Content
Onions are an unpretentious crop, however, their development requires a supply of nutrients. Its feeding includes several stages, and for each of them certain substances are selected. Particularly important feeding onions in spring, when the plant requires a maximum of useful components. The beds are treated by watering. Mineral or organic substances are added to the solution.
Preparing the soil for onions
Before planting onions, you need to carefully prepare the soil. The culture prefers open places, well lit by the sun. The soil should remain breathable and have moderate humidity.
Preparatory work begins in the fall. It is not recommended to choose areas that are flooded with water in the spring. For onions, prolonged exposure to moisture is detrimental, as its heads begin to rot.
It is not recommended to plant onions several times in one place. There must be at least three years between plantings. Bulbs can be planted after potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, legumes, cucumbers, pumpkins, and peas.
Next to the onions, you can arrange a bed with carrots.This plant does not tolerate the onion fly, while onions themselves repel many other pests.
In winter, the soil is fertilized with peat or superphosphate. In early spring, you need to loosen the soil to maintain a high level of moisture.
As a top dressing for 1 sq. m of soil organic fertilizers are applied:
- humus (compost) – 5 kg;
- ash – 1 kg.
In the fall, you can fertilize the soil with superphosphate (20 g) and potassium (10 g), and in the spring add superphosphate (up to 10 g) and ammonium nitrate (15 g) per 1 sq.m.
If the land was not fertilized in the fall, then complex fertilizers are applied during planting in the spring. The mineral components do not need to be buried deeply in order for the bulbs to receive the necessary nutrition.
Timing for feeding onions
After preparing the soil, the onions are planted in the furrows using a strip method. Planting depth ranges from 1 cm to 1.5 cm.
You need to care for onions throughout the spring. The number of feedings is two to three, depending on the condition of the seedlings. To carry out the procedure, choose cloudy weather when there is no wind. The optimal time for feeding is morning or evening.
If rainy weather sets in, minerals are buried in the soil to a depth of 10 cm between rows of plantings.
First feeding
The first treatment is carried out 14 days after planting the onions, when the first shoots appear. During this period, the plant requires nitrogen. This element is responsible for the growth of bulbs, however, it should be added with caution.
Urea has the form of white granules, highly soluble in water. The resulting composition is applied to the soil around the planting rows.Due to nitrogen, greenery is formed on the feather. With a lack of this element, the bow develops more slowly, the arrows become pale or acquire a yellow tint.
Ammonium nitrate is suitable for the first feeding. For 1 sq. m, up to 15 g of substance is added. The main component of ammonium nitrate is nitrogen. The presence of sulfur in the fertilizer improves the ability of plants to absorb nitrogen.
An additional effect of ammonium nitrate is to strengthen the immunity of onions. The substance is added to the soil before planting to eliminate pathogenic bacteria.
Another first feeding option includes:
- superphosphate – 40 g;
- saltpeter – 30 g;
- potassium chloride – 20 g;
- water – 10 l.
Second feeding
At the second stage, fertilizing is carried out in order to enlarge the bulbs. The procedure is carried out 14-20 days after the initial treatment.
A good effect is achieved by complex feeding, including:
- superphosphate – 60 g;
- sodium chloride – 30 g;
- saltpeter – 30 g.
All components are diluted in water and then used to fertilize the soil.
An alternative option is to use a complex fertilizer - nitrophoska. Its composition includes nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These substances are present here as salts, highly soluble in water.
Phosphorus and potassium ensure active growth of bulbs. The components of nitrophoska are well absorbed by the plant and have a long-lasting effect. Nitrogen is activated first, and after a few weeks, the remaining elements begin to act.
Thanks to phosphorus, onions accumulate vegetative mass.Potassium is responsible for the taste and density of the bulbs.
When working with mineral fertilizers, certain rules are followed:
- the dosage must correspond to the specified norm;
- for sandy soils, a lower concentration of components is required, but fertilizing is allowed more often;
- Before applying liquid fertilizer, you need to water the soil;
- it is possible to increase the content of nutrients only for clay soils;
- the composition is not allowed to get on the onion feathers (if this happens, they are watered with a hose);
- The most effective are complex fertilizers containing phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen.
Third feeding
The third feeding of onions in the spring is carried out two weeks after the second procedure. Its purpose is to provide the bulbs with nutrients for further growth.
The composition of the third treatment of planted onions includes:
- superphosphate – 60 g;
- potassium chloride – 30 g;
- water – 10 l.
Organic fertilizers for onions
Mineral fertilizers combine well with organic fertilizing. Rotted manure or chicken droppings are suitable for feeding the bulbs. Fresh manure is not applied to the onions.
For the first feeding you need a glass of slurry per bucket of water. The product is used for watering, mainly in the evening.
The second feeding is made from herbal infusion. It is prepared from comfrey or other herbs. Comfrey is characterized by a high content of potassium, which is necessary for the formation of bulbs.The stems of the plant contain proteins.
To prepare the solution, you need 1 kg of fresh chopped herbs, which is filled with a bucket of water. The infusion is prepared within a week.
To water onions, you need 1 liter of comfrey infusion per 9 liters of water. The remaining grass is used as compost. The product is used only in the spring, when it is necessary to saturate the bulbs with nitrogen. In summer, such feeding is not carried out, otherwise the plant will direct all its energy to the formation of feathers.
Features of fertilizing onions with chicken manure, stories in the video:
Fertilizing winter onions in spring
Winter onions are planted in the fall in order to receive the first harvest in the spring. Planting is done a month before the first frost. To prepare the soil for winter growing, humus (6 kg) and superphosphate (50 g) are added to it for each square meter.
After the snow cover melts, the covering material is removed from the bed and the soil is loosened.
Winter varieties prefer organic types of fertilizing - chicken manure or mullein diluted with water. Nitrogen fertilizers are useful for the formation of green mass. Products are applied to the soil during watering.
The second stage of feeding is performed when feathers appear, which occurs 2 weeks after the first procedure. Here you can use similar organic fertilizers or mineral complexes.
Folk remedies for onions
Caring for onions is carried out using folk remedies that are prepared at home. Such products are low-cost and completely safe for the environment, but at the same time they are highly effective.
Feeding with ash
Ash formed after the combustion of wood or plants is suitable for fertilizing onions.If waste was burned, including construction waste, then such ash is not used for fertilizing.
Wood ash contains calcium, an important component that forms the feathers and bulbs of plants. Calcium activates metabolism and biochemical processes. The ash contains sodium, potassium and magnesium, which are responsible for water balance and energy production by plants.
Ash components are able to eliminate harmful bacteria that cause bulb diseases. Fertilizer is applied to the soil before watering or as an infusion.
Per liter of water requires 3 tbsp. l. ash. The infusion is left for a week, after which it is poured into the furrows between the rows of plantings.
Feeding onions with ash in the spring is allowed no more than three times. Such feeding is especially important at the stage of plant development, when the need for useful elements is high.
Ash is often added to compost or humus during autumn soil preparation. For 1 sq. m of soil requires up to 0.2 kg of wood ash.
Yeast feeding
Feeding onions with yeast increases its immunity, enhances the growth of bulbs and feathers, and suppresses the development of fungal diseases.
Yeast promotes the functioning of soil-decomposing bacteria. Thus, soil fertility and nitrogen saturation increase. Fertilizing with yeast alternates with mineral fertilizers, watering with chicken droppings and ash.
Spring feeding is formed from the following components:
- yeast – 10 g;
- sugar – 2 tbsp. l.;
- water – 10 l.
All components are mixed and then placed in a warm place for 2 days. The finished mixture is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:5 and used for irrigation.
Yeast nutrition is used in combination with herbal infusion. First, the chopped grass is poured with water, then after a week, 500 g of yeast is added. The infusion is left for 3 days, after which the finished product is obtained.
Conclusion
Onion feeding begins at the stage of preparing the soil for sowing. In spring, the plant needs to be provided with nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus and other trace elements. Mineral substances, as well as organic fertilizers and folk remedies are used for feeding. It is allowed to use complex fertilizing consisting of various types of fertilizers. All components are added to the soil according to the norm. Excess of substances negatively affects the development of plants.
