How and when to feed onions and garlic to prevent the leaves from turning yellow

Yellowing and drying of garlic and onion leaves is considered normal if it occurs in late summer, before harvest. However, if the leaves turn yellow in early spring or summer, it's important to carefully analyze the underlying causes and address them.

What could be the problem and how to fix it?

• The quality of the planting material directly affects yellowing. Therefore, it's important to select only high-quality, undamaged bulbs for planting. Before planting, they should be treated with special preparations, such as Fundazol. Bulbs treated with this preparation are more resistant to diseases.
• Insufficient or excessive moisture—this cause is easy to identify. If waterlogging has formed in the garden bed, drainage should be installed to help remove excess moisture. If the summer is dry and arid, water onions and garlic more frequently, as needed. Use water with a temperature of 22-25 degrees Celsius; cold water is strictly prohibited.
• A deficiency of a micronutrient in the soil—if this is the case, it is necessary to apply complex fertilizers. It is important to follow all dosage instructions and the fertilizing schedule for the crop;
• Certain diseases and pests can cause yellowing and drying of the tips of the feathers. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, treatment must begin immediately. Pests such as nematodes and onion flies are particularly dangerous. Common diseases include fusarium wilt and bacterial rot.
• Return frosts can cause yellowing. If you plant onions or garlic in early fall, the seedlings will quickly root and sprout, but these will freeze at the first frost. This will result in yellowed leaves in the spring. These crops should be planted for the winter three weeks before the first frost. If early spring doesn't produce green onion or garlic leaves, spray the plants with Epin immediately.

If watering and autumn freezing of bulbs and heads are out of the question, consider fertilizing the plants. They may be deficient in certain nutrients.

Organic fertilizers

Yellowing leaves on onions or garlic indicate a nitrogen and potassium deficiency. The best fertilizer for this condition is a solution of mullein or chicken manure. To prepare, soak 1 liter of either fertilizer in 5 liters of water for 3 days. Once the mixture is ready, dilute it in 12 liters of water and apply it between the rows, not at the roots of the bulbs.

It is worth remembering that fresh cow dung and chicken manure used as fertilizer can be a source of bacterial and fungal diseases, so it is recommended to use them in working solutions.

Green manure can be an excellent way to replenish nitrogen and potassium deficiencies. It's very easy to prepare. If you have a 200-liter barrel in your garden, you can prepare the mixture directly in it. Many vegetable and flower crops can be watered and fed with this mixture, so any leftover fertilizer from onions and garlic can be useful later.

Fill the barrel with any weeds. Any weeds except poisonous plants and cereals can be used. Add 1.5 liters of wood ash, 200 g of fresh yeast, and 1.5 liters of whey to the weeds. Fill the barrel completely with water. Leave to ferment for two weeks. Stir the mixture thoroughly every day. The working solution is prepared at a ratio of 1:12 with water.

If you don't have mullein on hand, you can fertilize with urea. To make the solution, dilute 1 tablespoon of the solution in a bucket of water and water the plant at the roots at a rate of 3 liters of solution per square meter.

Onions and garlic respond well to the addition of organic fertilizers to the soil. These fertilizers are evenly distributed throughout the soil and easily absorbed by plants.

The most common organics

• Bird or chicken manure contains many more beneficial microelements than manure. To use as a fertilizer, soak 0.5 liters of manure in 10 liters of water;
• Humus—a solution of humus is the best option for fertilizing garlic and onions. It may contain: manure and plant residues;
• Peat is used mainly as one of the components of compost and is a highly acidic additive.

It's recommended to apply organic fertilizer to onions and garlic using the root system. Watering should be done directly at the roots. It's important to water the plants with plain water the following morning after applying this fertilizer to wash away any remaining fertilizer from the roots.

Organic additives are added in 3 stages:

• 1 cup of liquid manure is dissolved in 10 liters of water.
• Liquid manure mixed with plant residues is diluted in 9 liters of water.
• 250 g of ash is diluted in 1 liter of boiling water, then dilute the mixture in 9 liters of water and leave for 2 days.

Fertilizer should be applied when the first shoots appear, and a second time approximately 14 days after the first application. A third application is made when bulbs and heads are forming.

For the first feeding, we recommend using a mullein solution. Dilute it 1:7 with water and apply it to the roots. Next, fertilize the soil with ash, sprinkling it between the rows. Then, use a chicken broth solution. Dilute it 1:15 of the prepared mixture.

Additionally, it is recommended to fertilize onions and garlic with complex fertilizers. These ready-made preparations contain essential elements such as potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, humates, calcium, iron, zinc, sulfur, and magnesium.

Folk remedies

To help your onion leaves regain their usual healthy appearance, you can use effective folk remedies to prevent yellowing of these crops.

Excellent remedies are:

• ammonia;
• hydrogen peroxide;
• baker's yeast.

Any solution can be used to solve this problem. They are especially appealing for their effectiveness and affordability.

Ammonia

To feed onions or garlic, dilute 5-6 tablespoons of the product in 10 liters of water and use only as a root dressing.

Hydrogen peroxide

It has a beneficial effect on the development and growth of any seedlings, including onions and garlic. The product contains atomic oxygen, which can kill harmful microorganisms in the soil. It also saturates the soil with oxygen, which is essential at various stages of plant development. For spraying, add 2 tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide to 10 liters of water. It is recommended to water with the product in early spring and during further development.

Yeast

Yeast is an excellent plant growth stimulant. It promotes better root formation and increases disease resistance. Both fresh and dry yeast can be used as a fertilizer. To make a solution, steep 0.5 kg of yeast, 0.5 kg of chopped weeds, and 0.5 kg of bread crumb in a small amount of water. Let it steep for two days. The resulting concentrated solution should be diluted in 10 liters of water and used to water garlic or onions at the roots.

Aerated compost tea

A new fertilizer that has already gained popularity among many gardeners, ACC is a natural solution or compost infusion in water. Aerated or aerated compost is invaluable for growing garlic and onions. It creates the perfect conditions for the growth of beneficial bacteria, which then become beneficial nutrients for the plants.

The bioactive and mineral substances contained in the ACC promote photosynthesis, resulting in a harvest of large, tasty fruits—in this case, bulbs and heads. You can prepare the ACC yourself.

Compound:

• old compost;
• to feed the bacteria - old jam or beet molasses;
• rainwater;
• 3L aquarium compressor;
• 3 liter jar.

To prepare the ACC, pour 2 liters of water into a 3-liter jar and add 20 ml of molasses. Place the compressor hose into the jar and turn on the device. After about 1 minute, add 1 tbsp of compost to the jar. Allow the solution to aerate for 24 hours. Once the fertilizer is ready, apply it to the soil immediately, within 4 hours at the latest.

Mineral fertilizers

Superphosphate is an effective mineral fertilizer for garlic and onions. It can be used either dry or in solution. Crops respond quickly to its presence in the soil and begin active growth. For the solution, dilute 1 tablespoon of the product in 2 cups of warm water and leave in a dark place overnight. Then dilute the solution in 10 liters of water. Water the plants at the roots. Dry superphosphate can also be used. To do this, simply scatter it over the soil, cover with soil, and water.

It's helpful to fertilize onions and garlic with ammonium nitrate or potassium salt. Fertilizers such as Reflex and Cinderella are also recommended.

Pests and diseases

Nematodes are a dangerous enemy. The worst part is that once they've established themselves, fighting them is practically futile. This pest can survive in the soil for 8-10 years. During this period, it can survive without food or water. Identifying an infestation is easy. Onion or garlic leaves first turn yellow, then begin to curl. To confirm the presence of nematodes, dig up a bulb. A diseased bulb will have cracks, a white or pink coating on the base, and rotten roots. These are all signs of nematode infestation.

Infected bulbs will need to be dug up and destroyed. Onions and garlic should not be planted in this bed next season. They should be relocated away from the infested area. The pest can be acquired with infested store-bought bulbs, so choosing planting material carefully is crucial. Before planting, treat the bulbs with a 3% salt solution at 20-25 degrees Celsius for about half an hour.

Nematodes prefer acidic soil, so it's necessary to balance the pH with dolomite flour or slaked lime. The only solution is to plant calendula or marigolds. The nematodes are attracted by their aroma, attach themselves to the plant roots, and then die from the plant sap, which is toxic to them.

The onion fly is also harmful, or rather, not the fly itself, but its larvae. They resemble small worms and can also cause significant damage to crops. If you look closely, you can see them near onions and garlic. You can get rid of them with a salt solution (dissolve 200 g of salt in 10 liters of water and spray the plants). The fly will leave on its own.

Disease prevention

Based on all the causes of chlorosis, or yellowing of onion and garlic leaves, it stems from violations of agricultural practices. First and foremost, it's important to analyze all the factors that require special attention:

1. Proper selection of planting material. For planting, select high-quality bulbs that are well-shaped and free of any damage. For garlic, select large cloves.
2. Plant winter garlic and onions 3 weeks before the first steady frost.
3. The planting bed is fertilized in advance.
4. Providing crops with proper and regular fertilization and watering.
5. Crop rotation.

If you follow all the rules for planting and growing garlic and onions, you can get a good harvest.