Agro-Forums
What is the Best Fertilizer for Onions?
Why Do Onions Need Nitrogen?
A nitrogen-based fertilizer will increase the size of the onion leaves and as a result, this will increase the bulb scales which will make it bigger and heavier. For a market that uses weight as a costing factor, bigger onions might increase the income of your onion business. However, nitrogen fertilizer alone will not result in optimal yields. It is for this reason why you also need to buy a fertilizer whose chemical formulation also includes sulphur and phosphorus.
Before you plant, you need to first prepare the land for onion fertilizer application, by having a soil test done. If the soil has low natural phosphorus levels, then you will need to add phosphorus to help increase yields.
Do Onions Need Potassium Based Fertilizers?
Potassium is particularly helpful when it is applied in soils that have very high levels of nitrogen. This is because it helps reduce the risk of the onions rotting while in storage. When planting onions, you need to be extra careful about the chloride levels in the soil. Too much of it can reduce yields and during storage, you might realize that the weight of the onions have reduced.
Do Onions Need Sulfur Based Fertilizers?
This question will depend on several factors but the most important is the amount of sulfur in your soil. If your land has high levels of sulfur concentration, then it can be detrimental to your onions. Therefore, you will require a fertilizer that does not contain sulfur. If the soil contains low or zero concentration of sulfur, then you need to add it into the soil because it helps onions increase their nitrogen intake which results in increased yields.
