How to process onions with wood ash: can it be sprinkled?

Table Of Contents

Composition
Feeding recipes
When should ash not be used?
Composting and acid reduction
Disease and pest control

Onion ash is one of the best organic fertilizers. This efficiency is due to the rich composition, which includes calcium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese and a number of other equally important chemical elements. Due to its great value, it is also used as a growth promoter, fungicide and insecticide.

Composition

The greatest value is ash from deciduous and coniferous trees. The powder obtained as a result of the combustion of such substances contains trace elements necessary for plants: calcium, potassium, phosphorus. The amount of these trace elements is so high that organic matter can completely replace industrial potash-phosphorus mixtures.

Besides, the ashes contain more than 30 chemical elements that vegetable crops, including onions, need. The only element that is not found in ash is nitrogen. Therefore, in the early stages of growth, ash top dressing should be alternated with nitrogen-containing mixtures.

The powder obtained from trees and plants has a number of advantages over other fertilizers:

Promotes the decay of organic residues, thereby improving the structure and composition of the soil.
Unlike many complex fertilizers, potassium and phosphorus in the ash are easily absorbed.
Ideal for plant nutrition in acidic and neutral soils. Ash should be used carefully in alkaline areas, as the substance lowers the acidity.
Makes the bow more resistant to temperature fluctuations and other weather surprises.
Increases bulb shelf life.
Regular processing of onions with ash and ash solutions repels pests.
Does not contain chlorine harmful to plants.

In view of such a large number of advantages, the available combustion product is widely used by gardeners to feed all vegetable and berry crops, as well as to prepare pesticides.

Can ash be used after the combustion of other materials? Powder obtained by burning paper, plastic and other waste for plant nutrition is not recommended, since the content of useful microelements in such a substance is minimal.

Feeding recipes

Wood ash is used for plant nutrition both in its pure form and as an ingredient for preparing infusions. The substance is also used during seedbed preparation and for storing bulbs:

Preparation of planting material. Onion seeds are kept for 4-6 hours in a solution prepared at the rate of 1 tsp. ash per 1 liter of water.
To keep the bulbs as long as possible, vegetables are placed in boxes mixed with ashes. Damaged places on the bulb are dipped in dry powder before laying.

Due to the many useful properties of recipes for feeding and processing onions, there are many. The following funds have rightfully won the greatest popularity among gardeners:

30 art. l. powder is poured into 10 liters of water and infused for 7 days. Onions are watered based on the calculation of 0.5 liters per bulb. The agent is also introduced into the furrow made in the aisle, after which it must be sprinkled with earth.
250 g of ash is poured into a bucket and the container is filled to the top with water. The mixture is infused for 48 hours, and then the onions are watered.
To ensure that the balance of nutrients is always at the right level, it is recommended to scatter the ashes over the bed in a thin layer before each watering. Substance consumption per 1 sq. m. - 1 cup.
During the spring or autumn processing of the site with wood powder generously sprinkle the area, after which they dig. Consumption of dry powder per 1 sq. m beds - 600 g. The substance is used as an independent fertilizer or in tandem with other mineral or organic top dressings.
To prepare a solution for spraying, 300 g of powder is poured into a bucket of water. The mixture is infused for 24 hours, and then 50 g of grated or liquid soap is added for better adhesion.

How often are onions treated with wood ash? Top dressing is applied 3 times per season. Ash also reduces the number of putrefactive bacteria, which prevents the development of root rot, to which the crop is susceptible.

In addition to monocomponent mixtures, bioinfusions are prepared from the combustion product. These mixtures fill the soil with macro- and microelements and make it looser. The best results show such tools:

5 tbsp. l. sugar, 15 g yeast, 1 tbsp. l. organic matter is poured into a 3-liter jar and filled with water. The mixture is infused for 3 days.
A third of a 250-liter container is filled with freshly cut field grass, after which 2 buckets of compost and 5 kg of wood ash are poured. Add the missing water and insist 14 days. To prepare the solution, the concentrate is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10.
In a 100 l barrel, shovels of wood ash, compost and sand are laid on the floor. Then add 2.5 kg of fresh and 5 kg of rotted manure. At the end, 0.5 fermented milk product and 1.5 liters of mash are poured into the container. The mixture is left to ferment for a week, and then the onions are processed, having previously halved the concentration of the infusion.

When should ash not be used?

Since this substance contains a large amount of calcium, potassium and phosphorus, it is impossible to use organic fertilizers based on the powder obtained by burning wood to improve the soil with an excess of these chemical elements. As a result of such top dressing, the condition of the plants will only worsen.

Also, experts do not recommend using ash powder simultaneously with organics and organic solutions. Under the influence of a substance, nitrogen evaporates. Do not apply top dressing with phosphorus mixtures, since the chemical element after such top dressing is not absorbed by plants.

Because arboreal wood powder alkalizes the soil, it is not used for fertilizing and processing onions that grow in beds with low acidity.

Composting and acid reduction

Because ash powder has the ability to accelerate the breakdown of organic matter, the substance is added as a component during the laying of the compost heap. Moreover, the substance fills the fertilizer with calcium, potassium and phosphorus, and also eliminates the harmful effects of chemical elements. 10 kg of powder is poured into the compost heap.

With the help of organic matter, you can not only improve the composition of the soil, but also reduce its acidity. Owners of summer cottages, where acidity is above average, are forced to pay a lot of attention to soil preparation, since most garden crops prefer to grow in a neutral environment. Wood ash powder is embedded in the grooves made in the aisles.

Disease and pest control

To ward off weevils from the bed, the onion should be generously sprinkled with dry ash.For the prevention and control of onion moths and other pests, plants are sprayed with an ash solution. 300 g of powder is poured into 3 liters of water and infused for 2 days. At the end of the term, 40 g of liquid soap is added to the infusion.

You can also get rid of aphids with the help of infusion of ash. 100 g of powder is added to a bucket of water, and then the mixture is infused for 48 hours. Processed with ash onions in cloudy weather or evening hours.

To protect plantings from root rot and other no less dangerous diseases, plants are generously sprinkled with ash or sprayed with ash infusion.

Wood ash is a real find for fans of natural fertilizers. The powder perfectly restores the content of macro- and microelements, and also prevents the development of pathogenic microflora, repels insects, and reduces soil acidity. Regular use of the substance helps to solve several problems at once.