Causes of rotting young onions and what to do to avoid it
Onions grow in all garden plots and are a very popular crop, which is readily added to almost all dishes.
Everyone who grows it dreams of getting a rich harvest of onions. But sometimes the feathers on the onions begin to turn yellow and dry out, and the bulbs themselves begin to rot.
To determine the cause, pull the bulb out of the garden bed and examine it carefully.
If it smells bad and the head itself is very soft, you need to take precautions immediately.
Causes of onion rotting and what to do
This may be a low-quality onion set or one damaged by fungus at the stage of planting it in the garden bed. It is worth buying such sets from a trusted manufacturer and treating them with a solution of potassium permanganate before planting in the ground.
Another reason may be planting onion sets again in the same bed where they grew last year or where crops that are not friendly to them grew. It is worth planting them in a plot where potatoes, zucchini, cabbage and beets were previously grown.
Onions need to be watered correctly and on time. If the summer is dry, then watering should be constant until mid-July. Reduce watering 1-1.5 months before harvesting and then stop it completely.
Onion spoilage can begin due to damage from onion fly larvae. These are thick and small white worms that eat onion feathers and its head.
You can protect onions from the larvae of this fly by rotating crops, since the pests overwinter in the soil and will certainly destroy the entire crop the following year.
To combat onion flies, add 1 tablespoon of tobacco pollen to 2-3 liters of hot water and leave for 48 hours.
Then add 1 tablespoon of ground red pepper, liquid laundry soap to the infusion, add another 7-8 liters of water and stir.
Water the onion with this solution from a watering can. Of course, you can also use "chemical" preparations, but it is better not to do this.
Another reason for onion spoilage is fungal diseases:
- Fusarium can initially affect only the feathers and then move to the roots. Start treatment immediately to avoid losing the entire onion crop.
- Bacterial rot can occur at the beginning of harvesting, with frequent precipitation and high humidity.
- Neck rot can occur under the same conditions.
