SLC
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Starting Onions and Transplanting Them?

1. If starting onions indoors, is it better to start them in a 72-cell self-watering tray or in just regular soil? Does it make a difference? I am asking cuz I started them in that tray and they all sprouted, but now some have died and some are dying. They've only been in there a month.

What happens is the ends start to turn white and shrivel up....until it dies off, sometimes the whole plant. When it starts to turn white, should I cut that back?

2. When transplanting into the garden, should I trim them? I read somewhere to trim the tops to 6 inches, but some of them aren't even that long.

Please let me know your thoughts, thanks!

imafan26
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Hi
What kind of onions are you talking about. Bulbing onions or green onions?

I plant green onions from seed anytime. My onions need good drainage but can handle frequent watering

I can only plant bulbing onion seeds in the fall. Now, is the time to harvest, not to plant. I planted my red onions in October so I just harvested them last Tuesday. I can only grow short day onions. My day averages 12-14 hours all year long.

I do not plant onions of either kind in cell packs. Others do and it works fine. I just don't have the space. I use a 4 inch container and plant a bunch of seeds in the pot then, when they are 3-4 inches tall, I will tease them apart and plant the individual onions about 3 inches apart or because bunching onions don't mind bunching. I will break up the community pot and plant a bunch in a 6 inch or gallon pot and they will provide green onions for me for about 2 years before they bloom. My conditions are different from yours as I live in Hawaii and start everything outdoors in full sun.

I only use 50%peat 50% perlite and osmocote in my potting mix for most seeds.

If Spring planted, most people usually start bulbing onions from sets.

I planted my green onions (Koba) April 14. The bunching onion in the gallon container was planted around February. The brown leaves are usually caused by an onion maggot (a small fly). It is a nuisance more than anything else. I will just pull off the brown leaves and tips and the new leaves will come out fine. The only other thing that really bothers onions are onion thrips. They scar the onion leaves, but they are still edible. To much water will make onions rot, so they need good drainage.
Last edited by imafan26 on Sun May 05, 2013 8:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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applestar
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If you have the patience to page through this thread, I posted how I started onions, along with other seeds here (lots of photos as usual :wink: )
:arrow: https://helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewto ... 03#p288503

imafan26
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great thread apple

SLC
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These are bulbing onions.

Applestar, I couldn't find anything about trimming the tops of onions before transplanting in your thread.

I would like to get these in the ground today since we are having a break in the rain. Should I trim them as I transplant?

Or should I even transplant into wet ground? Does that make a difference? After today it will rain again for 2 more days.

JayPoc
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I wouldn't plant them in wet ground. When you work wet soil, you have a tendency to make something akin to concrete when it dries....

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jal_ut
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It would be good to plant them out ASAP, however as mentioned, not a good idea if the soil is too wet as it certainly can clump up bad if there is any clay in it. I would not worry about clipping them. Each leaf on an onion is the extension of a layer on the bulb. The ones that dry up are just the outer dry layers on the bulb. Not to worry.

I planted my onion seed directly in the garden some time ago. They have came up and are looking good. Onions are cool weather plants and can be started from seed, out in the garden early.

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applestar
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I don't think I trimmed mine at all.

I've been trying to "perfect" growing them from seeds for about three years now, and one thing that I tried this year was to keep them cold and consistently give them really good light -- just shy of as good as the broccoli (I.e they got the ends of the stoplight tubes :> ) So they grew up stocky and hardly any wimpy flopping over at all. Also kept them on the dry side to keep down the fungus gnat infestation which devastated the seedling one year, combined with growing them in soilblocks which seemed to naturally prune/stunt the tips as the roots were air-pruned.



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