10 liters of water);
- head enlargement (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water).
Top dressing is carried out no more than 1 time in 14-15 days.
Using ammonia to feed - video
Hydrogen peroxide is considered to be very effective, which is a growth promoter: 3% peroxide (2 tablespoons) is dissolved in 1 liter of water and watering the beds once a week.
Features of spring feeding of winter onions
Winter onions are fed according to a slightly different pattern. The first top dressing (with nitrogen) is carried out immediately when the spring feather appears. Ready-made preparations (Vegeta) or a mixture of superphosphate with urea and potassium chloride (proportion 3: 2: 1), dose 5 mg / m2.
After 2-3 weeks, top dressing is repeated, this time with nitrophos (40 g per bucket of water) or Agricola-2. The flow rate of the solution is 5 l / m2.
The third top dressing is carried out when bulbs reach a diameter of 3-3.5 cm. Dissolved in a bucket of water superphosphate (40-45 g) water the beds (10 l / m2).
The variety of options for feeding onions allows you to choose the best option. With proper selection and application of various mineral and organic fertilizers, you can get a decent harvest.