Diseases and pests of onions: description and how to protect plantings. How to deal with onion pests and what needs to be done for treatment? Onion pests and their treatment

Onion root mite on onion
Onion root mite in the photo

Onion root mite universally damages onions in open and protected ground and storage areas. Mites predominantly inhabit damaged or diseased plants. In the affected bulbs, the outer surface of the succulent scales is covered with brownish dust, the bottom along the edges is thinned, and subsequently falls off, and roots do not form.

These pests are hardly noticeable in onion beds, since the mites are very small (0.5-1 mm). They penetrate the bulbs through the bottom. They spread with the remains of damaged plants, soil, and equipment.

Onion sneaker on a bow
Onion secretive proboscis in the photo

Western bowtail- the larvae of the pest gnaw out longitudinal whitish passages in the pulp of the leaves, which are visible through the skin. The larvae, up to 7 mm long, are yellowish, legless, with a brown head. As adults, they leave the leaves and go into the soil. At the end of July, black beetles appear, which feed on onion leaves before harvesting and overwinter under plant debris, lumps of soil, and stones.

In spring, at an air temperature of +8...+10°C, beetles begin to additionally feed on the leaves of young onions.

Onion moth on onion
Onion moth in the photo

Onion moth causes significant damage to onions, leeks and garlic in warm, dry weather. Damaged leaves, starting from the tops, turn yellow and dry out. Light longitudinal spots are visible on them - mines. Caterpillars penetrate into unopened onion inflorescences and eat away the flower buds there. During flowering, the pedicels are gnawed.

As you can see in the photo, the caterpillars of this onion pest reach up to 1 cm in length, and the butterflies have a wingspan of up to 1.5 cm:

Caterpillars on a bow
Butterflies in the photo

Butterflies overwinter in various secluded places and plant debris, and in the spring at the end of April - May they begin to fly.

Onion fly on onion
Fly treatment in the photo

Onion fly poses a danger to onions, leeks, garlic and other onion crops. Damaged plants are stunted in growth, their leaves wither, acquire a yellowish-gray tint, and then dry out. Damaged bulbs become soft, rot, and emit an unpleasant odor.

White larvae up to 1 cm long, which develop for about three weeks, are harmful. They then pupate in the soil near damaged plants.

In the southern region, the onion fly has two generations. Flies of the first generation fly during the lilac flowering period, the second - in July. They overwinter as a pupa in the soil at a depth of 5-8 cm.

Onion hoverfly on a bow
Onion hoverfly in the photo

Onion hoverfly especially harmful to weakened plants various types Luke. Affected plants are stunted, the tops of the leaves turn yellow and wither. The bulbs become soft, rot and emit an unpleasant odor.

The larvae of the pest are quite large, up to 1 cm. They turn into pupae in the soil near damaged plants.

Hoverflies fly at the end of May - June during the flowering of rose hips. They lay eggs on or near the bulbs in the soil. The hatched larvae penetrate the bulbs and feed there for about a month. The pest overwinters in the bulb itself.

Onion stem nematode on onions
Onion stem nematode in the photo

Onion stem nematode affects onions and garlic during the growing season and storage. Infected seedlings grow slowly, the first leaf is swollen and curved. If the damage is severe, the plants die. Grayish spots appear on the surface of infected bulbs, the internal scales become loose, soft, and unevenly thickened. Cavities form between the scales, and the bulb feels soft to the touch. The outer scales, and sometimes the bottom, crack; in the fall, such bulbs are without roots. Gray spots are visible near the cracks - clusters of nematodes.

Nematodes overwinter in bulbs, remains of leaves and scales, and seeds. They remain viable in dry scales for up to five years.

Diseases when growing onions: photos and descriptions of fungal diseases

Downy mildew on onions
Downy mildew in the photo

Neck rot on onions
Cervical rot in the photo

Cervical rot- the most harmful disease of onions during storage. Its development begins in the garden bed. In the second half of summer, when the onion leaves wither and lie down, the fungus penetrates the neck of the bulb. Its tissues soften and a dent forms. 1-2 months after harvesting, rot covers the entire bulb, it becomes watery, acquires a yellow-pink tint, and emits an unpleasant odor.

Look at the photo - with this onion disease, the affected scales are covered with a smoky-gray coating of the fungus:

Neck rot on onions
Cervical rot in the photo

The bulb dries out, leaving only dry scales. During storage, rot spreads from diseased bulbs to healthy ones. In this case, the lesion begins on the side or bottom of the bulb.

Varieties with dark-colored scales have a shorter growing season, faster ripening, and are more resistant to this disease.

Rust on the bow
Onion rust in the photo

Rust affects onions, leeks, and garlic. In the spring, orange, later reddish-yellow, powdery small “warts” form on the leaves of the onion, which turn black in the summer. With severe development of the disease, the leaves dry out early and the bulbs become smaller. The pathogen overwinters on plant debris, as well as on perennial onions.

Green moldy rot on onions
Green moldy rot in the photo

Green moldy rot often found on onions during storage. Initially, brown watery spots appear on the bottom or outer scales of the bulbs. A whitish, then green or bluish-green coating forms on the spots and under dry scales. The causative agent of this fungal disease of onions persists in the soil on plant debris, as well as in places where crops are stored. The development of rot during storage is promoted by increased air humidity, as well as freezing of the bulbs.

These photos show onion diseases and pests that threaten plantings:

Diseases and pests of onions
Diseases and pests in the photo

Below you will learn how to protect onions from pests and diseases.

Protecting onion plantings from diseases and pests

use healthy planting material;
plant zoned varieties that exhibit the greatest resistance to pests and diseases;
strictly observe crop rotation. Return the onions to their original bed no earlier than after 3-4 years.
To prevent onion diseases, you need to remember that the best predecessors for these crops are potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, cabbage, parsnips, celery, turnips, and radishes.
Before sowing, heat the seeds (scald them with running boiling water through a sieve), heat the seeds for 2-3 days at a temperature of +30...+35°C or for 20-25 days at +25°C.
To treat onions from diseases and protect them from pests, it is necessary to add “Bazudin”, “Zemlin” or “Pochin” to the soil during planting or with fertilizing.
When growing onions for turnips, when the first signs of downy mildew appear, spray with Profit Gold. Repeat the treatment after 12-15 days;
Spray seed plantings of onions against pests (secret proboscis moth) with one of the insecticides recommended for protecting cabbage;
during the growing season, carry out all agrotechnical measures (watering, fertilizing, weeding, loosening, etc.).
To protect against onion diseases and pests, timely harvesting of ripened onions is necessary. Overexposed in the garden beds does not store well;
Before storing, sort through and discard bulbs with mechanical damage and signs of damage by pests and diseases; dry well. Observe optimal storage conditions;
Carefully remove all plant debris from the garden bed and destroy severely affected bulbs. Rejected ones should be used first.

Below is a selection of photos dedicated to the treatment of onions from diseases and protection from pests:

Onion pest protection
Pest protection in the photo

Onion pests and the fight against them - this is the first question that puzzles many gardeners who have discovered small insects in an onion bed. How to determine the type of pest, and most importantly, how to get rid of it as soon as possible?

Before you start fighting insects that have attacked the onion bed, you need to correctly identify the type of pest. The effectiveness of processing depends on whether the identification was made correctly. What insects love onions?

Onion fly

It affects the crop in the first period of growth. During mass summer, insects lay eggs between the rows of onions. Under favorable conditions, after a week, worms appear, which do not destroy the green sprouts, but climb inside the bulbs and begin to eat them. The danger of this insect is that just a couple of larvae can kill a plant in a short time. Depending on the location of the region, 2–3 generations of flies are activated during the growing season.

Root mite

Another of the small insects that infect onions during the growing season and storage. Pests multiply most actively in warm, rainy summers. Female root mites lay about 350 eggs, from which larvae emerge. Adults and young individuals eat the juicy scales, as a result of which the turnip turns into dust. The attack of unexpected guests is evidenced by wilted twisting stems, the surface of which is covered with white spots.

Onion stem nematode

At the last stage of growth, onions are attacked by small scale insects. First, the nematode feeds on succulent feathers, and then on the turnips themselves. In plants attacked by the nematode, the feathers become lighter and become deformed. Stems covered with swollen areas quickly wither and die. At the time external signs appear, the bulb is already severely damaged.

Onion weevil

A distinctive feature of the pest is its long, slightly bent nose. The greatest damage is caused to onions by the larvae hatched from eggs, which the female insects laid with the arrival of spring. If the plantings are not treated immediately, the larvae quickly climb inside the feathers and eat them. A sign that insects have begun active activity is oblong white spots on the surface of the feathers. The bugs are also quite voracious, as they use their trunks to suck the juice out of the greens.

Onion hoverfly

A large bronze-green fly lays eggs, which hatch into gray-green larvae that feed on turnip pulp. Most often, the hoverfly lays eggs on already diseased plants. The danger of the pest is that it is quite difficult to identify it - when there are no signs on the upper part, the lower part is already quite damaged. If nothing is done, the onion hoverfly will remain over the winter and cause damage to crops the following season.

Onion (tobacco) thrips

Small insects attack young shoots soon after they appear on the surface. Yellow scale insects hatch from eggs laid on the tops of the feathers. Affected plants become covered with silvery spots and small black dots in a matter of days. As a result of the activity of pests, the onions turn yellow and dry out.

How to prevent pests?

Since the fight against voracious insects does not always end successfully, it is better to try to avoid the appearance of pests in your area. What manipulations will help keep insects away from the onion bed? List:

Compliance with crop rotation rules. Like most cultivated plants, onions can be planted in the same place only 3-4 years after the first planting.
Digging the soil. On the eve of winter, the bed is carefully cleaned and dug up. In the spring, re-digging is carried out.
Planting carrots. Since the leaves of this plant produce phytoncides, the aroma of which is not to the liking of many insects, the crop is placed next to the onion bed.
Processing of sets. To destroy microorganisms on the surface of the bulbs, planting material is soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or copper sulfate, and then dried and heated at a temperature of +30–+40 ⁰С or immersed in water for 10 minutes, the temperature of which is +50–+55 ⁰С.
Spraying. In order to repel pests, onions are treated with wormwood infusion.
Care. The bed needs to be weeded and loosened regularly. Manipulations will not only stimulate the growth of turnips, but will also help identify plants that are sick or damaged by insects.
Choice of variety. Thanks to the work of breeders, there is a wide range of varieties on sale, the vast majority of which are resistant to bacteria. Onion diseases and their treatment take up a lot of time for the gardener, thereby distracting him from other equally serious problems.
Early boarding. Onions are planted immediately after the soil dries from melt water. The sooner planting is done, the stronger the plants will become by the time pests multiply.

As you can see, the rules of prevention are very simple, so even a person who has started growing onions for the first time can follow them. However, even despite all these actions, insects often attack the crop. What to do in this case?

How to deal with pests?

Unfortunately, there is no single scheme for controlling onion pests. The list of manipulations directly depends on the type of insect. So, an infusion of herbs with a pungent odor: garlic, wormwood, tobacco, hot red pepper will help get rid of onion flies and onion hoverflies. Fertilizing with urea will help repel pests. For prevention purposes, the bulb beds are covered with mulching material.

If the bed is attacked by weevils, infusions of plants with a strong aroma are used as weapons. An insect will definitely not covet an onion that smells like celandine, mustard or tansy. In addition to spraying the plant, you can generously sprinkle it with chopped dry herbs. The beds are dusted with wood ash and tobacco leaf powder.

The same “fragrant” mixtures will help get rid of onion thrips. The most effective remedies are prepared as follows:

Place 1 kg of wormwood in a pan and pour in 3 liters of water, after which the mixture is boiled for 20 minutes and cooled. Spray the onions 2 times with an interval of 7 days.
Stir 2 g of mustard powder in a glass of water. The mixture is infused for 48 hours. To prepare the working solution, the volume of the concentrate is adjusted to 1 liter.

To prevent the appearance of the pest, organic residues are carefully removed before winter. The tools needed for planting are treated with a disinfectant. In case of severe infection, onions are treated with chemicals such as VDG, Aktara.

The following means are widely used to destroy onion moths and a number of other insects:

300 g of wood ash is poured with boiled water and then left to infuse. For better adhesion, add 40 g of soap to the cooled, strained mixture.
100 g of calendula seeds are poured into 5 liters of water and left to infuse for two days. The resulting infusion is used to treat onions affected by moths.
Finely chopped garlic is poured in a 1:1 ratio with water and left for 14 days in a closed jar. To prepare the working mixture, add 70 g of concentrate to 10 liters of water.
0.5 kg of red hot pepper is cut in half, poured into a 5-liter saucepan and boiled. The cooled broth is filtered. Onions are sprayed with a solution of 10 liters of water, 130 g of broth, 40 g of soap.
200 g of tobacco is poured with boiling water and left to infuse. After the mixture has cooled, it is filtered. Spray the plants and soil. Consumption per 1 sq.m. beds - 1 l.
To destroy onion fly, the soil around the turnips is sprayed with a salt solution. To prepare the mixture, dissolve 200 g of table salt in a bucket of water. Treatment is carried out upon reaching a height of 5 cm. Subsequent spraying is carried out at intervals of 3 weeks.

If these means are ineffective in combating numerous insects, the onions are sprayed with chemicals. Proclam, SPINTOR, Decis, Bi-58, Tabazol, Metaphos show good results.

Regardless of the type of insect that attacked the onion planting, it is recommended to use aggressive pesticides only in case of severe infestation.

Both the first and second types of spraying are carried out in dry, calm weather in the afternoon. To achieve a positive effect, treatments are carried out periodically.

As you can see, the variety of onion pests is quite large. Having discovered at least one insect on plants, you must immediately begin measures to destroy it. If you don’t react in time, the seemingly harmless bugs will eat the entire onion in a matter of days. To reduce the risk of collision with voracious insects, it is recommended to carry out preventive measures, which consist of following the rules of crop rotation, soil and seed preparation.

Onion, which can kill germs and relieve people from runny nose, cough and other diseases, can also hurt and rot for various reasons.

Diseases of onions during cultivation are not uncommon if the main rules (disinfection, frequency of watering, etc.) were not followed during planting and care. Let's find out what diseases onion plants suffer from, what are the causes of their diseases, and how to deal with them in order to get a good harvest.

Main diseases of onions

With onion mosaic, yellowish stripes appear on the leaves of the onion, and the feather itself becomes wavy or corrugated. Plants wither, lie down and die.

This viral disease is carried by mites and aphids, so they must be destroyed as soon as they appear on the plants. The disease itself cannot be treated: we remove diseased plants from the beds and destroy them.

Most often, onions become infected with Fusarium bottom rot, an infectious disease whose source is in the soil. The bottoms of the onions are affected by infection during the growth period: the onion soon loses its leaves, its roots rot.

Causes of the disease

Overmoistening of the soil during bulb ripening.
Late harvest.
Harvesting onions in the rain.
Dry weather at the time of onion ripening, when the soil overheats.

Weakened plants affected by pests are especially quickly affected by Fusarium rot.

Prevention and treatment of onion disease during cultivation

We plant high-quality seedlings or seedlings in the beds, subjecting the planting material to disinfection.

If there are spots or rotten areas on the sets or bulbs from seedlings, discard them immediately.

We mainly grow early-ripening or mid-ripening onion varieties: they are less susceptible to fusarium.
We follow all the rules for caring for onion plants during the growing process, both in seedling boxes and in open ground.

We pay special attention to loosening and weeding so that the roots of the bulbs have constant access to oxygen.

Do not delay harvesting and thoroughly dry the onions, discarding diseased bulbs.

Having discovered a diseased onion, we immediately pull it out of the ground and destroy it, after which we treat the beds with Bordeaux mixture (1% solution).

Cervical rot

Bulbs are usually affected when the leaves fall, especially if it is warm and raining. But more often this disease is detected a month to a month and a half after the start of harvest storage.

The neck and scales of onions affected by the causative fungus become watery and pinkish-yellow, which is especially noticeable when the bulbs are cut longitudinally. The bulbs are affected more and more deeply, and their shell is covered with gray mold with dark sclerotia, turning into a black crust with a bumpy surface.

Prevention and control of neck rot

We follow the same preventive measures that are recommended for fusarium.
We remove diseased plants from the beds as soon as we detect the disease.

Before storing, we warm the crop at 30-40 degrees for 24 hours, then 20 hours at 45 degrees. If possible, treat the onions with chalk.

Wet bacterial rot

Onions are affected by bacterial rot towards the end of the growing season. Small, unnoticeable, wet wounds form on the feather. The disease spreads to the bulbs and destroys them from the inside.

If you cut lengthwise an onion that has developed wet rot, you will see several soft, translucent scales that feel like they are covered with mucus. Diseased scales alternate with healthy ones.

Subsequently, rot takes over the entire onion: it smells disgusting and rots completely.

Diseases of onions during cultivation, such as wet rot, occur for the following reasons:

The bulb is damaged when loosening, unhilling or harvesting, or gets sunburn.
When the bulbs ripen, sudden weather changes are observed. For example, too rapid a transition from warm, humid weather to dry weather results in accelerated drying of leaves and metabolic disorders.
The infection is carried by thrips, onion flies or mites.

To avoid wet rot, we use disinfected seeds and bulbs when planting, loosen and unhill carefully, without touching the bulbs themselves, and destroy pests if they appear.

Rust, caused by a fungus, affects the onion feather: it becomes covered with yellowish bulges, intended for the maturation of fungal spores. Subsequently, the onion stops growing - both the feather and the bulbs.

The fungus appears on onions if tops and weeds are left on the beds for the winter: it is not afraid of any frost.

Prevention and control of onion rust

Removing tops and other plant debris from the beds after harvesting.
Avoiding excessive density of onion plantings.
Careful care of onions according to all the rules.
Watering under the feather, not from above.

Having noticed diseased plants, we immediately remove them from the garden.

- a fungal disease that affects the above-ground part: leaves grow poorly, turn yellow for no reason, wither and dry out, flower stalks break.

Causes of appearance: ingress of the fungus from plant residues left on the beds after harvesting, from untreated sets and seeds. Downy mildew manifests itself especially often at the beginning of the growing season, especially in rainy weather.

How to prevent the disease

We disinfect planting material, remove plant remains from the beds without leaving them for the winter, and do not plant onions in the same place every year.

After harvesting the tops and weeds, we treat the ridges with a one percent solution of Bordeaux mixture.

We do not overuse nitrogen fertilizers - we give preference to mineral fertilizers.
During prolonged rains, we install arches and cover the ridges with polyethylene.

We remove and destroy the diseased onions, treat the ridge with Bordeaux mixture.

- a fungal disease that affects onions when sowing seeds for sets, especially if onions are grown every year in the same area.

Young leaves are covered with elongated bulges with gray or black stripes, which soon form on young bulbs, when cut open dark gray spores are visible.

How to deal with smut

We observe crop rotation, not planting onions in the same beds for two to three years.
Before sowing, we treat the soil with Bordeaux mixture and disinfect the seeds with potassium permanganate or fungicides.

We remove diseased plants from the beds and destroy them. We spill the soil with a one percent solution of Bordeaux mixture.

As you can see, diseases of onions during cultivation cause a significant blow to the future harvest. It is much easier to prevent the development of such diseases by following the rules of planting and care, because they are incurable.

There are a wide variety of green onion diseases, and the quality and benefits of the harvest will depend on their proper treatment. The fight against fungal and viral infections is long and difficult, so it is better to take time to prevent diseases. Knowing the first signs of the onset of the disease, you can prevent the mass spread of the pathogen.

A popular type of onion grown for feathers is the batun (Ural family, Seryozha, Semiletka, Maisky). It has a fairly well developed ground part, the feather is thin and can reach 1 meter in length. There are much more useful substances in greens than in onions.

You can plant bulbs or sow seeds. Planting begins in early May. The bulbs are planted to a depth of 3 cm. In July, you can cut the greens, and after a while they will grow again. Since the trumpet grows in one place for several years, next year the first harvest can be collected within a month.

Chives are also grown for greenery. Long narrow leaves with a strong odor can grow up to 50 cm. A small bulb can also form, which is also used for food. Such varieties are known as Bohemia, Lilac ringing, Chemal, Honey plant.

Leeks form delicate and fragrant feathers, flat like garlic leaves, that grow in a fan. There is no bulb, but there is a thick, white stem. Popular varieties include: Vesta, Columbus, Elephant, Casimir, Alligator.

Shallots allow you to cut the greens several times throughout the season. Recommended varieties include Afonya, Aristocratic, Starorussky, Leader, Green, and Karlik.

You can also get greens from onions. For this purpose, small turnips are selected. The following varieties are better suited for these purposes: Soyuz, Strigunovsky, Rostovsky, Bessonovsky.

Planting turnips or onion seeds on greens begins at the end of April, but provided that the soil has warmed up to +12 degrees. Already in mid-summer you can harvest the first harvest. If you plan to collect fresh greens in the spring, then the seeds can be sown in mid-summer.

How to grow onions for greens in open soil?

Green onions can be grown both from sets and from seeds. The vegetable can be planted close to each other or keeping a distance of 3 cm. Tight planting prevents the bulb from forming, and all efforts are directed to forcing the green feather.

The process of growing onions for feathers begins with the proper preparation of planting material. The most commonly used is onion. Choose medium-sized bulbs (3 cm in diameter and weight no more than 45 g). Selected healthy planting material is dense, without damage, stains or dents. Excess husks are removed from them.

The process of heating and disinfection will help protect the future harvest from viruses. It is recommended to warm the bulbs at a temperature of +40 degrees for 8 hours. After this, keep it in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or salt.

What should you be wary of?

When planting onions on feathers, you need to be prepared for the possibility of diseases and pests. They often cause complete loss of crops. To prevent this from happening, you need to know the main signs of a problem and try to prevent further development.

Green feathers of plants affected by the fungus cannot be cut for use as food. If individual bulbs with signs of damage appear in the garden bed, they need to be removed, and the rest of the greenery should be cut off and dried at temperatures above 50 degrees. This will destroy pathogenic microorganisms.

Diseases

Growing green onions begins with preparatory work, which is aimed at destroying pathogenic flora. Under favorable conditions, fungi become active and lead to the death of the crop.

The most common infections of green onions include rust, downy mildew, and mosaic. Each disease has its own distinctive signs.

Onion rust is a fungal disease that can affect all types of onions. The leaves form oval, slightly convex yellow spots. As the disease progresses, feather growth stops, they dry out and die. The development of rust is promoted by wet weather and excessive watering, as well as excess nitrogen.

Powdery mildew (downy mildew) is a fungal disease. This disease spreads very quickly and destroys the entire crop. Yellow spots appear on the leaves, and a little later gray-violet spores appear. The plaque is especially noticeable in the morning, after dew. Over time, the spots increase, and all the feathers turn yellow and dry out.

Downy mildew develops in conditions of high humidity, lack of fresh air due to too dense plantings, insufficient solar heat and light.

The disease is treated folk remedies based on wood ash and whey. After using chemicals, you should not eat greens. It is necessary to reduce the number of waterings and remove nitrogen fertilization. At the same time, they provide the plant with a sufficient amount of potassium and phosphorus. It is these components that help fight diseases.

The causative agent of Onion Mosaic is a virus. Light yellow spots appear on green leaves. Over time, the spots grow, the feathers begin to curl and dry out at the tips. The reason may be dense planting or pest invasion.

Green onion mosaic disease can be treated with folk remedies. A tincture made from wood ash has proven itself well. 300 g of ash is diluted in 10 liters of water and boiled for 30 minutes. After the solution has cooled, add 35 ml of liquid soap. The green part of the plant is sprayed with the prepared composition.

Another fungal disease that affects onions is neck rot. The infection destroys the onion head. The neck of the bulb becomes thinner, dries and rots. A gray coating appears, which, as the disease progresses, turns into large black dots. If diseased bulbs are planted the next year, the feathers will be weak, sluggish, and pale green with a coating.

Pests

The main pests of green onions are onion flies or moths, thrips and nematodes. The plant develops slowly, the feathers begin to turn yellow and dry out, despite proper care and timely application of fertilizers.

The main methods of pest control include proper preparation soil in autumn. The site is dug up deeply and cleared of weeds. Next year, it is advisable to plant other vegetables in this place, for example, carrots, corn, herbs. Fighting methods:

If a problem occurs, you can water the rows with a saline solution, avoiding getting it on the greens. Dissolve 20 g of table salt in a bucket of water.
Periodically, you can sprinkle the beds with a mixture of wood ash, ground pepper and tobacco dust.
A tincture of tobacco and ground pepper helps. First, 300 g of tobacco is poured with water for several days. Pour 5 g of ground pepper and 20 ml of liquid soap into the finished infusion. Before spraying, the concentrate is diluted again with water.

They are very attentive to the preparation of planting material. Seeds or sets must first be warmed and disinfected.

Top dressing

There are many formulations for feeding onions for greens. It is especially important to fertilize the soil during the period of active feather growth. You can treat the beds with a solution of Agricola 2, Effecton-O, Vegata.

Wood ash, which is sprinkled between rows, is of great benefit. You can prepare an ash infusion. To do this, pour 200 g of ash with hot water, leave for a day, and then water the beds.

For intensive green growth, the soil must have sufficient nitrogen content. In order to prevent fungal diseases, beds with green onions are fed with potassium salt.

The first fertilizing is carried out after the first thinning. You can make an infusion from cow dung or bird droppings. Organic matter can be replaced with a mineral composition. A mixture of ammonium nitrate, potassium salt and superphosphate is suitable.

The second feeding of onions for greens is carried out after another two weeks. Feedings based on phosphorus and potassium are suitable. A mixture of 35 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium chloride is scattered on the beds where the onions grow.

Additional fertilization may be required if pests, diseases, or changes occur. appearance plants. For example, with a lack of nitrogen, leaves grow slowly and yellow spots appear on them. Phosphorus deficiency is indicated by the appearance of large brown spots.

Proper watering

When growing onions, you need to set the watering regime. Any varieties of onions selected for greens need to be watered once every 10. If the weather is dry, then the frequency of watering is increased. It is advisable to water with warm, settled water early in the morning or in the evening, after sunset. While the feather is growing, it is better to pour water at the root. You can water the onions on the greens until harvest.

A lack or excess of moisture can cause the green onions in the garden to begin to turn yellow. If there is a lack of moisture, the soil can become loose, and if there is too much moisture, the risk of rotting will increase. What to do in this case? If the cause is a lack of moisture, then you need to resume watering. You can check the soil moisture by digging a wooden stick deeper. If it remains wet by 10 cm, then watering is postponed for 2-3 days. It is best to organize a drip irrigation system; it is also recommended to mulch the soil.

These small-sized bladderpods (0.8-0.9 mm) live everywhere on completely different crops. They are characterized by camouflage colors: brown, yellow. The thrips body is narrow. Wings with a characteristic delicate fringe. The larva is wingless and light-colored. The female lays eggs 0.25 mm long in depressions previously made in the pulp of the leaf plate, one at a time. In total, there are up to 100 such single clutches during a lifetime. After 3 or 5 days, “youth” appear, similar to the imago, but smaller in size and wingless.

The adult overwinters on dry plant residues in the soil layer and in bulb scales during storage. With a favorable microclimate in storage, it can reproduce all winter. With the advent of the sun, the first weeds attack. Then, in June, they move on to onions, tobacco, watermelons, cucumbers, etc. In total, the number of plants affected by the pest has exceeded 400! Continues to cause damage until the crop is completely harvested. The bulbs become wrinkled under the scaly layer. They acquire a brown tint with a silver tint. It is difficult to completely remove the pest. The harm from thrips is noticeable:

They feed on juice, sucking it from flowers, leaves, and fruits.
are carriers of viral diseases.

The waste products of bladderpods pollute the plantings in the beds, staining the plant with small black dots. Traces of the lesion remain in the axils of the leaves in the form of light, mercury-like spots. Tobacco thrips leads a hidden lifestyle. It reminds of its presence by yellow leaves, which begin to deteriorate from the top, gradually turning yellow and dying. The plant slows down in growth, the bulbs are small. At the same time, shallots are more resistant to pests than onions. Garlic is the least susceptible to infection.

Main directions of struggle

The fight against thrips on onions is more difficult than the work to prevent their appearance. Therefore, prevention in the fight is put at the forefront.

High air humidity is the main enemy of thrips.
Only healthy material from proven farms is planted on the beds.
Compliance with processing schedules. Coordination of ways to deal with adjustments to calendar weather changes.
Direction of impact on the most vulnerable phases of insect development: egg, larva, etc.
Don’t get hung up on one method, use a set of measures to keep the number of pests low.
Do not neglect traditional methods of combating the repellent effect.
Organize planting of insecticidal or repellent crops: calendula, tagetes, etc.
Use chemicals only in extreme cases.

Prevent occurrence

Onion thrips can be controlled by proper crop rotation. Repeated planting of bulbs is allowed in the same beds only after a four-year break.
Regularly inspect plants for migrating thrips larvae. If they are detected, inspect the crops growing in the vicinity of the onion beds.
There is no need for a greenhouse to plant cucumber seedlings and tomatoes with onions at an early stage.
After harvesting, leave a clean garden in winter, removing and burning plant debris. The same is done with waste remaining in storage facilities after winter.
Autumn digging of the soil to a depth of at least 0.15-0.25 m is required. This is due to the fact that the pest mainly overwinters at a depth of 7 cm.
If onions are grown in greenhouses, after collecting the bulbs they are treated with Karbofos (15%).
Weeding between rows in the summer, on the one hand, removes weeds, and on the other, destroys insect pupae.
Before planting the affected seed, it is warmed up for 48 hours at a temperature of 40-42°C.
You can immediately soak the bulbs in hot (50°C) water for 5 minutes before planting them in the ground and immediately dip them in cold water.
Plantings of onions and other plants are regularly irrigated with water.
If an insect has settled on an onion, you can wash it off with a stream of water under pressure.
Mulching the soil will help maintain moisture.

Attention! Finding out whether there are thrips on onions is quite easy. You need to trudge the plant over a clean white sheet.

Chemical methods of control

And if thrips have already been found on onions: how to fight them?

Fumigate the room where the seeds are stored with sulfur (sulfur gas): 60 g of sulfur is enough to treat 1 cubic meter of storage.
A good result is obtained by systemic treatment of the crop with insecticides: Vertimek, Mospilan, Karate, Zeon, Commander Maxi.
Thrips on onions are successfully destroyed by the natural insecticide Spintor. The drug is used in accordance with the instructions. Apply once every one and a half weeks. In general cases, repeated treatments at air temperatures of 15 to 22 degrees are carried out one and a half weeks after the first. At 22-26 degrees – in 5-8 days.

Carefully! When growing green onions, insecticides should not be used.

Other methods

Another way to deal with thrips is to place sticky traps between the beds. The base is paper tapes and cardboards, painted in colors “attractive” to insects – yellow or blue. Coated with glue to catch flies and other insects. Thrips caught in the trap will allow us to assess the real picture of the population size, as well as significantly reduce it.

Using folk remedies, you can treat onions with infusions of herbs and flowers. But these are rather deterrent measures that are practically ineffective when there is a large dominance of pests.

Leave 1 tablespoon of chopped onion or garlic in a glass of water for 24 hours. Sprinkle the strained stock onto the culture.
Grind dry tobacco leaves. A little water is poured. The composition is aged for 3 hours, filtered and infused for 36 hours. The strained concentrate is diluted with water 1:2 before spraying.
Grind 200 g of dried lemon, pomegranate, tangerine and orange peels along with 80 grams of yarrow, 10 g of hot red pepper and 2 cloves of garlic. You can also add wood ash. The mixture poured with boiling water simmers over low heat for a quarter of an hour. Leave until the mixture cools down and strain.
Use freshly picked celandine stems and flowers (400 g). Instead of fresh raw materials, dry grass (100 g) is used. Celandine is filled with water in an amount of 1 liter and infused for 48-72 hours.

Attention! Predatory mites Amblyseius degenerans, Amblyseius barken and predatory bugs Orius majusculus are also destroyers of thrips larvae. To get rid of them, it is enough to release 300 females for one infected plant. Statistics show that the effect of using entomopathogenic nematodes when applied to the soil gives an almost absolute result.

Using all of these methods or some of them will give good results in reducing the thrips population. Planting disinfected material will reduce the likelihood of future pest occurrences.