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PunkRotten
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Location: Monterey, CA.

Thinning onions

Hi,

I planted a small bed of onions and it seems everything popped up. I got multiple plants growing out of each hole and want to thin to one plant. Should I just cut the extra plants out or yank them out? If I cut them low, will they grow back?

billw
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Location: WA
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Best to snip them; pulling will do a lot of collateral damage. Depending on how big they are and how deeply seeded, you may have to snip more than once.

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digitS'
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Location: ID/WA! border

They might come back, Punk'.

I like to do the "horizontal drag."

Well, I don't really like it . . . just remember to carry that tiny handful of plants to your compost pile. A few ceremonial words while you are burying them there would be appropriate.

Back on your knees in the garden, you hold the plant right at the soil surface. Don't pull up - pull away. Trail your digitS against the soil.

You may need to be out there with your plastic knife to keep the saved plants in place while you are thinning the herd.

Forget all this rough treatment if you have room somewhere else in your garden for the thinnings. You know, onions transplant well and don't need much room.

Steve

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jal_ut
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Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

What Steve says. Yes, they can be easily transplanted and thinned in the process. That is if you are going for big onions. Now if you are going for scallions let them grow till eating size and enjoy. Wonderful thing about onions they are good to eat at any size.



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