Hi - Since I moved to my new plot I have failed to grow any onions despite great garlic and leeks.
At the old place I planted sets and had good results. I tried sets the past two years here, both years they sprouted, but only grew 6 inches tall, then died or stayed that size all summer. The 1st yr was in a raised bed, 2nd was in the ground. Both Red & White sets were planted.
So this year I planted white & red onion SEED in trays in Feb & had over 100 onions germinate & grow well. I planted them out beside the garlic that now looks like trees. They followed brasicas & loads of muck / green manure the previous year.
The leeks at the far end of the bed are now growing well ...
the onions (what are left) are no bigger than 6 inches again. Most have gone. I carefully watered each onion all through our dry april. I have fertilised occationally since it was obvious they weren't doing well. But they have just gone backwards / disapeared.
Any answers??
Thankyou
Skip
Why have my onions failed for 3 years running?
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helixdesign
- KG Regular
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- Location: Cornwall
Dear Skip
I've been looking up onion problems in my organic bible. Could it be Onion White rot.
the book says
'Highly persistent soil-living fungus. The resting bodies can survive in the soil for up to 15 years without a suitable host plant. The fungus is active when the soil is around 10-20 degrees C. Winter onions particulalry susceptible.
Symptoms - the plant suddenly start to die. Older leaves turn yellow, roots become stunted or rotten. seedlings keel over larger plants can easily be be pulled out of the ground.
Helix
I've been looking up onion problems in my organic bible. Could it be Onion White rot.
the book says
'Highly persistent soil-living fungus. The resting bodies can survive in the soil for up to 15 years without a suitable host plant. The fungus is active when the soil is around 10-20 degrees C. Winter onions particulalry susceptible.
Symptoms - the plant suddenly start to die. Older leaves turn yellow, roots become stunted or rotten. seedlings keel over larger plants can easily be be pulled out of the ground.
Helix
Hi Skip - have you spied on your neighbours, do their onions fare the same or better? It sounds like a soil problem and if it's unique to your plot it must be viral or bacterial. Onions don't like light soil, they can't get a grip to get away (it's a problem on our site) it could just be that. I don't have a magic answer to it other than importing many barrow loads of clay and jumping up and down a lot before you plant them, but plant very shallow, just sit them on the soil really and net them in the early stages till they root so the birds don't yank them out. If you've got light soil and you plant the set up to the neck they just sulk, I've found that out! (shallots too). My previous allotment was heavy clay and huge onions grew easy as wink - not now I'm afraid, it's a battle of wits.
Thankyou both for your kind replies and time you have taken looking in books etc. Helixdesign - I'm praying its not onion white rot, will that effect the garlic & leeks too? As they are in the same beds & are ok, infact they are great.
Interestingly Giulia - I'm pretty sure my neighbour doesn't grow onions! So I must ask him why. You are also correct that I do have light soil, it looked wonderful when I first turned it all, especially the stuff from grass - but now the stones wash to the surface really quickly, & there is not much 'heart' in it comparered to the old place.
Also I did plant them up to their necks cause I was worried the birds would pull them up to easy otherwise!
Thankyou - I shall put some effort in differently next time, maybe some buckets of compost ...
Skip
Interestingly Giulia - I'm pretty sure my neighbour doesn't grow onions! So I must ask him why. You are also correct that I do have light soil, it looked wonderful when I first turned it all, especially the stuff from grass - but now the stones wash to the surface really quickly, & there is not much 'heart' in it comparered to the old place.
Also I did plant them up to their necks cause I was worried the birds would pull them up to easy otherwise!
Thankyou - I shall put some effort in differently next time, maybe some buckets of compost ...
Skip
I think it is a light ground thing, if it was white rot your garlic would have got it too, got it first in fact.
One trick the old boys here (Liverpool, Sefton Park Allotments) do is start their sets off in trays of compost in the cool greenhouse. They set them up side by side, no gaps, and wait for shoots and roots to form, then plant them out very shallow on well trodden ground. They root into the ground and grow away pretty swiftly if you do this (I did it with my red onions this year) and getting them to grow quickly seems to be helpful. Some of our members grow whopping onions so it can be done! I had fatter red onions for doing this but a fair number bolted because I didn't bucket enough water on them in April - live and learn. I've also found I can buy very useful rolls of plastic coated wire mesh in Asda which can simply be unrolled and bent into a v-shape and pegged over the onions to give them bird protection in the early stages.. really quick and easy to do and quite cheap to buy, it was about £6 a roll I think and very versatile!
One trick the old boys here (Liverpool, Sefton Park Allotments) do is start their sets off in trays of compost in the cool greenhouse. They set them up side by side, no gaps, and wait for shoots and roots to form, then plant them out very shallow on well trodden ground. They root into the ground and grow away pretty swiftly if you do this (I did it with my red onions this year) and getting them to grow quickly seems to be helpful. Some of our members grow whopping onions so it can be done! I had fatter red onions for doing this but a fair number bolted because I didn't bucket enough water on them in April - live and learn. I've also found I can buy very useful rolls of plastic coated wire mesh in Asda which can simply be unrolled and bent into a v-shape and pegged over the onions to give them bird protection in the early stages.. really quick and easy to do and quite cheap to buy, it was about £6 a roll I think and very versatile!
I can grow garlic, shallots and leeks to nice sizes but not onions which look absolutely pathetic in size. However, the garlic and leeks suffer from rust, but there's none on the shallots and onions (different strain?).
Will try again next year!
Will try again next year!