Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!
For successful onion cultivation you do not need fresh organic fertilizer on the bed. The soil fertilized by autumn is better. You should also be a bit more cautious with the addition of mineral fertilizers. The spicy tuber will thank you.
The onion is a weak to medium eater and thrives best on old manure soil that should not be too moist and heavy, also as a second crop after peas, spinach or lamb's lettuce. As a rule, the normally tilled soil of a regularly cultivated house garden is sufficient.
During the growing season, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers can be used. But this is not absolutely necessary. Occasionally one hears a recommendation for the addition of wood ash, which is more suitable for preventing onion fly infestation.
Organic Fertilizer
If fresh manure or compost is used as fertilizer, it should be worked into the soil in the fall for spring planting. The compost can rot over the winter and the soil can settle well, making it finely crumbly and loose.
It doesn't matter whether the onion sets are planted at the end of March or beginning of April or the onion seeds are sown in the beds. Neither need freshly fertilized soil for healthy growth. This could possibly even favor the unwanted onion fly infestation.
mineral fertilizer
Here, too, the plants react to the nitrogen over-fertilization with delayed growth or poor ripening of the tuber. Instead, only the onion leek thrives while the bulb softens and its skin peels off. This also jeopardizes the storage life of the onion.
tips and tricks
Don't throw in the towel right away if the onion harvest doesn't go as planned. Often it can also be due to a rainy summer. Because the onions ripen best in the dry midsummer weather. It will definitely work out next summer.