Features of planting onion sets. Onion treatments for onion flies Planting onion sets in spring with salt


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

Processing onions before planting before winter

Purchase seeds from specialized stores. Do not buy deformed and sprouted planting onions: they will grow weak and sore. Sort the seeds before planting, discarding dried and cracked bulbs.

Source: Depositphotos

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

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

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

Process the onions at the end of September, just before planting in the ground. After contact with chemicals, it must not be eaten.

Copper sulfate treatment prevents fungal diseases in young plantings. The drug kills spores of the rot pathogen and disinfects the soil. Dilute 1.5 tsp. copper sulfate in a bucket of warm water. Soak the bulbs in the resulting solution for 3-4 hours before planting in the ground.

To protect onion sets from powdery mildew, treat the seed with TMTD solution or fentiuram. The preparations will destroy fungal nematodes, revitalizing and strengthening the plant rhizome.

Onion processing with folk remedies

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

Folk remedies for onion processing:

  • 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 to avoid arrowheading and head rotting.
  • Treat seeds affected by an onion fly with an infusion of wood ash. It kills insect larvae and eggs, strengthens the rhizome and regenerates onion scales.
  • Dip the seeds in charcoal crumbs to protect the onions from gray rot and worms. It eats away harmful microorganisms, preventing seedling disease.
  • A weak saline solution will disinfect the bulbs from nematodes. 3 tbsp. l. Dissolve salt in 2 liters of water. Soak 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. Potassium manganese disinfects heads, kills onion mite larvae, eliminates bacteriosis and gray rot.

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

Processing onions before planting is a preventive measure that protects the bulbs from diseases and pests. It is carried out with the help of chemical and folk remedies.

Correct and timely processing of onions before planting helps to improve germination, protect the crop from diseases and pests. Many farmers ignore this rule, and as a result, they lose part of the harvest. There are many ways of processing, each has its own purpose. Some do not allow the bow to shoot arrows quickly, others prevent early decay, and still others protect against pests. If you work a little in the spring, in the summer and autumn the result of the effort will make itself felt. There is enough onion for both family consumption and small business.

Why process onions in the spring before planting? Do seeds require processing or only bulbs? Such questions are often asked by budding farmers. By properly preparing the onion for sowing, you can achieve the following:

  • improve germination;
  • prevent early formation of arrows;
  • improve the growth of the bulb or green feather;
  • increase productivity;
  • protect onions from rotting, powdery mildew;
  • prevent pests from eating onions.

It is especially important to prepare the seed in those cases when you bought it on the market and are not 100% sure of the quality. To achieve the above goals, different methods of onion processing are used. Here are the main ones:

  • sorting;
  • dry heating;
  • soaking in warm water;
  • hardening of seeds;
  • soaking in salt solution;
  • soaking in antiseptic solutions;
  • treatment with growth stimulants.

We must not forget that planting onions requires the correct choice of beds and tillage. The soil can be watered with the same solutions that were used to soak the bulbs. It is important to fertilize in a timely manner in order to increase yields.

Sorting and warming up

Before planting the onion in the garden in the spring, you need to sort it out. Too soft bulbs with signs of rot are discarded. Blackened heads, very large or small turnips are not suitable for planting. It is best to sort the seed by size. First, large bulbs are planted on the garden bed, then medium and small ones. This makes maintenance much easier.

Why are onions heated and soaked in warm water? This event has two goals. After warming up, the onion gives a feather faster, it is more magnificent, but the arrows do not form soon. In addition, high temperatures can kill some of the fungi and microbes. To warm the onion, use several methods:

  • Store onions at home at a temperature of 18-20 ° C, but they can germinate at that temperature.
  • The onions are heated at 30-35 ° C for 12-15 days (large heads) or 8-10 days (small onions).
  • Warm up at a temperature of 40 ° C for 7-8 hours. This method allows you to prevent the disease with powdery mildew after planting in the garden.
  • You can put the onions on a glass plate and microwave for 2 minutes at medium power.
  • Soak in warm water (40-50 ° С) for 10-15 minutes, then in cold water for the same time.
  • A short soak (1-2 minutes) in hot water, temperature about 70 ° C, followed by transfer to cold water for the same time.

The last two methods make it possible to harden the bow, make it more resistant to adverse environmental conditions. Planting seasoned onions produces large bulbs and good greens. In addition, warming up does not allow the formation of arrows. You can find advice on the internet that pre-planting baking soda can prevent shooting. But it is incorrect, this property of onions depends only on the storage temperature before planting. The lower it is, the more intensively the arrows grow.

Treatment against disease

Before soaking the onions in any antiseptic solutions, you need to cut off the dry ends. This will allow the liquid to penetrate between the scales of the onion heads. Otherwise, disinfection will be incomplete and have no effect. To process onions before planting on the garden, use different solutions. Each of them is effective in its own way. Experienced farmers know which diseases are most common in their fields, so they use the best processing method for themselves. The following are the most commonly used substances:

  • potassium permanganate;
  • saltpeter;
  • copper sulfate;
  • salt.

To prepare a solution of potassium permanganate, you need to take 1 g of crystals and dilute them in 1 liter of water. If a large amount of onions is to be planted, use any volume of solution prepared in the appropriate proportion. The heads are immersed in the resulting liquid for 20-25 minutes. Before sowing in the garden, they are not dried.

To prepare a solution of nitrate, the water is heated to 40-50 ° C. For 70 liters, you need only one spoonful of nitrogenous fertilizer (or 2-3 g per bucket of water). Such processing not only serves to protect onions from diseases, but also stimulates growth. It is advised to use this method only at the beginning of the season. After soaking the onions, the solution can be used to water the soil before planting, at the rate of 7-8 liters per 1 sq. m.

Soaking in copper sulphate gives a good result. This preparation protects the bulbs from rotting and powdery mildew. In 1 liter of water, 3 g of crystals are diluted. Soak the onion for 20-25 minutes. You can heat the water to 60 ° C, soak the onion for 1-2 minutes, then transfer it to cold clean water. Planting on the beds after processing is carried out after 5 hours.

Common table salt perfectly protects against stem nematode. In 5 liters of water, they dilute 3 tbsp. l. Soak the onion heads for 10-15 minutes. A similar solution, only half the concentration, can be used to treat the soil in the garden. You can protect the onion from fungi by treating it with Fitosporin. Take 35 g of the drug, dilute it in 10 liters of water, soak the heads for 20-30 minutes. You can use a soil treatment agent before planting.

Growth stimulation

How to process onions before planting so that they grow well? Before planting the bulbs in the garden, they can be treated with growth stimulants or any fertilizers. An affordable and effective method is soaking in wood ash. In 5 liters of water, 250 g of ash are diluted, then the bulbs are soaked for 7-10 minutes. After processing, the heads should be dried for 2-3 hours. Ash is not only a potassium-rich fertilizer, it contains many natural antiseptics that prevent plants from rotting.

The growth of onion roots is accelerated by Epin-Extra. One capsule is opened and added to 5 liters of water heated to 40-50 ° C. Planting material is soaked for 10-15 minutes. Silk or Biostim drugs are used as growth stimulants. They should be diluted according to the instructions on the package. It is best to carry out the processing after heating the onion in hot water. If the bulbs are planted in the fall, they are not treated with growth stimulants.

Seed preparation

In the southern regions, large heads of onions can be grown from seeds in one season. In the northern regions, this is rarely done. Seeds are planted in order to obtain good green mass in summer. The next spring, small bulbs can be planted in the garden to grow large turnips and get a good green harvest. In order for the seeds to sprout well, they must be pre-treated.

First, the seeds are sorted. To do this, they are poured with a 35% solution of ordinary kitchen salt (3 tbsp. L. Per 1 tbsp. Water). Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then shake. Some of the seeds float up, they should be removed. Planting such material is allowed, but seedlings will appear a little later. After sorting, the seeds are washed and dried.

Before planting, you need to warm up the material. Pour the seeds for 2-3 minutes with water at a temperature of 70 ° C. Then they are dipped in cold water for the same time. Disinfection will occur if the seeds are soaked in water at a temperature of 40 ° C for 10 minutes. A solution of nitrate works well, it also increases germination and stimulates growth. After warming up, the seeds are moistened with water about 25 ° C for a day (you need to put them on cheesecloth in a saucer). The water is changed to cold and the seeds are transferred to the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Before introducing seeds into the soil, they are treated with growth and rooting stimulants. Use Extra-Epin, Biocon, etc. You can mix the seed with sawdust or sand for a more even planting.

How to prepare a garden bed

Processing onions before spring planting helps protect them from many diseases and improves growth. But problems will arise if you do not prepare the garden correctly.

How to choose a landing site

It is best to choose an area where zucchini, pumpkins, tomatoes, peas or beans used to grow. They have bactericidal properties, kill many pathogens of onion diseases. You cannot plant a plant after garlic and carrots. It is also not recommended to plant onions in the same place more than once every 4 years.

How to fertilize the garden

For onions to give a good harvest, the land must be fertilized. Organics are advised to be added in the fall or not added at all. With an excess of organic fertilizers, the onion grows into a feather, and the heads remain small. But mineral fertilizing of the soil is obligatory both before planting and during the growth process.

You can buy fertilizer at the store or make it yourself. For example, wood ash gives good results. Add 0.5 kg to 1 bucket of water. This amount is intended for 1 sq. m beds. Wood ash not only fertilizes the soil, but also prevents bulb rot.

Tobacco leaves cope well with diseases. Take 200 g of dry tobacco, pour 2-3 liters of hot water, leave for 2 or 3 days, then add 1 s. l. liquid soap, 1 tsp. red pepper and water up to 10 liters. Water the soil at the rate of 10l / m². With this solution, onion leaves can also be processed when they sprout.

Disinfection of the earth is also carried out with copper sulfate. To do this, take 3-4 tablespoons of crystals on a bucket of water, mix thoroughly, water the soil at the rate of 10 liters per 1 sq. m. After such soil treatment, onions can be planted in about 3-4 days. It can also be pretreated with copper sulfate. The recipe for the solution was given above.

Experienced gardeners during their work on the site accumulate invaluable information regarding the cultivation of a particular crop. Simple tips help to improve yields, get fruit of high quality in taste and presentation. For many, the question of preparing a bow for planting does not cause any associations at all. And only noble gardeners understand that we are talking about the fact that it needs to be soaked.

How many ways to process a vegetable in spring are there? We will consider the most basic - what to do so that shoots appear faster, why and how much the procedure is performed at all, how to process and water the seeds in order to protect flies from worms, and whether it is necessary to do treatment with such means as Fitosporin before sowing.

Soaking is optional before planting bulbs, especially if onions are grown commercially.

It is not worth loading yourself with the preparation of the set and in cases of use quality planting material that was grown in healthy soil and stored in proper conditions.

Since sevok is mainly purchased on wholesale markets, no one can guarantee that it has a healthy microflora. Therefore, the correct procedure for soaking seeds helps to protect gardeners from unpleasant surprises. This is the loss of yield, and rotting of onions, and contamination of the soil with various diseases and pests.

Before soaking, you must cut the onion to allow the solution to penetrate between the scales and kill pathogens. But you should not get carried away with circumcision, having made a too large cut, the turnip may rot or not release the feather, you can also clean the seeds from the old husk.

When using small planting material, processing is too laborious, so it is better to secure your future harvest at the procurement stage.

If small seeds are purchased, they must be selected at the procurement stage without processing

It is worth giving preference to farms that adhere to growing technology, harvest in dry weather, and have special storage facilities. This eliminates spoilage or deterioration of the properties of the onion in the winter.

It makes no sense to prepare onions using heat treatment or using various solutions if the purpose of growing is to obtain greens.

Pros and cons of soaking sevka

Among summer residents, the dispute about the effectiveness of preparing onions for planting by soaking does not subside. Everyone should make a decision for himself, and you can base on the advantages and disadvantages of this procedure.

According to the analysis of many years of experience of gardeners, the following are noted pros procedures:

  • activation of the growth process of greens and turnips;
  • disinfection;
  • rotting prevention;
  • protecting the soil from pathogenic bacteria that can be carried with the planting seed.

Disadvantages of soaking relate to improper preparation or violation of the temperature regime... The planting material can deteriorate due to improper cutting or non-compliance with the proportions during the preparation of the solution. Therefore, before using one of the options, you should study the instructions.

How and what to soak onions before planting

Depending on the solution used, the purpose of the treatment changes, some procedures are multifunctional. Each method has its own advantages and features.

Before processing, the planting material must be sorted out. You need to get rid of soft, sluggish and rotting onions.

How to handle in saline

Salt baths are used more often in combination with other procedures. The simplest and most popular way to prepare the seed for planting involves 2 stages of processing: using a saline solution and potassium permanganate.

The onion is soaked first for 3 hours in a salt bath, which is prepared in the following proportions: in 2 liters of water stir 2 tablespoons ordinary rock (table) salt.


This procedure ensures the rapid growth of the plant, the development of the turnip, and protects against an aggressive soil environment. Salt disinfects onions from nematodes and other pathogens.

In potassium permanganate

Potassium permanganate baths are used after salt soaking or as the main treatment for seedlings.

In a bucket of water, you need to dilute everything 30-35 g of potassium permanganate, mix it thoroughly until the crystals are completely dissolved. After that, immerse the seed in a container and let it settle for a couple of hours.

This method is effective due to the action of potassium permanganate, which copes with many pathogenic bacteria.


Soda solution

Many qualities are attributed to baking soda that it lacks. So, for example, there is an opinion that soda baths help prevent onions from shooting when ripe. This is not true, because the throw of the arrow mainly depends on the conservation conditions of the bow in the winter. Soda will not be able to influence this process and protect it in any way, and it will be shot after processing.

But with heat treatment, it can be used. To do this, the seedlings before planting in the garden should be soaked in hot water (no more than 45-50 degrees) with the addition of a small amount of soda ( 10 l teaspoon). This procedure, lasting 10-15 minutes, provides disinfection of planting material.

How to make birch tar treatment

For processing the seedlings before planting, special preparations of wide action are used. An alternative is natural material - birch tar. He is fine copes with various pests and pathogenic bacteria, in particular with an onion fly.

The use of a birch product is considered environmentally friendly and safe for human health and soil microflora.

Preparation of onions with tar consists of the following steps:

  • pre-drying of seedlings on a battery during the day (temperature regime 37-40 degrees);
  • removing the upper husk from each turnip;
  • trimming the tops;
  • soaking in solution for 2-4 hours.

The solution is prepared in proportions: for 1 liter of water taken 1 tablespoon tar. The temperature of the liquid should be between 18-22 degrees. During the procedure, you will need to mix the contents of the container 2-3 times for better impregnation of the seed.

To prevent the sevok from floating up during the soaking procedure, it is recommended to immerse it in a net and lay a brick or other weighting agent on top. But you should not use too heavy objects, they can crush the onions.


What treatment to do to protect against pests

It is easier to prevent any disease than to deal with problems resulting from any disease or pest infestation.

The biggest threat to onions is onion fly... Larvae, worms, laid near plants, can destroy the entire crop. Processing of planting material before sowing will help to avoid such troubles.

Also, a vegetable can be affected by such pests as a bear, wireworm, Colorado potato beetle.

The easiest and surest way involves soaking the seedlings before planting in a tar solution. You can also choose a two-stage treatment with a salt and manganese composition.

Among folk remedies, baths with the use of red pepper and liquid laundry soap... Proportions: a bucket of water, a tablespoon of liquid soap, 30 gr. dry red pepper. The duration of the procedure is 1-2 hours.


The most dangerous pest is the onion fly

Watering with specially prepared solutions will help get rid of pests and diseases. Among the effective ways:

  • salt liquid (10 liters of water + 3 tbsp. l.);
  • tobacco mixture (3 liters of hot water + 200 grams of tobacco dust), matures for 2 days;
  • infusion on dandelions (10 liters of boiling water + 200 gr. crushed leaves), leave for 3-4 days;
  • ammonia (2 tbsp. l.) with water (10 l).

You need to spray the soil carefully so as not to harm the plant. Processing should be done 1-2 times a week... If the methods proved to be powerless, it is recommended to resort to the use of special drugs, for example Fitosporin.

Processing should be carried out in the evening in dry weather. The sun's rays destroy chemical compounds, reducing the effectiveness of insect control.

In order to prevent damage to the plant from the invasion of pests, it is recommended to adhere to the following tips:

  • before planting, the soil must be enriched with rotted manure or peat;
  • do not use spoiled and damaged turnips for disembarkation;
  • the landing site should be changed annually;
  • form onion beds in close proximity to spicy and highly aromatic herbs, carrots;
  • after harvesting, it is necessary to dig deep into the soil.

Whichever method of processing is chosen before planting, do not forget about proper care, on which the yield and quality of onions also depend. Soaking is just an adjunct method to promote rapid growth and decontamination. Without timely irrigation and the introduction of complementary foods, there will be no good harvest.

There is an opinion that growing onions is very simple: without a bush and a leaf plate, it is not able to respond to external stimuli. Here, the main thing is watering, sun, periodic removal of weeds. And the harvest cannot be a win-win, since the culture will still give green growth.

But an experienced gardener knows that with the very minimum expenditure of effort and finance, the harvest can be significantly improved. Even the same green shoots will not start up early arrows, preserving the freshness of a young green leek as long as possible. And besides, with good greenery, you can save elastic bulbs, suitable for food.



Growing features

Onions are a fairly unpretentious plant, the cultivation of which is not difficult. As the saying goes, "I stuck it in the ground and forgot." Many people believe that when growing onions, the main thing is to water and pull out the weed. But with such an attitude towards the cultivated crop, its yield may disappear altogether or come as a surprise. And it is the bow that takes the leading position in such cases.

There are often cases when gardeners plant a crop in order to get onions, but get leeks and vice versa. It would seem that the loss is not great if you do not grow the crop on an industrial scale. But the secret is that with a consciously correct approach to cultivation, yields can be significantly improved even for personal needs. Otherwise, ruin it altogether. The same leek, which is the easiest to grow, with the wrong care can start shooting arrows early, becoming tough, completely unusable raw.

In order not to be disappointed in your expectations during harvest, we recommend that you decide on the final result before planting: you still need onions or leeks are preferred. Based on our needs and the planned scale of the harvest, we proceed to the selection of seeds and preparation of the soil.




Preparing for landing

It's no secret that onions can be planted both in spring and autumn. Autumn planting is, in contrast to spring, more troublesome, since it involves insulation for the winter. But it allows you to get a fresh leek in early spring. Well, it would seem, what could be simpler than simply planting onions in the spring: the sets, unlike other seeds, are rather large in size, allowing you to see the flaws, and in almost any store they are freely available.

In addition, the spring planting does not imply any special troubles associated with insulation, since the spring-summer heat time is quite enough for the crop to grow and mature. For example, if the winter turned out to be snowy, then there is also nothing to worry about, because for winter crops, snow acts as a "heater". But if the winter is snowless or little snow, then the culture you have sown will simply freeze without additional insulation.



Despite the simplicity of growing bulbs, we still recommend pre-sowing onions before planting, which will avoid early yellowing of feathers or the appearance of a soft and lethargic bulb during the harvest. First, you need to carefully examine the set for signs of decay.

Bulbs that have rotted or become slightly soft are unsuitable for sowing, since not only they themselves will not be able to give a good harvest, but they can also develop fungal diseases, up to soil contamination, as well as the appearance of pests (bulb fly). Secondly, it is necessary to remove, at first glance, a trifling, weakly sitting onion husk, which can also cause diseases or pests.


If the seeds are homemade, then the described measures can be completely limited. But, purchasing seeds in stores or from neighbors, it will be useful to carry out processing in the form of soaking in a special solution prepared independently. This will surely help to improve the future yield and avoid serious problems during the growing season.



The contaminated soil mentioned above can cause the loss of any crop in a given area for several years. In order to avoid such an infection, you have to plan a planting in the garden every year, annually changing the place for a garden for a particular plant. Onions, for example, grow well after carrots or tomatoes.

After onions, due to the nature of the soil, not everything can be planted. Here only a turnip will give a good harvest. Thus, the pre-treated seedlings of the bulb will have a beneficial effect not only on the yield, but also on the soil, making it possible for a favorable cultivation of another crop after itself.


Processing with potassium permanganate and salt

After selecting the best, dense seeds and removing unnecessary hanging husks, the seedlings can be soaked for three hours in an aqueous saline solution. We prepare the solution at the rate of two tablespoons of salt without a slide (having typed a full spoon, run your finger along its edges, then you will definitely get a spoon without a slide) for two liters of water. You can take any salt that is available in the house: large, fine, iodized. Dissolve it in warm but boiled water. We immerse the set in water cooled to room temperature after the salt has completely dissolved.

So you need to process any seedlings purchased in unknown stores or from your hands. Although it will not be superfluous to process the "home" set, which will ensure its rapid development and good growth. In addition, the saline solution protects the plant in the future from nematodes (roundworms that can harm both the plant and humans).



If you live in a region with a sufficient number of warm days for onion growth and you are not interested in the process of accelerating growth, then you can soak the sets only in the well-known disinfectant solution of potassium permanganate. In order not to burn the ovaries of future roots, here it is necessary to adhere to the following dosage: about 30 grams of potassium permanganate is taken for 10 liters of water. Keeping the seedlings in the solution for an hour or two is quite enough to carry out the disinfection procedure.

We also dissolve potassium permanganate in boiled but chilled water. We immerse the sevki in water that has just reached room temperature. To achieve the greatest effect, experienced gardeners are advised to make minor cruciform cuts on the seedlings, through which the solution can penetrate as deeply as possible. But here, the main thing is not to overdo it with cuts. For those new to growing, it is best not to make cuts.

Particularly adventurous and careful gardeners manage to combine procedures. First, for an hour and a half, the bulbs are soaked in a saline solution, after which they are immersed in a solution of potassium permanganate. But it is not recommended to keep them there for a long time (about 30 minutes), since the rudiments "burn out" from oversaturation.



Pros and cons of soaking

Nowadays, many new ways and means have appeared to enhance plant growth and to prevent the appearance of various diseases and pests. To listen to folk remedies or not is an individual decision of everyone. Nevertheless, all summer residents agree that it is easier to prevent the emergence of problems than to get rid of them. The advantage of the noted procedures can be considered their general availability: everyone has salt with potassium permanganate, and it will not be difficult to soak the seeds in the solution. Gardening experts, having tried the noted procedures in practice, note the following advantages:

  • there is a parallel development of the bulb and greens, that is, having received a good harvest of greens, you can not worry that the bulb will turn out to be sluggish, unsuitable for human consumption;
  • seedlings disinfected in a manganese solution are less likely to get sick, having developed immunity to pests and sudden temperature changes;
  • it can be said that the soil after planting the treated seedlings is protected from seed-borne diseases, since the decay process is prevented.



In addition, it was noted that if the soaking procedure was incorrectly carried out both in saline and in manganese solution, the following disadvantages of the inoculum were observed:

  • sevki begin to deteriorate quickly, acquiring softness uncharacteristic for them;
  • signs of decay are visible at the site of the formation of the root system.

Some consider the aforementioned disadvantages to be an error in the performance of the soaking process, while others consider the disadvantages of this procedure. It often happens that soaking does not bring the desired results, especially if it is carried out by novice gardeners. In this case, do not be upset, because experience is gained over time, and next time everything can turn out much better.

To avoid trouble during soaking, you need to take into account all the subtleties, as well as seek advice from those who have been doing this not for the first time.

So, so that the sets are not spoiled, you should not keep them in the prepared solution for a long time, because they can rot. For salt, two hours are enough, and for manganese, an hour and a half is enough. Try not to overdo it with salt or potassium permanganate, because the ovaries of the root system can "burn out" without even appearing.

If you plan to carry out combined procedures, then the time spent on them should not exceed two hours. For a saline solution, it is preferable to allocate an hour and a half, and for potassium permanganate, thirty minutes is enough, since salt not only activates growth, but also performs a less pronounced disinfecting effect. Remember that oversaturation of any plant with anything can be many times more destructive than its lack.



After completing the planned procedures, the bulbs are carefully washed and planted in a previously prepared heated ground. Soaking is carried out only before direct planting. Otherwise, you will not get the desired result, because by disinfecting the seedlings and leaving them for a few more days in ordinary water, you plunge them into the "bacterial environment" for the second time. The solution for the immersion of the seed must be freshly prepared, otherwise bacteria harmful to the seeds can also form in it.

One more thing to keep in mind: pre-treatment of seeds is recommended only before spring planting. Sevok, saturated with the moisture of an aqueous solution and immersed in a well-warmed earth by the sun, is quickly accepted and, having strengthened, begins to grow. It is extremely undesirable to carry out such a procedure before the autumn planting, since you immerse the onion saturated with moisture in the ground, which will not be warmed up every day, but, on the contrary, will freeze.

This may well lead to freezing of seeds (planting for the winter is done around September – October). Although experienced gardeners who are well aware of the climatic features of their region and know how to navigate the thermal features of the soil, as well as the timing of the rooting of seedlings, should not be afraid of pre-processing the seeds before the autumn planting. We are talking about the southern regions, where the soil keeps warm for a long time in the autumn. But due to winters that are not characterized by heavy snowfalls, here you will need to take care of high-quality insulation for the cold period in advance.

For information on how to soak onions in potassium permanganate and salt, see the video below.

Kira Stoletova

Since the beginning of the annual friendly competition with neighbors in the garden, many are inspired by the confidence that the onion will grow large today. For this, a lunar calendar is purchased, a suitable planting day is determined, but among other things, it is necessary to refresh the theory on the topic of processing onion sets before planting.

Secrets of planting onions

In an amicable way, it should be autumn and include:

  • correctly chosen site for future planting (the same place cannot be used: useful substances have already been "withdrawn", and characteristic diseases have frozen in anticipation of their "victims");
  • introduction of deoxidizers for digging, for example, ash or dolomite flour (you need to achieve a neutral soil reaction, pH = 6.4-6.7: determined using litmus paper);
  • sowing siderates (rye, oats, mustard) is an optional, but very useful method of improving the land in the garden;
  • the planting material itself, sevok, must be stored in a room where the temperature regime is correctly selected (2.3 ° C).

It should be remembered that this vegetable does not tolerate stagnant water, prefers loamy or sandy loam soil. If in the spring it is planned to plant onions in this area, then it is strongly not recommended to apply fresh manure as fertilizer during the autumn digging. The soil for planting seedlings should warm up to 12 ° C at a depth of 10 cm.

There are 900 species of onion on the planet, 228 of them are vegetables. At the same time, it should be well understood that the choice must be made competently, giving preference to zoned varieties. This is the guarantee of a rich harvest. It is impossible to get a large southern variety onion by planting it in the north and vice versa. It's all about the length of daylight hours, to which the onion reacts more strongly than to fluctuations in weather conditions.

With proper onion storage, there is every reason to believe that the small fraction of the seed will not go into the arrow (this is the so-called oatmeal, it has an onion with a diameter of 0.5-0.7 cm), therefore, the overwintered planting material must be sorted by size, that is, broken into small and large fractions, taking this into account when planting. The most suitable onion is considered to be from 0.8 to 2.2 cm in size, the supply of nutrients in it is ideally calculated in order for a full-fledged onion to grow.

When sorting, dried onions, spoiled ones are removed. Homemade or store-bought sevok should be processed before planting (except for the products of the Dutch companies BROER B. V. and TRiUMFUS ORION PRODUCTS, this planting material has already been specially prepared).

Preparing for planting onions

You need to process the onion before planting for:

  • protection against pests;
  • disinfection;
  • stimulating the start of a successful growing season.

The main enemy of this vegetable is the onion fly, of the diseases the most common are downy mildew and downy mildew, the harvest may also suffer due to shooting. There are a number of measures that can be applied to prevent the occurrence of all these negative factors. Presowing processing of onion sets consists mainly of warming it up and soaking it in various solutions. It can be just hot water or water with potassium permanganate, or salt, or ash, or soda, or vitriol, or with some kind of growth stimulant. The main thing is not to overdo it, to withstand all norms and regimes.

Onion pests and how to deal with them

The seedlings prepared for planting can be infested with pest larvae. Preventive treatment in this case is a mandatory measure. Pre-soaking in manganese (1 g per 1 liter of water for 20-25 minutes) or in hot water (50 °, soak for 10-15 minutes) will help to improve the onion. From the larvae of the nematode, you can treat the onions with salt (soak 3 cups of salt in a bucket of water for 24 hours).

Most often, onions are sick with peronosporosis and downy mildew (an onion feather helps to notice the disease). The most common measure to defeat a plant disease is to treat it with a medicinal preparation. You can spray with copper sulfate, this is a broad-spectrum fungicide, and the gardener knows how blue solution helps in the fight against pathogens both in the garden and in the beds. The best solution for the prevention of onion diseases is to treat it with CuSO4 before planting. Copper sulphate can be effectively watered in the area that is allotted for the onion (for 10 liters of 1 tbsp. L. Powder).

All this fuss with sevkom should begin 20-25 days before planting. The first step is to organize the heat, that is, you can simply bring the onion into a room where the temperature is more than 17 ° C. The day before landing, you need to warm it up on the battery. All these measures will reduce shooting and accelerate seed germination. In case of force majeure, you can soak in hot water (50 ° C, 10 minutes), then place the onion in cold water, dry it and keep it in a wet burlap until disembarking.

To cut off or is it better not? A good owner, after warming up the sevka for three weeks, will remove excess husk from it, once again examine the onions, reject substandard ones, and he will not be too lazy to cut off the dry neck. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the growth point. Whether or not to cut the onion sets before planting is the master's business.

Experts recommend keeping the planting material in a solution of any growth stimulant (for example, "Zircon"). This promotes the awakening of the root system and the beginning of development. After such a procedure, the treatment with "Fitosporin" is applied (the instructions for preparing a solution for soaking the planting material should be followed exactly). This biological product fights pathogens, and then it is not necessary to process it with copper sulfate.