Topic: onion growing tips and techniques

[plainleaf]

since other thread was locked by OP
I thought there should be thread to discuss onion growing.

A few points of  I found about onion growing to start off with.
1. seeds for the next season should be started in September and transplanted in late February and early march.
2. bulb crops like onions come in three day length types based on  how long
day light hours have to be before the start to bulb.
3. plants and seed started onions are preferable to onions set since they give better results,less likely to bolt and produce larger resulting onions.

[jazzidoodle]

hi plain leaf i will try refer this year. Thank you

[jazzidoodle]

hi dont want to be dragged into an arguement just want to know how to grow better onions!

[aj]

hi dont want to be dragged into an arguement just want to know how to grow better onions!

Don't feed them too much nitrogen!

Get to know your soil, and your NPKs and feed the soil whenever you can.

[lottie lou]

Was going to use the bean bed for next years onions but would there be too much nitrogen in the soil. 

[Tee Gee]

Was going to use the bean bed for next years onions but would there be too much nitrogen in the soil. 

Depends whether you have left the bean roots in the ground or not!

The nitrogen you are thinking of is contained within the roots and is gradually released as the roots rot. If however you remove the roots then you should' nt overdo it.

Plus the fact without raising a previous issue; onions need nitrogen initially to develop a root and leaf system then when the bulb begins to swell they do not need nitrogen and it is at his time they should be given a high potash feed.

Weeds can some times be used to the advantage of the onions that is do not allow weeds to accumulate before the bulb begins to develop/swell as these will compete for the nitrogen.

When the bulbs begin to develop/ swell some people allow weeds to grow to remove any excess nitrogen in the soil and the onions can concentrate on taking up the potash to increase their size and aid ripening.

At this time the heavy leaves may tend to flop over so it is advantageous to support them in the vertical position so that photosynthesis is not hindered,this also helps in the uptake in beneficial potash.

A sign that onions are approaching their ultimate size is when the top inch or so of the leaves begin to yellow. This is a sign that photosynthesis is all but over so ease of on the watering at this stage*

* Speaking of watering NEVER let the plants/ setts dry out at any time as this can check the growth cycle.

Signs that plants have been starved of moisture is premature bolting,bull necks and split bulbs.

The best way to prevent this is to prepare your bed well in advance with copious amounts of humus making material e.g. Farmyard manure!

This will retain moisture for the benefit of the plants in periods of drought when the grower is not in a position to water on a regular basis.

Note; the above notes are for summer grown onions!

Winter onions(Japanese) are treated differently!

Do not feed prior to the onset of winter as the tops can become too lush and suffer during frost period.

As soon as the soil warms up* feed the onions with a high nitrogen feed to promote leaf growth!

*again weeds can help with determining this but in a different manner to summer growing I.e. When the weeds start appearing the ground is warming up!

But this time keep the hoe on the go to keep the weeds down so that they do not compete for the available nitrogen.

Again when the bulbs start to swell give your plants a high potash feed.

That's all there is to growing decent sized run of the mill varieties.

If you are going for GIANT onions then that a whole different ball game which I don' wish to go into in this article.

[antipodes]

TG, I got very good onions this year, but I did not feed them at all! However I put lots of cow manure in the soil before planting and we had good spring rain, which really gave good growth. What do you think I did right??? :) better than asking what I did wrong all the time! I grew from sets, next year i will try some from seed, have not been game up to now.

[earlypea]

What is the 'bull neck' you mention Tee Gee?

My onions have been a bit of a disaster this year, but first year of trying them so never mind.  I've learnt more since.

I was wondering though - some are bulking up and the leaves are dying off which seems right, but others are developing a kind of plaited 'spine' above the bulb - is that the bull neck?  Are they about to bolt?

Cheers

[Tee Gee]

What is the 'bull neck' you mention Tee Gee?

 but others are developing a kind of plaited 'spine' above the bulb - is that the bull neck?  Are they about to bolt?

Bullneck is a term I learned here in A4A, others know it as thick neck.

Its a term associated with a plant running to seed where the flower stem within thickens the neck of the bulb.

The bulbs are perfectly OK to eat but do not store as well as normal bulbs, so these should be eaten/used first!

I think I know what you mean by plaiting and yes this is usually a sign of the above!

My onions have been a bit of a disaster this year,

If it is any consolation mine were last year when I used sets, hence my reason for returning to seed sown onions

but I did not feed them at all! However I put lots of cow manure in the soil before planting and we had good spring rain,

What do you think I did right???

Not often you get asked a question like this :) but yes it would seem you have done everything all right.

What you gave your plants was fertile soil rich in humus and the rains in spring was a bonus.

But don't get complacent!!

Next year you might not be so lucky and you might find you have to replicate these conditions (rain)

I grew from sets, next year i will try some from seed, have not been game up to now.

If it is your first year with seeds I would suggest you do not put all your eggs in one basket growing from seed can be a bit tricky at times,more so if you do not have good facilities e.g. heat!

May I suggest you get in cahoots with a neighbouring plot holder and buy a bag of setts to share as back up.

You can then share the results of your seed sowing venture! I would hate to see you without any onions at all.

Then the following year you can decide if you are going the seed or sett route.

Here is a link that may help you!

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Onions/Onions.htm

[Fork]

After reading through various forums over the past few growing seasons it seems to me that the worst results are obtained by growing onions from sets...especially those sets that have not been properly heat treated. Un treated sets go to seed more readily than not.

The only onions I grew this time were Japanese over wintering type.I did lose a few but I put this down to the bad winter.They were a red variety but I cannot remember which.

My other onions have been grown from seed.5 or 6 seeds per cell and put out when big enough to handle.They were planted and given a good drink.They have not had any since apart from what fell from the sky....and that wasnt much.Onions do not need much water once they have started to "bulb",unless of course,we have a really bad drought.They then need to be watered at the bulb and not on the leaves....this could lead to downey mildew if the conditions are right

[antipodes]

If it is your first year with seeds I would suggest you do not put all your eggs in one basket growing from seed can be a bit tricky at times,more so if you do not have good facilities e.g. heat!

May I suggest you get in cahoots with a neighbouring plot holder and buy a bag of setts to share as back up.

yes, absolutely! well this year I did 2 bags of brown onions, 2 varieties so next year I guess I will do one bag and the rest from seed  :)  There is more manure coming soon and I have reserved some so I will again be manuring, and they will be going where the tomatoes are currently and they were heavily manured this year so I think in terms of good soil, it will be OK. But yes, must keep an eye on the watering once they sprout...

[star]

My first year of big onions! I didn't do any preparation of the soil, and just watered in dry spells.......tsk  ::) almost every other day here, for the last few weeks.

They are big and looking great ;D

[katynewbie]

Been watching this thread with interest. My sets are ok this year, but a lot of them went to seed, maybe partly due to unusual temperatures in June? I sowed a small row of onions as an experiment and all of them have come up and are looking great, beginners luck maybe? Somewhere on here I remember a picture of a row of very close sown onions, some got big and others stayed small, just how you need them for cooking and no weeding in between, sounds like a plan?!

[Jeannine]

Tee Gee, I prepared a bed with lost of aged manure,planted out single onions  in three inch pots I had raised from seeds in a tray,we then had three weeks of rainy weather, followed by heat.

About a month ago I ringed the plants with a small sprinkling of all purpose organic fertiliser and have kept them well watered.

They are still green and growing well..I did keep them weed free but noticed yesterday there was a bit of 2 "inch high weeds growing again;

?? Should I leave that weed alone now and should I cut back on the watering, it is very dry here, no rain for three weeks and non anticipated

Should I feed them again.

They got sown late but seem to be OK. I have never fussed with onions before and had mixed but OK results but I really wanted these to be good as I want to save then for seed.

Thank you in advance,

XX Jeannine

[earlypea]

Thanks Tee Gee - think I'll let some flower, nice.

Mine were from seed, having done a few from sets one year I didn't really enjoy it.  Plant a small thing and watch it get bigger doesn't feel like growing something yourself.

My mistake was I thought it was very important to have well drained soil so that they don't get mouldy, unfortunately the bed I chose is so free draining that I have no idea where the water goes, it's a dry as a bone throughout the summer.

I think I overwatered to compensate and my garlic went mouldy so I stopped watering, except an occasional sprinkle and that seems to have dried them out and made them bolt.

As far as letting them weed up goes, would it not be an idea to control that by sowing a little bit of green manure (phaecelia or suchlike) around them instead at the appropriate time rather than letting the weeds invigorate themselves?

[Tee Gee]

Let me answer these questions first;

Should I feed them again.

No!

I want to save then for seed.

This is not as easy at it seems firstly you have to allow the bulb/s to bolt (run to seed) and this is what you were trying to avoid with all the other procedures you did during the growing season.

What I suggest is; you look for the tell tale signs that a bulb is going to bolt e.g the neck is thickening and becoming quite hard!and let this/these bulb/s carry on growing until it/they set seed.

If the weather turns foul prior to setting seed lift the bulb/s you want to get seed from complete with root ball, being careful to as little damage to the roots as possible, and pot them up and place them in a protected spot e.g. cool greenhouse/tunnel/coldframe.

They are still green and growing well..I did keep them weed free but noticed yesterday there was a bit of 2 "inch high weeds growing again;

?? Should I leave that weed alone now

As far as letting them weed up goes, would it not be an idea to control that by sowing a little bit of green manure (phaecelia or suchlike) around them instead at the appropriate time rather than letting the weeds invigorate themselves?

Let me answer both of these questions together;

Previously I stated;

Weeds can some times be used to the advantage of the onions that is do not allow weeds to accumulate before the bulb begins to develop/swell as these will compete for the nitrogen.

What I am saying here is the 'leaving of the weeds is optional so leaving them or removing them is entirely up to the grower.

When we are talking of weeds I am talking about the odd weed.

For example;I think it is better to leave those weeds that are close to the bulb rather than risk pulling up the onion when removing the said weed/s.

This would count out your suggestion EP of green manure as this would surround the bulb in such a way as to prevent light getting to the bulb and subsequently the ripening process.

and should I cut back on the watering, it is very dry here, no rain for three weeks and non anticipated

No! you never want them to dry out prior to lifting!

I hope that answers all your questions folks now I am off to answer your question on Lime Jeannine!

[Jeannine]

Thanks Tee gee. I was just nicely learning bits on the other post and somehow it got locked ??

I appreciate your help as usual.

Normally I wouldn't bother with seeds but I can't get sees fro the ones I am growing so have no alternative. I have saved onion seeds before, this same type but I was concerned about getting the bext for them this time as I put them in later than ususual.

XX Jeannine

[carosanto]

Hi there

Re: starting seed in September.  Could this be in a seed bed or modules, and when would I transplant them to their overwintering bed?
Thanks, Caro

[Tee Gee]

Hi there

Re: starting seed in September.  Could this be in a seed bed or modules, and when would I transplant them to their overwintering bed?
Thanks, Caro

I think September is a bit late for sowing seed I would say now is the best time (end July/Start of August) this will give them a bit of time to develop before planting out in early October.

The choice is yours if you use a nursery bed or modules!

I prefer to use modules simply because it reduces the potential for root damage at the pricking out stage!

If the roots are damaged this checks the onions growth meaning they are going to need a bit of time to recover before developing to the planting out stage.

This slide show http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Onions/Onion-Seed%20sowing/onion-seed%20sowing.html shows how I deal with summer onions and the same is applicable to autumn sown onions but the temperature is not as critical

[kippers garden]

The best way to prevent this is to prepare your bed well in advance with copious amounts of humus making material e.g. Farmyard manure!

This will retain moisture for the benefit of the plants in periods of drought when the grower is not in a position to water on a regular basis.

Note; the above notes are for summer grown onions!

 

Just out of interest...when do you dig ibn the manure?...is autumn ok for the following summer onions?