GROW ONIONS AND GROW RICH IN IGBO LAND

𝑨 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝒃𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒈𝒃𝒐 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅.

27/2/2021

We all know onions and how they are in high demand in the market, but everybody thinks they only grow in the northern part of Nigeria. I want to tell you that onions actually grow in the south. TESTED and PROVEN. SO HOW WILL YOU PLANT YOUR ONIONS? 1. SITE PREPARATION You need to make a bed just like every other vegetable. If you are planting in the dry season let the bed be very low so you don't need to water too much and your onions will be able to get the little water it needs to grow. Apply poultry droppings 2 weeks before planting. 2. NURSERY Onion is not directly planted into the field. So you need to nurse it and transplant to the well prepared bed in 15 days. What you need for the nursery: A. Hybrid onion seeds B. Wood shavings also known as 'sawdust' C. Dried poultry droppings D. Flat tray or trough NURSERY PROCEDURES 1st Step: Mix the wood shavings and poultry droppings together and water to make moist, then place the mixed content on the tray or trough. 2nd: Make horizontal lines on the tray 2cm apart then sprinkle hybrid onion seed exactly on the lines and cover with little dry soil. 3rd: Wet every evening but don't allow water to touch the lines on which you planted the seeds. If you follow the procedures above, you onion seedlings will be ready for transplanting in 10 days. Onions are in high demand in Nigeria and the price soars during dry seasons. You can make a lot of money growing onions commercially. Choice of variety matters in commercial farming. This is because a farmer has to calculate the input costs and output costs in order to maximize profits. Optimum temperature for onion development is between 15 to 30°C, whereas 20 to 25°C is favourable for seedling growth. Generally, high temperatures favor bulbing and curing. However, in cases of extremely high temperatures, maturity is hastened and bulbs do not grow to maximum size hence lowering yields. Fertile, well drained soils are good for plant growth. Optimum pH is between 6 to 7.5. For irrigation, drip or overhead irrigation can be used. Onions at bulbing stage need substantial amount of water. Excessive moisture, however, must be avoided during growing season. Avoid too much application of fresh manure, as this will cause the plants to develop thick necks and too much of leaves at the expense of bulb formation. Fresh manure could also host insect pests. CROP HUSBANDRY Weeding: Can be done by hand or chemical applications/herbicides. Mulching can also be done to suppress weeds. Raised beds: Improves drainage and prevents damping-off disease. Mulching: Maintains and enriches soil organic content, prevents soil borne diseases and suppresses weeds. Crop rotation: Important, to avoid build-up of pests and diseases e.g. nematodes, Fusarium and Sclerotium INSECT PESTS Important insect pests that attack onions include Thrips, Whiteflies and Aphids and would require insecticide applications. Thrips are more severe in dry seasons hence keep the plants well irrigated during such seasons. One can reduce pests’ populations by pulling out weeds since they act as alternate hosts for pests. Chemical applications can also be made i.e. insecticide. Plants extracts have also been used and proven to be effective e.g. Neem and Garlic extracts. These are sprayed on attacked plant parts. The plants extracts should be tested for phytotoxicity before any applications are made. CHEMICAL APPLICATIONS Fungicides: Can be classified as curative or protective fungicides. Protective fungicides are chemicals which have the Active Ingredient Mancozeb e.g. Milthane, Oshothane, Dithane, e.t.c. This is applied when weather conditions are likely to favour development of the disease i.e. blights. Curative fungicides are applied to plants already infected by fungal diseases e.g. Pink Rot, Purple blotch and blights (early & late blight). In this case, applications are made on the infected regions i.e. bulbs or stems. HARVESTING & CURING Harvesting can be done as from 90 to 150 days after sowing. Onions are ready for harvest when the leaves collapse. The necks can be twisted and its leaves bent over and left to dry for 10 to 12 days or less depending on weather conditions. The crop is pulled out by hand and kept for some days in the field with bulbs covered with leaves. This is called windowing/curing. Leaves are then cut off and the mature bulbs stored. So here we are. If you are passionate about venturing into agribusiness then onion might be the wonder crop to start with.