What to soak onions before planting
If you know the intricacies of cultivation, then growing vegetables will become much easier. Many gardeners are faced with a problem and do not know what to soak onions in before planting. In our review, we will tell you why this procedure is needed and what effective methods exist.
Do I need to soak onions before planting
Features of cultivation
A bountiful harvest on your own plot is the merit of an attentive farmer. Beginners are often faced with the fact that young animals are destroyed by pests, diseases, sometimes plants do not fully reveal their potential. Do I need to soak onions before planting?
Photophilous culture has certain requirements for growth. Lack of sunlight negatively affects the general condition and can provoke the activation of fungi. The wrong watering regime also contributes to the fact that the bulb loses the protective properties of the immune system. Excess moisture or regular thirst during the formation of roots and green mass will affect the yield.
Fungal diseases and infections are the scourge of vegetables. Without pretreatment, the seeds are aggressively attacked by ailments. In addition, insects will happily feast on juicy bulbs.
Ignoring the rules of crop rotation will also negatively affect the overall health of the plants. Experienced farmers do not recommend planting a crop for several years in a row in one place, as well as after carrots, garlic or cucumbers. The best predecessors are:
- siderates (rapeseed, clover, lupine, mustard);
- legumes;
- tomatoes;
- cabbage.
The plant does not like acidic soils, so the soil must first be alkalized. Bulb beds are prepared in the fall. Carefully dig up the ground, picking out plant residues. Organic fertilizers are added for the winter, and mineral fertilizing is added in the spring. If vegetables ached on the site, then it is better to pickle the place with copper sulfate.
All of the above factors can negatively affect yields. To reduce financial and physical costs, farmers use a less troublesome method - soaking the onions before sowing. Spring work will not take as long as removing the consequences of mistakes.
Sorting material
Before planting, the sets must be sorted out. Soft, spoiled heads will not yield a crop, but will become a source of infection in the garden. The same goes for completely dry turnips. Gardeners throw out rejects without regret.
Vegetables that have not allowed leaves are recommended to be trimmed slightly. The procedure wakes up "sleepyhead" and accelerates germination. To do this, the scales are cut off from the bulbs, the roots and neck are removed.
Within three weeks, the raw material is heated at a temperature not lower than 20 ° C. For this, the material is laid out on the floor, not far from the heating devices, then the indicators are increased to 40 ° M. It is important not to overexpose the seeds, otherwise the crop will die.
No time for a long procedure? Gardeners recommend the express method.For 10 minutes, turnips are kept in warm water (up to 50 ° C), then transferred to cold liquid. The final stage will be a bath of fertilizer solution.
Salt
How to soak onions before planting? Despite the availability of a huge number of modern drugs, farmers choose the old proven methods. The saline solution contains substances that roundworms and fungal diseases do not like. The tool is used to treat both the seed and the garden bed before planting.
For preparation, dissolve 25 g of raw materials in 2 liters of warm water. It is important that there are no lumps and sediment left, so mix thoroughly with a wooden stick. You can dilute the drug in advance in a liquid, and only then dilute it in the main one.
It is best to use a large sieve or mesh. You can find alternatives like a paper bag or string bag. The main thing is that the turnips remain inside, and the liquid can get to them from the outside.
Soaking the onions in a saline solution before planting takes place for 3 or 4 hours. To facilitate the procedure, experienced farmers collect sevok in women's stockings. After processing, the "bags" are taken out and the turnips are laid out for drying. After 2-3 days, you can start work.
Manganese
How to soak onions properly before planting? Safe home remedies are not always effective, so gardeners combine several methods. An additional procedure will disinfect the seed from infections, fungi and parasites. And the low cost of raw materials makes it possible to save the family budget.
Like salt water, potassium permanganate solution is used a couple of days before agricultural work. Soak the onion sets in a properly prepared liquid before planting. To do this, take 35 grams of crystals and dilute in ten liters of warm moisture. Mix thoroughly with a stick to dissolve the rest of the substance.
The sorted seedlings are placed in a stocking, and then carefully immersed in a container with a substance. After the specified time, the material is taken out and dried. After two days, you can start planting seeds.
Soda
Some gardeners advise soaking the onion sets before planting with sodium bicarbonate. Experienced farmers rarely use this method. Unlike the two listed methods, this one does not protect against diseases, but is the prevention of mass formation of arrows.
You can soak the onions in a warm soda solution a couple of days before planting. 1 tsp diluted in 1 liter of cold water. The substance is thoroughly stirred and the turnips packed in stockings are poured. After 3 hours, the liquid is removed and the material is laid out to dry.
To consolidate the result, it is recommended to soak the onion sets before planting in potassium permanganate. The strong disinfecting properties of the crystalline substance will provide additional support to young plants. Soda dissolved in water is not a panacea, so it is rarely used.
Degtem
How to soak onions before planting? Birch substance will become an environmentally friendly alternative. It perfectly protects the turnip from diseases and insects. The procedure is carried out after careful preparation and rejection of the material.
A tablespoon of tar is dissolved in 1 liter of cold water. It is necessary to hold the raw material in this liquid for 2 hours. During this time, the active substance penetrates under the scales of the bulbs, creating a reliable film from fungi and flies.
The intense aroma of tar is unpleasant for insects, therefore it is recommended to water the beds in the spring before planting. Add one spoonful of the substance to a standard watering can. In a rainy summer, it is advised to re-irrigate under the root and greenery.
Vitriol
Safe bulb preparations are not as effective as “harsh chemicals”: they do not guarantee the long-term protection of the several weeks required for the plant to adapt outdoors. In this case, more radical methods are used.
Soaking onions in copper sulphate takes place in several stages.To accelerate growth, a complex fertilizer solution is used. Most often, one spoonful of ammonium nitrate is used per 70 liters of water. Turnips are placed in this container for 15 minutes. Then the seed is transferred to a weak solution of vitriol. This substance is very aggressive, therefore it is necessary to take no more than 1 s. l. on a bucket of liquid. Work is carried out in protective clothing and a mask. After the procedure, you can start sowing.
No time but need to soak before planting onions? In this case, the express method is recommended. The product is diluted in water at a temperature of 60 ° C. The material is dipped in a warm liquid for a couple of minutes, and then washed in a cool one. After 6 hours, the seeds are ready for work.
Professional drugs
What to soak onions before planting? Experts recommend in Fitosporin. An effective and inexpensive preparation will protect the culture from any bacteria and fungi. Produced in the form:
- powder;
- liquids;
- pasta.
It is a systemic agent and spreads through the vessels of the plant. The active substance retains its properties in heat and at low temperatures. For procedures with root vegetables, dilute the drug according to the instructions. One packet of powder is used for 20 kg of seed. After soaking, it is recommended to dry the onion.
It should be remembered that "Fitosporin" can irritate the mucous membrane when ingested. To protect yourself from discomfort, it is best to wear protective clothing and a mask.
As many farmers exist, there are as many methods of disinfection of planting material. The recommendations above will help you find among the many ways to soak onions that is relevant for you. A bountiful harvest will be a well-deserved reward.