Fertilizer can play a very important role in taking your soil to the proverbial next level. The reason for this is because it infuses the dirt with the nutrients that may otherwise be lacking.
The best way to ensure this is the case happens before you purchase your fertilizer. A soil test should provide you with the information you need to help you make an informed decision. The reason you can do this is by taking a look at the trio of numbers that will listed on the bag.
These numbers represent the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium located within the bag. Over-fertilization of a certain nutrient can do some funky things to your onions, such as discoloration or distaste.
Blood meal, bone meal, guano, and earthworm casings can all be key components of a fertilizer that can help your onions thrive. Over time, you may even get ambitious enough to try to make your own fertilizer. It also works because it will allow you to get used to the concept of using fertilizer without having to worry about second-guessing yourself. The reason for this is because growing veggies as a whole share a lot of the same needs in terms of nutrition and care.
Obviously, each fruit and veggie grown does come with their own idiosyncrasies. However, a lot of the general rules of care apply. If you make a mistake with fertilization, you can always correct it the next time around.
Photo by Klimkin licensed under CC0. Read more. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Close Menu Fruits. Container Gardening. Onions perform best in soil with a pH between 5. Depending on the test results, you might have to work limestone into the top 7 inches to raise the pH, or till in sulfur to lower it. Test the soil early in the planning process, because the amendments can take up to a year to have an effect.
Phosphorous helps promote root growth and bulb formation in onions. To provide this, work a handful of rock phosphate or bone meal into the soil before planting. In addition to the nutrients, spread a 3-inch layer of compost over the soil to promote soil moisture retention. Work all the amendments into the top 10 inches of soil. As your onions grow, side-dressing them with additional nutrients is beneficial to their development.
When the bulbs start swelling, dig a 2-inch-deep furrow along a foot-long row, at a distance of about 3 inches from the plants. Almost all vegetables appreciate soil with high levels of organic matter, but this is especially true for onions. Commercial onions are often grown in "muck" soils that are very high in organic matter. Any soil fertility program will be more effective if you combine it with generous additions of organic matter.
If you can prepare your soil several months — or more — before planting, you can increase your soil's organic matter by blending in almost any form of organic residue, such as weeds, lawn clippings, surplus vegetables, fresh manure or deciduous leaves. If you need to plant your onions soon, use well-decomposed forms of organic matter, such as compost or composted manure, to meet the onion fertilizer requirements.
The pH of your soil is a number that represents how acid or alkaline it is. Each of the onion plant varieties has an ideal pH range, and outside of this range, soil nutrients are less available to the plant. This means your onions will not thrive if your pH is too high or too low, even if you apply all the recommended fertilizers.
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