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Onions and garlic are one of the most popular and beloved vegetables among the people, which are condiments and spices in combination. 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: “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 is currently truly huge, and, in addition to traditional ones, there are still a large number of folk or grandmother’s recipes that still have not lost their relevance.
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 of the gardener himself. Many do not want or do not have the opportunity to mess around with endless infusions and solutions of organic substances. Others prefer not to mess 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. What can not be said about mineral supplements. But their action is quickly manifested. In any case, the choice of how to feed onions and garlic is up to the gardener.
Mineral Fertilizers
The most necessary elements for feeding both crops are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
It is an indispensable element for the earliest feeding of 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 strictly observe the dosages.
Nitrogen fertilizers include:
- Ammonium nitrate;
- Urea.
Any of these fertilizers is 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 plantings 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 become more resistant to diseases, activates metabolism, and helps to form a larger and denser bulb. Phosphorus is necessary for plants during the entire period of growth, so it must be applied regularly. The most popular phosphate fertilizer is superphosphate. In autumn, it must be applied when preparing the soil for planting both plants before winter. Starting in spring, dissolve 1-2 tablespoons of superphosphate in a bucket of water and water the plants two or three times per season with an interval of 3-4 weeks.
Potassium helps onions and garlic survive adverse environmental conditions, so they love it especially. It also ensures good ripening of the bulbs and their long-term storage. The need for potassium especially increases in the second growing season, when the bulbs are being formed. Potash fertilizers are represented by the following types:
- potassium chloride;
- Potassium salt;
- potassium sulfate.
One tablespoon of any of the above fertilizers is diluted in a bucket of warm water and the root system of plants is processed with the resulting solution.
Complex fertilizers
There is a significant amount of complex 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.
- Fasco granulated onion and garlic fertilizer – 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” – the ratio of NPK is 9:12:16, there are no additional elements in the description. The use is similar to the first. 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 chelated form. This fertilizer is convenient for its versatility of application. 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 care. To do this, it is only necessary to reduce the concentration of the fertilizer solution by half.
Fertilizing with organic matter
The most popular organic fertilizers are manure and bird droppings. True, neither one nor the other can be brought fresh under onions and garlic. It will be optimal to make infusions. To do this, one part of manure is dissolved in 10 parts of water and infused for about a week. Bird droppings, being even more concentrated, are dissolved in twice as much water and infused 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 yellowing plant leaves.
Wood ash is a source of potassium, which is so necessary for both cultures.
You can use ash water instead of watering with plain water.
A good source of macro and micronutrients in organic form is an infusion of any weed herbs. Usually they are infused 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 of organic fertilizers, one should not forget about sodium and potassium humates, which are easy to find on sale today. 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 added regularly to the water for irrigation. In addition, they are absolutely safe for spraying garlic and onion greens.
Folk remedies
Currently, gardeners widely use a variety of folk remedies for fertilizing vegetable crops. Some of them are more growth promoters than fertilizers, but all of them 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 clean them of unwanted microorganisms.
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, the following solution is used: two tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide are added to one liter of water. You can already water garlic winter shoots with this composition at a very early stage of development. Older plants can be sprayed with the same composition, which will greatly accelerate the growth and development of garlic and onions.
Yeast as a fertilizer
Yeast has such a rich composition that this fact could not help but interest gardeners. In general, they have rather a stimulating effect on the development of plants. So, with the help of yeast, it is possible to enhance root formation, increase the resistance of plants to diseases, and accelerate the growth of the vegetative mass. If we talk about the action of yeast as a fertilizer, then they have a greater effect on the activity of soil bacteria, activating it. And those, in turn, begin to actively process organic substances, converting them into a form convenient for plants.
To prepare yeast fertilizer, you need to take 0,5 kg of fresh yeast and dissolve it 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 grass. Finally, add diluted warm yeast. The resulting liquid must be insisted for about two days. You can water the 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 scorch when watered, on the other hand, it would be an excellent means of protection against onion flies and other pests. Often, it is precisely because of the invasion of pests that the leaves of garlic and onions, not having time to grow, are already turning yellow.
Usually, onion plantings are watered with a solution of ammonia for prevention when the first true leaves appear. For these purposes, two tablespoons are diluted in 10 liters of water. This amount is enough for a 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 against pests and the first top dressing will be made.
Conclusion
All of the above fertilizers can be used to accelerate the development and protection of onions and garlic from various adverse environmental factors. Choose those that are more convenient for you to use and then stocks of garlic and onions for the winter will be provided to you.
