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Should I interfere with the onion?
Mel Mcbride
Posts: 112
in Fruit & veg
I planted a supermarket bought onion that sprouted roots.
It was doing really well, has about 8 stems, but they're now drooping. Should I separate the onions (I think there's about 4) or will they naturally push themselves apart?
I keep thinking nature knows what its doing, but on the other hand, will I just end up with a funny shaped pile of mush?
0
Posts
The planted onion won't turn into lots of onions - onions are biennial which means that in the first year they grow from a seed to a plant and in an onion's case the base of the stem swells to store energy for the future - this is when we harvest and cook it.
If it is allowed to grow into it's second year (which is what you've allowed it to do by planting it) it will put up flower stalks and produce flowers and seeds.
The onion bulb will shrink and wither away as its energy will have been used to produce the flower and seeds.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I've got the largest onion left from last year. It has shoots and roots. I'm going to stick it in, let it flower and save the seeds.
So long as you are sure it is not a hybrid, in which case it will not have offspring like the parent.
Its a Kelsae. It weighed 2Lb 10 oz.
Should work.