Feeding Winter Onions and Garlic

[thomasb]

I have read that it is recommended that you feed over-wintering onions in early spring when they start to grow strongly.
Do you also feed garlic that was planted last November?

Furthermore, what type of fertiliser is recommended for the onions?
Thanks,
Thomas

[thomasb]

[RSJK]

try giving them some nitro chalk this will give them a boost

[philcooper]

Try a good all round organic fertiliser, blood fish and bone it will feed the soil and then the plant - chemical fertilisers like nitrochalk tend to produce a soft lush growth that leaves the plants prey to pests and diseases.

Phil

[thomasb]

I have some bone meal after another project...would this be suitable?

[Svea]

harry our 72year old allotment president swears by those chicken pellets you can pick up for £4 for a 7 ltr bucket at b&q

he uses it for anything and everything as a booster feed (manure in the autumn).
dunno if it's any good for onions particularly though...

svea

[Roy Bham UK]

I've been throwing chicken poo on my sub-tropical plants for years and had no complaint. ;D

[aquilegia]

I love the pelleted chicken poo! (apart from the smell!)

When should I apply it and how often?

[Mrs Ava]

Good, blood fished and boned about 2 weeks ago.  Should I apply again in a few weeks time??

[Roy Bham UK]

I love the pelleted chicken poo! (apart from the smell!)

When should I apply it and how often?

If its to go in your garden, I add one measure to a bucket of water, stir occasionally for half an hour to avoid the pong and pure it around your plants once a month in the growing season. 8) You will get a proportion of grit residue in the dregs but that must improve drianage long term I would think ??? 8)

I will just mix it in the compost up the lottie and add some to the compost bins as I read on here that its a good activator. ;D

[redimp]

I love the pelleted chicken poo! (apart from the smell!)

When should I apply it and how often?

Do you hold your nose as you are eating it then?  ;D

[Roy Bham UK]

Do you hold your nose as you are eating it then?  ;D

;D Tee hee Snork  ;D

[aquilegia]

 ;D ;D ;D

[tim]

Lovely, Roy.

Thomas - I have always believed that n/c in the Spring is good for onions. (RHS -  Research has shown that for autumn sowings of onions, a lack of nitrogen in early spring can also induce bolting, so topdressing such crops with 70-100g per sq m (2-3oz per sq yd) of nitrochalk in January is helpful.)

Garlic - the Garlicfarm recommends a good helping of Potash (2oz/sqyd) in February.

BF&B? I would say NO - one dressing will be fine for the life of the crop.

[Rose.mary]

I added bone fish and blood . Can anybody tell me how to get rid of the cats and dogs please
;D
Rosemary

[philcooper]

Bone meal  3:20:0 N:P:K
Chicken poo lots of Nitrogen and other bits

Both are "better" than nitrochalk as I said about BF&B above - less of a burst of nutrients

BF&B 5:5:6

Tim's right once, at this time of year once is enough for the organic fertilisers

Phil

[growmore]

I have found a feeding of tomorite makes them  sit up and  grow ...
Don't tell anyone  but the show onion men around here use it too ..
But they hide it in fairy liquid bottles to add a squirt to watering can.. .Jim

[RSJK]

Sorry to disagree with you Phil but my family were market gardeners for 4 generations,and since the sixties the over wintering spring onions were given a dressing of nitro chalk, and no problems with soft lush growth, nitro chalk was also given to the spring cabbage, a process we called dotting, as we had to bend are backs and give each plant a helping of nitro chalk. It made your back ache like hell especially after doing 10 acres.

[ruudbarb]

I've been throwing chicken poo on my sub-tropical plants for years and had no complaint. ;D

I hope it had left the chickens by then Roy............ ;D ;D ;D

[tim]

Richard - that's my teaching - but are there now better ways??

There were fewer 'controls' in those days?

[RSJK]

Hello  Tim-that is a good question about better ways personally myself I think not, I still use nitro chalk on my spring cabbage and think that it cannot be beaten.

By the way do you think these additives in food is a better way especially after the food scare last week