Content
Rarely will anyone call onions their favorite food. But unlike tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, it is present on our table all year round. Along with potatoes, onions can be called one of the most commonly eaten vegetables. Rarely, which of the first or second courses will do without it, and if you add sauces, baked goods, preservation, various seasonings, fresh consumption, you can call onions a universal food plant.
Onion has been known in culture for more than 5 thousand years, it is widely used in official and folk medicine, is rich in vitamins, sugars, trace elements, and other useful substances with zero calorie content. This culture came to us from Asia and today it grows both in the southernmost regions of Russia and in the northwest, the Far East, and some species (for example, chives) even beyond the Arctic Circle. It is not difficult to grow it, it is much more difficult to protect the future crop from all kinds of diseases and pests. Various agrotechnical measures can help here, in particular, the processing of onions before planting with potassium permanganate.
General information
There are over a thousand types of onions, many of which can be eaten. Undoubtedly, onion is the most popular and widespread, but other types often grow in our gardens: leek, chives, batun, slime, shallots, dzhusay, wild garlic, garlic (this is also a type of onion).
Of greatest interest to us is the cultivation of onions - it is he who is invariably present in our diet and is grown everywhere. There are many varieties that differ in terms of ripening, the number and size of bulbs in the nest, and taste. For each climatic zone, its own varieties and hybrids have been bred, there are even local varieties of onions intended for cultivation in a specific region.
Onions are grown in biennial and annual crops:
- most varieties require first to grow seedlings from seeds (small onions with a diameter of about 1-2 cm), upon planting which they get a full-fledged product;
- some varieties make it possible to get a marketable bulb in one year - directly from nigella (seeds).
The overwhelming majority of summer residents grow onions by planting seedlings in the ground - this process is so simple that even a novice gardener, unencumbered even with basic knowledge of agricultural technology, can do it. What does a bow need? Fertile soil, well-lit area and no watering or rain at the time of ripening.
Onion pests and diseases
Unfortunately, on the way to obtaining marketable products, many diseases and pests of onions lie in wait for us - without processing, some of them do not allow it to be stored for a long time, while others can significantly reduce or even destroy the harvest.
When growing onions, the following problems are most common:
- shooting, which is not a disease, but a natural phase of development;
- onion flies they hit onions twice a season, are the most dangerous and are especially active in rainy summer;
- lurker beetlethat lays the larvae inside the feather;
- nematodesliving in the soil and deforming onion leaves;
- downy mildew - a disease manifested by grayish bloom on feathers;
- rust - a problem that is relevant for the southern regions and looks like yellow strokes on the leaves;
- neck rot occurs in rainy summer and does not allow onions to be stored for a long time;
- white rot of bulbs - a disease that develops in the hot summer and has no methods of treatment;
- bottom rot provokes the onion fly in the southern regions;
- viral diseases, not subject to treatment and requiring immediate destruction of the plant.
Treating the seeds and seeding before planting in the spring will help alleviate most of the problems.
Why process onions
Many gardeners plant onions in the ground without any processing, and they get a good harvest. The question arises, why waste effort, time, money, since he will grow up anyway? If the plot is large, the crop rotation is observed, the harvest is fine, and you have grown the sowing from the seeds yourself and are sure of its quality, pre-planting preparation can be omitted.
But pre-processed onions will give a greater yield, spending time preparing them in the spring, in the summer you will less likely to break out arrows, fight pests and diseases. We cannot predict the weather conditions, even an ideal planting plant can get sick in rainy weather, and pests will move from neighboring beds.
If you are not sure about the planting material, there is no way to observe the crop rotation, but you want to get a good harvest, it is imperative to treat the onions before planting for diseases.
Watch an interesting video in which you will learn about some of the ways to prepare a bow for planting:
Preplanting onion processing
There are many methods for processing onions, and most of them give good results. But there is no one magic remedy that would help against shooting, all diseases and all pests at once. In general, there are no means from viral diseases and white rot, the only way to protect the future harvest from them is to plant high-quality seedlings in healthy soil, from the moment of planting, adhere to the correct agricultural techniques, which, by the way, includes processing the onions before planting.
Trading networks offer many drugs that can protect the crop from most diseases, everyone decides for himself whether to use them or whether you can get by with folk remedies. An experienced salesperson will not only help you find the right chemical, but also give advice on its use if necessary.
Preparing for onion processing
Before treating onions for diseases, sort and sort them. Even if all of it goes to a turnip (small, up to 1 cm sets can be planted on greens, and the largest can be used to get nigella), different-sized bulbs should be planted separately - this will facilitate subsequent care. Throw away any dry, rotten, diseased and damaged root vegetables without regret.
It is necessary to clean the sevok from the upper scales, which are easily removed and under which pathogens often live, you cannot forcibly peel off the husk. It is often advised to cut off the top of the bulb (not the bottom on which the roots grow!) So that the greens germinate faster. It should be noted that this is not necessary at all and takes a lot of time. But if you nevertheless decide on this procedure, remember that you should only trim the top “to live” if you are growing onions on a feather. In a set intended for a turnip, they simply remove the dry twisted top, leaving covering scales - exposing the neck increases the risk of onion infection.
How to reduce shooting
We will not analyze in detail why the sevok goes to the arrow. Suffice it to say that this is not a disease, but a natural process, as onions form seeds. If you grow seedlings on your own and you need to get nigella, you plant the seed onions separately and do not process them from the shooters.
But if all the planting material is intended for obtaining a turnip, it needs to be warmed up. The ideal option is to keep the bulbs at a temperature of 35-40 degrees for 2-3 weeks before planting. They are laid out in a thin layer on old newspapers or cardboard and kept next to heating devices or on radiators.
If there is a lot of sevka or for some reason you did not warm it up, and the planting time is approaching, you can soak the onion for 10-15 minutes in hot water (45-50 degrees), and then immediately cool it by placing it in cold water.
Protection from pests and diseases
For gardeners, the question arises of how to treat onions from diseases not from a lack of drugs, but from their excess. We will try to draw your attention to simple and effective tools.
- The easiest way to kill pests on a set is to put it in a plastic bag, sprinkle it with karbofos and tie it. In a day, it will be possible to process onions from diseases. But in the conditions of a city apartment, this should not be done, since the drug is very toxic. Consider several times whether it is worth using it for processing onions.
- A saline solution will perfectly help from a nematode, sometimes it is advised to use it simply in a monstrous concentration. One tablespoon of salt dissolved in a liter of warm water is a sufficient proportion to soak the seedlings. Processing takes 6-8 hours. It is often advised to treat the onion plantings with a saline solution. Perhaps it will help you from many problems, but at the same time it will spoil the soil for you for years.
- A tablespoon of birch tar per liter of water will help to cope with pathogens, infections, and can also scare off onion flies during the first summer.
- Potassium permanganate will help to destroy pathogens. We prepare a rich pink solution, immerse the seed in it, process it for 10-15 minutes, and then rinse it with clean water.
- Treatment with copper-containing preparations will perfectly protect the sevok from diseases. There are a lot of them on sale, everything is used according to the instructions, it makes no sense to advise any specific one.
- Phytosporin treatment protects onions from diseases and bacteria. If you are not yet familiar with this unique drug, we suggest watching the video:
- Low efficiency was shown by the treatment of sevka from diseases with soda, it is better to use something else.
When starting to process sevka, you need to remember:
- The above treatments are not carried out in advance, but immediately before the onion planting.
- You can destroy pathogens and pest larvae on the set, but this does not guarantee that the bulbs will not become infected later, and the pests will not move from another place or simply will not fly in like an onion fly.
- Appropriate fungicides can help with diseases.
Stimulation
In order for the seed to take root faster, to sprout earlier, to better resist diseases, to form a large turnip, it must be treated with humate or any fertilizer intended for this before planting. It is very good if you add epin or zircon - fertilizer and stimulant can be combined.
Conclusion
As we have already said, the processing of onions before planting from pests and diseases is a desirable procedure, but not necessary if crop rotation is observed. But we still advise you to choose from the indicated list of drugs and soak the sevok in them. Trust me, the results will delight you.
