Forum home› Fruit & veg
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Did I over water my onions?

tomhumftomhumf Posts: 65
in Fruit & veg
I planted some onion sets in our polytunnel on the 24th Feb. They seemed to be growing well but the last few days the tops have looked a bit wilted.

I dug around a couple of them and the bulbs seem same size or smaller than when I put them in! I've never grown onions before, and don't know if this is normal.

Maybe I've been too keen with the watering and they are going mouldy or something? 😳 

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited April 2021
    The energy from the sets is being used to produce the top growth. 

    See here https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/995183/onion-sets-not-growing

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    They look fine to me, as Dove says, the energy in the bulb is used to grow the leaves and the roots under the soil. As they grow, the combination of water and light will create more energy to then feed the new onion bulb that will form. A set is just a form of seed, which doesn’t persist once it has germinated and growing away. So you will see deflation before inflation if that makes sense!
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    They look great to me, it's pretty hard to over water in open ground and they won't really start to increase in bulb size for a couple of months yet.
  • tomhumftomhumf Posts: 65
    Oh great thanks for the info, I had no idea that would happen! 
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    I agree with the others, tomhumf .  Yours are very much like mine but, if anything, yours are healthier.  They'll come good I'm sure.
  • kristinemaldonado207kristinemaldonado207 Posts: 8
    it looks normal to me, it's pretty hard to overwater in open ground and they won't really start to increase in bulb size for a couple of months yet. so you don't have to be worry

Sign In or Register to comment.