Amazing disappearing onions
I had written another post complaining I saw a few onions wilting. I also noticed a black and yellow banded worm thing on the wilted ones. It was not maggot like, more the length of a worm or catepillar. One guy suggested they were onion maggots. To be sure I started digging up some of the worse looking onions. I saw nothing wrong with them except they were all tiny if not smaller than when I planted them! What really has me perplexes is that one of them had no onion at all! It was just the onion top with leaves attached and roots attached! the root mess was as big as three fists. Where di the onion go? and how did it still have leaves and roots? Do I have some strange mutant disappearing onion variety?
You may just have a defective (so to speak) onion. It could also be going to seed and putting its energy into producing a flowering stalk. Or, it could just need more time than the others.
I know that with radishes, when they bolt, they will have a large mass of leaves with a root not even big enough to eat.
I know that with radishes, when they bolt, they will have a large mass of leaves with a root not even big enough to eat.
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jal_ut
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I am going to assume that you planted onion sets. In other words small dry onions.
What happens is that when the onion starts its growth the new leaves come from the center of the onion, and the outer layers are absorbed and used as food to get the new onion going good. The remains of those layers may still be there, but they will be shriveled and inconspicuous. They will eventually just rot away.
The new growth consists of lots of roots, a section of white onion and several leaves. These are called scalllions or green onions at this stage of the development. They are very tender and tasty.
When the day is the right length the onion will bulb. Don't worry because it is not bulbing now. You can eat a few now or wait until they make bulbs. It sounds like you are doing well and should have some great onions.
What happens is that when the onion starts its growth the new leaves come from the center of the onion, and the outer layers are absorbed and used as food to get the new onion going good. The remains of those layers may still be there, but they will be shriveled and inconspicuous. They will eventually just rot away.
The new growth consists of lots of roots, a section of white onion and several leaves. These are called scalllions or green onions at this stage of the development. They are very tender and tasty.
When the day is the right length the onion will bulb. Don't worry because it is not bulbing now. You can eat a few now or wait until they make bulbs. It sounds like you are doing well and should have some great onions.
jal_ut wrote:I am going to assume that you planted onion sets. In other words small dry onions.
What happens is that when the onion starts its growth the new leaves come from the center of the onion, and the outer layers are absorbed and used as food to get the new onion going good. The remains of those layers may still be there, but they will be shriveled and inconspicuous. They will eventually just rot away.
The new growth consists of lots of roots, a section of white onion and several leaves. These are called scalllions or green onions at this stage of the development. They are very tender and tasty.
When the day is the right length the onion will bulb. Don't worry because it is not bulbing now. You can eat a few now or wait until they make bulbs. It sounds like you are doing well and should have some great onions.
Thanks, Jal, for the interesting explanation of onion growth. I've known for a while that the leaves stored energy, but never knew the exact way they were used for bulb production.