Preparing onion sets for planting in the spring. Preparing onions for planting - what processing rules need to be followed? It is better to process the onions before planting

The onion fly is an insidious garden pest that most homeowners encounter. But why is it necessary to treat onions against onion flies?

Which it deposits near the plant bulb can destroy the entire future harvest onions. To protect plants from imminent death, you need to take timely measures.

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If the onion fly has attacked your beds, you can resort to insecticides - special means, designed to destroy garden pests, or you can use time-tested, safe methods. How to treat onions against onion flies so that harmful substances do not accumulate in the vegetable?

Treating onions with ammonia

A proven method that allows you to destroy onion flies in a matter of days. Ammonia is an ammonia solution that not only kills the pest, but also additionally fertilizes the soil. It is absolutely safe for vegetable plantings, but it is still recommended to follow the correct dosage.

For onion processing ammonia recommended next proportion: 2-3 tablespoons of alcohol per 10-liter bucket of water if the larvae have already significantly damaged the plants; 1-2 tablespoons per bucket if you have just begun to notice the deterioration of the onion. It is necessary that the water smells only slightly of ammonia - a small concentration will be enough to repel the pest.

Using ammonia for onion flies, you need to know how to water plants so as not to harm the future harvest.

Watering should be done only in the evening so that the soil retains moisture longer.. It is better to pour the solution not at the root, but to distribute it over the entire planting area. It is advisable to loosen the row spaces with a rake so that the smell repels as many individuals as possible.

You should not treat plants using this method more than once a week. Two or three waterings ammonia enough for a season to protect the crop from onion fly.

Treating onions with salt

Another safe way destroying a winged pest - salting onions. In order to avoid soil salinization, you need to know How Right water onions with salt to prevent onion flies. It is important not to overdo it here - three waterings per season will be quite enough.

You need to water not at the root, but evenly distribute the salt solution over the beds. You can use a spray bottle.
  • The first watering is done when the sprouts grow 5 centimeters in length. You need to take one third of a pack of salt in a bucket of water and treat the plants.
  • The second treatment should be carried out after two weeks. You need to take half a pack of salt into a bucket of water and process the onions in the same way.
  • The third watering is carried out after another three weeks. Here you already need to dissolve two-thirds of a pack of salt in 10 liters of water. We process the plantings in the same way as before.
Important - the salt from the green part of the onion will need to be washed off after some time, and the plants themselves will need to be watered generously clean water under the root.

Processing onions with wood ash

Another effective way combating winged pests - treatment of soil under plantings with wood ash. Ash is not only a means of combating onion flies, but also perfectly fertilizes the soil.

In order to get rid of the winged pest, it is necessary to evenly distribute the ash over the surface of the earth in the amount of one or two kilograms over an area of ​​10 square meters. It is recommended to then loosen the soil to a depth of 2-3 centimeters.

Treatment should be carried out once per season during the period of mass flight of flies.

Processing onions with laundry soap

A simple answer to the question - how to save onions from onion flies - can be the advice of experienced gardeners to use a soap solution for this purpose. Treating onions with onion soap flies are carried out once or twice per season.

50 grams of ordinary laundry soap needs to be crushed, then dissolved in 10 liters clean water. All planting beds must be treated with this solution. It is better to water in the evening so that the soil retains moisture longer.

Treating onions with tobacco dust

It is recommended to use tobacco dust in dry form, distributing it evenly over the entire planting area. Then you need to shallowly loosen the soil.

If desired, you can use tobacco infusion. To prepare it, you need to take 200 grams of tobacco dust and dissolve it in a ten-liter bucket hot water. The infusion must be kept for two days and the onion plantings must be sprayed with it once a week.

It is enough to carry out two treatments for the onion fly to disappear. Watering should be done in the evening.

Treating onions with dandelion infusion

Dandelion infusion is a simple and safe way to combat winged pests . Treating onions with dandelion infusion against onion flies It is better to carry out in conjunction with treatment with saline solution, alternating these two methods.

To obtain an infusion, you need to take 200 grams of crushed dandelion leaves and roots and 10 liters of boiling water, mix and leave for several days.

Water and spray the onion beds with the resulting infusion once every two weeks. Watering should be done in the evening for better soil retention of moisture.

Treating onions with an infusion of strong-smelling herbs

What else can you water onions against onion flies so as not to harm either the soil or the plant? You can prepare an infusion of strong-smelling herbs such as valerian, mint, lemon balm, and wormwood.

Crushed dry grass in an amount of 200 grams should be poured with 10 liters of boiling water and allowed to stand for several hours.

You can treat onions with an infusion of strong-smelling herbs against onion flies as often as you wish., since this method is absolutely safe. You can water the plants or spray them with a spray bottle. Treatment with this method should be carried out in the evening.

Treating onions with metronidazole

Metronidazole for onion fly- comparatively new way combating a winged pest, which is becoming increasingly popular among gardeners. Metronidazole tablets can be purchased at pharmacies.

5 tablets should be crushed into fine crumbs, then diluted in 10 liters of clean water. You need to know how to water onions with metronidazole against onion flies so as not to harm your health.

This method should be used if other methods did not help. Metronidazole is a chemical compound and uncontrolled use of the drug can be harmful to health. Therefore, you need to water no more than once or twice a season.

The remaining metronidazole will need to be washed off from the green part of the plants after 2-3 hours, then water the plants at the roots with clean water. Processing should be carried out in the evening hours.

Preventive measures for the appearance of onion flies in the garden

Onion fly larvae wait out the winter in the soil at a depth of 10–20 centimeters. If an onion fly is noticed on the site, you need to take preventive measures to prevent its appearance next year.

  • Before planting, you need to sort through the onion sets, discarding damaged bulbs, then soak them in hot water. The soaking time should not be very long. 3-5 minutes at a water temperature of approximately 50 degrees Celsius is enough.
  • To disinfect onions, you can also use a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The solution should be prepared in a certain proportion: 1 teaspoon of dry potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water. Soak the onion in the solution for half an hour, then dry well.

Enough unusual way An experienced gardener demonstrates how to prepare onions before planting. She soaks onion sets in a solution of birch tar. The author of the video believes that onions prepared in this way are not afraid of garden pests. In the last video we recommend watching others available funds How to treat onions against onion flies.

Onion fly larvae will end up on the surface and die as soon as frost sets in. Treating onion sets before planting against onion flies ======================================================== ============= Every garden owner grows onions, but not everyone manages to protect the crop from pests. The most damage comes from the onion fly, which can destroy most of the bulbs. How to treat onion flies before planting? A good preventative measure against this insect would be to dig up the beds with the addition of ash and sawdust. coniferous trees . Not only do we not like resinous sawdust, but also to other insect pests. In addition, this mixture perfectly fertilizes the soil. You can also treat onion sets before planting. Chemicals are not used to process onion sets, as this is harmful to human health. The best prevention of onion fly damage is to adhere to crop rotation, returning this crop to its original place every 5 years. For planting, you need to use only healthy sets. To destroy spores, larvae and other “troubles” on onion sets, it must be treated before planting in the following way: water is heated to a temperature of 45-46°C and the seeds are kept in it for 15 minutes. If the water is hot (50-52°C), it is enough to warm the onion for 3-5 minutes. All diseased onions are thrown away; they cannot be planted. Before planting, you can additionally sprinkle the onion sets with shag (tobacco) dust. You can mix it with ash and also use it to treat planting material against onion flies. After planting, it is useful to sprinkle the space between the rows of onion plantings with the same composition, spending approximately 0.1-0.2 kg of the mixture per “square”. Many gardeners use a time-tested method for processing onion sets - soaking in a solution of potassium permanganate. The prepared sets are soaked in the solution for 15 minutes, after which the bulbs are washed with water and slightly dried. If the seedlings were planted without treatment, after planting you can water the bed with a solution of potassium permanganate, repeating it every 10 days. Despite criticism from gardeners, it is not a bad idea to plant onion sets and carrots, alternating rows. These are “mutually beneficial” plants that cope well with pests. But if such “neighborhood” does not help, you need to use more drastic measures fight against onion fly. Regular table salt works well against onion fly. Only it is not the seedling itself that is treated, but the row spacing after planting this crop. In a 10-liter bucket you need to dissolve 0.2 kg of salt and carefully pour the ridge, making sure that the solution does not end up on the bulbs (if they are not buried deeply, then the apical part of the bulb may appear on the surface). After 3 hours, the bed must be shed with clean water. The procedure is repeated after 10 days. Interestingly, the onion fly cannot stand the smell of tomato tops. You can plant sets near a ridge with tomatoes, which is a natural way of protecting against onion flies, or several tomato bushes are planted directly on the ridge. It is very difficult to fight the onion fly, so it’s easier to preventive treatment sowing to minimize the likelihood of this pest appearing.

At first glance, it may seem to an inexperienced gardener that it could be easier than growing onion sets. Despite the fact that this vegetable crop is really not particularly difficult to care for, many people face a lot of problems on the way to getting a good onion harvest. So, one of them is bolting of a vegetable crop, which prevents the development of large and healthy bulbs, the other is diseases of various types that can negate all the painstaking work.

To avoid these unpleasant problems, it is necessary not only to plant onion sets in a timely manner, but also to process the planting material on the eve of planting. Properly organized disinfection is designed to protect vegetables from various diseases.

Preparing the bulbs

The most important stage in preparing onions for planting is the high-quality selection of planting material. So, soft and spoiled or, conversely, dried bulbs are not suitable for planting, since they will not be able to grow good harvest.

Cutting off part of the husk will help speed up the germination process, but this manipulation can only be performed if the bulb has not sprouted feathers by the time of planting. Next, you should dry the seed material by placing it in a dry and warm place.

Bulb processing

Processing bulbs is the most important activity that must be approached responsibly. One of the popular and widespread methods of processing the seed material of onion sets is immersing it in a saline solution.

Unlike the use of insecticides that leave vegetable crop toxic substances, salt cannot harm onions in any way. On the contrary, it disinfects well planting material.

Why is salt treatment necessary?

Treatment of bulbs with saline solution is intended to ensure accelerated development of the plant, and therefore speed up the harvesting process. In addition, with its help, the bulbs are protected from any kind of negative impacts external environment.

Such treatment will be an excellent means of preventing plants from various diseases, including pests that are so common in onion beds such as onion fly and nematode. The benefits from such a procedure are simply invaluable.

Features of the event

To process the planting material of onion sets, you can use either regular rock salt or sea salt, and the effect in both cases will be the same. To prepare the solution, you will need two liters of water (it is recommended to use purified, filtered water) and dissolve 2 tablespoons of any type of salt. In the finished solution, which should have room temperature, it is necessary to immerse the onion sets prepared for planting.

As for the time during which the bulbs should remain in the disinfectant solution, on average it is 2-3 hours. After this time, you can safely carry out planting activities, as a reward for which, with a high degree of probability, it can be said that the gardener will receive a good harvest!

To ensure a happy harvest of onions in the fall, you need to take active measures in the spring before planting them. After all, it is in the spring that onion sets are prepared for planting in the ground.

Almost all gardeners use onion sets to harvest onions. Seed treatment plays a very important role in preparing it for planting, since if the seeds are not treated, they will take a long time to germinate or will be susceptible to various diseases.

Small onions with a diameter of 1 to 3 cm are selected for planting. You can buy sets at any specialized store or grow them yourself. Preparation of the sowing takes place in several stages.

Stages of preparation for sowing

  • All the onions need to be sorted out, the good ones selected and the unhealthy ones thrown away. Peeling, rotten, moldy, dried out - such turnips are not suitable for planting. If the bulb does not send out a feather, it needs to be “trimmed.” To do this, carefully cut off the husk on the top of the head. This will speed up germination significantly.

In addition, when correct pruning, more efficient the procedure will take place soaking: the solution will penetrate between the scales of the head very quickly. If you approach the preparation of seed with all responsibility, you can eliminate the troubles associated with growing bulbous crops.

When pruning, you need to be careful not to cut off too much from the top. This will provoke the process of rotting, and will not allow the onion to release its stems.

  • It is advisable to heat treat suitable bulbs a few days before sowing. To do this, spread paper or newspaper near a heat source and lay out onion sets in one layer.

At a temperature of 35–40 degrees, the onion will warm up well. If for some reason warming up is impossible, and the sets need to be planted, then you can do the following to “wake up” the seeds: pour hot water into a bowl with onions for 2 minutes, and then dip it in cold water.

Such measures will eliminate the possibility of further “shooting” of onion sets. After all, it “shoots” due to improper storage conditions: the room is too cold. At this time, the bulbs begin to develop flower buds which will begin to develop.

  • Warmed onion heads must be soaked in nutrient liquid in advance. To feed the bulb, you can use any complex of fertilizers. Having poured the bulbs into a net or bag, you need to leave them to soak for 10 hours in a nutrient mixture with “Ammophos”, “Nitroammophos” (take 1 tablespoon of the composition for 10 liters of liquid).
  • Afterwards you need to arrange a “bath”: without rinsing off any remaining solution, dip the mesh with onion sets for 10 minutes in an aqueous solution with the addition of copper sulfate. Mix like this: for 10 liters of water, 1 teaspoon of copper sulfate.

It is these water procedures that prevent the development of fungal diseases in young onion sets. Washing running water seed, you can safely plant it in the ground.

There is also a recipe for a “bath”. You can dip the onion in a regular saline solution. Salt fights nematode fungal spores. The recipe is as follows: for one bucket of water, 3 cups of table salt. It must stand for 24 hours before landing. You can also treat the sowing with an infusion of ash or Fitosporin.

You can also disinfect seedlings with potassium permanganate. Despite the fact that many effective modern substances have appeared, this remedy still remains the most effective and at the same time inexpensive.

Treatment before planting occurs in the following order: dilute 35 grams of potassium permanganate in 10 liters of water, immerse the seeds in the resulting solution for 2 hours. This method will provide protection against any plant diseases.

  • In order for the seed to germinate quickly and produce a good harvest, it is recommended to treat it with growth stimulants before planting. The most affordable and universal way is to treat it with wood ash, which is rich in potassium and natural antiseptics.

Protection from diseases

It is also important to protect the sets from diseases after planting. Various insects and diseases that affect the heads and prevent their growth, in the process of their life activity, turn green feathers into yellow, the scales of the bulb become soft and rotten. Such onions will not survive until winter, so emergency measures must be taken.

The most common diseases of onion sets are:

  • onion fly.

Destroyed by the onion fly, the feathers of the set wither and dry out from the crown of the feather to the very base, so the central petiole breaks off, rotting all the way to the bulb. If you look closely, you can see insect larvae in the bulb itself or on its surface. To prevent the occurrence of this disease, you need to treat the seeds with a TMTD solution or fenthiuram.

If the onion fly has infected young greens, wood ash or crushed charcoal will help, which should be sprinkled on the seedlings of the set. To treat young plants, Nexion (0.1%) is often used at the following consumption: 0.5 liters of solution per 1 meter of soil. Watering should be done every two weeks.

  • downy mildew.

The whitish spots that cover the shoots of the sowing gradually spread and after some time become a gray coating - this is an infection with downy mildew. The most common cause of this problem is high humidity air or soil in which the onion grows.

When the first signs of the disease appear, treatment should begin with any of these agents:

  • 80% cuprosan (0.4%);
  • ditan M-45 (0.20%);
  • Bordeaux mixture 1%.


Treating onions before planting helps protect the plant from gray rot and pests. Treated planting material does not suffer from temperature changes, sprouts faster and forms even bulbs.

Processing onions before planting before winter

Buy seeds in specialized stores. Do not buy deformed and sprouted onions: they will grow weak and sickly. Before planting, sort the seeds, discarding dried and cracked bulbs.

Source: Depositphotos

Processing of onions before planting is carried out using chemical and folk remedies.

2-3 days before planting, warm up the onions by spreading them on newspaper near the stove or radiator. This will protect the plant from the formation of arrows and inflorescences. Instead of heating, you can pour the bulbs for 2-3 minutes. hot water.

Soak the seed for 1.5–2 hours in a nutrient mixture of ammophoska or nitroammophoska in the proportion of 10 liters of water per 1 tbsp. l. composition. The drug will increase the germination of onions and protect the heads from damage by the onion fly.

Treat onions at the end of September immediately before planting in the ground. After contact with chemicals it should not be eaten.

Treatment with copper sulfate prevents fungal diseases in young plantings. The drug kills rot pathogen spores and disinfects the soil. Dilute 1.5 tsp. copper sulfate in a bucket warm water. Before planting in the ground, soak the bulbs for 3-4 hours in the resulting solution.

To protect onion sets from powdery mildew treat the seed with TMTD solution or fenthiuram. The drugs will destroy fungal nematodes, healing and strengthening the plant’s rhizome.

Processing onions with folk remedies

You can save seeds from diseases and ensure a rich harvest using folk remedies. They are safe for humans, do not change the structure of the soil and are effective fertilizers for plants.

Folk remedies for processing onions:

  • Dilute 1 tbsp in 1.5 liters of water. l. soda and soak the seed in the resulting solution for 1–2 hours. This will help prevent onions from bolting and heads rotting.
  • Treat seeds affected by onion fly with infusion of wood ash. It kills insect larvae and eggs, strengthens the rhizome and regenerates onion scales.
  • To protect onions from gray rot and scale insects, roll the seeds in crumbs charcoal. It eats away harmful microorganisms, preventing disease in seedlings.
  • A weak saline solution will disinfect the bulbs from nematodes. 3 tbsp. l. dilute salt in 2 liters of water. Immerse the onion in the solution for 4-6 hours.
  • Dissolve 40 g of potassium permanganate in 10 liters of water, immerse the seeds in the solution for 1–2 hours. Manganese potassium disinfects the heads, kills onion mite larvae, eliminates bacteriosis and gray rot.

To protect onions from frost, cover the plantings with a layer of dry peat or humus. Mulch the beds with dry hay, sawdust, chopped straw or fallen leaves.

Treating onions before planting is a preventative measure that protects the bulbs from diseases and pests. It is carried out using chemical and folk remedies.