Content
Onions and garlic are some of the most popular and beloved vegetables among the people, which are also seasonings and spices. Of course, every gardener is interested in their good harvest. If someone is lucky with the soil, and it is characterized by increased fertility, then these two crops can be grown without additional fertilizing. But most gardeners, alas, cannot count themselves among such lucky ones. Therefore, the question is: "To feed or not to feed?" usually not on the agenda. More relevant is the question: "What fertilizer for onions and garlic to choose?". After all, the choice of fertilizers at present is truly huge, and, in addition to traditional ones, there are still a large number of folk or grandmother's recipes that have not lost their relevance so far.
Organic or mineral
For onions and garlic, in principle, there is no difference in the use of certain fertilizers. Rather, it is a matter of taste for the gardener himself. Many do not want or do not have the opportunity to tinker with endless infusions and solutions of organic substances. Others prefer not to get involved with mineral fertilizers, since they are deposited in one way or another in vegetables, which will then be consumed as food. In addition, organic fertilizers usually do not act instantly, but with a much longer duration and have a beneficial effect on the condition of the soil. The same cannot be said about mineral dressings. But their effect is quickly manifested. In any case, the choice of what to feed onions and garlic is up to the gardener.
Mineral fertilizers
The most essential elements for feeding both crops are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
It is an indispensable element for the earliest feeding onions and garlic. Its deficiency weakens plants and reduces yields. But its excess can lead to an increase in various fungal diseases and poor storage of bulbs in the winter. Therefore, it is important to adhere to the dosage precisely.
Nitrogen fertilizers include:
- Ammonium nitrate;
- Urea.
Any of these fertilizers are diluted in the amount of 1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water and the plants are watered with the resulting solution.
Nitrogen-containing fertilizers are also applied in the fall when cultivating the land for future planting of onions or garlic. The need for nitrogen is manifested in plants only at the first stages of their development.
Phosphorus helps onions and garlic to become more resistant to disease, activates metabolism, and helps to form a larger and denser bulb. Phosphorus is necessary for plants throughout the entire growth period, so it must be applied regularly. The most popular phosphate fertilizer is superphosphate. In the fall, it must be brought in when preparing the soil for planting both plants before winter. Starting in spring, 1-2 tablespoons of superphosphate are dissolved in a bucket of water and the plants are watered two or three times per season with an interval of 3-4 weeks.
Potassium helps onions and garlic cope with adverse environmental conditions, which is why they love it especially. It also ensures good maturation of the bulbs and long-term storage. The need for potassium increases especially during the second growing season, when bulbs are being formed.Potash fertilizers are represented by the following types:
- Potassium chloride;
- Potassium salt;
- Potassium sulphate.
One tablespoon of any of the above fertilizers is diluted in a bucket of warm water and the root system of the plants is treated with the resulting solution.
Complex fertilizers
There are a significant number of compound fertilizers that are ideal for applying under onions or garlic. Often they contain, in addition to the three main macroelements, additional meso and microelements that have a beneficial effect on the development of plants.
- Granular fertilizer for onions and garlic from Fasco - NPK ratio is 7: 7: 8, magnesium and calcium are additionally present. It is mainly used as an addition to the soil in the preparation of planting beds. The application rate is about 100 g per 1 sq. meter.
- Fertilizer for onions and garlic "Tsibulya" - NPK ratio equals 9:12:16, there are no additional elements in the description. Usage is similar to the first one. The application rate is about 80 g per 1 sq. meter.
- Agricola -2 is a water-soluble fertilizer for onions and garlic. The NPK ratio is 11:11:27. Additionally, there is magnesium and a set of trace elements in a chelated form. This fertilizer is convenient for its versatility. It can be applied to the ground when preparing the beds. But it is better to dilute 25 g in 10-15 liters of water with constant stirring and water the aisles of the beds with plants. This amount should be enough for 25-30 square meters. Fertilizer Agricola-2 can also be used for foliar treatment of the green part of plants, which is an integral part of the care. To do this, it is only necessary to halve the concentration of the fertilizer solution.
Top dressing with organic
The most popular organic fertilizers are manure and poultry manure. True, neither one nor the other can be brought in fresh under onions and garlic. Making infusions will be optimal. For this, one part of the manure is dissolved in 10 parts of water and insisted for about a week. Poultry droppings, being even more concentrated, are dissolved in twice as much water and infused for a little longer.
For top dressing, one glass of the resulting solutions is added to a bucket of clean water and the plants are watered every two weeks. These treatments can help deal with yellowed plant leaves.
Wood ash is a source of potassium, which is essential for both crops.
Ash water can be used instead of watering with plain water.
A good source of macro and microelements in organic form is an infusion of any weed herbs. Usually they are insisted for a week and then used in the same way as manure, that is, one glass of liquid is added to a bucket of water.
Speaking about organic fertilizers, do not forget about sodium and potassium humates, which are now easily found on sale. And also about microbiological fertilizers, such as Shining or Baikal. In addition to their fertilizing effect, they have a healing effect on the soil and are absolutely safe from an environmental point of view. Usually, with their help, a working solution is obtained, which is regularly added to the water for irrigation. In addition, they are absolutely safe for sprinkling with greens of garlic and onions.
Folk remedies
Currently, gardeners widely use a variety of folk remedies for feeding vegetable crops. Some of them are more growth stimulants than fertilizers, but they all have a beneficial effect on the development of plants, if used within reasonable limits.
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide has long been used by aquarium hobbyists to remove unwanted microorganisms from them.
The fact is that an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide in its composition resembles melt water, known for its regenerating properties. It contains atomic oxygen, capable of killing all harmful bacteria and saturating the soil with oxygen.
For watering and spraying onions and garlic, use the following solution: add two tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide to one liter of water. Garlic winter seedlings can be watered with this composition at the earliest stage of development. Older plants can be sprayed with the same formula, which will significantly accelerate the growth and development of garlic and onions.
Yeast as fertilizer
Yeast has such a rich composition that this fact could not fail to interest gardeners. In general, they have rather a stimulating effect on the development of plants. So, with the help of yeast, you can enhance root formation, increase the resistance of plants to diseases, accelerate the growth of vegetative mass. If we talk about the action of yeast as a fertilizer, then they more affect the activity of soil bacteria, activating it. And those, in turn, begin to actively process organic substances, transforming them into a form convenient for plants.
For cooking yeast fertilizer it is necessary to take 0.5 kg of fresh yeast and dissolve in a small amount of warm water. Then in a bucket of water you need to stir 0.5 kg of bread crumb and 0.5 kg of any herb. Finally, add diluted warm yeast. The resulting liquid must be insisted for about two days. You can water plants with it in the usual way under the root.
Since it is potassium that is a vital element for these plants.
Ammonia
Ammonia is a 10% aqueous solution of ammonia, so it is natural to use it as the main nitrogen-containing fertilizer. This concentration is low enough that it does not cause root burns when watering, on the other hand, it would be an excellent protection against onion flies and other pests. Often, it is because of the invasion of pests that the leaves of garlic and onions turn yellow before they have time to grow.
Usually, onion plantings are watered with a solution. ammonia for prophylaxis when the first true leaves appear. For these purposes, two tablespoons are diluted in 10 liters of water. This amount is enough for the strait of two square meters of onion plantings. Then the ridges are watered with twice as much water. This is necessary so that the ammonia solution gets directly to its intended purpose - into the deep layers of the soil.
At the same concentration, ammonia solution can be used for foliar treatment of both crops in early spring. Additional protection from pests and the first feeding will be made.
Conclusion
All of the above fertilizers can be used to accelerate the development and protect onions and garlic from various adverse environmental factors. Choose those of them that are more convenient for you to use and then supplies of garlic and onions for the winter will be provided to you.
