Onions Turn Yellow. What To Do? Why Does The Onion Turn Yellow In The Garden? Reasons And Remedies. Photo

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Onions Turn Yellow. What To Do? Why Does The Onion Turn Yellow In The Garden? Reasons And Remedies. Photo
Onions Turn Yellow. What To Do? Why Does The Onion Turn Yellow In The Garden? Reasons And Remedies. Photo

Video: Onions Turn Yellow. What To Do? Why Does The Onion Turn Yellow In The Garden? Reasons And Remedies. Photo

Video: Onions Turn Yellow. What To Do? Why Does The Onion Turn Yellow In The Garden? Reasons And Remedies. Photo
Video: Reasons Your Plants are Turning Yellow + How to Fix It 2024, March
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Onions are a vegetable crop that grows literally in every garden, and almost every gardener sooner or later faces the problem of yellowing of the feathers of this plant. There are a lot of reasons for this phenomenon, but only one can be perceived by gardeners quite calmly - this is when the feathers turn yellow and lie down when the bulb ripens. All other reasons for the yellowing of onion arrows are unacceptable, and they must be known and be able to eliminate, otherwise you can be left without a crop. But before we tackle the reasons and start learning how to eliminate them, let's talk about how to protect your bow as reliably as possible from yellowing of its feathers.

Yellowing of onion stalks
Yellowing of onion stalks

Content:

  • Simple prevention rules against yellow onion feathers
  • Pests that cause yellowing of onions
  • Onion diseases
  • Errors in the care of onion beds

Simple prevention rules against yellow onion feathers

So, in order for the onion feathers to have a healthy color until the very harvest, it is necessary to process the site correctly, water it on time, use modern means of combating diseases and pests and take into account other rules for its cultivation.

Rule one - compliance with crop rotation

Remember that it is not recommended to plant onions in the same place more often than once every four years, otherwise pests and diseases accumulate on the site, and the onions from the soil consume enough nutrients.

Rule two - correct feeding

Fertilizers need to be applied correctly and in the optimal amount, not forgetting that both a lack and an excess of fertilizers do not bode well.

Rule three - correct watering

Onions like watering in moderation, but one might say constant. Strong drying out of the soil and significant waterlogging of the soil should not be allowed.

Rule four - do not run the site

If you notice that the feathers of the onion have begun to turn yellow, then it is better to remove and burn them. In this way, the spread of an infection or pest can be stopped.

Rule five - deep digging

It is advisable to dig the soil under the onion on a full bayonet of a shovel with a rotation of the layer in order to minimize the number of harmful microorganisms in the soil.

These are the most important measures, one might say, to prevent yellowing of onion feathers, but it also happens that they do not help, and the onion still turns yellow. What are the reasons and what to do about it?

Powdery mildew on onions
Powdery mildew on onions

There are quite a few reasons for the yellowing of onions, as we already mentioned, it can be a manifestation of the vital activity of a pest or a disease, improper agricultural practices, the influence of the weather, or a lack of nitrogen in the soil.

Pests that cause yellowing of onions

There are quite a few pests, the vital activity of which leads to yellowing of the onion: these are onion moth, tobacco thrips, onion lurker, stem nematode and, of course, onion fly.

Onion moth

Usually the onion moth is most active when it is hot and rarely rains, the soil is dry. At this time, the onion moth butterfly appears, little distinguishable from the home moth familiar to all of us. Its larvae, which hatch from eggs laid by a butterfly, are harmful. The presence of larvae leads to the fact that first the tips of the onion feathers begin to dry out, and then the entire feather dries up completely.

To know how to fight onion moth, you need to know its biology. For example, the onion moth makes an ovipositor near the bulbs in the soil. Caterpillars hatched from eggs have a light yellow body and a length of about a centimeter. Having hatched, they move to the feathers, climb into them and begin to gnaw out the fabric from the inside, which leads to yellowing and wilting of feathers.

Before using insecticides, such as Metaphos, you should try to fight the onion moth with folk remedies, for which you can treat the feathers and the soil around with oven ash, sprinkling it evenly, as well as tobacco, you can directly from cigarettes, or spray the soil and plants infusion of garlic (a couple of cloves per liter of water).

Onion moth butterfly (Acrolepiopsis assectella)
Onion moth butterfly (Acrolepiopsis assectella)

Tobacco thrips

Onion thrips, or tobacco thrips - it also leads to yellowing of onion feathers. Thrips are smaller in size than aphids, he, like her, feeds on cell sap, which leads to yellowing and drying of the leaf blades of the onion. Thrips overwinter in the soil and bulbs, those that were left for planting next year, therefore, planting a set even on an ideal site in all respects and observing all agricultural techniques, the onion can still suffer from this pest.

In order to prevent thrips from getting to your site with the seed, you need to lower the seed before planting for a quarter of an hour in water with a temperature of 45-47 degrees above zero, and then for 10 minutes in cold water.

If the pest has appeared clearly, then folk remedies are unlikely to help, here you need to apply insecticides. To control thrips, you must use insecticides, strictly following instructions, such as Iskar or Confidor.

Larvae of tobacco thrips on onions (Thrips tabaci)
Larvae of tobacco thrips on onions (Thrips tabaci)

Onion lurker

Its vital activity is another reason why onion feathers can turn yellow. The larvae of the lurking proboscis literally eat the feathers of the onion and at first they change color to a lighter color, then turn yellow, wither and die. If you do not fight the pest, then it can destroy most of the onion plantation.

The most annoying thing is that this beetle moves quickly, and even if you take into account crop rotation, feeding and watering, take good care of the soil, it can still appear on your site, having flown from a neighboring one.

In order to minimize the risk of a beetle appearing on the site, it is necessary to dig up the soil, remove and burn plant residues, and observe crop rotation. Sprinkle the soil around the beds with wood ash or mustard or pepper powder, this can scare away the insect.

When a beetle appears in small numbers, these individuals can be collected by hand. If there is a lot of pest, then it is necessary to apply insecticides, strictly following the instructions on the package. Previously, the drug Karbofos helped effectively, but then it was banned and you need to look for other approved analogues.

Stem nematode

Another reason for the appearance of an atypical color of onion feathers is the stem nematode. In fact, this is a small worm that can penetrate into the bulb and cause cracks at the bottom of the head, it begins to rot, and the leaf blades turn yellow and die off. Usually the nematode is very small, no more than one and a half millimeters, but the harm from it can be enormous. If a nematode has already entered your site, then no crop rotation, most likely, will help, it can live in the soil for up to ten years, and sometimes longer.

To exclude the ingress of a nematode through onion sets on your site, before planting, you need to lower it for a quarter of an hour in water heated to 45 degrees above zero, and then in salt water for half an hour.

Gardeners say that when the soil is infected with a nematode, an infusion of marigolds can help get rid of it - 2-3 kg of the vegetative mass of marigolds per bucket of water is the norm for 2-3 square meters of soil.

There are also insecticides to combat the nematode, these are Fitoverm and the new drug Nematofagin BT.

Nematode onion
Nematode onion

Onion fly

Almost the most common pest of onions, the larvae of which happily eat any of its varieties. Usually, you can understand that it is the onion fly that is to blame for the yellowing of the feathers by the way the leaves begin to deteriorate: at first they turn yellow, then they begin to wither.

In order not to let the onion fly into the area, the beds with onions must be alternated with beds of carrots. The scent of carrots can scare off onion flies, and the scent of onions can scare off carrots, so you get a double benefit.

If the number of individuals is small and the harm from them is not very significant, then the affected plants can be treated with a solution of salt and ammonia, but remember that salt is dangerous for the soil and it is better not to carry out such treatments more than once a season. To obtain a solution, dissolve 200 g of salt (no more!) And a tablespoon of ammonia in a bucket of water. After that, the solution can be used to treat the soil and affected plants, spending this amount on five square meters of the garden.

They have a much more favorable effect on the soil, but less effectively affect the pest, mixtures of ash and tobacco, as well as pepper and mustard in equal proportions. You need 25-30 grams of these substances per square meter.

If folk remedies do not help, which happens very often, insecticides must be used. Preparations - Aktara, Sochva and Tabazol will help to cope with onion fly.

Signs of leek or onion fly damage
Signs of leek or onion fly damage

Onion diseases

In addition to pests, diseases can also make onion leaves yellow, for example, such as bacterial rot, bottom rot, rust and a number of other less common ones. Usually, diseases on onions are fungal or bacterial, they can appear on the site after being introduced with planting material or insects.

Considering this, when sowing onion sets, it must be carefully sorted out, removing all those onions that have signs of infection. The rest of the onions should be placed in water with a temperature of +45 degrees for 10-15 minutes, then dipped in salt water (a tablespoon per 300 g of water) for 8-10 minutes.

Do not forget that diseases are more actively manifested in soil that has an excess of moisture and in shaded areas, so you need to water the onion often, but in moderation, and select a leveled and well-lit area for it.

In addition, diseases can be transmitted with pests, so even if there are few pests on the site, you still need to fight them.

If you do not want to use chemistry to fight diseases, then at least treat the affected plants with copper-containing preparations: HOM, Oxyhom, Bordeaux liquid and others, if this is also inappropriate in your area, then remove the affected plants in order not to allow diseases to spread further.

Rust on onions
Rust on onions

Errors in the care of onion beds

Any plant can suffer from improper care and onions are no exception. The most common mistakes are planting onions in the same place for many years, improper feeding and watering.

Lack or excess of nitrogen in the soil

Onions are almost the only vegetable that is very picky about nitrogen in the soil. The feather of an onion can turn yellow both from a lack of nitrogen and from its excess, so you need to be careful with the introduction of trace elements. If the feathers turn yellow, then dig out one onion, if you did not find signs of pest infestation and the bulb looks intact, then the feathers may turn yellow due to a lack of nitrogen.

To replenish it, you need to carry out foliar top dressing: it is enough to dissolve 45-55 g of ammonium nitrate in a bucket of water and consume the resulting solution for a couple of square meters of onion beds.

In general, onions can be fed only a couple of times per season, the first time as soon as shoots appear and the second time after 12-14 days. You can use a nitroammophoska for this by dissolving a tablespoon of fertilizer in a bucket of water, this amount is enough for a meter for three beds.

With an excess of nitrogen in the soil, traces of rotting will be clearly visible on the dug out bulb. In this case, superphosphate and potassium sulfate must be added to the soil. Both need a teaspoon per bucket of water, this is the norm for a couple of square meters of the garden. After a week, you can loosen the soil and add wood ash at 100-150 g per square meter.

We do not recommend adding organic matter under the onion, especially if the summer is damp and cold, this can lead to outbreaks of fungal diseases.

Improper watering of onions

If the onion is underfilled or poured with water, then its feathers will begin to turn yellow. You need to water the onions every day, preferably in the evening, with settled water at room temperature. A bucket of water is enough for a square meter, but only if there is no rain and it is hot. If even a small rain has passed during the day, then watering can be skipped, if there is no rain, but it is cold (below +20 degrees), then the water rate can be halved.

Onion Donut Rot
Onion Donut Rot

Conclusion. So, as you understood, there are quite a few reasons why onion feathers begin to turn yellow. Before taking on chemistry, assess the condition of the onion, try to find pests, assess the condition of the soil, and so on, only then decide in favor of using chemistry. Sometimes the simple removal of several atypical plants from the site and the observance of simple care rules saves the situation. Don't forget about prevention, especially if you are sowing unfamiliar material.

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