How to water onions with ammonia from onion flies

You can get a plentiful and high-quality onion harvest in various ways. Of course, it is not enough to simply plant a crop and wait until the harvest time passes. It is necessary to feed the plant in every possible way, choosing between homemade and store-bought preparations.

If you resort to the second option, then ammonia is considered effective. A solution prepared on its basis perfectly repels pests, especially onion flies, and also contributes to the production of beautiful greens and large bulbs.

Preventive measures

To prevent the occurrence of the pest, it is necessary to take appropriate measures in a timely manner.

Digging

Digging up the land will help get rid of the pest. Most often, insect pupae are stored in the soil; when digging in the autumn, the soil is disinfected with the help of frost.

Important. Onion fly multiplies quickly

She can lay eggs up to three times during the season.

Boarding time

Choose the right time to plant onions. All varieties of vegetables must be planted in the soil as early as possible, after it has warmed up to the required degree. Onions tolerate low temperatures well, and light frosts will be an additional method of pest control. Autumn is the right time to prepare the site for sowing, so it is necessary to remove all old leaves that may contain larvae.

High-quality planting material

The material for planting onions must be selected very carefully. You should not purchase onions from unverified places. The planting material may contain pest eggs, which, once in the soil, will begin to develop and after a few weeks will appear as a swarm of onion flies. Before planting, it is necessary to treat the seeds with a manganese solution.

Selecting a location

When planting onions, you need to pay great attention to the location of the site. The bed should be in a ventilated place with sufficient sunlight

Also, the crop planting site should not be in places with high humidity, which can lead to the appearance of diseases and pests.

Crop rotation rules

To reduce the risk of pest occurrence, it is necessary to follow the basic rules of crop rotation; onions should not be planted in one area for several years; it is necessary to regularly change crop planting sites.

Neighborhood with carrots

Proximity to carrots can protect onions from fly infection. Carrots repel the pest and do not affect the development and yield of onions. It is recommended to alternate onion beds with carrot beds.

Proper watering

Onions need to be watered as the soil dries out; excessive moisture can provoke the formation of rot on the bulbs. Weakened plants are susceptible to pest attacks.

In order to properly water the plant, it is necessary to use watering cans to distribute the liquid evenly, and moistening is carried out until the end of June, after which it stops.

Benefits of watering crops with ammonia

It is not ammonia that is beneficial for plants, but the nitrogen it contains. During fruit ripening, nitrogen moves to the area where new cells are formed, that is, all other parts of the plant become depleted of nitrogen. Feeding them at such times is an important part of gardening. In addition, watering onions with an ammonia solution has a beneficial effect not only on the bulbs themselves, but also on the soil. Signs that the plant does not have enough nitrogen fertilizers are:

• withered leaves;
• the color of the leaves is dull green, yellowish;
• the fruits fall, and the protein content in the seeds is negligible;
• the plant is delayed in development.

Folk remedies

These remedies are gentle methods of control. They are used for prevention and in cases where the spread of the pest is not critical. They are safe and can be used repeatedly without any harm to the plants. There are quite a lot of them.

• Wood ash. When burning dry branches cut in spring, ash always remains. It is collected, sifted and used in the fight against various pests. It is enough to simply powder the beds to prevent the onion fly from laying eggs. You can prepare an infusion of ash - 2-3 glasses per bucket of water. It is used for root watering. Microelements contained in the ash will serve as additional fertilizer.
• Vinegar. Containers with diluted acetic acid are placed along the beds. As vinegar evaporates under the sun's rays, it emits a pungent odor that repels insects.
• Tobacco dust. This product, like ash, is scattered over the beds, dusting the plants. Can be used mixed with ash. For spraying, prepare a solution - 200 grams of tobacco dust per 10 liters of water. To ensure that the product adheres well to the onion feathers, add 30 grams of soap, or liquid soap. All ingredients are added to boiled water and then infused for two to three days.
• Ammonia. A tablespoon of alcohol is diluted in 10 liters of water and the beds are watered. The pungent odor repels the pest. The method is used weekly, protecting the respiratory tract with a mask.
• Table salt. The use of salt is a controversial issue, but many amateur gardeners claim that the method is very effective. Dissolve ordinary salt in water - 200 grams per 10 liters of water, and pour the solution on the onion at the root. The amount of liquid is just enough to wet the soil to the bottom of the bulb. Water once a week, but no more than three times per season. After 3-4 hours, the plants need to be watered with clean water. When using this method, there is a great danger of oversalting the soil, so it is better to use other means.
• Manganese. A rich pink solution of manganese is watered over the seed bulbs immediately after planting. After 10 days, the procedure is repeated. The third watering is also after 10 days, it should guarantee complete victory over the pest.
• Kerosene, turpentine or tar. When using these products, rely on a strong odor that should repel flies. The row spacing is watered 2-3 times during the pest breeding season. The method is questionable, as it can ruin the soil.
• Dry mustard. It is mixed with wood ash - 1 part mustard to 3 parts ash - and scattered over the beds. The treatment is carried out 2-3 times.
• Marigold. If you plant marigolds next to the onion bed, their smell will protect the plantings from pest invasion. The specific aroma of these flowers repels many pests. Marigolds bloom later than the fly begins to lay eggs, so they need to be planted as seedlings, which should be taken care of in advance.
• Dandelions. An infusion of roots and flowers repels pests if you spray them on the garden bed. It is very easy to prepare. For a week, you need to infuse 200 grams of dandelions in 10 liters of water. You can pour the solution under the root. This is a good remedy that can always be found near your site.
• Soda. Baking soda is mixed with salt and sprinkled under the root. It is believed that the mixture is lethal to the larvae, but makes watering very difficult. Together with the water, the mixture will fall into the ground, which will adversely affect it.

It is important to remember that folk remedies only repel the mentioned pest, and do not kill it. Insecticides are used to kill pests

They do this in extreme cases when it is impossible to deal with the pest in any other way.

Onion fly

Description and life cycle

The onion fly is small in size and looks very similar to an ordinary house insect. The body of the pest reaches 6 mm, the color is most often gray with a slight faded green tint. Therefore, the pest is practically invisible on the plant. Eyes are red or burgundy.

The insect appears in the beds at the end of April, mid-May, depending on weather conditions. The female can lay up to 15 eggs at a time, from which larvae appear after 3-4 days. Externally, the larvae are white and small in size. The larvae feed on young onion shoots and can sometimes accumulate in large numbers in the bulbs. After 10-12 days they pupate and fall into the soil for several weeks. After this time, new adults appear and spread throughout the area.

Appearance and life cycle

The onion fly is an inconspicuous, small (about 7 mm) insect of ash-gray or yellow-gray color. The pest belongs to the order Diptera and is very similar to the common housefly. The wings are transparent and may have two or three longitudinal veins or without them. At the edges of the wings there is a fringe of thin long hairs.

The onion fly is a small insect (7 mm), very similar in appearance to an ordinary housefly

The female lays from 40 to 60 eggs during her life, and from 5 to 20 at a time. Their size is about 1 mm. The eggs are white and have an elongated oval shape. Embryonic development is promoted by high soil moisture (60–80%). After about a week, larvae up to 10 mm in size emerge from them, which immediately penetrate into the bulb. They are legless and white. The body tapers towards the head, which has black mouth hooks. Larvae born from the same clutch stick together and eat away a single cavity inside the bulb.

The fly lays from 5 to 20 eggs at a time, from which, after a week, larvae hatch, which eat the bulbs and feathers

After 15–20 days, the larvae leave the bulbs, crawl into the ground and pupate there, forming a false cocoon. After 2–3 weeks, young flies of the next generation emerge from the pupae. This usually happens in July. In total, two generations of onion fly develop during the season; in the southern regions, under favorable conditions, a third generation may appear. The pest overwinters in the soil of those areas where the larvae developed, at a depth of 5–20 cm in the form of false cocoons.

The onion fly overwinters in the soil at a depth of 5–20 cm in the form of a pupa (false cocoon)

What harm does the onion fly cause?

The period of appearance of the onion fly depends on climatic conditions and varies in different regions from late April to early June. The main landmark for the beginning of the mass emergence of the pest is the moment of flowering of dandelions, lilacs and cherries.

As soon as the cherry blossoms, the gardener must be on alert - the massive flight of the onion fly begins

Adult flies do not eat onions; they feed on pollen from flowering plants. Their harm lies in the fact that females actively lay eggs during the season in the soil, on protruding parts of the bulbs or between the leaves. Fly larvae cause direct harm. They attack onions of the first and second years of development. In seedlings, the larvae damage the feathers. In onions of the second year of growing season, they crawl through the axils of the leaves into the bulb or penetrate it from the bottom, suck out the juice and eat away the pulp, as a result of which the bulbs rot and the plants die.

Causes of defeat

The fight against onion flies that have already appeared can be quite difficult and not always successful. To carry out timely and correct preventive measures, it is necessary to know the reasons for the mass invasion of the pest on onion beds. Among them are:

• violation of crop rotation rules;
• incorrect placement of crops in the garden (poor choice of neighbors);
• late planting of onions;
• lack of deep autumn digging of the soil;
• use of infected and untreated seed material before planting.

Prevention and planting rules in pest control

To grow a rich onion harvest, you need to practice prevention. This is a troublesome matter, so be patient. Let's consider preventive actions in order.

1. Crop rotation does not allow diseases and pest larvae to accumulate in the beds. Therefore, bulbous crops cannot be planted in one place every year. Planting can be returned to its original place only after 4 years. The optimal predecessors for onion plantings are cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage.
2. It is good to combine planting bulbous crops with planting carrots, parsley, parsnips, and celery. The insect cannot tolerate their aroma. Nightshade crops planted to the side will also repel flies. These are tomatoes and potatoes.
3. When planting onions, you need to fill the rows with wood ash. It will scare away the enemy and serve as fertilizer. Adding peat before planting will reduce the number of larvae in the soil.
4. Mulching plantings is another agrotechnical technique. Mulch will make it difficult for flies to access the soil and seedlings. Sprinkle the soil around the neck of the bulbs with tobacco dust and ash weekly.

Single specimens of marigolds planted in the garden will also repel the fly. They interrupt the onion smell loved by flies.

Planting rules for pest control

Proper preparation of planting material will also be important. This will serve as natural protection for the plants.

1. Before planting, immerse the seeds in a weak pale pink solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) for 1 hour. You can soak the heads of the sets in an ash solution prepared from 100 grams of powder per liter of water.
2. Planting time is another important factor. Seeds should be planted at the end of April, after the cold weather. By the time the fly starts flying, the head will already be stronger. A large onion is more difficult for a fly to damage.
3. Once every 3 days it is necessary to loosen the beds with plantings. This makes it difficult for the larvae to access the bulbs; it is difficult for them to move in loose soil.
4. After harvesting, the beds must be cleared of plant debris. You can dig up the ground shallowly to make it difficult for the fly larvae to overwinter. If the gardener is against digging up the soil (there are some), then you can simply loosen it.

It is important to remember that prevention, timely watering, fertilizing and loosening will be more effective and bring more benefits than the use of chemicals. Now the reader knows what kind of pest the onion fly is, how to fight it using folk methods and modern drugs, its life cycle, signs of a plant being damaged by a fly, how to prepare planting material and soil to avoid infection

Now the reader knows what kind of pest the onion fly is, how to fight it using folk methods and modern drugs, its life cycle, signs of a plant being damaged by a fly, how to prepare planting material and soil to avoid infection.

Carrots and marigolds

Carrots should be planted along the perimeter of onion or garlic beds. However, the downside is that carrots love moisture, and onions and garlic must be left to ripen for at least 2 weeks without watering.

Marigold flowers have a negative effect on the pest. Low-growing varieties are excellent for this. It is necessary to plant marigolds around the perimeter of the onion beds.

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Fertilizing garlic and onions with ammonia: instructions

We figured out how useful it is for and, now let's figure out how to use it

How to dilute ammonia for garlic

In order to protect the crop from pests

, and sprayed with an ammonia solution, but diluted in certain proportions along with.

To prepare the composition
for spraying, grate 100 g of 72% laundry soap or any other soap, but without fragrances, on a fine grater. Pour a liter of hot water over it and stir until dissolved. The resulting solution is slowly poured into a bucket of water, stirring until the soap is completely dissolved. Now you can pour 25% product into this mixture in a volume of 50 ml. That's the whole process explaining how to dilute ammonia.

The resulting mixture should be used immediately by spraying the plants. The procedure is carried out every few days. Subsequently, after such spraying, the green part of the plants must be washed well before use.

The product is also used for fertilizer.

In this case, the dosages differ slightly depending on the purpose of the solution. So, if plants show acute signs of nitrogen starvation, pour a tablespoon of 25% product into a liter of water. This is the maximum dosage that, in principle, can be used to feed plants with ammonia.

If the leaves of the plant are not thin, rich green and even, the product can be used as a preventive measure.

To do this, it is diluted in an amount of 30 ml (2 tablespoons) per bucket of water.

Important! It is advisable to spray at sunset or in cloudy weather so that the sun does not burn the leaves after treatment.

Fertilizing onions with ammonia

The question of how to dilute ammonia is solved a little differently. But even in this case, everything depends on the purpose of using the solution. To combat a pest such as, dilute 5 ml of the product in a bucket of water and water the soil around the plant with this solution. The pungent odor that spreads will repel the insect.

Dilute 10 ml of the product in a bucket of water and water the plants with it. For a secretive proboscis, you will need 25 ml per ten liters of water. Plants are treated at the beginning of summer once a week.

Fertilizing with ammonia is carried out with a solution in the ratio of a teaspoon per liter of water. This will ensure

To get a good harvest of vegetables, gardeners can use the most unpredictable means. These include the use of ammonia as a fertilizer for bulbous plants. The medicinal product effectively fights onion pests and is a source of beneficial microelements.

Disadvantages of the method

In addition to the undeniable benefits of treating onions with ammonia, there are also some disadvantages of this method of feeding. It is very important to observe the correct proportions of dilution of the product so as not to burn the plants and damage the onion root system.

Fertilizing with nitrogen should be stopped if the onion feathers darken. To prevent chemical burns, plantings should be sprayed with plain water 30 minutes after treatment.

An incorrectly calculated dosage of ammonia can cause serious harm to onion plants. Land poisoned by an excess amount of solution becomes unsuitable for further planting of vegetable crops.

Knowing all the pros and cons, every owner of a personal plot should be aware of the seriousness of the process of feeding onion beds with ammonia solution. The results of this treatment are pleasing - getting rid of pests and a high level of productivity. But watering and spraying plants takes a lot of time and requires careful attention to the crop being fed.

Preparation of the solution

In order for feeding onions with ammonia to bring the best possible results and not cause burns on its leaves and turnips, you need to adhere to the solution preparation technology and proportions.

When using ammonia at a concentration of 25%, the working fluid is prepared:

• for feeding onions at the root - 3 tbsp. pharmaceutical ammonia per 10 liters of water;
• for foliar feeding - 5 tbsp. for 10 liters of water.

To ensure the prolonged action of ammonia-based medicinal fertilizer, a special substance, an adhesive, is added to the working fluid. It can be purchased at any retail outlet that deals in fertilizer compounds.

Alternatively, home remedies are suitable for these purposes:

• Laundry soap. When using ammonia, it is effective to add grated laundry soap (100 g) dissolved in hot water (1 l). This amount of adhesive is calculated for 50 ml of ammonia.
• If fertilizer is used to water onions grown for feathers, then it is not advisable to use laundry soap. Instead, dry mustard powder in the amount of 2 tbsp is added to the working solution of ammonia. l. for 10 liters of water.
• Shampoo. This is one of the most budget-friendly products added to a solution of ammonia. This method is suitable if the greens will not be used for food.

Precautions when working with ammonia

Every person who took a school chemistry course knows that ammonia is not something to joke about. But this substance is useful if you use it skillfully and do not forget to comply with safety standards and regulations. We would like to remind you about them:

• You need to interact (prepare solutions and fertilize) with ammonia only while wearing rubber gloves, a special breathing mask and long sleeves (shirt or jacket, pants);
• do not allow the substance to come into contact with the skin, eyes or respiratory tract, and if contact occurs, immediately rinse the mucous membranes or skin;
• if a person has hypervascular dystonia, working with pharmaceutical drugs and ammonia solution is contraindicated for him: this is fraught with consequences, including the onset of a hypertensive crisis;
• It is not recommended to mix ammonia with other active substances, for example, with chlorine bleach: as a result, oxidation and poisoning of the soil will increase and instead of a good harvest, the gardener will receive unsuitable soil and spoiled onions;
• Ammonia (a solution with ammonia water) should be stored in closed rooms where children or animals cannot enter, since the vapors of this substance cause poisoning of the body, attacks of suffocation, vomiting and heart failure.

Onion fly - how to fight with folk remedies?

The fight against onion fly with folk remedies is very effective; it is worth trying those tested by grandparents for many years. One of the most ancient is ash, it needs to be brewed. It’s extremely simple to prepare: pour one part of the ash with three parts of boiling water, let it sit under the lid for a day and water the beds.

Other proven methods:

1. Potassium permanganate. A saturated solution is prepared, which is used to water the onions every 10 days. It is recommended to process late in the evening.
2. A mixture of ash, tobacco dust and ground black pepper. Mix a glass of ash and a teaspoon of other ingredients. You need to sprinkle the beds with it in early May, when the pests begin to lay eggs. Serves as a good fertilizer.
3. Dandelion root tincture. Pour boiling water over 200 g of raw material and leave for a week. Water once every six months.
4. Laundry soap. The bar is dissolved in 10 liters of water and sprayed on the plants.
5. Manure. Both in pure form and in mixed form, they are diluted with ash and tobacco dust; hot pepper can be added to enhance it. Apply before planting onions. You can replace manure with peat.

Onion fly salt

An equally simple and accessible method to everyone is treating onions with salt to prevent onion flies. It will cost pennies, but the efficiency is very high. Feathers are treated with the solution after planting and when the onion begins to grow. It is not recommended to apply more than three times a year to prevent the soil from becoming too salty.

The concentration depends on the “age” of the onion:

1. The first spraying is when the sprouts have reached 5 cm. Dilute a third of the package of salt into a bucket of water.
2. Second spraying, after 2 weeks. Half of the packaging is already in the bucket.
3. Third treatment, after 3 weeks. Two thirds of a pack per bucket.

Ammonia for onion flies

Gardeners also praise such a method as treating onions against onion flies with ammonia. It not only protects against pests, but also strengthens the onion and promotes the development of feathers and bulbs. A solution is made that is used to water the beds in the morning or evening. After processing, you need to add cold water.

Ingredients:

• water – 10 l;
• ammonia - 3 tbsp. l.

Application

1. Dilute ammonia in water, water the soil under the plantings, which is between the rows.
2. Repeat three times, a week apart.
3. Make sure that the liquid does not get on the feathers, only under the bulb.

Tar from onion fly

Since ancient times, peasants have used such protection as birch tar against onion flies. Before planting, the bulbs were soaked in a solution of a liter of water, two handfuls of ash and half a grated bar of tar soap. The solution was infused for a day, then the bed was watered. When the feather grew to 10 cm, it was necessary to treat it with a special solution.

Ingredients:

• soap – 20 g;
• tar - 1 tbsp. l.;
• water – 10 l.

Application

1. Mix the ingredients, water the beds, at the root of the plant.
2. Re-cultivate the soil after 2 weeks.

Kerosene for onion flies - how to water?

In search of an answer to the question of what kind of pest the onion fly is and how to effectively combat it, some gardeners find recommendations to use kerosene. The beds must first be watered with clean water, and only then with the solution. But you can use kerosene against onion flies only once, so as not to burn the plant.

Ingredients:

• kerosene - 1 tbsp. l.;
• water – 10 l.

Application

1. Dilute kerosene thoroughly in water.
2. Immediately carefully water the beds at the rate of 1 bucket per 4-5 meters of garden.

How to use tobacco dust against onion flies?

A good, proven remedy is tobacco dust for onion flies. Previously, every owner grew tobacco, but today there is no such need; the product can be bought at any hardware store or market. It is used dry or in infusion; the ground must first be loosened. Experienced gardeners say that two treatments are enough to get rid of the pest. In dry form, simply sprinkle on the beds, or mix with lime. The solution is prepared in advance.

Ingredients:

• tobacco dust – 200 g;
• water – 10 l.

Application

1. Dilute tobacco in hot water and leave for two days.
2. Spray the plantings once a week.
3. The treatment is carried out in the evening.

Using ammonia water to fertilize onion beds

In most cases, ammonia water is watered in the fall to grow onions in the spring. Moreover, for the owner of the site, such soil fertilization can be associated with a number of difficulties. Firstly, it must be applied to a depth of at least 10 cm, so it is recommended to first dig up the area and then water it with ammonium hydroxide. Secondly, you can only use ammonia. Its ammonia concentration is 10%. At higher concentrations, the vapor of this substance already seriously harms the human body.

When fertilizing in spring, ammonia water for watering onions is used in diluted form. Before treating the area with it, you should prepare a suitable solution. For a bucket of water, the volume of which is 10 liters, take no more than 2 tbsp. l. 10% ammonia. In this proportion, water and ammonium hydroxide must be diluted and thoroughly mixed together.

It is necessary to water the bed as follows: per 2 meters of the bed there is 1 bucket of the resulting solution. After this procedure, it is necessary to water the bed again, but with clean water, as a result of which the solution will be absorbed deeper into the ground and act in full force.

Use of ammonium hydroxide against pests

You can also use this substance to protect onions or garlic from pests such as onion flies. Both onions and garlic suffer greatly from this insect. But not only the onion fly does not like ammonia, its vapors are also poisonous to many other pests.

Of course, the gardener himself should not inhale these fumes. You need to use a special mask that protects your eyes and respiratory tract from exposure to ammonia. With this treatment, a solution is used in a higher concentration than when fertilizing the beds.

The following solution is prepared for spraying. Dissolve 3 tbsp in a 10 liter bucket of lukewarm water. l. classic ammonia. Then the resulting solution is sprayed onto the beds so that the moisture covers not only the leaves, but also the soil. One 10 liter bucket of water goes to 3-5 m of the bed, depending on the planting density. Treatment must be carried out only in the evening so that the moisture has time to be absorbed into the soil and into the surface of the leaves, otherwise it will evaporate and the effect of spraying will be incomplete.

Another method of treating beds from pests is watering with the same soil solution, followed by loosening. This procedure is carried out only in the evenings, and after it the beds are not immediately filled with clean water.

If ammonia is contained in the upper layers of the soil, it will become unsuitable for pests. But such treatment can be carried out no more often than once a week and only if insects are suspected.

Preventive spraying is carried out no more than once every 2 weeks. This is done in June and July. It is during these months that onion pest activity peaks.

How to care for onions: 5 rules

How to save a bow from an onion fly? First of all, you need to provide it with proper care so that the plant is healthy:

The video explains in detail how to care for onions. These measures will help protect it from diseases and pests, including onion flies:

Pros and cons of ammonium nitrate for onions

In addition to ammonia water, the soil can also be treated with ammonium nitrate. The main advantages of this type of fertilizer:

• rapid absorption by plants;
• low cost per whole area (because ammonium nitrate is used exclusively in small quantities and over a long period);
• effectiveness in the fight against pests and active nutrition of plants with nitrogen.

And again about the shortcomings:

• the need to strictly follow storage rules to avoid fire (saltpeter is used in the production of gunpowder and can spontaneously ignite at temperatures above 30°C);
• there is a high probability for an inexperienced gardener to buy unsuitable, porous saltpeter, which is applicable only in weapons.

Another subtlety: you cannot delay the processing process: the sooner you start, the better the resulting harvest will be. An important aspect in onion processing is that you need to stop adding ammonia water after the first ten days so that all the growth does not go into feathers.

If the purpose of growing is feathers, you can continue watering with ammonia water throughout the entire growing period. If the purpose of cultivation is to obtain seeds, then watering can be done once every 3-4 days, without forgetting about the correct proportions of the solution.

How to get rid of onion fly

If the pest has already been noticed on the site in previous years, preventive measures should be taken immediately after emergence. To do this, the surface of the bed, especially near the bulbs, is sprinkled with ash, hot pepper, and tobacco dust.

The drug "Zemlin" helps a lot. It has a low hazard class and is quite effective against many insects that live in the soil - wireworms, mole crickets, cabbage fly larvae. The drug is scattered over the beds, after mixing with sand. 2-3 granules can be added when planting the seedlings directly under the root.

Onion beds need to be loosened regularly. This makes it difficult for the insect to reach the bulb.

Folk remedies

When the first signs of onion fly damage appear, the plantings are treated with drugs that are safe for humans but repellent to the pest. If the extent of the damage is small, you can try to get rid of the insect without chemicals. Experienced summer residents spray or water their plantings with various decoctions and infusions:

• a decoction of bitter plants or those containing natural insecticides - tansy, Dalmatian chamomile, hot pepper, carrot tops;
• solution of ammonia in the proportion of 3 tbsp. l. on a bucket of water;
• birch tar diluted in water (1–2 tablespoons per 10 liters).

Water the onions with diluted ammonia so that the liquid does not get on the green leaves. Otherwise, burns will form on them after processing. All of the listed substances are completely safe for plants, soil and humans. They can be processed quite often without fear of harm.

But you shouldn’t get carried away with saline solution. Salt is effective against many pests and microorganisms, but it worsens the condition of the soil. The fertility of soil to which salt is regularly added decreases sharply, since beneficial organisms suffer along with harmful ones. Soil bacteria and worms that decompose organic matter do not survive in saline environments. As a result, the soil loses its humus layer and structure, becomes dusty and infertile. Air exchange processes are disrupted in it and mold fungi begin to develop.

If possible, salt treatment should be limited and it is better to replace it with other substances that do not affect the quality of the soil.

Chemicals

If the infection is severe, folk remedies are ineffective and there is nothing left to do but save the onion from the onion fly using insecticides. When using them, you should remember that you cannot cut a green feather for food from a bed sprayed with pesticides. Stop spraying 20–30 days before harvesting.

The following drugs are used against onion flies:

1. Alatar is a broad-spectrum insecticide. Helps against many garden pests. To treat onion plantings, 5 ml is dissolved in 4 liters of water. This amount should be enough to spray a whole hundred square meters. The drug is convenient because it is not washed off from the leaves by precipitation for a long time and retains its effect for 10 days. No more than two treatments are carried out per season. The last spraying is permissible no later than three weeks before harvesting.
2. Karate Zeon is used in dry weather, when the likelihood of precipitation is minimal. Otherwise, the drug may enter the soil and contaminate it. The chemical can be combined with herbicides or fungicides, but it must be used immediately; the diluted product cannot be stored.
3. Bazudin is effective against a variety of soil-borne insects and guarantees long-lasting protection. The effect appears within the first hours after treatment and lasts up to 6 weeks.

The use of comprehensive measures to protect onions from flies will help you get rid of this unpleasant pest for a long time and get a rich harvest of large and healthy bulbs every year.

Operating principle, efficiency

Ammonia is diluted ammonia that is used for medicinal purposes. Sold in dark glass bottles in pharmacies at an affordable price. It has a persistent unpleasant odor, thereby repelling pests.

Ammonia is absorbed into the soil when watering the beds and forms an aura of a pungent aroma. The pungent odor repels the onion fly, prevents it from laying eggs, and also forces the larvae to leave the conquered territories.

Ammonia for onion flies

The effectiveness is assessed as high, but there are some drawbacks. Ammonia is recommended to be used as a fertilizer for soils with nitrogen deficiency. The substance accelerates the growth of crops and improves the formation of root crops. However, with an excessive amount of nitrogen, the opposite effect occurs - the feathers turn yellow, dry out, the bulb stops growing and dies. In this case, the exact dosage should be observed and the recommended frequency of watering should not be violated.

How to get rid of onion fly

Folk remedies for onion flies

If you use chemicals such as insecticides to kill insects, you will most likely ruin the harvest, since harmful substances when cultivating the soil get inside the bulb and remain in it. Over time, poisons accumulate in the fruit and can affect the health of the person who eats such vegetables. Unlike drugs, folk remedies are completely safe both for the land and for summer residents, so you can use them to treat crops without fear for yourself and your loved ones.

• Karate Zeon;
• Bezudin;
• Aktara;
• Metronidazole;
• Fly eater.

Preventive measures to combat onion fly

Rather than trying to fight insect pests that have already established themselves on a crop, it is better to take care in advance to prevent their occurrence. How to protect onions from onion flies:

1. It is worth doing crop rotation regularly.
2. The location of the plant should be changed annually.
3. In the fall, it is necessary to dig up the garden (the fly remains in the soil for the winter and falls asleep at a depth of 20 cm).
4. After harvesting, you need to remove all organic debris from the garden, leaving no food for pests.
5. It is necessary to spray the garden with saline solution three times a year (when the sprouts grow 5 cm, then after 2 weeks, and the third time after another 20 days). After treating the soil and plants with a spray bottle, wash off the salt from the sprouts, and three to four hours after the procedure, you need to water the onions with plain water.

Photo: Know the enemy by sight!

This is what the onion fly and its larvae look like. The fly lays eggs, and over time, larvae emerge from them and devour the leaves and onion heads. The color of the front sight itself is black, rather dark gray. The flight of the onion fly begins in mid-May. Pests lay eggs in the ground or on young leaves. Onions, sweet potatoes, shallots, leeks, and garlic are affected. Plants infested with fly larvae lag behind in development, the leaves turn yellow, and the bulbs rot and soften.

Reasons for use

In what cases should you use ammonia:

1. Ammonia is considered a quick option for feeding onions. Therefore, if you need to quickly take action, then use it.
2. Yellowness of the stem or feathers of the crop. These signs require an immediate reaction, so ammonia is used.
3. The onion stem has a whitened appearance. This symptom also requires treatment with ammonia.
4. Feathers that are too small, growth retardation or growth arrest are another reason to use the product.
5. A thinning and breaking onion stem may indicate a lack of nutrients, including nitrogen, which is replenished with ammonia.

Reviews from gardeners

Many gardeners choose ammonia for its versatility and availability; they resort to it as an ambulance for the plant when there is a lack of nitrogen; it does not turn into nitrates in an overdose, but can burn the plant. The fairly high cost of pharmaceutical drugs is not an advantage of the method - large volumes of fertilizing are needed.

Be moderate in your efforts, follow safety precautions when working with ammonia, and with minimal investment you will get your environmentally friendly, golden harvest!

Some information about ammonia

At any pharmacy you can buy a bottle of ammonia (ammonia - aqueous solution), which many know as a remedy against fainting and loss of senses.

This drug was not ignored by gardeners who appreciated its properties as an excellent nitrogen fertilizer.

Usually the bottle of alcohol indicates that it is an ammonia solution (10%). Therefore, it is worth distinguishing between ammonia itself, a gas, and ammonia, which is an aqueous solution and has the form of a liquid.

The production of this alcohol under production conditions goes through several stages, when a hydrate is first obtained from ammonia, and then it is dissolved in water to obtain the desired composition (ammonia).

ON A NOTE! Ammonia, ammonia and ammonia are different substances, although they all have an unpleasant, pungent odor (due to ammonium salts). But in ordinary life, very often, for shorthand and convenience, alcohol is called ammonia.

To care for plants, it is alcohol that is used - a clear liquid with a pungent odor, used as a source of nitrogen. Among garden crops, onions and garlic perfectly absorb ammonia nitrogen.

It is recommended to feed the plants at the root; you can also irrigate the onion feathers with a special composition containing ammonia water. It is better not to use sprayers, since the beneficial volatile compounds in the composition will not reach the plants in the required volume. Watering cans with nozzles with medium holes are suitable.

Precautionary measures

Please note that ammonia is a caustic substance. When preparing solutions for processing onions, larger volumes are used than, for example, in medicine.

Contact with skin, mucous membranes or inhalation of ammonia vapor can lead to serious consequences.

Be sure to follow safety rules when working with this substance. Simply wearing latex gloves and a regular respirator is not enough. It is advisable to tuck your hair under a hat, wear safety glasses, a plastic apron and a gas mask or a special respirator that allows you to work with caustic volatile substances.

Keep others at a safe distance.