Vegetable growing » Onions
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Kira Stoletova
Growing onions is not difficult, but not everyone knows how to water onions with ammonia. This root crop is also susceptible to damage from harmful insects and microorganisms, and can also suffer from specific diseases.
Watering onions with ammonia
If young onions are not diagnosed and processed in a timely manner, they will eventually grow small and cannot be preserved for a long period. Only proper care will give this crop the strength to grow and produce a good harvest.
A little about onion culture itself
Every gardener who wants to get the maximum yield invests energy in his crops. To do this, he carefully cultivates the soil, preparing it, then buys seeds or ready-made seedlings and, in addition, uses fertilizer. One of the most popular crops cultivated in gardens is onions. It is used almost every day, because it is added to first and second courses, salads, etc.
The agronomic norm of onions is 19, that is, they carry little fertilizer from the soil. Most gardeners and agronomists ignore fertilizing, are indifferent to pests, and ultimately begin to resent the fact that their harvest is so meager, even though it is an ecologically natural product.
Thoughtless use of chemicals for growing onions is the wrong approach, but watering onions with ammonia in normal quantities does not lead to the accumulation of nitrates, because it acts as a protector against pests.
Precautionary measures
This useful product can become hazardous to health if you do not follow the safety rules when using it:
- it is necessary to work with ammonia using rubber gloves;
- Avoid contact of the solution with the skin; to do this, wear closed clothing before working with it;
- to avoid inhaling ammonia fumes, wear a mask;
- Do not mix the solution with active substances such as chlorine;
- do not use for people with hypervascular dystonia;
- Store ammonia in a carefully closed container, out of the reach of children.
Features of using ammonia
Professionals highlight a special technique for how to water homemade onions with ammonia and how often this can be done, so they immediately answer all the related questions: why spray, can onions be treated with ammonia, when to water, etc.
Ammonia or ammonia is a colorless, transparent solution that has a strong, characteristic, pungent odor. It is ammonium hydroxide dissolved in water. This is a nitrogen fertilizer that is quite quickly and easily absorbed by plants, but not all crops can be treated with ammonia, because it does not act in the same way. For example, it has no effect on strawberries.
Treating young onions with ammonia is an important procedure, since this crop absorbs ammonia well. Therefore, to the question of whether it is possible to water onions with ammonia, the answer is obvious; the main thing is that you need to use the correct dosage so as not to harm the root crop.
Peculiarities of the pest's life
The onion fly is no different in appearance from an ordinary housefly. The abdomen is gray, large eyes, transparent wings. The insect flies over the beds of onions and garlic, looking for a convenient place to lay eggs.
Adults overwinter in the soil where onions grew. In early spring they come to the surface as soon as the air warms up to 15 degrees Celsius. Females lay their first clutch of eggs in May, when onion arrows are clearly visible above the ground. The fly lays eggs on the shoots or in the ground near the bulb.
On a note!
Under favorable weather conditions, the larvae appear within 2 weeks. The worms make their way into the bulb, make passages there, and suck out the juices. When a vegetable is infected with more than four pests, the crop dies.
During the season from June to September, 3 generations of pests are replaced. Insects lay eggs continuously. You can save onions from onion flies by taking timely measures. At a time when green onion feathers are showing off in the beds, an onion is forming, the use of chemicals is not recommended, so getting rid of the fly and its larvae is required using folk remedies.
Ammonia as a fertilizer
There is an opinion that watering with ammonia does not have a negative side, that is, it is simply impossible to overfeed the plant with ammonia, because even the wrong dosage of the drug does not lead to negative consequences, that is, the accumulation of nitrates. But this is not true, because if you often use the mixture, the plant will quickly absorb nitrates and accumulate them.
Onion is a plant that belongs to the category of those that absorb ammonia nitrogen well. Ammonia is a complex caustic compound; at high concentrations in water, it can easily burn the feathers of a plant or even a turnip. Incorrect proportions of the solution lead to the development of the upper part (green mass), but at a loss to the root crop, it promotes the reproduction and development of harmful putrefactive microorganisms, so it is important to clearly know the correct dosages so that fertilizing the onions with ammonia will be beneficial.
What are the benefits of ammonia for onions?
The drug enriches plantings with nitrogen content and promotes green growth. The bulbs become strong and juicy, and the stems become elastic and green. Correct and timely use of the product will increase productivity and preserve onions until spring planting.
Ammonia diluted in water reduces the acidity of the soil and improves its structure. Ammonia is a convenient alternative to using various fertilizers of organic origin - manure, compost, peat; this product can be applied by root and foliar methods. The nitrogen contained in an aqueous solution of ammonia penetrates well into the soil and lingers for a long time without being washed out by rain.
Diluted ammonia is also useful for onions because even a small concentration of its vapor repels pests.
Important! Ammonia is a nutrient and medicine for bulbs in one preparation.
Fight against harmful organisms
The time when you can water onions with ammonia is called favorable, because during this period not only the plant is fed with useful substances, but also the fight against the main harmful organisms is carried out. The same insects simply cannot stand the smell of ammonia, therefore, when onions are treated with ammonia, even a minimal concentration leads to the destruction of pests.
Who can be destroyed in this way:
- flies (onion);
- bugs;
- secretive proboscis.
In order to destroy the secretive proboscis, which is classified as a dangerous insect pest, you need to water the plant with ammonia. This procedure is repeated 2 times, for it you take 10 liters of ordinary water, and you need to dilute 20-25 g of ammonia in it. The first spraying should be done at the beginning of bolting (approximately in spring), the second - after 2 weeks.
For flies and bugs, the bed must be irrigated with an ammonia solution. More precisely, it is necessary to spray between the rows with a specialized solution, which can be made from 10 liters of water and 1 spoon of ammonia.
Soil requirements for garlic and onions
The composition and quality of the soil in which crops will grow are of paramount importance. For bulbous crops such as onions and garlic, the soil should be neutral. When the soil is acidified, it is artificially alkalized by adding lime. Approximately 2 to 3 kg of the substance are taken per 1 m2 of sowing area.
Useful articles:
Soil salinization How to improve the soil, its fertility, composition, structure
Some vegetable growers recommend adding ash to reduce soil acidity. The amount of ash is chosen depending on the degree of acidification of the soil; it varies from 0.7 to 3 kg per 1 m2.
To increase soil fertility, manure must be added as top dressing.
Depending on the type of soil, apply:
- clayey, dense, heavy soil is diluted with sand or peat in the amount of 10 liters per 1 m2;
- sandy loam, light soil is diluted with peat in the amount of 10 liters, diluted with powdered clay;
- In swampy areas with peat in the soil, sand and loam are used in the same proportions.
Preparing the soil for onions and garlic - video
Reasons for using ammonia
Fertilizing homemade onions with ammonia belongs to the “fast” category, therefore, if you urgently need to fertilize the plants, ammonia is used. The main sign of nitrogen starvation, which is primarily diagnosed by gardeners, is whitened tips of the leaves. This can be observed not only in onions or garlic, but also in carrots. There are a lot of reasons for this condition, so you need to be able to distinguish and classify them:
- The feathers have a very light greenish or even yellowish tint. This indicates that the plant needs emergency help with ammonia. Nothing can deal with this condition faster and better than ammonia treatment.
- The feathers not only have a white tint, but also begin to curl at the ends. This indicates that the plant lacks a chemical fertilizer such as potassium. For such a situation, treatment with potassium fertilizer is suitable, it doesn’t matter what it is, you can even use one that contains chlorine and salt: onions, like garlic, are quite normal in this regard.
- Freeze effect. The onion stem becomes exclusively white. This is the time when watering young onions with ammonia is simply necessary, as the plant needs additional help.
- The tips of the leaves have become white, but the feathers themselves have not curled and have a normal color for a root vegetable. There is no need to fertilize with nitrogen; it simply won’t help. To normalize the condition, it is necessary to use a copper-containing preparation, which is spilled between the rows.
- One more thing: the white tips of the feathers indicate that the soil is too acidic. You cannot make a fatal mistake and further deoxidize the soil before you start planting root crops. To normalize it, it is worth adding dolomite flour or saltpeter, or, as a last resort, lime. Onions need slightly alkaline soil, so you need to cope not only with excess soil acidity, but also additionally water the bed with ash. Treat the bed with a solution based on 1 bucket of liquid and 2 cups of ash.
Bow description
The genus onion includes at least 900 species, almost all of which were distributed in the wild in the Northern Hemisphere. Various types of onions grow in forests, meadows and steppes. They can be divided into three groups: 1) decorative, 2) edible, 3) not of economic importance. There are about as many edible types of onions as decorative ones, although some types belong to both categories. Currently, 228 types of onions are eaten.
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Onion is a perennial plant, reaching a height of up to 90 cm. A small bunch of root system extends from the bottom of the onion, which penetrates into the soil to a depth of 0.5 meters. The bulb appears flattened or ball-shaped with yellow, red or white shells. The stem is thick, inflated below the middle, bearing up to 9 leaves at the base.
Onions contain a complex of vitamins from group B, C, E, as well as PP. Additionally, the product contains fluorine, iron, phosphorus and sodium, quercetin, saponin, essential oils, organic acids and other substances beneficial to the human body.
Bulbs harvested during their ripening period (August-September) are used for medicinal purposes. Collect onion feathers during the waxing Moon, from sunrise to noon, bulbs - in the third phase of the Moon, near the full moon, on the 16th or 17th lunar day; On the Sunset.
In order not to perish, the onion had to accumulate nutrients in its leaves, called scales. A little later, everything began to be called an onion. Thanks to man, the growing area has expanded significantly; many varieties of onions have been bred, differing in ripening time, color and taste of the pulp, size of the bulbs and agrotechnical cultivation methods, individually for each variety.
Methods for preparing working ammonia essence
Watering onions with ammonia is not a difficult task, but in order not to burn either the root vegetable or the leafy part, it is important to correctly formulate the solution. This recipe is designed for the gardener to use a standard drug from a pharmacy.
- Watering onions with ammonia has concentration limits, a maximum of 1 tbsp is allowed. l. for 1 l.
- Processing onions at the root (feeding): dilute 3 tbsp for every 10 liters of water. l. ammonia.
- For spraying or to water onions with ammonia, dilute 5 tbsp per 10 liters of water. l. chemical substance.
Basically, the point of such procedures is to ensure that the main active ingredient remains on the feathers of the plant for a longer time. It is for this reason that the essence is supplemented with a specialized component (adhesive), which can be purchased at any place where fertilizers are sold. But if this is not possible, everything that is really needed to prepare the solution is always freely available.
Effect of ammonia against onion fly
The insect is small in size and highly fertile. Signs of a pest attack:
- stopping or slowing down the growth of the green part of the onion;
- feathers have yellow tips;
- greenery falls to the ground;
- The root crop is not formed.
At the first sign of damage to a vegetable, action must be taken. Ammonia, also known as ammonia, can be saved from onion flies and is sold in any pharmacy. The product has an extremely pungent odor that repels insects.
On a note!
Ammonia is one of the most effective folk remedies against harmful insects in the garden. It is used not only against onion flies, but also against carrot flies. It is also used as fertilizer. Ammonia is nitrogen, a deficiency of which causes vegetables to stop growing, developing, turning yellow, or even dying. Ammonia strengthens the onion, stimulates the growth of the green part and the formation of the bulb. Makes the crop resistant to diseases and pest attacks.
Tips for gardeners
- If the onion is grown exclusively for feathers, then it is processed; additional processing is a solution of water with the addition of a small amount of dry mustard.
- As one of the sticking options, to treat onions with ammonia solution against pests, you can take the most budget dog or cat flea shampoo. But there is one drawback: the feathers cannot be eaten. After careful processing, they will simply become unsuitable for consumption.
- If an unnaturally dark shade of foliage is visible, this is a signal that there is a glut of ammonia. It follows from this that the plants do not need fertilizing, so you should immediately stop watering the onion root crop.
Disadvantages of the method
The advantages of using ammonia are undeniable, but there are also disadvantages.
It is very important to observe the concentration of the solution and the frequency of watering. If you notice that the onion leaves have darkened and become glossy, stop fertilizing with nitrogen immediately.
Also, if the concentrations are not observed, you can cause a chemical burn to the plant or burn the root system.
To prevent chemical burns from ammonia on a plant, half an hour after treating the onion with an aqueous solution of ammonia, spray it with clean water.
Rules for processing and fertilization
Ammonia for homemade onions is an ideal fertilizer. But if feeding or processing is carried out exclusively by spraying, then the leaves will not be able to receive a sufficient amount of the working substance. You should try to water the onion root crop as often as possible; for this, use a watering can with good holes (water sprays the surface of the feathers as correctly and thoroughly as possible).
Having understood the benefits of this type of treatment, you need to find out the time for watering. When to water young onions with ammonia, or more precisely, what is the best time to do this?
- Treatment outside the root is done early in the morning in cloudy or dry windless weather, or at sunset.
- Initially, a solution is prepared, which consists of the main components: purified water, supplemented with ammonia, after which salt and other minor components are added.
- The ammonia for onions is poured so as not to raise the watering can to a high distance. In this way, you can thoroughly water and nourish the onion fruit, plus you can also spray garlic with this solution.
- If the plantings are very large in area, then you should water the onion plot using a specialized spraying system.
Growing onions for turnips has its own peculiarity: first you need to treat the young onions with ammonia (here we are talking about the root of the plant), then you need to do at least 3 treatments of the feathers, and then feed the root one more time. As soon as the leaves begin to dry out, you need to stop watering the onions with ammonia altogether. That is, the use of the solution as a treatment agent should be stopped.
Onion varieties
Chives or chives grow wild in wet meadows, floodplains, and mountain slopes in northern and central Asia, all European countries and North America. Chives are found in large quantities in Kamchatka, Altai, and Western Siberia.
It grows bushily, has a soft and pleasant taste, and grows quickly in the spring, literally from under the snow. All winter long, chives can grow on a windowsill, in pots or boxes. Some 10–15 bushes can sufficiently provide the whole family with green onions for the winter.
Onion onion is a winter onion. It grows wild in Siberia and the Far East, and is cultivated in many countries around the world, especially common in Korea, Japan, and China, where it has been cultivated for a long time. In open ground, spring onions can be cultivated even beyond the latitudes of the Arctic Circle. The plant awakens while still under the snow, and after the snow melts, after 2–3 weeks, onion sprouts that are large enough can be cut for food.
A cold-resistant onion variety is leek. It is believed that the homeland of leek is Central Asia, and from there the plant was exported to the Mediterranean and spread throughout the globe. It has always been used in nutrition and medicine. Greek and Roman healers, Egyptian and Arab doctors of antiquity mention this bow in their writings.
In our country, leeks are widely used in nutrition and traditional healing in the Caucasus. Leeks retain their qualities well even when dried, so they are also used in dry form.
Safety precautions
Ammonia and garden onions are interconnected components of the struggle for the harvest.
No matter how many different treatment methods there are: nitrogen, iodine or minerals, they all require precautions. Ammonia is a volatile, caustic chemical, so contact with exposed skin or inhalation of the aroma can lead to serious consequences.
Basic precautions:
- Wear goggles and a special apron for protection.
- There must be a head covering to hide the hair.
- Be sure to use a respirator or gas mask.
- Everyone around them moves away to a distance that is permissible for their health.
How to feed onions and garlic - folk remedies for a good harvest
Onions and garlic grow in every garden plot. These are simple and unpretentious crops. Despite this, they require attention, care and proper care. If not properly cared for, the leaves may turn yellow and the yield may decrease. Crops are susceptible to diseases and pest attacks. To get a healthy and high-quality harvest, fertilizing is required.
The content of the article:
1. Why feed onions and garlic 1.1 For garlic 1.2 For onions 2. Soil requirements for garlic and onions 3. Stages of feeding onions and garlic 4. Organic fertilizers as fertilizer for garlic and onions 4.1 Manure and bird droppings 4.2 Wood ash 5. Fertilizing onions and garlic with folk remedies 5.1 Ammonia 5.2 Iodine 5.3 Yeast 5.4 Hydrogen peroxide 5.5 Potassium permanganate 5.6 Boric acid 5.7 Salt 5.8 Herbal infusion 6. Mineral fertilizers for onions and garlic 6.1 Urea 6.2 Ammonium nitrate 6.3 Calcium nitrate 7. Potassium fertilizing of onions 8. Phosphorus fertilizers for onions and garlic 9. Complex fertilizers for onions 10. Features of fertilizing onions 11. Simple rules for fertilizing onions and garlic 12. Reviews about fertilizing onions and garlic
How to process
After preparing the solution, it must be sent directly to the root of the plant. At the same time, try not to get it on the green leaves. If this happens, you will soon see a burn on the feathers. As a result, the plant will constantly be sick.
It is worth treating onions with the solution in the evening, when the sun has already set.
Another solution of ammonia can be used for spraying. For these purposes, you will have to purchase a watering can that produces streams of visible splashes. Spraying should be done after sunset, after watering. You can also choose the morning time, but before dawn if you use a watering can that produces drizzle, then most of the main substance can be lost right in the air.
It will also be important and useful to learn how often you can water the onions with ammonia. It is worth carrying out such watering in the last days of June.
In total, it is enough to process the crop 2 times a month. And after this it is necessary to loosen the soil. As soon as the onion is removed from the ground, it must be cleared of vegetable residues. Before winter, carefully dig up the beds
It is worth carrying out such watering in the last days of June. In total, it is enough to process the crop 2 times a month. And after this it is necessary to loosen the soil. As soon as the onion is removed from the ground, it must be cleared of vegetable residues. Before winter, carefully dig up the beds.
The video shows onion treatment against pests.
You shouldn’t wait for parasites to start attacking vegetables in the spring, as soon as the ground has warmed up. Then they will not be able to lay eggs on cultivated areas of land.
Application against pests and diseases
Ammonia is a powerful remedy; it is used on the site and in the fight against pests and diseases. The pungent odor repels insects, and the active compounds protect against infections.
From pests
Ammonia is used to eliminate spider mites, aphids, whiteflies, wireworms and mole crickets. If you do not get rid of insects in time, you can lose the entire harvest.
To treat cucumbers against aphids, wipe the foliage with the following solution: 50 ml of 10% ammonia, 10 liters of water and 100-200 g of crushed laundry soap. Soap helps the solution stick to the green mass and protects it from volatilization.
Vegetable growers note that to get rid of pests, it is enough to treat with such a solution once. If, after the procedure, aphids continue to infect cucumbers, you can repeat the treatment after two weeks.
A less concentrated solution is used against wireworms and mole crickets: 1 tbsp. l. drug per 10 liters of water. Treatment is carried out by spraying.
The following solution helps against whiteflies and spider mites: 10 ml of ammonia, 10 liters of water and 1 tbsp. l. liquid soap. Spray the seedlings with the product and wipe the affected areas of the plants.
For prevention
Ammonia solution protects against bacterial and viral infections. Dilute it in the proportion of 10 ml of ammonia per 10 liters of water. The liquid is used to water the soil before sowing seeds, as well as the holes when planting seedlings.
Instructions for treatment against diseases:
- Affected leaves and stems are removed.
- Prepare a solution of 50 ml of ammonia and 10 liters of water.
- The liquid is applied to the stem and leaves using a spray bottle in the “splash” mode.
- The remaining solution is watered at the root of the bush.
- The procedure is repeated after 10-15 days.
At the first symptoms of fungal diseases, the concentration of ammonia in the solution is reduced or switched to other fertilizers.
Pros and cons of ammonium nitrate for onions
In addition to ammonia water, the soil can also be treated with ammonium nitrate. The main advantages of this type of fertilizer:
- rapid absorption by plants;
- low cost per whole area (because ammonium nitrate is used exclusively in small quantities and over a long period);
- effectiveness in the fight against pests and active nutrition of plants with nitrogen.
And again about the shortcomings:
- the need to strictly follow storage rules to avoid fire (saltpeter is used in the production of gunpowder and can spontaneously ignite at temperatures above 30°C);
- there is a high probability for an inexperienced gardener to buy unsuitable, porous saltpeter, which is applicable only in weapons.
Another subtlety: you cannot delay the processing process: the sooner you start, the better the resulting harvest will be. An important aspect in onion processing is that you need to stop adding ammonia water after the first ten days so that all the growth does not go into feathers.
If the purpose of growing is feathers, you can continue watering with ammonia water throughout the entire growing period. If the purpose of cultivation is to obtain seeds, then watering can be done once every 3-4 days, without forgetting about the correct proportions of the solution.
How else to feed garlic?
Ammonia is not the only remedy that gardeners use when growing garlic. Grass is considered a good supplier of nitrogen; you can find it in any country house. Lawn clippings and regular weeds will do. The picked grass must first be chopped, then filled with 2/3 of the entire volume.
Fill the barrel to the top with water and leave to ferment for 2 weeks. Stir the contents of the barrel 2-3 times during this period. The finished infusion is considered a concentrated fertilizer. It is not used in its pure form; it is customary to dilute it with water in a ratio of 1:10. You can feed garlic with this herbal fertilizer in June; it is not recommended to do this later, since potassium and phosphorus will be needed to form the heads.