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Brown onions forming flower heads!
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Posted by Snoopy47 WA (My Page) on Fri, Dec 2, 05 at 20:32
According to my garden books I have to allow the greenery to wither and die before lifting my brown onions. I have noticed they are now forming flower spikes and this dosn't look promising. I have bought onions from the shop with ugle green hearts from flower stalks so the prognosis isn't good. Is this why gardeners follow the practice of bending the stalks over at a certain stage.
In summary what should I do now?
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Brown onions forming flower heads!
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- Posted by moreton Bris. Qld. Aust (My Page) on
Fri, Dec 2, 05 at 21:12
Hi Snoopy47,
If you are after seeds, leave them go to seed stems and collect seeds. As they are very late in the season.you can snap the stalks or run a roller over your onions to try to stop them sending up any more seed stems. If you are after onions for eating and the bulbs have formed to a reasonable shape and size you can lift them and let them dry out in the sun for a few days on a old hesian corn/ potato sack, (just make sure they are not left out in the dew or damp weather as they will rot very quickly)once they have dried enough, you can store them in an old onion bag,(maybe ask your local fruit and veg shop for an old one, if you have a fruit and veg shop left in your area)onions can be stored for quite while in an airy dry,dark position.If you cut the tops and roots off your onions they will not store for as well as if you leave top and tails on. Onions take along time to grow so experiment with different planting times in your area to get the best results, some of the seeds may not grow true to form in certain weather conditions. Good luck. Peter r |
RE: Brown onions forming flower heads!
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The problem arises when one starts flowering it seems to be a signal for all of them to do so, so if I were you I'd lift the remainder before they go to flower. You don't have to wait until they completely dry off. I judge it more by the size of the onion just at the surface and pull them up when they seem big enough. ( Don;t plant your seed or seedlings too deep) Then I leave them to dry out for a few days. I do this more often with green leaves depending on the amount of water they've had. Bending them over doesn't seem to do anything other than give you a backache. I plant mine at the Winter solstice and crop them by the summer one. I stop watering them on 22nd November unless it rains. We plait them and hang them in a cool place (the garage) and get almost a year out of them - that's the browns and golds. You actually need leaves to have a bit of moisture in them and the onion will continue to 'feed' off those leaves for a while without going into flowering mode. White and reds don't keep quite as well. I'd also make sure that you are growing a variety that suits the hotter climate. Some prefer a cold start and growing period. There are 'good onion years' and that depends on the heat coming late in the growing period. However, they are not really as touchy as that sounds. I'm growing from seeds, sets and potato onions this year.
Cheers
Linda |
RE: Brown onions forming flower heads!
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| Hi Snoopy, Onions bulbing and/or flowering are triggered by daylength. This is why all plants of one variety do it pretty much simultaneously. The main factors in getting bulbs instead of flowers are a) using a variety that is adapted to the climate, and especially daylength patterns in your area, and b) sowing at the correct time. This is crucial as if the plants have grown vegetatively for too long you'll end up with flowers, or too short you'll end up with tiny bulbs. This is because onions are biennial and will grow and store nutrients one year to flower the next. If the plant has grown big enough it can sustain flowering, it will do so instead of forming a bulb. Thus we plant a variety at the right time so that the changing daylength triggers them to bulb up not flower. It's too late for this year but if you have a variety that's tried and tested in your area, make seed and try again next year! One of the problems with onion seed is getting it to sprout, but if you grow your own, freshness should not be an issue! Manuel. |
RE: Brown onions forming flower heads!
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| Manuel is correct. You have sown seed or transplanted at the wong time. Creamgold (Pukekhoe) should be sown in WA in June-August. There would be commercial varieties that may be available. Remember that the big seed companies (packets) market nationally so I'm not sure that their varieties exactly suit all areas. |
RE: Brown onions forming flower heads!
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| Sounds difficult. Are homegrown really worth the trouble? And do you just keep trying different varieties and sowing times till you find one that suits? I've asked a few locals for advice, but they've given up on onions as being too finnicky! |
RE: Brown onions forming flower heads!
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Ray, I grow Ceamgold (Pukekhoe)in Melbourne and get a good crop every year. I once grew a few acres of onions down at the farm but the spray regime is horrendous mainly because the seedlings are so small and vulnerable to swamping by weeds.
Ailsa Craig does well also but MUST be sown down here late August. My Italian trial is kicking along although I should thin out the rows.
All in all they are a bit labour intensive but by choosing the right varieties we don't have to buy the supermarket ones (or hardly ever!) |
RE: Brown onions forming flower heads!
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| I lost the post I just sent so here it is again - Ray, they really are worth the trouble - there is nothing as sweet as a good homegrown onion. As Manual says - daylight length is important ( I plant winter Solstice and crop at the summer Solstice or thereafter) One of the reasons I grow my own is the spraying. This is what the ag. department advise just for storing - let alone the spraying during growing! : " A single application of maleic hydrazide at the rate of 11 L/ha in from 500 to 1000 litres of water should be made when the plants are nearly mature and the tops are just beginning to fall. This is usually 10-14 days before harvest. If applied too late, when the tops are not "active", the chemical will not be translocated to the growing point in the bulb. Crops that may be required for seed should not be treated with maleic hydrazide." All I do is make sure the soil is limed well and nicvely loose in structure ( remember I have heavy clay, but I add gypsum and sand where I plant the onions and it ultimately benefits the garden as a whole) I do that a few weeks before planting and then put in a side dressing of lime when I plant. I grow Creamgold and Sheffield Red. The reds take a month longer, but can be pulled to use and thin them out after about 4 months. I crop them at the New Moon after Xmas - when the Moon and Sun are at their most southern declination therefore the longest daylight period after which the sun is 'northing' and daylight starts to shorten. Daylight length is determined by latitude due to the 23 degree tilt of the earth ( why we get longer daylight the more south you are) and this is one of the keys to choosing the right variety and planting time. Here's a useful link with onion varieties suggested for different latitudes. Go Cosmic! It's scientific! I'd suspect that growing over winter in Qld would be a proposition. Armidale is similar to Tas in the nice cold conditions, but adjust for daylight length. Cropping and storage is easy - I plait the onions and hang them in the garage. I get 9 months from the golds and up to 6 from the reds. For three months I don;t eat onions.
Linda
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Here is a link that might be useful: Latitude and Onions
RE: Brown onions forming flower heads!
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| That's a great link Linda, I had no idea this company existed, when I have another go at growing onions I shall be using them. |
RE: Brown onions forming flower heads!
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| I'm not sure that they sell <500g of onion seed? Do they market packets? |
RE: Brown onions forming flower heads!
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| I'm getting really good at chives of all kinds. I know, I know, it's like I have the training wheels on. But I do believe the handful of lime helps. That's the key for me. I am going to plant an onion bed after the tommys. |
RE: Brown onions forming flower heads!
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| Onions following tomatoes is good. I think that is more of a commercial seed merchant - Eden seeds have creamgold that seem to do OK in most regions as well as some specifically for warmer areas. A couple of nice red varieties too. I'll see if I can chase up some of the cool varieties. Cheers
Linda |
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