Egyptian/Walking Onions

[woodypecks]

Last year I bought a small quantity  of these and had hoped to propagate them...but someone came into my garden and stole the tiny bulbils before I came to take them ...in fact ,  I don't even think they were ready to take . Very annoyed ,I dug them up and grew them in a large , unlabelled pot in a hidden away place . So this afternoon I have been harvesting this years bulbils... I ,m worried that I have damaged the basal plate of each one ,just a tiny bit ( unavoidable as you pull them off )and also that none of them seem to have any roots at all . Should I just store them over winter or plant them now ?
If I can get these going  , then next year I may have some to give away to friends .     Debbie

[woodypecks]

[Robert_Brenchley]

Plant them. They'll overwinter quite happily.

[woodypecks]

Thanks , I didnt know they were that hardy ..... when I say bulbils , I am talking about the tiny " top sets "produced  on top of the stalks . Debs .

[chriscross1966]

Mine have stood out in the plot for the last four years without problem, if you've got the giant variety "Catawissa" then they might well want staking, the smaller varieties tend to be OK without as long as they're in a bit of a clump they support themselves

[galina]

Don't worry unduly about having damaged anything.  These are quite tough and will root.

About propagating them - the reason they are called Walking Onions is that when the little bulbils at the top are mature, the stems wither and fall over.  The bulbils on top of the withered stems 'land' a distance away from the parent plant, where they root readily in the ground.  They are said 'to have walked' away from the parent plant.  This is how nature intends propagation of these onions. 

When the stems have gone or are about to go, I usually separate the little 'nest' of bulbils into individuals and plant these.  But you can (as nature does) plant the whole cluster now and separate in spring when each little bulbil has a root of its own.

Also look at the original bulb.  These split like shallots.  In autumn, when the plant has done its 'walking' there will be a cluster of bulbs in the ground - a secondary method of propagation.  This shallot like cluster of bulbs is bigger on plants that had a bit of tlc (wider spacing, watering etc).

The plant WILL want to propagate - one way or another.  Most alliums have more than one way of propagation. 

Good luck and I hope before long you have a row of them and get to eat the delicious top bulbils in salads or use them for pickling.  They are also fab with beef brisket in the slow cooker   

[woodypecks]

Thankyou so much for your reply Galina .... this brilliant information will be most helpful to others too .
They are a peculiar and interesting onion ....yes and you can eat the onion underground , the leaves , and the little top-sets .