Treating onions with salt and potassium permanganate before planting

Proper processing of onions before planting is a guarantee of a good harvest. This procedure is complex, as it involves sequential soaking of planting material in various disinfectants and disinfectants, which include salt and potassium permanganate. Their use will be effective if you follow all the rules for preparing onions and the recommendations of experienced gardeners.

Why is pre-sowing treatment necessary?

Some gardeners, after purchasing, immediately send the planting material into the ground, take good care of it and hope to get a bountiful harvest, but they want to leave the result better:

the bulbs are small;
traces of rotting are visible on the soft heads;
The germination rate is low due to the death of most of the onion seeds or sets.

Fortunately, such consequences can be avoided if the onions are subjected to pre-sowing treatment. For these purposes, experienced gardeners traditionally use two publicly available products, which are:

Potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate, potassium permanganate) . Regardless of what planting material is used for growing onions - purchased or home-made, upon visual inspection it is impossible to detect traces of infections on it. Therefore, to ensure the reliability of seeds or sets, they need to be disinfected. For these purposes, a solution of potassium permanganate is used, which acts as follows: attacks fungi and their spores, providing an antifungal effect (helps protect the future harvest from gray rot, powdery mildew, late blight and other fungal pathologies);
protects seed material from wintering pests, producing an antiseptic effect;
provides the crop with full growth and development, as it is a foliar fertilizer that allows the plant to supply the necessary minerals.

Salt. It helps to clean the seed from surface contaminants (dust, reagents), and most importantly, it acts as an excellent preventive measure against pests that pose a threat to the crop. These include:

onion fly;

thrips;

mites;

nematodes.

After treatment with salt and manganese, planting material becomes resistant to destructive microorganisms and withstands aggressive environmental influences.

Why do you need to prepare onion sets before sowing?

Some summer residents are confident that this unpretentious crop, thanks to its healing properties, will independently protect itself from possible harmful attacks. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. This statement is suitable for specimens that are well prepared for planting, purchased from a specialty store and stored in the right conditions. In this case, processing may not be carried out.

On the quality of planting material, incl. and the quantity and quality of the expected harvest depends on the preliminary preparation of the seedlings for planting. Why is it needed:

Increases the crop's immunity to possible diseases and pests.
Prevents possible shooting.
Stimulates accelerated growth of planting material.
Facilitates care work during the growing season.
Kills the larvae of many pests.
Increases germination.
Prevents rotting after planting.

Photo: Processing has a positive effect on the harvest.

What planting material should be processed?

Before soaking seeds or onion sets in any disinfecting solution, they must be prepared for this procedure, following the following sequence:

Inspect and select quality seeds or sets. To do this, discard specimens that are too soft and spoiled, since strong shoots will not appear from them. For the same reason, remove completely dried seeds.
If the bulbs have not sprouted feathers, to speed up this process it is advisable to “trim” them - carefully cut off the dry husk, as it releases substances into the soil that inhibit the germination of the heads. However, when inexperienced gardeners “undress” the seedlings, they can damage the roots or cut out the neck too much. So, in the absence of relevant experience, it is worth holding off on such a technique - later, when soaked, the dry neck will soften, and pruning will not be required.
Seeds stored at low temperatures after planting will go into the shoot and will not form a large head. To avoid such consequences, in the spring you need to dry and warm the bulbs, adhering to the following scheme:
8-10 hours before planting, warm up the seed at elevated temperatures (+35...+40°C).
If the previous step was skipped or there is a need to warm up the bulbs more quickly, you can use an alternative method. It consists of soaking the seeds in hot (+45...+50°C) water for 10-15 minutes. After this procedure, the seed must be immediately immersed in cold water for the same time, and then dried. This technique requires less time, but gives almost the same result.

You should not dry the seedlings for longer than the specified period, otherwise they will be too dry and will not bring a good harvest.

A heated bow will take root better and shoot less. This procedure is also a good prevention against neck rot and powdery mildew. To prevent the formation of onion arrows, some soak the seed in a soda solution, but this procedure is less effective than pre-sowing heating.

What varieties of onions are best to use for planting?

Before growing onions from seeds, choose the right variety that will do best in your conditions. In the central regions of Russia, early and mid-ripening varieties or their hybrids are usually used. Let's list some of them:

Stuttgarter Riesen or Chalcedony.
Alonso F1.
Bennito F1.
Strigunovsky.
Grandfather.
Denver.
Belovezhsky.
Esaul F1.
Lukich.
Amber.
Bessonovsky.
Sissy.

I would especially like to note the new Dutch onion variety Exhibition, the heads of which grow weighing up to 1 kg. Many gardeners liked this giant onion, so let’s look at its cultivation in more detail.

Salt treatment procedure

Before planting in the ground, selected and heated seed must first be treated with salt - sea salt or regular table salt. This is done in several stages:

Moisturizing planting material . During the storage season, onions lose a lot of moisture, so it is worth moistening them initially - placing them in plain water for 2 hours. Thanks to this technique, disinfection will be more effective.
Preparation of saline solution . Dilute salt in warm clean water at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. for 1 liter of water.
Soaking . Immerse the planting material in a saline solution for 2-3 hours.
Flushing . After soaking, rinse the bulbs or seeds thoroughly with several changes of water.

If the onions were not treated with a saline solution, then this composition can be sprayed on the onion beds:

Dissolve 300 g of salt in a bucket of water.
Pour the prepared mixture over the onions.
Wash off the salt from the feathers of the plants by spraying them with clean water.

This watering can be done once a season. If you do this more often, you will be able to fight the onion fly more effectively, but the soil will become too saline. As a result, the plant will lag behind in development or stop growing altogether. The salt itself will be difficult to wash out of the soil and will remain in it for a long time.

The main problems when growing onions

Some gardeners consider it normal to plant seedlings dryly, without any preparation. But this can only be done with completely healthy planting material that has been properly stored. Otherwise, the summer resident risks getting the following problems:

fungal and bacterial diseases;
damage to plantings by pests;
shooting a bow.

Proper preparation of the seedlings before planting will help you avoid most of them.

First of all, the sets are carefully examined, sorted by size and bulbs with spots and traces of disease, soft and sprouted are rejected.

Secondly, the tips of the integumentary scales should be trimmed without affecting the growth point. Trimming will allow the bulbs to germinate faster, but this procedure is best done after soaking, when the upper scales are wet and it will be easier to clean.

How to prevent shooting

The appearance of arrows in onion beds is a consequence of improper storage of planting material during the winter. To ensure that the planted seedlings do not go to waste, it is necessary to observe the temperature, humidity and their ratios in the room during storage. If the conditions are not met, the bow begins to throw arrows.

If the sets were purchased in a store, it is recommended to warm them up before planting. They do this in two ways:

Warming up at a temperature of about 30°C for a week. The seeds are poured onto a wooden tray in a layer of at least 2-3 cm and placed on the battery;
Immediately before planting, the onions are poured with very hot water (60–65°C), soaked for 2 minutes, the water is drained and the procedure is repeated in cold water.

Warming up reduces the ability of the seeds to shoot arrows. Single specimens shoot even after warming up. Then the arrows are broken out as soon as they become noticeable.

Prevention of fungal diseases

To disinfect, planting material is soaked in disinfectant solutions. For this use:

Salt. Stir a tablespoon of salt into 1 liter of warm water. Immerse the onion sets for 2-3 hours, then rinse them several times in clean water.
Potassium permanganate. In a strong solution (3 g or half a teaspoon / 3 liters of water), the seeds are soaked for 2–2.5 hours, then thoroughly washed with clean water.
Baking soda. 1 teaspoon is dissolved in 1 liter of warm water and the set is left for 2 hours.
Fitosporin. The drug is diluted according to the instructions and the seeds are soaked in it for the prescribed time. After treatment with Fitosporin, the onions are not washed.
Copper sulfate. 50 g of the drug is diluted in a small amount of hot water, then poured into a 10 liter bucket. The bulbs are disinfected for half an hour, then washed and dried.

There is no need to use all the products at once. Folk remedies and the biological product Fitosporin are good only for prevention. Copper sulfate is considered more effective and is used in cases where in past years onion plantings suffered greatly from fungal diseases.

However, keep in mind that for prevention you need to carry out a set of measures, including following the rules of crop rotation and cultivating the soil to remove fungal spores.

Processing of sevka in biostimulants

Such procedures are not necessary, but will help to obtain strong plants with high immunity, and, as a result, a good harvest. To stimulate growth, the seeds are soaked in the following preparations:

Epin-Extra. The biostimulator improves plant immunity, increases productivity and accelerates the formation of root crops. The drug must be used according to the instructions. Complex mineral fertilizer has similar properties. 1 tablespoon of fertilizer is diluted in a bucket of water and the seeds are soaked for a day.
Ash. A half-liter jar of sifted wood ash is dissolved in a bucket of water, infused and the planting material is soaked in this solution for 2-3 hours. Ash is considered an excellent antiseptic and contains a lot of essential microelements.

Diseases and pests under favorable conditions can destroy a significant part of the crop. In addition, pathogens persist in the soil and on plant debris.

This will make it difficult to grow vegetables in future seasons. To prevent the development of diseases, it is necessary to prepare the onions selected for planting. These simple measures will help you get a high yield of healthy bulbs without the use of chemicals to treat plant diseases.

Onion fly: how to fight it?

Before planting, the seedlings need to be soaked to ensure a healthy harvest. Thus, onions are treated against onion flies before planting. Traditionally, for disinfection, it is recommended to soak onion sets for a couple of hours before planting in a saturated solution of potassium permanganate, saline solution or Fitosporin. But this doesn’t help much against the hero of our article.

Experienced gardeners recommend doing this: the prepared (cut) seedlings are placed in a warm mixture of water and tar (1 spoon per liter) and kept for 2-3 hours. Since tar mixes very poorly with water, floating on the surface in spots, the sowing in the container is stirred from time to time. It's better to cook onions outside - the smell is still amazing. The resulting bulbs will not arouse the appetite of pests, and the plantings will be safe.

How to get rid of onion fly

Let us remind you when it is most effective to combat this pest: for the first time - at the end of April (when dandelion, lilac, cherry bloom), for the second time - at the end of July.

Onion fly: how to fight with folk remedies

Joint plantings

And again we take advantage of the onion fly’s sensitivity to certain odors. If you plant savory, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and chamomile near the onions, there is a high probability that this insect will fly past your garden bed.

Ammonia for onion flies

We have already written about the wonderful properties of ammonia, also known as ammonia. This substance contains nitrogenous compounds that are easily digestible by plants, so ammonia is recommended to be used for onion plants and as a fertilizer for yellowed tips and a “tired” appearance. That is, we kill two birds with one stone! Concentration – 10-20 grams per bucket of water, about a glass per plant. Watering is best done on damp soil.

Previously, gardeners clearly knew how to treat onion flies - with saline solution

We thoroughly watered the soil in the garden bed, then watered the plants with saline solution, and watered them again with clean water. After two weeks, the treatment against onion flies was repeated with a stronger solution, and after another three weeks - with an even stronger one (one, one and a half, two glasses of salt are added to ten liters of water, respectively). This is a really effective method, but do you want to put that much salt into your soil? You decide.

Sprinkling the beds with dusty and odorous substances is also good against onion flies: ash, tobacco dust, tabazol (a mixture of tobacco dust and sunflower ash), ground pepper, naphthalene, ground wormwood (can be mixed, or in its pure form). After sprinkling, it is recommended to loosen the soil.

Infusions of strong-smelling herbs

This can be an infusion of dandelion, tobacco, tomato tops, wild rosemary, mint, fir, valerian, conifers.

If you want to fight the onion fly without adding anything to the garden bed, you can install pegs around the planting and stretch a long cloth soaked in kerosene over them.

Video: Protecting onions from onion flies and diseases in one product. How to prepare onion sets for planting

Onion fly: how to fight with drugs

Since this insect can be eradicated quite well (if you don’t miss it) with folk remedies, you don’t have to resort to chemicals in households. This is an option for farms and people growing vegetables for sale. However, such drugs exist:

“Mukhoed”, “Medvetoks”, “Zemlin” - the soil is cultivated when planting seedlings
“Sochva Zh”, “Aktara” - spraying onions

Fighting onion flies, a couple more tips:

observe crop rotation: onions should be planted in the same place with an interval of at least three years;
dig up the soil after harvesting to a depth of at least 20 cm. This will bring the larvae to the surface, they will not have time to pupate and die;
safe proximity between onion beds is at least 400 meters. That is, if your land is clean and there are no larvae in it, this does not mean that the neighbor’s onion fly will not fly in and “throw” eggs at you. Therefore – prevention and prevention again!

This is what it is, an onion fly. The fight against such a widespread enemy must be proactive, because in a very short period the larvae can destroy the crop and make it unsuitable for storage. And since the choice of effective folk remedies is quite wide, the main thing here is not to be lazy and not to forget.

Have a good harvest!

Procedure for processing with potassium permanganate

After soaking in a saline solution, you need to begin processing the planting material using potassium permanganate. Depending on the condition of the seeds or sets, you can use a solution of varying degrees of concentration, which will determine the soaking time. We will consider the acceptable options separately.

Method No. 1

Involves the use of a solution of medium “power”. The rules of this method are:

The concentration of the active substance is 1%. Therefore, you need to prepare a dark purple manganese solution. To do this, you will need to dilute 10 g of potassium permanganate in 1 liter of water.
If it is not possible to accurately weigh the powder using a scale, you can assume that 1 tsp. without top holds 6 g of potassium permanganate.
Dissolve a measured amount of powder in warm water.
The soaking time for bulbs or seeds in the solution is 40-50 minutes.

This treatment will help if the planting material has fungal infections or is infected with mold.

After such dressing, the onion should be immediately rinsed with warm water and dried for planting or left under film for 6-8 hours so that it releases roots. When planting, you need to act as carefully as possible so as not to damage the formed roots, otherwise you can significantly slow down the survival rate of the bulbs.

Method No. 2

This technology requires compliance with the following rules:

use a weaker solution - 35-40 g of potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water;
increase the soaking time to 2-3 hours;
before immersing in water, first place onion seedlings in a stocking so that later they can be easily removed from the solution;
After soaking, rinse and dry the planting material.

In terms of the impact on seeds or onion sets, the second method is more gentle, so there is less risk of harming it. However, experienced gardeners prefer to expose onions to more aggressive influences in order to destroy all microbes and viruses on its surface.

Method No. 3

The most aggressive technology, which involves the following rules:

increase the concentration of the active substance as much as possible - up to 20-25 g per 1 liter of warm water (you should get a solution of a dark beetroot shade);
reduce the soaking time to a minimum - up to 15-20 minutes.

After soaking, the bulbs may darken. In any case, they need to be washed and dried well.

Such treatment can only be used if there is suspicion of onion infection with onion fly larvae, powdery mildew spores or other dangerous diseases. This solution is very strong, so it effectively disinfects onions. The disadvantage is that it can also damage the seed material and reduce its germination rate.

Soaking seeds in water

If you want to soak the seeds just to speed up their germination, then the easiest and most inexpensive way is to place them in plain water. However, it is not advisable to use tap water for this purpose due to the presence of chlorine. The best options are melted snow, melted water from the freezer, spring water, or, if none of this is available, then at least settled tap water.

The length of time the seeds remain in water depends on the crop and on what specific goal you are pursuing - to germinate the seeds or simply wait for them to swell. Recommended soaking times for various vegetable seeds:

peas, beans – 5-10 hours;
cucumbers, pumpkin, melon, radish, cabbage – 12-15 hours;
beets – 24 hours;
tomato, pepper – 24-36 hours;
carrots, celery, sorrel, parsley, cumin, coriander, asparagus - at least 2 days.

Place the prepared seeds in water at room temperature – 20-25°C. Change the water every 4-6 hours so that it does not stagnate. You can soak seed material in different ways:

place the seeds in a shallow container and cover with water;
Place a damp cloth on the bottom of the bowl and place the seeds on it. Make sure that the fabric is always wet;
wrap the seeds in wet gauze or any natural thin fabric (if there are few seeds, they can be placed between two cotton pads) and place on a saucer. Remember that the fabric should not dry out.

Useful tips

When treating onions before planting with salt and potassium permanganate, you should take into account the advice of experienced gardeners. They are as follows:

Soak the sets or seeds immediately before planting to increase their chances of good germination.
Take special care in the pre-sowing treatment of onions in regions that experience frequent rain and, as a result, dampness. In such conditions, the likelihood of infection of the onion planting increases significantly, so the onion needs treatment that stimulates the development of immunity.
When preparing solutions, strictly observe the dosage of the active substance, otherwise its excess will harm not only the pathogenic microflora, but also the planting material itself, so it will not be able to sprout - the ovaries of the root system can “burn out” without even being formed.
To prevent the seed from rotting, it should not be kept in the prepared solution for too long. Soaking time in any solution is no more than 2-3 hours. When combining procedures, the time spent on them should not exceed 2 hours. Of these, about 1.5 hours can be allocated to the saline solution, and 30 minutes to the manganese solution.
Soak the bulbs immediately before planting in prepared heated soil. If they are disinfected and then left for a few more days in ordinary water, they will be re-immersed in a bacterial environment.
Prepare a solution for soaking immediately before processing so that it does not acquire bacteria dangerous to onions.
It is necessary to soak the planting material before spring planting. Seeds saturated with moisture in heated soil will quickly strengthen and begin to grow.
If you plan to plant onions before winter, it is not advisable to carry out such treatment. The fact is that the seedlings soaked in moisture will sink into the soil (approximately in September - October), which will not be insulated every day, but, on the contrary, will freeze. For this reason, it may rot or freeze, which will leave a negative imprint on the plant's productivity.
The previous rule may not be relevant for southern regions, where even in autumn the soil retains heat for a long time. However, winters here are not characterized by heavy snowfalls, so you need to organize in advance high-quality insulation of the beds for the winter season.
Pre-sowing treatment effectively fights bacteria and viruses, however, even after soaking, not all harmful microorganisms will be destroyed. Those pathogens that have already penetrated the seeds or sets can survive. In this regard, it is necessary to take preventive measures to protect onions from diseases and pests.

Selecting a site and preparing the soil for planting onions

Processing planting material is not enough to obtain good, healthy, mature bulbs. No less careful approach should be taken to selecting the required site and preparing the soil.

Choose an open place, well and evenly illuminated by the sun. Areas with stagnant moisture and close groundwater are unacceptable.
Maintaining crop rotation. Good predecessors: cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes. Bad predecessors: cucumbers, garlic, all onions.
Autumn application of organic matter - peat, manure. To obtain a more loose state, it is worth adding sand.
The site must have soils with neutral values. On acidic soils, onions are severely affected by powdery mildew. For acidic soils, deoxidizers are added: dolomite flour, chalk.
Spring fertilization results in the formation of a small head.
Weed control should be carried out. Because of them, excess moisture is formed, which reduces the quality of the heads.
It is advisable to plant onion beds next to strongly aromatic herbs or carrots, which repel all kinds of pests.
Timely provision of plantings with moisture.

A rich onion harvest, as you can see, largely depends on the preparation of planting material. There are also a lot of preparations for pre-planting treatment. Each of them has its own pros and cons. Read the tips carefully and choose the ones that are most suitable for you.

Advice. To speed up germination and improve the upcoming growing season, trim the tops of the bulbs. This procedure will make soaking more effective. Do not cut off too much of it to avoid rotting. To grow the heads, only the tail is cut off. If your plans are to get a green feather, you should trim it deeper.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Pros and cons of soaking

Despite the emergence of new special preparations for treating onions before planting, many gardeners prefer to use available products such as salt and manganese. Their advantages are as follows:

promote the parallel formation of heads and feathers, which allows you to get a good harvest of both greenery and elastic bulbs suitable for consumption;
they disinfect planting material, as a result of which the seedlings develop immunity to pathogens and temperature changes, that is, they get sick less often;
They help protect the soil from diseases transmitted by seeds, since they prevent the process of rotting.

As for the disadvantages, soaking does not have any, however, if the rules for carrying out this procedure are violated, all planting material can be destroyed. Here are the problems that novice gardeners often face:

the sets quickly lose their quality characteristics, acquiring an unnatural softness;
In the area where the roots of the system are formed, traces of decay are observed.

To prevent such consequences, you must act strictly within the framework of the above instructions.

You can also learn about processing onions before planting from the following video:

Before planting, onions need proper processing, which can be done with salt and potassium permanganate. If a saline solution will protect onions from soil pests, including onion flies and nematodes, then a manganese solution will protect planting material from fungal spores. However, you need to approach this issue with all responsibility, since there are many chances to make a mistake.

Copy link

Reviews from gardeners from forums

Treating onions with salt and potassium permanganate before planting:

Treating onions before planting from onion flies:

What to soak the onions in before planting:

Soaking seeds in fertilizer solution

Soaking seeds in a fertilizer solution helps reduce germination time and also improves the growth and development of seedlings. Different crops require different nutrients:

It is better to soak onions in copper chelate;
seeds of carrots, cauliflower, zucchini and lettuce - in superphosphate with the addition of molybdenum or ammonium molybdate;
radishes, beets, tomatoes, white cabbage - in a solution of boric acid or in boron-magnesium fertilizer. These preparations are also suitable for carrots.

Dilute fertilizers according to instructions. The soaking time in nutrient solutions should not exceed 6-8 hours. It is especially important to observe the duration for seeds of cabbage, spinach and legumes, because... staying in a humid environment for too long will impair their germination.

Soaking seeds in potassium permanganate

One of the simplest and most popular ways to disinfect seeds before sowing is to soak them in a solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). To prepare it, dissolve 1 mg of potassium permanganate in 100 ml of water. Place the seeds in a gauze bag and lower into the solution. Disinfection time depends on the culture:

seeds of eggplant, pepper, cabbage, carrots, pumpkin and zucchini are kept for 15-20 minutes;
seeds of tomato, onion, radish, celery, lettuce, beans, peas and beans are kept for 30-40 minutes.

After disinfection, rinse the seeds thoroughly under running water and dry until free-flowing.

Soaking seeds in growth stimulants

Industrial growth stimulants are often used to soak seed material. They not only help seeds germinate faster, but also increase the ability for subsequent root formation, and also help plants cope with stressful situations (lack of light, waterlogging, temperature changes, etc.).

The most popular growth stimulants used for soaking seeds are Epin Extra and Zircon. However, in reality there are many more suitable drugs. To improve the germination of seeds, including old ones, you can also use Energen Aqua, Novosil, Heteroauxin, succinic acid, humates, etc.

All of these drugs are diluted in accordance with the instructions on the packaging.

Soaking seeds in Fitosporin

Prevention of the appearance of fungal and bacterial diseases begins at the stage of preparing seeds for sowing and continues throughout the growing season. One of the most effective drugs used for this purpose is the biological fungicide Fitosporin-M. This drug not only protects seeds, but also accelerates their germination, and also ensures stable growth of seedlings and rapid development of seedlings, and increases plant immunity.

The method of preparing Fitosporin-M solution depends on the formulation (powder, paste or liquid), so read the instructions carefully before use. The time for pre-sowing seed soaking is usually 1-2 hours.

Soaking seeds in vodka

Summer residents are enterprising and inventive people. If they don’t have the usual solutions on hand, they can soak the seeds in liquids that seem completely unsuitable for this purpose, for example, vodka. Moreover, according to gardeners, the vodka solution is so good that it improves the germination of even the most difficult-to-germinate crops. For this reason, this product is especially recommended for pre-soaking seeds of parsley, dill, carrots, root and petiole celery, and nigella onions.

Place the bag of seeds in vodka for 15 minutes, then dip it in cool boiled water and rinse thoroughly under running water. Lightly dry the seeds and sow in moist soil.

Soaking seeds in water with a compressor

This method of soaking seeds involves a constant supply of oxygen to the water where the seeds are located. The method is called bubbling. Thanks to it, the percentage of seed germination increases and the germination of seed material occurs much faster. At home, compressors are used to supply air to aquariums.

Pour water at a temperature of about 20°C into the jar. Place the compressor tubes in the water and lower the bag of seeds. Run the compressor for 12-24 hours.