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sheeshshe
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Why are Onions Not Forming a Bulb?

I started onions from seeds this past march.. I transplanted them into 5 gallon buckets, 4 to a bucket. While they look beautiful from above, they're not bulbing. they are about 1 inch in diameter and they're not seeming to grow any bigger. I must be missing a nutrient, any idea what it could possibly be? We've had adequate rain, so I do not think it is a water issue. they're in pH neutral soil, and they are the correct variety for where I live.

Any ideas on what I can add to help them grow?

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rainbowgardener
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Perhaps just time.... Onions from seed are very slow. I plant them in fall to harvest the following summer, like garlic.

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sheeshshe
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Hmmm. what about sets I saved from last year? those don't appear to be growing either.

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jal_ut
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What variety? Not all onions will do well in your location. Can you talk to others in the area and find the varieties that do well there?

Some onions do not bulb, but are planted for scallions. Is that what you have?

We are a long ways apart and different climates, but I will only say that onions planted from seed here, regardless of variety will at best make a bulb 1 inch in diameter.

When onions are done for the season, the tops lie down and start to dry up. When the stem is getting pretty well shriveled up just above the bulb, you may as well pull them and enjoy. They are not going to get larger this season.

If you plant the right variety in March from small plants or sets, you should have humongous onions by now. Onions do require a fairly rich soil for good growth, but the variety may be a bigger factor. You just have to find the ones that will do well there.

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As J said, you have to make sure you have the right kind of onions. There are hardneck, softneck, long day, short day, Egyptian, and bunching (no bulbs) onions that I know of.

Most of the bulbing onion seeds are planted in the fall and harvested in early summer where I live. I have never used onion sets. I can only plant short day onions. You probably need to plant long day onions.

I learned that hard way that onions will not bulb up if planted at the wrong time.

Onions need cool weather to sprout and grow leaves, which are edible, but if you eat them don't expect bulbs. I add compost (you could add manure) to the onion bed to start and bulb fertilizer before planting seeds . If the tops are slow to grow I hit them with some Miracle grow to jump start them. I don't have a winter so my tops will grow the whole time. When the days start getting longer, I will stop any nitrogren supplements. The bulbs start getting bigger and when the tops start to brown and fall over then I know the onions are ready. It takes about 5-7 months from seed to harvest for me.

I found an article on growing onions in New England which might be more useful in your situation.

https://www.mofga.org/Publications/Maine ... fault.aspx

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sheeshshe
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I order through pinetree garden seeds. they're in my area, and from what I have read, they only carry what works in our area. they're like 30 min from me. I have copra, ailsa craig, and one other type. All suitable for this area.


That article was saying I should have had them outside in April. Maybe that is my problem? I waited until may.

Is it too late to put chicken manure you think? I can side dress it.


As for the sets, I had some that I saved from last year. t hey were teeny ones, so I planted them. They came up. But, they don't appear to be making a good bulb either. :( I guess the soil just isnt fertile enough, or I didn't put them out at the right time. I guess perhaps I put things out too late. I didn't know they'd do better being put out earlier.

DoubleDogFarm
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I'm slightly north of you on the left coast. I'm thinking you have a month to 6 weeks to go on the Copra onions.

Here's one of my old onion post from April 2011. You can see that my onions on July 20th are not all that large, but by Sept they are decent.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 48&t=34147

Eric

imafan26
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You also said you have the onions in buckets. Bulbs in containers don't get as large as bulbs in the ground, even though you only have 4 in a bucket, it may still be crowded in the root zones. It also depends on the density of the soil. Even containers soils can compact.

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DoubleDogFarm wrote:I'm slightly north of you on the left coast. I'm thinking you have a month to 6 weeks to go on the Copra onions.

Here's one of my old onion post from April 2011. You can see that my onions on July 20th are not all that large, but by Sept they are decent.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 48&t=34147

Eric
Interesting that you still have so long to go before harvest, Eric.

I planted Copra plants around March 23, and just recently pulled them - all the tops had been down for at least a few days. I got pretty small bulbs all around. I'm on the southern edge of long-day onion territory (according to Dixondale), so I thought I would do a little better than I did.

I'll probably plant some Copras again next year, just not as many. But I'll plant more of the intermediate-day SuperStars, which did pretty well (and which I pulled about ten days earlier than the Copras).

I'm sure I could plant them a little earlier than I did this year to give them a little extra growing time. I'll actually fertilize them next year, too, so hopefully they all turn out a bit better.

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This is a off year for onions and most vegetables. I even thought of not having a garden this year. Friends gave me some onions and leek starts.

I will be starting seed in late Jan or early Feb.

Eric

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jal_ut
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or I didn't put them out at the right time. I guess perhaps I put things out too late. I didn't know they'd do better being put out earlier.
Onions bulb when the days are of a certain length. In the North April is about as early as most of us can plant so we plant long day onions. The long days happen in June, so you want your onions to have time to make lots of leaves before time to bulb. So planted in April they are of good size when the long days arrive and they will make a nice bulb.

My onions planted in April are larger than baseballs right now and still growing. They will finish up soon and topple over.

Planted too late the days get too hot before they are of a good size to bulb.

In the South you can plant much earlier so you plant short day onions and they will bulb up in May with shorter days and before the heat becomes unbearable.

I think you will do much better if you get them planted in April. Even March if your soil is dry enough. Good Luck.

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sheeshshe
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that makes so much more sense now. you explained it very very well. I didnt know that at all. Well, it is a good learning experience anyways.

If I plant in April, when do you suggest I start the seeds? February perhaps?

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sheeshshe
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DoubleDogFarm wrote:I'm slightly north of you on the left coast. I'm thinking you have a month to 6 weeks to go on the Copra onions.

Here's one of my old onion post from April 2011. You can see that my onions on July 20th are not all that large, but by Sept they are decent.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 48&t=34147

Eric

that is about the size they look like right now, what yours looked like in July 20. encouraging to me, hover, I didn't mine in the dirt until May, so we'll see if it happens or not.

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jal_ut
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If I plant in April, when do you suggest I start the seeds? February perhaps?
Yes, I am thinking six weeks before you want to put them out in the garden. Onions are cold hardy and can take some frosts and snow and still do fine.

Here I can buy bundles of small onion plants in April and have not started my own.

I do plant some seed in April for scallions. The seed will make small bulbs by September, but if I want large bulbs I need plants or sets.

This is what my onions are looking like right now, planted from small plants in April. They will get larger yet.

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jal_ut
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Plant seed for scallions. You can plant bunching onions if you want then they don't ever bulb.

These are the Egyptian onions grown from the little bulbils that form on the top. I love these for scallions. They are sweet and flavorful. I keep a mother clump just to grow the bulbils for planting for the scallions. In the picture you can see these are just about to make some more bulbils on top. These are just right for harvest. My friend who gave me the start called them Forever Onions. They are perennial and once you have a mother clump, you have onions forever.

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sheeshshe
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Those look really nice!

Thank you for all of the advice. Next is going to be my year, I just know it!

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rainbowgardener
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It's part of what I love about gardeners: NEXT year's garden is always going to be the best ever!! :)

You gotta stay optimistic. If we all went around saying next year I will be plagued by squash vine borers and powdery mildew, septoria and stinkbugs, drought/excess rain, just like this year, who would stay a gardener? :) Even though it is probably closer to the truth....

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sheeshshe
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rainbowgardener wrote:It's part of what I love about gardeners: NEXT year's garden is always going to be the best ever!! :)

You gotta stay optimistic. If we all went around saying next year I will be plagued by squash vine borers and powdery mildew, septoria and stinkbugs, drought/excess rain, just like this year, who would stay a gardener? :) Even though it is probably closer to the truth....
so far I've had all of that minus the powdery mildew and the drought :lol: add in potato beetles and cucumber beetles to the mix. I've never had potato bugs before. this is the first time for that.



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