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Some of my onions have produced a bud on their stalks.  Do I nip these off or pull the whole onion up?  Apologies for the totally clueless question.  I tried googling but didnt come up with anything.

I usually, pull the onion up and use asap as these won't store at the end of the season, if you have a few then nip off the flower and use them whenever possible. Sometimes when you nip the flower off it can cause the onion to rot while still growing...

>:(

Yup, remove the flowers & try to use those ones first like Mr Joker says. My shallots are doing it for the first time this year, which is more annoying 'cos you can't mark them very easily.

Thanks so much.  Glad I asked as I would have left them.  Just pulled about ten and eaten a couple raw - wow they taste fab!  Some more are being stir fried as I speak.   ;D

waaaaah my nice red onions are starting to produce seed too, and it is leaving a nasty hard stalk in the middle of them :(
I am so disappointed, they were doing so well not so long ago. Luckily the echalotes and yellow onions seem OK...

Mine to antipodes.  Red onions doing it and no where near having a decent sized bulb on them.

I've just nipped them off and will see how they do.

pull them leave in a bucket and collect the seed.

None on mine yet and I have over 200 sets planted.  Probably wont be long till it does happen as I planted early.

Oh well, fun growing food though!

Mine have done the same - no bulb but started to grow seed pods. Suppose they will be another spring onion lot then.

I also have the same happening to one of the shallots. I dug it up a bit to see if there was anything under ground but it doesn't have much in the way of the bulbs. Any ideas what to do with this as it doesn't look edible but if it can be eaten i will!

Thanks

still use it as spring onions, shaolin, there's someone on our plot uses all his shallots like this, just pulls up a clump  ;D
lots of our reds are doing this but the others are ok

Quote from: STEVEB on June 10, 2008, 11:49:30
pull them leave in a bucket and collect the seed.

I wouldn't - surely this results in selecting ones with a propensity to bolt?

Oh no, just spotted one on my white onions as well.

For the last few years onions have been my banker.

Have to leave them a little while longer as there will be nothing to eat yet.

Mine have done the same, especially the white autumn sets.

I couldn't work out why some of them have gone moudly but from whats been said above I guess they are the ones where I have taken off the emerging seed head ?

I've thrown away any with signs of mould, others with signs of bolting are now hanging in the greenhouse to dry and will be used as soon as possible.

So I guess the question is...Why do they bolt?

Seems to be due to cold weather stress according to these articles....

http://www.agrisupportonline.com/Articles/why_do_onions_bolt.htm

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/1995/3-17-1995/onion.html

Then this forum post suggests being too warm...

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=4568

As mine were planted quite late.  I guess mine must be due to warm weather rather than cold.

Think I'll pull mine tommorow.  Seems to be the general consensus.

Chappy.

seems wierd, the red onion overwintering onion sets in the polytunnel are now drying, really good size, none bolted and the tops were battered by wheelbarrows and legs, they were planted along the edge of the bed
the march planted red sets, lots have bolted
so, being too dry or too warm doesn't pan out in this, unless they've had less ups and downs, mind you, it's been 94 degrees in there quite a lot this year  :)

I just been out a pulled one of the reds which I pulled the head off the other day.

And no onion on it all that was on it was a rotten set. :(

Gonna leave the rest and see what come of them.

Teach me to plant so late.

10 out of 12 of my red onions bolted and nothing on them, most of them rotted.  about 7 out of 12 of white ones and about 5 out of 12 of the yellow ones.  But realised later on in year that the drainage in the bed that I planted them in was dreadful so suspect the soil got waterlogged.  will be moving them up the plot this year I think.

red onions are noted for bolting if planted before the spring equinox, something to do with daylength/ dark.
I hold off planting 'til then, not as many problems as my neighbours!  ;)

Hi

I have a problem with white rot on my plot.  I would suggest that if a lot of your onions are bolting check for a white mould on the base of the onion around the roots.

Onions that have a white rot problem will pull out of the soil a lot easier than an unnaffected onion.

hiya, spudders, welcome to the site..we've lost a few shallots but there's no mould, just soggy bulbs, the ones at the other end of the row are fine  ???