Ash for onions: use, when planting in spring, benefit or harm

Fertilizing onions with ash can be done no more than twice per season. The procedure is planned several months before planting the sowing or seeds. Fertilizer is applied while digging the soil. If this is not done, the fertilizer is applied to the furrow immediately upon planting. The composition is also used to prevent diseases and destroy onion flies and other pests.

The benefits and harms of ash for onions

Many gardeners believe that onions love ash. This is a correct opinion, proven by many years of experience. Systematic use of fertilizing provides great benefits to both plants and soil:

1. Improving soil structure.
2. The powder does not contain chlorine, which is dangerous for plants.
3. Wood ash reduces acidity, so it is especially effective on highly acidified soils.
4. Onions adapt better to temperature changes and frosts. This is especially important for the Urals, Siberia, and the Far East.
5. After harvesting, onions last longer.
6. Infusion and powder of wood ash protects onion plantings from pests and diseases.
7. The fertilizer has a completely natural composition, so in moderate quantities it does not pose a danger to humans, plants, insects, or soil bacteria.
8. Wood ash is valuable because you can get it yourself as a product of burning birch and other firewood (plants should not be used).

Feeding can also cause harm. It is safe in moderation. But if you use the powder too often, the acidity of the soil decreases. At some point, the pH may rise above 7.0, causing the soil to become alkaline. In this case, the yield of almost all crops will decrease.

When using the product, you need to carefully monitor the dosage. You should not get carried away with applying fertilizer too often - otherwise it will do more harm than good. This is especially important in cases where the exact pH of the soil is unknown, and also if the region is dominated by saline soils.

Fertilizer should be used in moderation

It is worth considering that acidity decreases gradually. This process takes several years and is difficult to track in practice. Therefore, it is advisable to monitor the acidity level by periodically taking measurements with a pH meter.

Ash and ready-made fertilizers (differences)

Wood ash is a complex fertilizer for onions and other plants. It contains the following components: calcium, magnesium, sodium salts, potassium phosphate.

It differs from ready-made fertilizers that can be purchased in the store in several ways:

1. Variable composition, depending on the type of wood and completeness of combustion.
2. Appearance (fine fraction powder, may include larger, unburnt fragments).
3. Complete absence of nitrogen - during combustion it quickly combines with oxygen in the air and evaporates.

The composition of the ash is very rich, and in this parameter the fertilizing is in no way inferior to conventional fertilizers. However, it lacks nitrogen, so onions should definitely be given urea and ammonium nitrate. At the same time, the absence of nitrogen can be considered a plus. The fact is that ash can be given at any time, and nitrogen-containing compounds can be given only in the early stages of growth (second half of spring, early summer).

When to use ash for onions

Fertilizer is applied to the soil no more than twice per season. For this you can choose the following dates:

1. Apply the powder while digging the soil when preparing the site in the fall or spring (several months before planting seedlings or seeds).
2. If this has not been done, apply fertilizer immediately before planting, sprinkling a thin layer on the bottom of the furrows. Fertilizer is sprinkled with soil.
3. Water the plantings with infusion a few days after the mass emergence of seedlings.
4. Foliar treatment for disease prevention can be carried out around the same time.
5. Repeated procedures are done only if necessary (when signs of fungal infections or pests appear).
6. After harvesting the onion, you can also add wood ash to the soil. This is done only if fertilizer has never been applied during the season.

Enrich the soil with natural ingredients no more than twice per season.

How to use ash for onions

You can feed onions with ash using different recipes. Dosage, timing of application and quantity depend on the purpose of feeding.

For feeding

Most often, wood ash is used as a natural fertilizer for onions. There are several recipes, the most effective of them:

1. Spread the ash over the bed in a thin layer (a glass per 1 m²). This procedure can be repeated 2-3 times per season before heavy watering or on the eve of rain. Then the nutrients will quickly dissolve, enter the soil and be absorbed by the onion roots.
2. Take 250 g of wood ash and infuse it in 10 liters of water at room temperature for three days. After this, the onion plantings are watered abundantly.
3. 500 g of powder is poured into a bucket of water. Insist for seven days. Then the onion plantings are watered. Take into account the ratio: 0.5 liters of solution for each plant.

Also, ash for feeding onions can be used as part of other fertilizers. Summer residents recommend using the following recipes:

1. Take a three-liter jar and put 5 tbsp in it. l. sugar, 15 g fresh or dry yeast (1 level tbsp), 1 tbsp. l. ash and fill to the top. You need to let it sit for at least three days, then water all the onion plantings.
2. Mow the field grass, chop it up and fill up to a third of the bucket. Add 100-150 g of ash. Fill with water and leave for two weeks. The resulting volume is diluted 10 times and watering begins.
3. You can also prepare a complex organic fertilizer with mineral elements. To do this, put 250 g of fresh and 500 g of rotted manure into a 10 liter bucket, add 50 ml of kefir or yogurt and 150 ml of mash, add 150 g of ash. Leave to ferment for a week, then water the onions once with a solution diluted twice.

The infusion is kept for at least two days

From diseases and pests

Wood ash helps not only in the prevention, but also in the treatment of dangerous onion diseases (powdery mildew, gray and bacterial rot). For treatment, it is recommended to dust the beds with wood ash a few days after germination.Another recipe is used when signs of disease or pest invasion appear (onion fly, moths, thrips and others):

1. Measure out 300 g of powder.
2. Pour into a 10 liter bucket.
3. You need to get shavings of laundry soap (50 g) and add it there.
4. Stir and let stand for at least 24 hours.
5. Pour into a spray bottle and treat all plantings.

Preparing onion sets and seeds for planting

In spring, the ash is applied to onion sets. If the soil has not previously been fertilized with this fertilizer, several grooves 5-7 cm deep are formed in the garden bed and powder is poured to the bottom, and a small layer of fertile soil is placed on top. As a result, the seedlings or seeds will immediately receive valuable fertilizer, thanks to which they will better adapt to temperature changes. The ash will reliably protect the onion from rot.

Ash when planting onions

Before planting onions or other crops, you can also add wood ash. They begin to dig up the site 1-2 months in advance or the day before in the fall if they plan to plant at the beginning of the season. When digging, sprinkle the soil generously with ash in an amount of 500-600 g per 1 m². If the soil is depleted, you can add compost or humus in an amount of 5 kg to the same area.

For storage

For long-term storage, the bulbs are laid out in boxes in several layers and sprinkled with wood ash. The quantities should be small - just powder it, distributing the powder evenly between all layers.This protects the crop from mold and other diseases.

Ash helps keep onions from molding

Gardener mistakes

It is not difficult to add ash to plant onions or use it to treat pests and diseases. But sometimes even experienced gardeners make mistakes. To avoid them, it is recommended to follow these rules:

1. Do not think that if wood ash has a natural composition, then it can be used for onions in any quantity. Fertilizer can be applied only in certain doses.
2. If the soil has a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction (salt marshes with a pH greater than 7.0), it is not recommended to use ash for onions and other plants. The fact is that it alkalizes the soil. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically add 9% vinegar to the soil in an amount of 100 ml per 10 l (this is enough to water 1 m²).
3. When planting, the bulbs should not come into direct contact with the fertilizer. A high concentration of nutrients is harmful to the plant and can “burn” it. Therefore, when planting, ash is poured into the bottom of the furrows, and then a layer of soil must be laid, and seedlings or seeds are planted in it.

Conclusion

Feeding onions with ash promotes better adaptation of the crop to unfavorable weather conditions and frosts on the soil. When using, it should be noted that it gradually reduces acidity and promotes alkalization of the soil. Therefore, the product must be used in reasonable quantities. If in doubt, it is better to additionally measure the acidity of the soil using a pH meter.

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