It is impossible to imagine a housewife's kitchen without onions. Let the tears flow like a river, because many dishes require a vegetable. Therefore, onions are grown everywhere on private plots. It is planted either for winter or spring. Onions are growing well. Quite rarely he is capricious and shows dissatisfaction. But it signals serious problems. Often - yellowing of the feather.

What to do if the onion turns yellow?

It all depends on the season. If the onion began to turn yellow in June, for example, then this is bad. The plant is not happy with something. Or someone got started in the garden. You need to figure out why the onion feathers turn yellow and take action. If this happens at the end of July, then there is no reason to worry. The harvest began to ripen. We'll be cleaning up soon.
Provocateurs of yellowness:
Why do onion leaves turn yellow?

Causes of the problem: a pest has infested, there is not enough nitrogen in the soil, the plant lacks moisture. Rescue measures will depend on the specific cause.

Pests:
As a rule, the plant is damaged by flies and secretive proboscis.

Onion fly.

Symptoms of its presence: feathers turn yellow and wither early, a larva can be found in the bulb, the vegetable rots, and the plant is pulled out of the ground very easily, even accidentally during weeding.

Pest targeting:

1. The size of an adult is about seven millimeters. The body is yellowish-gray with dark sparse stripes.

2. Larva - white worm with cone-like processes at the end. It can be seen in the bulb or in the soil around the plant.

Fly pupae overwinter in the soil. In spring, the pupae wake up. The laying of eggs coincides with the flowering of dandelions. After a week, the larvae appear. They make their way into the bulb and feed on it.

Protective measures:

• Deep digging of the soil before sowing;
• early boarding;
• proximity to carrots, the smell of which repels flies;
• destruction of infected plants;
• sprinkling the ground around the onion with ash mixed with tobacco dust;
• removing all plant debris from the garden bed.

Onion sneaker

A very dangerous pest that eats feathers from the inside. Signs of its invasion: on the leaves - white spots and longitudinal stripes, yellow tips of feathers, curling and drying of feathers. For young plantings, both adults and larvae are dangerous.

How to recognize a pest?

1. Adult beetle - small insect up to two millimeters long. The body is covered with light scales. The tarsi and elytra are brownish. There is a light stripe at the base of the elytra.

2. The larva is a light worm with a dark head.

Secretive proboscideans overwinter in the ground, grass, bushes or unharvested onions. This is what they feed on in the spring, gradually moving to fresh plantings. The female gnaws the onion feather and lays eggs there. After two weeks, the larvae are born. They eat the inner contents of the feathers and then descend into the soil to pupate.

Protective measures:

• timely removal of plant residues;
• sowing on ridges distant from the previous year’s plantings;
• regular loosening of row spacing;
• cutting off damaged feathers plus loosening.

Lack of nitrogen in the soil

It can be observed both on dry days and on rainy days. Nitrogen is absorbed in dissolved form, so moisture is needed. At the same time, after heavy rainfall, nitrogen compounds go too deep, where the plant’s roots cannot absorb them.

To compensate for nitrogen deficiency, onions are periodically fertilized with saltpeter, ammonium sulfate, urea or slurry.

Lack of moisture

During the period of active growth and gaining strength, onions need regular watering.

• The plant is watered before and after weeding;
• pour water into the grooves made between the green bushes;
• for dense plantings, when you have to water the feathers, use a watering can so that the water does not wash out the soil near the bulb;
• The need for watering is checked with a finger; if the soil is dry at the depth of the nail, then you need to water it;
• One and a half months before harvesting, watering is stopped.

Feather Rescue:

Let's consider several folk methods of comprehensively combating the problem. That is, recipes that allow you to eliminate several causes at once.

1. Ten liters warm water dissolve half a glass table salt and one ampoule of ammonia. Add three grains of ash. Water with this mixture once every ten days. Until the feathers turn green again.

2. Planting material soak in strong potassium permanganate and plant in rows sprinkled with salt.

3. For half a bucket of water - half a tablespoon of iodine, two bags of potassium permanganate and five hundred grams of soda. This is a concentrated composition. It also needs to be diluted in water in a ratio of 1:10. And water it already diluted.

4. Sprinkle the row spacing with sand mixed with naphthalene.

5. Water the onions with salt water and potassium permanganate.

Onions are a non-capricious crop, resistant to temperature changes, drought, long rains, and not very demanding on soil and care. Useful properties it is difficult to overestimate - the most sought-after vegetable in any kitchen and the main winter healer. Onions are grown everywhere, ranking among the most popular garden crops an honorable third place after potatoes and cabbage. The process of forcing feathers and cultivating beautiful root crops is a fascinating and rewarding activity, but only if the plants do not get sick.

Weather related problems

The most common problem in onion beds is sudden yellowing and drying of the feather tips. Without finding out the reason for this phenomenon, you should not run around in a panic with a sprayer and introduce the entire periodic table into the ground. An ordinary drought can cause such a reaction. High temperatures within a week, lack of precipitation and watering lead to disruption of sap flow, but not to loss of the ability to increase fruit mass. Of course, green beds look more beautiful than yellowed ones, but the purpose of gardening is not only aesthetic pleasure. This drying has no effect on the final result - large, filled onion heads.

A similar problem can plague gardeners who know about the frost resistance of the crop and plant the seedlings too early. The frostbitten tips of the seedlings soon turn yellow and dry out, giving the same picture as during drought, but without affecting the full harvest.

Onions turn yellow due to weather conditions - what to feed?

If the reason for drying out is recurrent frosts, then caring for the beds does not change at all. The feather will grow back, the dry tips in the general green mass will be invisible to both the owner and the plant. If the weather is dry for a long time, the area needs to be watered by sprinkling for 2-3 days in a row. To restore the strength of damaged plants, sprinkle the ground between them with ash at the rate of half a liter jar per 1 square meter or spill with ash solution. To prepare it, you need to dilute the same amount of ash in a bucket of water and leave for 3-4 days, stirring regularly. The yellowed tips will no longer turn green, but the plant will recover from stress faster.

Nitrogen deficiency

Another reason for the yellowing of onions is an acute lack of nitrogen in the soil. It is easy to diagnose this “disease” - it usually affects not only onions. All crops living in the neighborhood also acquire a faded color with light veins, the fruits become smaller and change shape, sometimes the edges of the leaves bend and spots similar to lichens form. Most often, this disease is caused by prolonged rains or excessive watering, when nitrogen is simply washed out from the upper nutrient layer into the depths, where it becomes inaccessible to the roots.

Onions turn yellow from lack of nitrogen - what to water them with?

The only way to cure plants is to apply nitrogen fertilizers. But this needs to be done intelligently and in doses, since excessive nitrate nutrition begins active vegetative processes - an increase in green mass to the detriment of the formation of the head. The fertilizer is prepared from plant components:

• green grass;
• hay, straw;
• any weeds, with seeds possible;
• food waste plant origin- vegetable peelings, sunflower husks, tea and coffee grounds.

Water is poured into a barrel (basin, bucket), preferably rainwater, and everything that was collected on the site and in the kitchen is thrown in. We also add sweets here - old candied jam, crystallized honey, sour fortified wine, expired condensed milk or at least a couple of spoons of sugar. Stir this mixture well and leave until active fermentation, which we learn about unpleasant smell. In hot weather, the solution will be ready in 3-4 days, in cool weather - in 2 weeks. Dilute 1 liter of nitrogen compote in a bucket of water and generously fertilize the onion beds. It is better to do this after or during rain on wet ground. If the weather is dry, the garden needs to be watered first. This fertilizer is absorbed easily and quickly, supplying the plants not only with nitrogen, but also with a host of other useful components. The most significant components herbal infusions are nettle, plantain and dandelion. This is a real storehouse of microelements that stimulate growth and increase plant resistance to fungal diseases.

Onion pests

The main enemies of onion crops are stem nematode, onion fly and secretive proboscis. It is extremely difficult to see them on a plant due to small size and inconspicuous color. They can get into the garden with seed material, fly in and crawl from neighbors and overwinter in the beds in the remnants of last year's harvest. Characteristic distinctive feature residence of unauthorized persons on the onion - the feather turns yellow not at the tips, but along the entire length.

Yellowing from pests - what to water with?

Folk remedies for onion flies and secretive proboscis are saline solution and all the bitter sprays that exist in nature. Tinctures of tobacco, pepper, mustard, garlic are prepared for 3-4 days, the concentration - the more, the better. If the onion has already turned yellow and there is not enough time for cooking, you need to add all the additives to the water and bring it to a boil. After cooling under the lid, you can immediately start spraying. For the nematode, a bitter shower is not enough and the remaining liquid is poured between the rows of onions. There is another proven remedy for flies - leave the skins of green nuts in water for at least a day and generously pour this solution onto the area.

Saline solution can be used for both prevention and destruction. 10 tablespoons per bucket of water, stir well and pour on the plants and under the roots. If this does not help, you need to resort to heavy artillery - ammonia. The bottle is dissolved in a bucket of water and applied to the feather with a sprayer. As a result of the treatment, burns remain, but the pests disappear. Unfortunately, if there is a massive raid on your garden, folk remedies may be powerless.

Fungal diseases and control methods

Yellow onion feathers may indicate another fungal disease - bottom rot. You can detect it by pulling out one plant and examining its root. During the development of the disease, a lung forms on it white coating, and if the fungus is rampant in the area, the bulbs are softened and covered with gray rot. The reason is thickened plantings, flooding or any waterlogging of the soil. If such a phenomenon has already occurred on the site, in next years onions should be planted as far as possible from this zone. Do not use seed from an infected crop, but before replanting, treat the seed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or alcohol. Water the bed moderately, arrange drainage or drainage of excess rainwater.

What can you do to ensure that onions never turn yellow?

There are a number of proven, biologically based methods that, without special labor will help you grow large, healthy onions.

• Every year change the planting location of all crops, including onions. This will not protect against weather disasters, but it will protect against shortages. useful substances in the soil and against wintering pests, this measure is very effective.
• Apply on site mixed plantings. Onions and carrots are proven neighbors, protecting each other from pests. Onions planted around currants are also protected from insects by the tart smell of the bush. The plant feels good in strawberries and next to basil, and peas, capable of drawing nitrogen from the deep layers of the soil, abundantly supply it to growing onion heads.
• Mulching all free soil between the bulbs with dry and green grass, which also has its own smell and confuses pests. In addition, yellowing of onion feathers is sometimes caused by mole crickets walking near the roots. But this pest does not tolerate shady areas, and plant mulch creates a constant shady and damp effect. As temperatures change, the organic carpet keeps the onion beds from freezing or drying out.

Onions dry out in July - what to do?

By mid-July, the onions should lie down and dry completely. It's harvest time. For the last two weeks, watering has stopped completely. If weather forecasters predict rain, you must have time to collect and dry the crop before the precipitation occurs. Having pulled the heads out of the ground, it is advisable to leave them in the garden for another 2-3 days. At high humidity Place in a well-ventilated area, loosely pressing each other in one layer. After complete drying, cut off the roots with scissors, without damaging the bottom, and leave the top 3-5 cm. In this form, the crop can be stored.

It is impossible to imagine a housewife's kitchen without onions. Let the tears flow like a river, because many dishes require a vegetable. Therefore, onions are grown everywhere on private plots. It is planted either for winter or spring. Onions are growing well. Quite rarely he is capricious and shows dissatisfaction. But it signals serious problems. Often - yellowing of the feather.

What to do if the onion turns yellow?

It all depends on the season. If the onion began to turn yellow in June, for example, then this is bad. The plant is not happy with something. Or someone got started in the garden. You need to figure out why the onion feathers turn yellow and take action. If this happens at the end of July, then there is no reason to worry. The harvest began to ripen. We'll be cleaning up soon.
Provocateurs of yellowness:
Why do onion leaves turn yellow?

Causes of the problem: a pest has infested, there is not enough nitrogen in the soil, the plant lacks moisture. Rescue measures will depend on the specific cause.

Pests:
As a rule, the plant is damaged by flies and secretive proboscis.

Onion fly.

Symptoms of its presence: feathers turn yellow and wither early, a larva can be found in the bulb, the vegetable rots, and the plant is pulled out of the ground very easily, even accidentally during weeding.

Pest targeting:

1. The size of an adult is about seven millimeters. The body is yellowish-gray with dark sparse stripes.

2. The larva is a white worm with cone-like processes at the end. It can be seen in the bulb or in the soil around the plant.

Fly pupae overwinter in the soil. In spring, the pupae wake up. The laying of eggs coincides with the flowering of dandelions. After a week, the larvae appear. They make their way into the bulb and feed on it.

Protective measures:

• Deep digging of the soil before sowing;
• early boarding;
• proximity to carrots, the smell of which repels flies;
• destruction of infected plants;
• sprinkling the ground around the onion with ash mixed with tobacco dust;
• removing all plant debris from the garden bed.

Onion sneaker

A very dangerous pest that eats feathers from the inside. Signs of its invasion: on the leaves - white spots and longitudinal stripes, yellow tips of feathers, curling and drying of feathers. For young plantings, both adults and larvae are dangerous.

How to recognize a pest?

1. An adult beetle is a small insect up to two millimeters long. The body is covered with light scales. The tarsi and elytra are brownish. There is a light stripe at the base of the elytra.

2. The larva is a light worm with a dark head.

Secretive proboscideans overwinter in the ground, grass, bushes or unharvested onions. This is what they feed on in the spring, gradually moving to fresh plantings. The female gnaws the onion feather and lays eggs there. After two weeks, the larvae are born. They eat the inner contents of the feathers and then descend into the soil to pupate.

Protective measures:

• timely removal of plant residues;
• sowing on ridges distant from the previous year’s plantings;
• regular loosening of row spacing;
• cutting off damaged feathers plus loosening.

Lack of nitrogen in the soil

It can be observed both on dry days and on rainy days. Nitrogen is absorbed in dissolved form, so moisture is needed. At the same time, after heavy rainfall, nitrogen compounds go too deep, where the plant’s roots cannot absorb them.

To compensate for nitrogen deficiency, onions are periodically fertilized with saltpeter, ammonium sulfate, urea or slurry.

Lack of moisture

• warming the bulb before storage;
• 12-hour warming of the bulb before planting at a temperature of 35 - 40 degrees;
• water the onion feathers during the growth process with copper oxychloride (re-watering after 1 week).

Nitrogen deficiency is bad

When there is no nitrogen in the soil, onion leaves, particularly their tips, dry out and turn yellow. In this situation, there is only one help - feed with nitrogen-containing fertilizer (organic and organomineral products).

Improper care and bad weather

Inappropriate watering regime, inappropriate temperature and water hardness, overheating lead to the nigella onion feathers turning yellow. During rooting and beginning of growth green onions Water thoroughly once or twice every three days. If mulch is used on the soil, watering once is sufficient. When watering, the water should have a temperature of +18 to +25 degrees. Watering time is the first half of the day. To reduce water hardness, add special products. It wouldn’t hurt to feed the onions either. The composition of the bait is as follows: 10 liters of water, 50 g of ammonium nitrate, 20 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium salt.

Overheating has a negative impact primarily on the roots. Because of this, they die off, which in turn leads to yellowing of the green onion stem. Mulch will retain moisture and protect the soil from overheating. As a result, the roots, tips and feathers of the onion will be fine.

Dry summers and frequent heavy rains cause the onions to dry out and begin to turn yellow, even in the absence of the above reasons. To protect onions from the vagaries of nature, plant them in a greenhouse.

To prevent the onion from turning yellow, water it with special solutions and try not to fill it with water.

Conclusion

To preserve onions until the end of the season, plant them earlier than usual, next to carrots and calendula, change the planting location every year, sprinkle the soil with pest repellents, water correctly and completely remove any remaining vegetation for the next season.

Remember, only comprehensive prevention will protect onions from insect enemies, prevent disease and prevent yellowing of feathers. It is quite possible to grow green onions on your own plot. If you follow all the recommendations listed, onions will delight you not only with their beautiful appearance, but also with their taste.

Onions are a widely popular plant that is grown by all gardeners. Even if the plot is very small or it’s just a flowerbed, onion lovers will still find room for a couple of rows of onions. And in this case, it is especially important to get a high-quality harvest. After all, quite often onions in the garden begin to turn yellow and do not grow, so you need to know what to do if this happens even before the harvest season.

Reasons why onions turn yellow

• onion moth;
• nematode;
• onion fly;
• secretive proboscis;
• thrips

To prevent damage to onions by these insects, it is recommended to plant them in a new place every year. You can return to the first bed only after four years.

To prevent onion flies, onions should be planted as early as possible and not far from the carrots. Feed the onion beds with a mixture of pepper and tobacco dust. Fertilizing is carried out at the time when the dandelion is blooming. To combat flies that have already settled, water the bulbs (but not the feathers and beds) with a salt solution at the rate of 200 g per bucket of water.

Emerging onion moths and secretive proboscis are eliminated by completely removing the remains of the upper shoots of onions from the area and deep digging up the area immediately before frost.

To prevent onions from turning yellow due to damage by nematodes and thrips, immerse them in hot water for 10 minutes before planting.

Calendula and marigolds planted between the rows of onions repel pests with their aroma.

Prevention of onion diseases that lead to yellowing

To prevent fungal diseases that cause onions to turn yellow, before planting, place them under straight lines for 12 hours. sun rays for warming up. The planted bulbs must be watered with a solution using copper oxychloride (1 tbsp) and laundry soap (1 tbsp) in a bucket of water.

To prevent onion plantings from being damaged by bottom rot, onion beds should not be made in lowlands.

Correcting errors in onion care that caused them to turn yellow

To prevent onions from turning yellow as a result of care errors, you should ensure they are properly watered. For watering, use only heated, settled water, water strictly at the root, avoiding washing out the soil on the bulb. You can add mineral fertilizers to the water for irrigation.

A month before the start of harvesting, watering must be stopped.

What to do if onions turn yellow due to weather conditions?

If there is insufficient rainfall in dry summers, onion beds should be watered more often. And during periods of prolonged rains, it is better to cover the plantings in a greenhouse.

How to prevent yellowing of feathers from lack of nitrogen?

In cases where the watering is correct and there are no pest diseases, but the onions still turn yellow, the cause may be a deficiency. In this case, the onions must be fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizer (special complexes or humus).

If you are reading this note, then you now have the same problem as I had quite recently - the ends of the onions are drying out. They dry without any superficial signs of disease, and this process progresses very quickly. If this is so, then when asked what to do if the ends of the onion dry out, I can say one thing - relax. It will no longer be possible to cure the onion; you have already done all that is possible - you launched it. Sorry for the dark humor, but I can’t describe the situation any other way.

Why do the ends of onions dry out?

I already wrote in a water note about a similar situation, when in winter the tips of the feather first turn yellow and then dry out. Comparing winter onion cultivation with spring onion cultivation is equivalent to a crime. In the spring, this attack occurs differently. The tips of the onions don't turn yellow at all, they just dry out. Click on the photo below and see how it happens. Without any apparent reason, absolutely healthy, green feather it develops as if it had been “strangled,” that is, in one narrow isthmus it withers and falls, and then the tip of the green onion begins to dry. As a rule, the onion feather dries from above after 5-7 centimeters.

As I wrote above, it will no longer be possible to cure the feather; the process of dying off of the green onion tissues has already begun. Your right to treat my words with distrust and take measures to restore the situation, if you succeed, in some magical way known only to you, write the “recipe” in the comments, thereby you will help many onion growers. I haven't found a solution yet. But I discovered several reasons why pen tips dry out. All that remains is to prevent this unpleasant and financially and physically unprofitable process.

The first reason is when in an angry state of mind I removed the “sad” onions from the beds and took them to the compost, and came across a whole world of fauna. I counted three types of inhabitants. 1- maggot about a centimeter long, most likely an onion fly; 2- small, half a millimeter red mites; 3- narrow, black with a red spot on the back and about 6 millimeters in length, fast moving insects, most likely thrips. I have never personally met the latter, so I could be wrong. Then who is it if not thrips?
This can be prevented by soaking the onions in water from +40 to +50 degrees before planting. I checked it personally, threw these caught individuals into the input, they die instantly, which means the planting material will be healthy at the time of planting, and not infected. After this, throughout the entire forcing process, you need to track rotten bulbs; they are immediately visible; dry, crooked, thin feathers grow from them or do not grow at all. These bulbs must be removed immediately. Watering with the addition of potassium permanganate once per forcing is required. Tested personally, after these manipulations there is no chance of getting sick onions.

The second reason is watering. In winter you have to water once a week, sometimes twice, in spring almost every day. I neglected this information and missed watering for only four days :-), and what happened. The ends of a feather 35 cm long began to dry out, I pulled out the bulb and saw that the substrate was completely dry and good growth the bulb has almost no roots and they brown- stiffened from lack of moisture. The fastest way is for the onions to stand completely dry for three days. I stuck this onion back in and watered the entire garden abundantly, two days later I saw again that the roots, from brown hard roots, began to grow in a bunch like a sponge, thin roots, but still it was not possible to revive the onion. The solution to this problem is the most elementary; you shouldn’t rely on statistics and watering formulas, you just need to “stick” your finger into the substrate more often, even to the point of doing it twice a day. Believe me, it’s easier than taking your money and labor to a compost heap.
That's how I found out when onion tips dry out, it's a combination of two factors.
Conclusion: 1- before planting, disinfect the planting material; 2- constantly remove rotten bulbs from the garden bed; 3- water, water, water, under no circumstances yawn this moment, the roots should always be long, white and moist.

I hope my experience will help you in solving the problem.

If someone has a different drying process, describe it in the comments so that other onion growers can deal with it.

Finding a gardener in our latitudes who does not grow onions on his plot is not an easy task. But it’s even more difficult to find that lucky person who has never in his entire career as a homestead farmer asked himself the question why, despite all the weeding, fertilizing and watering, this censored onion turns yellow in the garden, without any twinge of his onion conscience? Agree, this is really very offensive. Especially if this is not the first time something like this has happened. And then gardeners wonder what to water the onions so as not to turn yellow. For those who prefer to see freshly picked green onions in a delicious summer salad, we have prepared this useful material.

Onions are perhaps one of the oldest cultivated plants known to our civilization. The first mention of onion cultivation dates back to the 4th millennium BC. It is known for certain that in Ancient Egypt the bow was considered a gift from the gods. In the ancient world, since the time of Hippocrates, onions were valued not only as a vegetable, but also as a medicinal product. IN ancient Rome red onions were included in the mandatory diet of legionnaires, and Emperor Nero ate leeks with olive oil to strengthen his voice (he was a lover of singing). Today, more than 400 varieties of “cultivated” onions are known.

Healthy onions in the beds it should look something like this

Why onions turn yellow in the garden: five reasons and methods of control

Before trying on the light clothes of onion gurus, we must immediately make a reservation - onions in the garden turn yellow not only because of diseases and other negative impacts, which will be discussed below. In August-September, onion stems begin to wither, for a completely natural reason - the crop is ripe and ready for harvest. In this case, you have nothing to worry about - you did everything right. A fair question is “What to do?” if an onion feather turns yellow at a time when, according to all the laws of the genre, it is supposed to continue to grow and grow. Then the source of the “onion grief” should be sought in five possible directions:

• insect pests;
• illness;
• soil condition;
• improper care of plants;
• unfavorable weather conditions.

Now let's look at these misfortunes in more detail and get acquainted with ways to eliminate them.

Reason one: pests

Significant damage to onion plantings can be caused by:

Onion fly (Delia antiqua)

These harmful insects, or rather their larvae, are equally dangerous as traditional onions, as well as more “noble” varieties - chives, shallots, leeks, etc. During the flowering of dandelion and lilac (approximately in the second half of May), the female onion fly lays eggs in the soil next to the plant or under the first dry scales and between green onion leaves. After 5-8 days, the larvae burrow into the bulb (mainly from the bottom) and begin to feed intensively. The onions in the garden turn yellow and then die completely. How to save onions from onion flies? To permanently ruin this pest's appetite, we recommend using the following methods.

In this photo there is an onion fly - malicious pest Luke

• Plant onions in the soil as early as possible. Then he will have time to gain strength before the flies appear.
• Sow onions along with carrots. The fly cannot stand the smell of carrots.
• Use deterrents during summer and egg laying, for example, mix 200 g wood ash with 1 tsp. tobacco dust and 1 tsp. ground pepper, dust 1 sq.m. with this mixture. planting onions. After the procedure, loosen the soil.
• Against larvae in the soil for 15 sq.m. you can add 30 g of Bazudin granules mixed with 0.5 liters of sand.
• Do not plant onions in the same place every year. The onion bed can be used once every four years.
• At the beginning of summer, flies (if Bazudin was not added to the soil) onion plantings can be treated with Confidor, Leptotsid, Mospilan, Nurell-D.
• If the larvae have already penetrated the bulb (the feathers wilt, the tips of the leaves turn yellow), then spraying with Creotsid PRO will help save the plantings.

The emergence of onion fly larvae from eggs

There is another one folk method onion fly control - treatment saline solution(200 grams of salt per 10-liter bucket of water). The effect is enhanced by adding a small amount ammonia. The first watering is carried out when the length of the feather reaches 8 cm. In this case, you need to try not to get it on the leaves. During the season, 2-3 such procedures may be required, before the summer of the new generation of flies. This method has been tested for years, but it leads to soil salinity, and excess chlorine and sodium inhibit plants. Therefore, it must be used very carefully.

The development of the larvae lasts about 3 weeks, then they go into the soil to pupate. After a certain time, a new generation appears, and everything starts all over again. The second generation is harmful in mid-to-late July. In the southern regions, the onion fly can produce a third generation. Pupae overwinter at a depth of 4 to 10 cm.

Onion snail (Ceuthorrhynchus jakovlevi)

This beetle feeds on onion leaves. Its larvae (yellowish, with a brown head, legless, about 0.7 cm) eat away longitudinal passages in the pulp of the leaves, which are visible through the skin. Of course, onion plantings turn yellow in the beds. To get rid of a secretive proboscis you need to do the following:

The onion secretive beetle lives throughout Russia

• Thorough cleaning of the bed after harvesting. Unharvested onion remains are an ideal place for the beetle to overwinter;
• deep digging of the soil before the onset of cold weather. The beetle does not tolerate frost;
• if the pest is small in number, it can be collected. By the way, beetles are very shy; at the slightest touch they fall to the ground;
• loosening the rows with the addition of repellents (wood ash, ground red and black pepper, mustard powder)
• during mass dispersal during the growing season, onions can be sprayed with “Karbofos” at the rate of 60 g (1 package) per 10 liters of water. 1 liter of the resulting solution is treated with 10 sq.m. landing After treatment, the feather should not be eaten for some time.

Larva of a secretive beetle at a crime scene

Stem (onion) nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci Kuhn)

An innocent-looking, barely noticeable thread-like “worm”. Adults and larvae feed on plant sap, as a result of which the onion feathers turn yellow and dry out. The bottom is destroyed, the rudiments begin to grow through the cracks, it seems that the bulb is turning outward. The main danger of these microscopic (1-1.5 mm) pests is that they occupy the soil for decades. Determining the presence of nematodes in non-onion beds is very difficult. However, over the centuries-old history of fighting this pest, very effective combat techniques have been invented and tested:

Stem nematode (visible only under a microscope)

• Do not plant onions in one place, return to their original bed no earlier than after 4 years.
• Plant only healthy planting material.
• Treat onions before planting hot water(45 degrees) for 6 minutes or salt solution (3 tablespoons of salt per 3 liters of water) for 20 minutes.
• Sow calendula or tagetis (marigolds) between the rows of onions. You can water the onions with marigold tincture.

Onion (tobacco) thrips (Thrips tabaci Lind)

A yellowish or brownish insect whose body length is no more than 1 mm. The larvae are wingless, gray-white or greenish-yellow. Thrips damage not only onions, but also garlic, cucumbers, and flower crops. They feed on plant sap by sucking it out. The leaves fade, turn yellow, and dry out. Winter in top layer soil, on the remains of vegetation, under onion scales. Females lay brownish small eggs singly in leaf tissue. The larvae hatch after 5 days.

Onion (tobacco) thrips

• Crop rotation;
• Pre-planting 10-minute disinfection of the seeds with hot water (45 ° C) with further immersion in cold water;
• Spraying the plantings with a solution of “Confidor” (1 ml per 10 liters of water) or “Iskra” (1 tablet per 10 liters of water). Per 100 sq.m. use 10 liters of insecticidal solution.

Onion moth (Acrolepiopsis assectella)

Causes enormous damage to onion plantings in dry, warm weather. The leaves begin to turn yellow and dry out from the tops, and longitudinal asymmetrical spots called mines appear on them.

Onion moth

The first generation of caterpillars damage in late May - June. Butterflies are small (no more than 0.8 cm, with a wingspan of up to 1.4 cm). Their summers occur in July, exclusively at night. Females lay yellowish eggs, 0.5 mm in size, singly on the soil near plants or at the base of leaves. The emerging caterpillars (yellowish-green in color with brownish warts, about 1 cm long) penetrate the leaves and feed there. In October, butterflies hatch from pupae and overwinter in shelters. In the spring they begin to fly.

Onion moth caterpillar

• Crop rotation;
• Cleaning of plant residues;
• Digging the soil before frost;
• Spraying onion moths with Iskra solution (1 tablet per 10 liters of water) during the summer. 1 liter of insecticidal solution is enough for 10 sq.m. planting onions.

Notes in the margins

Most effective method fight against harmful insects– this is “war on all fronts.” The fact is that the onion fly, the nematode, and the secretive beetle can calmly dine, so to speak, at the same table. Therefore, we recommend using the above measures in combination. For example, combine non-chemical methods of combating nematodes with measures aimed against onion flies (mulching with ash, pollination with tobacco dust, etc.).

Reason two: plant diseases

This name hides several fungal diseases of onions with similar external signs– spot yellowing of onion feathers with the formation of convex pads in May-June, followed by their blackening and complete falling of the leaves.

Control measures:

• crop rotation;
• warming up the planting material before storing it;
• warming up the onion sets before planting for 12 hours at a temperature of 30-40 degrees;
• V for preventive purposes Onion plantings during the period of mass growth can be sprayed with a solution of copper oxychloride (1 tbsp of the drug per 10 liters of water with the addition of 1 tbsp. liquid soap). The second spraying is carried out a week after the first with a solution of the drug “Hom”, prepared according to the instructions.

Bacterial rot of onions

It is discovered when the bulbs are cut. Between healthy scales a dark layer of softened tissue is clearly visible. When stored, such bulbs rot. The infection is carried by insects (thrips, onion flies, mites, etc.). When planting diseased bulbs, the plants look depressed, the leaves turn yellow, and the flower stalks dry out.

Manifestations of bacteriosis in an onion bed

• Pre-plant culling of contaminated material. The neck of the bulbs is cut off by 0.5-1 cm so that all scales are visible.
• Before planting onion sets or turnips, the soil is treated with the preparation “Hom” (40 g per 10 liters of water). consumption 500 ml of solution per 1 sq.m.

Almost all varieties and types of onions are susceptible to this fungal disease. Fungi from the genus Fusarium live in the soil and infect the bulb during the growing season at temperatures from + 13° to + 30° Celsius. In diseased plants, the feathers very quickly turn yellow and die.

This is how unappetizing an onion looks when it gets bottom rot

Agrotechnical measures to combat bottom rot:

• The right choice places for onion beds. The site should not be in a low-lying area to avoid flooding during floods and rainstorms.
• Maintaining crop rotation. The best predecessors For planting onions, cereal grains are used. If symptoms of the disease are observed on the ridges, the next onion planting in this place should be done no earlier than after 5 years.
• Planting material (seeds or sets) must be healthy and disinfected. Planting (sowing) onions must be carried out in optimal agrotechnical terms.
• Use for cultivation only resistant varieties and onion hybrids.
• Harvest must be stored in the right conditions air temperature and humidity.

Notes in the margins

If you have already begun your crusade against onion pests and have taken a set of measures to combat onion flies, we hasten to please you, these measures are an excellent preventive measure against bottom rot. Now your onions have double protection, which means your chances of getting a healthy, full harvest are doubled.

Reason three: lack of nitrogen in the soil

Your onions will definitely turn yellow if the soil feeding them is low in nitrogen. In fact, nitrogen deficiency in the soil is the most common and most insidious cause of yellow onion feathers. There is only one method of control here - fertilizing the onion beds with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Organic or organo-mineral fertilizers are perfect for this.

Not only onions turn yellow from a lack of nitrogen in the soil

If you prefer organics when choosing fertilizers, then you can use only rotted manure in preparing the beds, and make a fermented infusion for fertilizing. Adding fresh manure to the soil increases the risk of spreading fungal diseases.

Reason four: mistakes when caring for onions

The most common mistake that can cause onions to turn yellow in the beds is an incorrect watering regime. Of course, water care for each of the many varieties of onions has its own subtleties. Therefore we will only touch upon general recommendations– equally suitable for the entire onion family.

Onion plantation in Valencia. With proper watering, the yield is 8000(!) centners per hectare

• During the period of rooting and beginning of growth, onions should be watered at least once every three days. Moreover, watering should be plentiful. If the soil on the ridges is mulched, you can water it less often - mulch retains moisture remarkably well.
• It is advisable to water the onion at the root.
• The water temperature for irrigation should vary from +18 to +25 degrees Celsius.
• Optimal time watering - until noon.
• If the water for irrigation is hard, it should be artificially softened with special additives.

Notes in the margins

It is convenient to combine watering onions with fertilizing. To do this, fertilizers are dissolved in water and thus a nutrient solution is obtained. Composition of the solution: for 10 liters of water we take 50-70 grams of ammonium nitrate and 20 grams of superphosphate and the same amount of potassium salt. The first feeding of onions should be done when the feather has grown 3 centimeters from the ground level. The second feeding is done approximately a week after the first. For 1 m² of onion bed, 6 liters of solution are needed. When organizing watering of onions, you should remember the golden rule of the “onion grower”: 4-5 days before harvesting, watering must be stopped, otherwise the bulbs will be tasteless. The last watering of “green” onions is carried out 2 days before harvest.

Drip irrigation is one of the successful methods of organizing watering

Reason five: unfavorable weather conditions

All the skills and tricks of gardeners can be nullified by the whims of Mother Nature. In very dry summers, as well as in excessively whiny weather, the onions will turn yellow in the beds even without the participation of the above factors. There is only one way out of this situation - to act like Michurin. That is, “do not expect favors from Nature.” Natural disasters will avoid your onion beds if they, the beds, are protected reliable greenhouse.

Green onions in a greenhouse are not afraid of heat or rain

That's all for today. We sincerely hope that our recommendations will help you receive bountiful harvests. Go for it!

Properly grown healthy green onions will be a wonderful decoration for your table.