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robin303_gw

Fertilizer for onions

robin303
18 years ago

Howdy, What is your favorite fertilizer for onions that works for you. I really don't want to buy that high dollar stuff just for onions. Thanks

Comments (6)

  • negi
    18 years ago

    Greensand for potassium and Iron. Agricultral crushed limestone for calcium, Mulch for everything else.
    -Bob

  • kentuckyheirloomer
    18 years ago

    All my alliums get the same mix: equal parts of blood meal, bone meal, and wood ashes applied at the rate of one cup each per ten row feet.

    This is worked in to the soil before planting, and used, again, as a side dressing long about May.

  • negi
    18 years ago

    In truth, I think that Kentuckyheirloomer's recipe is better, than the the one I generally use. My recipe is adapted to a very raised bed or pot. Pots and very raised beds, loose potassium and calcium quickly. So I go for a slower release solution. I usually go with a 2' to 3' high bed or a 1' to 2' tall pot. Smaller pots dry out too quickly in the Texas sun. I fill the bottom half of the bed or pot with wood chips. This gives me good drainage and keeps the pot from going anerobic. Wood chips also give good slow release nutrients. Then I cover with 6 parts spent mushroom dirt to one part canadian peat moss. When a plant is tall enough, I mulch it seriously. I use wood shavings, sawdust, and oak leaves. For some plants I use cedar shavings to protect them. Western red cedar has not demonstrated phytotoxic behavior in my garden so far, but it does help repel moths. Because I collect a lot of plants from various sources, a lot of my garden consists of isolation pots. This way I can observe a plant before exposing other plants. By having them in pots, I can observe companion plant behavior without root issues. For example, rosemary is a very nice companion plant but if you plant it next to anything but sage, you are probably going to kill it or the other plant because of the difference in water needs. In the few areas where I have built some decent soil, I use a very simular recipe to Kentuckyheirloomers.

  • kentuckyheirloomer
    18 years ago

    Let's keep in mind, too, that mine is a permanent alliums bed, that gets compost and other organics worked in every year as well as the amendments.

    If anything, it is probably richer than it needs to be. But I'd rather have it nutrient rich than nutrient deficient, considering what heavy feeders alliums are.

  • pablo_nh
    18 years ago

    Bunny crap and compost. That's it- mulched with shredded oak leaves.

  • paquebot
    18 years ago

    For onions and garlic: Pigeon manure and compost plus homemade venison bone meal. Garlic mulched with shredded silver maple, green ash, and white oak leaves. Onions mulched and side-dressed with fresh grass clippings.

    Martin