Last year, I had onion leaves in my garden beds, so this topic is relevant for me, and I think for other newbie gardeners as well.
The first thing you need to do is check the soil's acidity, as very high levels are harmful to onions. If you find that it is, you need to deacidify it. This is usually done by digging, adding dolomite flour or slaked lime. But if you've already planted the soil, I did the following:
- sprinkled with crushed wood ash or made a solution of baking soda - 1 pack per 10 liters of water (this is enough for about 5 sq. m;
- then I fed them with 10 g of boric acid, 2 g of manganese and 4-5 matchboxes of urea - all this per 10 liters of water;
- a week later I fed the plants with the mother solution – 1 liter per 10 liters of water;
- A week later, I spilled liquid chicken manure.
Now, a quick word on how to prevent feathers from falling. This is what I did this year, and everything went well:
- I water the onion sets every three days in the evening after planting. I add about 8-10 liters of warm, settled water per square meter. I also water a section of the garden with a high water table, where I water every 10-14 days. This continues until the end of June.
- When planting, I treat the bulbs with rooting solution. I soak them in the solution for about 5 hours.
- In July I start watering once a week and then add a little less water.
- After mid-July, you may not need to water, only if the soil begins to crack.
- Since August I haven't moisturized the onions at all.
This method of watering allows you to saturate the feathers with moisture and make them elastic and durable.
And remember the main rules: don't plant too densely, don't overwater, loosen the soil around the bulbs frequently, and fertilize with organic matter and mineral supplements. Avoid planting after beans, cucumbers, cabbage, and peas.
This is the kind of onion I have this year:
And in the past there was this:
