There are various subtleties in processing onions for spring planting, but exactly 5 common and cheap procedures are suitable for processing seed and planting material.
Treated onions with potassium permanganate
There are three ways to properly treat seeds with potassium permanganate before sowing. All methods are unique, differing in the content of the composition and the period (time) of soaking in the resulting liquid.
Method 1 – ready-made 1% solution. Combine 10 grams of powder per 1 liter of water (room temperature). The onion is infused in the resulting solution for 45 minutes.
Method 2 – light composition. Here, combine 3 grams of powder with 1 liter of clean water. It is necessary to keep the material in the solution for two hours. This treatment method is an option suitable for everyone, although some say that not all bacteria die with this solution.
Method 3 – highly concentrated. It is necessary to combine 25 grams of powder with warm water in an amount of 1 liter. The onion should be soaked for 15–20 minutes. The third method is used only when there is a suspicion that the bulbs are infected. But it is important to remember that this composition is highly concentrated, so there is a risk of destroying the planting material itself.
Cleaning onions from bacteria using soda
Many argue that this processing method helps the planting material not to bolt so much. Soda disinfects, so people use this method as an alternative to salt or potassium permanganate.To prepare a baking soda concentrate, you will need: one and a half teaspoons of baking soda and 1 liter of water. The planting material is soaked for about 2–3 hours. This product protects the bulbs from rotting and infections. You should know that soda does not eliminate infections that are inside the bulbs, it only eliminates them from the outside.
Treating onions with salt
This processing method is very simple, so it is used most often. For this you need: warm water in a volume of 10 liters, 5-6 tbsp. l. coarse salt or 4 tbsp. l. fine iodized. Onion sets are soaked in this solution for 5 hours. After the specified time has elapsed, rinse with warm water. This treatment will protect the future harvest from all kinds of parasites, for example, ticks and others. You can also make a solution with a lower concentration, for example, take 2 tablespoons of table salt for 10 liters of water, and treat (spray) the bed just before planting the onions. However, you need to remember that it is better not to cultivate the beds too often - this can damage the soil for a long time. It is recommended to use this procedure once.
Copper sulfate to help
This solution is effective for cleaning onions from bacteria, but it is important to remember that you need to be vigilant with copper sulfate, and when processing you need to use gloves because the substance is toxic. To work, you need to combine 1 teaspoon of powder with a liter of water. Water temperature - 45 degrees. Soak the bulbs in this solution for 2 hours. Then the planting material is washed in cold water and dried. Copper sulfate stops fungal diseases.
Processing onions with wood ash
The same popular remedy as all of the above. For the required concentrate you will need: add 0.5 cans of ash to a 10-liter bucket of water. The seeds are kept in this solution for only 10 minutes. Then they need to be dried until completely dry. Wood ash protects the bulbs from rotting.
The peculiarity of spring processing of onions is that it takes longer than in autumn, in order to properly awaken the dormant seeds. Thus, nature dictates the rules for organizing the process.
