Why onions turn yellow: what to do, how to water and feed with folk remedies

Non-compliance with agricultural practices and ignoring preventive measures is becoming the main reason why onions may turn yellow. There is either complete or partial yellowing of the leaves. At the same time, they look lethargic, weakened. The situation may threaten with a complete loss of the onion crop.

Insufficient nitrogen content in the soil

A common reason why onions turn yellow is a lack of nitrogen in the soil. Its deficiency usually develops when the soil is depleted or in hot weather.Onion roots receive nitrogen only in dissolved form, and in dry weather it ceases to flow to plants. On the contrary, excessive soil moisture or frequent rains can leach nutrients out of the soil.

With a lack of nitrogen in the soil, the plant slows down its growth, the feathers become short and thick. At first, the color of the lower leaves becomes pale green, and then the young feathers turn completely yellow. Lack of nitrogen can also lead to bottom rot.

In order to prevent a lack of nutrients in the soil, it is necessary to carry out top dressing in a timely manner. A solution based on urea or ammonium nitrate and manure infusion is well suited. The components must be dissolved in water so as not to burn the roots. The procedure can be repeated after 5-6 days.

Influence of pests

Onions often turn yellow as a result of pest attacks. They not only suck the juices from the plant and gnaw on greens and roots, but also carry various infectious diseases.

Why is the onion moth dangerous?

The onion moth is a small butterfly (body length about 8 mm) of dark brown color with light gray wings. In late spring, females begin to lay their eggs at night on the soil near the bulbs or between the leaves. After 7-8 days, yellow-green caterpillars appear from the eggs, the length of which is 1 cm.

Great damage from insects is observed, especially in dry, hot weather. The leaves begin to turn yellow and dry from the tips, light spots may appear.

What to do if the onion turned yellow in the beds due to the activity of the onion moth? The action of such drugs as Spark, Summer Resident, Metaphos is effective. Treating the land with wood ash and tobacco dust helps to scare away pests.Seeds should be sown as early as possible. It is recommended to remove all plant debris from the site in autumn and dig up the ground even before the onset of frost.

Onion thrips

The onion thrips is a small yellowish insect, its length is about 1 mm. It sucks the juices from the plant, as a result, the onion feathers turn yellow and dry. The female lays eggs in the leaves, from which grey-yellow-green larvae appear after 5-6 days.

Thrips, like onion moths, overwinter in the soil, burrowing into the remains of vegetation or in bulbs that are intended for sowing. Therefore, a preventive measure is the autumn digging of the site with the application of fertilizers and the cleansing of the remaining tops. Sevok must be disinfected before planting by placing, for example, in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or dipped in hot water (water temperature is about 45 degrees) for 10 minutes. If a pest is found in the garden, they are treated with insecticides (Spark, Konfidor).

Onion fly and how to destroy it

The most common onion pest is the onion fly, which infects any of its varieties. It resembles an ordinary fly, the body length reaches 8 mm, the color is gray-yellow.

In mid-May, when dandelions and lilacs begin to bloom, the female of this insect begins to lay eggs in the soil near onion beds, less often between young leaves or between dry bulb scales. After 6 days, the larvae that emerged from the eggs begin to eat the bulb from the side of the bottom. The feathers begin to turn yellow and soon the whole plant dies.

The larvae develop within three weeks. They then burrow into the ground and pupate. After some time, new individuals appear, approximately at the end of July.

Preventive measures are:

• early planting of onions;
• it is recommended to plant carrots in the neighborhood;
• during the summer, the flies of the beds are treated with a mixture of wood ash, tobacco dust and ground pepper;
• helps repel insects with the drug Bazudin, which is mixed with sand and added to the soil.

If the larvae have already begun their destructive activity, treatment with Creocid, Muhoed, Aktara, Karate Zeon will help. It is effective to treat the onion with a saline solution with a few drops of ammonia (200 g of s alt must be dissolved in 10 liters of water).

Stem nematode

The stem nematode, like the onion fly, causes leaves to turn yellow and crop loss. The nematode resembles a small worm (1.5 mm long) that penetrates the bottom of an onion. Insects feed on plant sap.The bulb starts to rot. White dots and stripes appear on the feathers, then the onion leaves turn yellow, curl and dry.

The nematode is difficult to fight, so the only thing you can do is follow some rules:

• treat planting material with saline or hot water;
• planting onions in the same area is recommended no earlier than after 4 years;
• marigolds can be planted between the rows, an infusion of these flowers also helps;
• timely weeding should be carried out.

If the onion in the garden turned yellow due to pests remaining in the soil, then the aisles can be watered with a solution based on Fitoverm or Akarina powder. The drugs are toxic, so it is not recommended to use them too often.

Weevil secretive proboscis and fight against it

Small-sized secretive proboscis beetle feeds on green onion leaves. Its body is gray and oval in shape. In the spring, they begin to eat young shoots. After laying eggs, after 2 weeks, beetle larvae appear, which begin to eat greens. The larvae are yellowish in color with a brown head, about 6 mm long. First, white spots appear on the leaves, and then the onion feather in the garden turns yellow and dries.

Preventive measures are:

• digging the soil in autumn after harvest;
• clearing the site from plant residues and weeds in the fall;
• recommended to plant onions every year in a new place.

If this insect appears on the beds, it is necessary to loosen the row spacing with the addition of tobacco dust, wood ash or ground pepper.If there are not too many pests, then you can collect them manually. Helps to destroy pests by spraying with a solution based on the drug Karbofos.

What's wrong with onions?

Onions turn yellow not only because of the invasion of insect pests. Very often, fungal, bacterial and viral infections can ruin the crop.

Rust

Rust is a fungal disease of onions. It affects green leaves, as a result, nutrients in insufficient quantities penetrate to the bulb, and the yield is reduced.

First, yellow-brown stripes or spots appear on the leaves, which grow over time. The disease leads to complete yellowing and drying of the green part of the onion.

Preventive measures mainly concern planting material that needs to be warmed up and disinfected.If a problem is found, onion beds are sprayed with a solution based on copper oxychloride. The component is diluted in a bucket of water and 30 ml of liquid soap is added. Hom or Metronidazole can be used.

Onion rot caused by bacteria

Onion rot can only be seen when harvested. Affected heads soften and dark streaks can be found between the scales. Such bulbs are not subject to storage. This onion disease is carried by insects.

Only he althy, dense bulbs are selected for planting. The soil is treated with Hom or Metronidazole. If you plant an affected set, then the plant grows weak. Young leaves turn yellow and dry immediately.

Fusariosis, bottom rot

All varieties of onions can suffer from a fungal disease such as fusarium. First, the onion feathers turn yellow, curl, and then completely dry out and the plant dies. On the bottom and in the axils of the leaves you can see a white or light pink coating.

The following actions can be used to prevent rotting of the bottom:

• the site for planting onions should be on a hill and well lit;
• do not plant onions for several years in a row on the same plot, cereals are considered the best predecessors;
• plant vegetables and harvest on time;
• seeds are selected and disinfected before planting.

When the first signs of the disease appear, treatment with Fitosporin, Quadris will help.

Alternariosis

Another fungal disease that affects onions is Alternaria. Green feathers are affected first. White spots form on them, which turn brown over time. Gradually, the disease passes to the bulb, it becomes covered with black mold and rots.

To save the onion from yellowing of the feather, drugs such as Acrobat, Cabrio Duo, Poliram, Fitosporin will help. In autumn, after harvesting, all tops and husks are removed from the garden.

Failure to care for onions leads to yellowing of the pen

If you take care of vegetable plantings incorrectly, they become weak, lethargic and the leaves change color. Watering and fertilizing should be carried out in a timely manner and in certain quantities.

Insufficient or incorrect watering

With proper watering, the onion head is formed dense, juicy and stored for a long time. In the early days, when the onion is just taking root, you need to water it abundantly every three days. Then watering is reduced to once a week. In July, when the head is forming, it is enough to water once every 1.5 weeks.

Water for irrigation should be warm (about 20 degrees) and it is better to pour it under the root. The best time for watering is considered early morning or evening hours. If the weather is cloudy, then it is possible at lunchtime.

Onions love moist soil, but excess moisture can cause stunted growth due to leaching of micronutrients, rotting and spreading infections. In addition, the onion head is formed small and tasteless.

Another reason why, under normal plant care conditions, the leaves turn yellow, weather conditions become. Return of frosts, droughts or heavy rains can affect the quality and quantity of the crop.

Lack of nutrition

Feeding is recommended during watering. The first fertilization is carried out two weeks after planting. You can make a solution of ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium s alt. The next top dressing is carried out in another two weeks.

What to do?

There are many ways to deal with when the onion turns yellow, dries and dies. The main thing is to recognize the cause in time.

Folk remedies for yellowing pen

If pests are the cause of yellowing onions, then folk remedies will help:

• One ampoule of ammonia, 200 g of common table s alt and 200 g of wood ash are dissolved in 10 liters of water. It is recommended to water the beds with the resulting solution after 10 days, until the leaves turn green again.
• In a bucket of water, dissolve 1 kg of soda, 10 ml of iodine and 4 sachets of potassium permanganate. The finished concentrate is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 1 and the beds are watered. The solution is enough for a large planting area.
• Infusions of plants are prepared from dandelions, wormwood, calendula, hot peppers.

As a preventive measure, you can water the aisles with s alt water or sprinkle with a dry mixture of tobacco dust, wood ash and ground pepper.

Crop protection chemicals

In case of a mass attack of pests, due to which the onion turned yellow, they are sprayed with chemicals. Among the popular and effective: Mostilan, Iskra, Aktara, Karbofos, Leptocid, Kreocid.

To prevent the onion from turning yellow, you can prevent a lack of nitrogen in the soil by applying urea or ammonium nitrate. Grooves are dug between rows of onions and 6 grams of ammonium nitrate per 1 sq. m.

Simple onion care tips

How to water the beds to effectively combat the yellowing of the leaves? Most vegetable growers use s alted water. A mixture of wood ash and carrot seed powder gives a good effect. You can treat the beds with wood ash or chamomile pollination. If the onion turns yellow, then you can feed it with complex fertilizer.

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