Why the onion didn’t grow: 7 reasons for a poor harvest

Unfortunately, one of the reasons why the onion did not grow is the weather. If the temperatures are low and it rains all summer, or, on the contrary, the weather is too hot and dry, then it is extremely difficult to grow a decent harvest, no matter what we do. But everything else is in our hands!

Poorly chosen location for a garden bed

A poor onion harvest can be caused by an incorrectly chosen place for planting the vegetable. What conditions does an onion need?

Firstly, this plant loves the sun. Onions growing in partial shade and especially in the shade will definitely not please you with a harvest. To ensure that the heads grow large, place the bed in a flat, ventilated, well-lit place.

Secondly, onions do not tolerate stagnant water, so you should not plant them in a lowland. The best option is high beds and places with deep groundwater.

Thirdly, permeable loamy and sandy loam soils with a neutral acidity level are best suited for onions. If you have heavy clay soil, add sand or rotted sawdust to the bed before planting. If the soil is acidic, wood ash or dolomite flour will help reduce the acidity level.

And finally, it is worth paying attention to the predecessors. It is recommended to plant onions after the following crops:

• cucumbers,
• zucchini,
• cabbage,
• tomatoes,
• potatoes,
• Perth.

Wrong fit

One of the reasons for a poor onion harvest may be errors in planting and sowing. Planting material must be placed at the correct distance from each other – only in this case the plants will be able to form full-fledged heads.

The most common mistake is planting too close together. Plants that are not spaced far enough apart will compete for light, moisture and nutrients, which will affect the size of the bulb and may even result in its absence. The optimal distance for planting onion sets is considered to be 10-15 cm between plants (if the sets are small, then 7 cm is enough) and 25-30 cm between rows. When growing from seeds, the seeds are laid out in pre-watered furrows with a gap of 1,5-2 cm from each other, placing the rows every 10-15 cm.

It is also important not to plant the onion sets and seeds too deep, so that they can germinate more easily. The seeds are sown to a depth of 1,5-2 cm. As for the onion sets, you should focus on the size of the planting material, but usually it is placed at a depth of about 3 cm from the surface of the ground (the distance is measured from the “shoulders” of the bulb). If the onion sets are large and the soil in the area is light, the depth can be increased.

To repel soil pests, holes and furrows during planting can be sprinkled with a mixture of wood ash and tobacco dust.

Wrong variety

There are a huge number of onion varieties, and not every one of them is capable of producing a rich harvest of bulbs. Thus, some varieties are intended for growing greens, so you should not expect them to form a large head. There are varieties that require a long daylight period (at least 14-16 hours) for full development. These are varieties for southern latitudes, so in the middle zone they will not produce the harvest promised by the manufacturer.

And for our conditions, it is better to choose zoned varieties and hybrids of short or medium daylight. They need 10-12 hours to ripen and form large heads. In addition, such onions are good for winter planting, which is practiced by many summer residents.

Lack of nutrients

Onions are quite demanding in terms of nutrition, so one of the main guarantees of a good harvest of this crop is fertilizing. The vegetable needs nitrogen, which stimulates the growth of green mass. It also needs potassium and phosphorus, the lack of which negatively affects the formation of the bulb. Of the microelements, boron, manganese and iron are especially necessary.

We will tell you how to feed onions for a good harvest.

1. The first feeding is carried out at the end of May, using a fertilizer with a high nitrogen content, such as urea or ready-made mineral fertilizer (azofoska, Fasco for onions, etc.). In the spring, it is not recommended to add fresh organic matter to the bed intended for onions, since the plant will actively grow the above-ground part to the detriment of the head.
2. The second feeding is carried out in mid-July, using potassium-phosphorus fertilizer (nitrophoska, superphosphate with potassium sulfate, etc.).
3. The third time in the season, the onion is fed when the head reaches 5 cm. Take any fertilizer without nitrogen, for example superphosphate and potassium sulfate.

All fertilizing is carried out only on well-moistened soil.

Excess or lack of moisture

When growing onions, the soil moisture has a great influence on the harvest. Onions prefer moderately moist soil. Excess moisture has a negative effect on the growth and development of plants and can lead to diseases. Lack of moisture is no less harmful to onions: in severe drought, plant growth slows down and bulb formation stops.

The plant needs the most moisture during the period of head formation. At this time, in the absence of rain, the watering rate is 35 liters per 1 sq.m. The rest of the time, the bed is watered once a week, soaking the soil by 10-15 cm. About a month before harvesting, watering is completely stopped to allow the bulb to ripen well.

Diseases or pests

Pests can significantly reduce the onion harvest. The most dangerous enemies of onions are:

Onions are also susceptible to diseases. Significant yield losses can be caused by:

Prevention will help prevent these troubles from occurring:

• before planting, disinfect the planting material in a saturated solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes or in any biofungicide, such as Fitosporin-M, Sporobacterin, Gamair, etc.;
• You can also disinfect the soil. To do this, pour it with the same Fitosporin before planting;
• good results are shown by planting onions and carrots together, which will help to avoid the invasion of onion flies and onion hoverflies;
• To prevent the appearance of some harmful insects, dust the onion plantings with tobacco dust or a mixture of tobacco dust and wood ash (1,5:2) every 1-1 weeks.

Mistakes in care

Mistakes in agricultural technology can also lead to a poor onion harvest. What you need to pay special attention to when growing onions:

1. Remove weeds regularly, as they deprive the onions of nutrients and moisture.
2. After each heavy rain and watering (ideally), loosen the soil to prevent the formation of a crust on its surface, which hinders air access to the roots and provokes root rot. Loosening is especially necessary on clay soils.
3. Carry out preventive treatments of plantings against pests and diseases.
4. When the arrows appear, break them off immediately. But it is better not to pick off the feathers, because they are needed to form a large bulb.
5. As mentioned above, watering and fertilizing are also of great importance for a good onion harvest.

It is important to closely monitor the condition of the plants and immediately take the necessary measures if any problems arise: too early yellowing or lodging of the feathers, spots on the feathers, rotting of the bulbs, etc. This is the only way to save the onion crop.