Onion Farming 101

General Requirements

· Onion requires cool conditions during vegetative growth and hot, dry conditions nearing maturity, in early summer. Optimum temperatures for growth are 12ºC to 24ºC, with minimum temperatures of 7ºC and maximum 29ºC.

· Popular Onion varieties are Texas Grano, Red creole and Caledon Globe.

· A well-managed Onion crop should yield 750 to 1000 x 10kg pockets/ Lima.

Land Preparation/ Soil Type

· Deep well-drained Sandy to loamy soils with a pH range from 5 to 6.5 is ideal for Onion.

· Effective rooting depth is 20cm.

· Plough and disc to 45 to 60cm depth of fine tilth seedbed.

Planting and Transplanting

· Sow directly by drilling in farrows 5mm deep or raise seedlings in nursery beds and transplant 4 to 5 weeks later. Ideal sowing time is February to June.

· Transplant during the cool part of the day (early morning or late afternoon) to avoid wilting of the plants.

· Space the plants at 5cm between plants and 20cm between rows (x 5 rows) followed by 100cm of walking space every after 5 rows to give a plant population of 500, 000 plants /ha.

Fertilizer Programme

· At planting apply Veg Mix C 80gm/m² - Broadcast.

· 21 days after germination top dress using Veg Top 24 20-30gm/m² (50 kg/Lima) - Broadcast.

· 35 days after germination top dress using Veg Top 24 20-30gm/m² (50 kg/Lima) - Broadcast.

· 49 days after germination top dress using Veg Top 24 20-30gm/m² (50 kg/Lima) - Broadcast.

· 63 days after germination top dress using Veg Top 24 20-30gm/m² (50 kg/Lima) - Broadcast.

Management Practices

· Weeds compete with plants for nutrients and space; they can reduce yields by more than 25%. Keep the field free from weeds at all times.

· Ensure the soil maintains a constant moisture level especially during vegetative development stage.

· Scout the field for pest and diseases once weekly, spray if a disease or insect pest is noticed. Leaf miner and Grass hoppers are common onion insect pests while Purple blotch and Downy mildew are common onion diseases.

· Stop irrigating when the bulbs reach maturity to harden and dry them in readiness for harvest.

This is where we will be ending our discussion for today. Remember to share your comments views and opinions.

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