saving onion and leek seed

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rachelsco

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saving onion and leek seed
« on: September 11, 2013, 11:46 »
i was thinking of having a go at saving some onion and leek seed.
ive got the plants with the seed heads (some in flower and some 'gone over' ) still growing on the plot.  so what happens now? can i leave the seed heads on the plants to ripen or should i pick them and bring them indoors?

any tips are welcome as any seed saving ive tried before (squash and chillies) was a total failure :(

thanks rachel

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Totty

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Re: saving onion and leek seed
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2013, 18:21 »
I wou
Don't use any that have gone to seed in the first year of growing. Usually, you take a prime specimen onion or two, which are not a hybrid f1 type, and when they are fully dried off after harvest, you replant them somewhere frost free. Next year it will fire a big seed head up and thereafter you will get seed.

Leeks are a little different. There are probably other ways, but the best is to take a nice one, and cut it to about three inches from the roots plate. Remove all the old roots and plant it. Again keep it frost free and it will throw a big seed head.
Another trick is to give the seed head a crew cut, removing all of the immature seed stalks. This forces the leek into one last ditch attempt at reproduction and it will grow "grass" all over the seed head. Each one of these tiny little grass is an exact copy of the parent plant and therefore there is no need to sow seed, just get the little leek grass rooted and away you go.

Totty

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gobs

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Re: saving onion and leek seed
« Reply #2 on: September 11, 2013, 19:29 »
I think Rachelsco already has seed heads... I can see, you do not like saving from first year, but I'm not this fussy. :D Especially, that most are grown through 2 years in one way or another, mine certainly.

Rach, cover them seedheads with a transparent plastic bag, tie on with string or elastic band. It's good if it gets some air in there, pierce or leave a bit lose on bottom end; for they need to ripen and wet autumn weather can make them rot. They shall be dry and falling off, when ready.
"Words... I know exactly what words I'm wanting to say, but somehow or other they is always getting squiff-squiddled around." R Dahl

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Totty

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Re: saving onion and leek seed
« Reply #3 on: September 11, 2013, 20:58 »
The benefit of saving seed is that you can choose the best plants to save from, thus improving a strain over time. Can't see the point in saving seed from plants that bolted, when they should flower in the second year.

Totty

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gobs

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Re: saving onion and leek seed
« Reply #4 on: September 11, 2013, 21:10 »
The benefit of saving seed is that you can choose the best plants to save from, thus improving a strain over time. Can't see the point in saving seed from plants that bolted, when they should flower in the second year.

Totty

I can, for I got good results from them in the past, also I sow my leeks in may/June, harvest next spring, sow my onions in December/Jan, harvest next summer, etc. They are in their second year really, Totty, especially so if 'sow' bulbs.

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Totty

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Re: saving onion and leek seed
« Reply #5 on: September 11, 2013, 21:28 »
If it works that's fine. It's not the way individual strains get improved, but each to their own!  :)

Totty

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leeks r us

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Re: saving onion and leek seed
« Reply #6 on: September 11, 2013, 23:46 »
aye totty yer right what yer sayin most leek grwers for the show that is use grass from the leek heads however you do have to shave the leek head to promote the grass to grow you can also take the leek seed with the bag method but you normally use a paper bag and remove the head from the spike. another option is cutting the leek down to groun level and it will grow two king pips from the base which you can plant on.

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rachelsco

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Re: saving onion and leek seed
« Reply #7 on: September 12, 2013, 10:42 »
thanks totty gobs and leeksrus.  very detailed and rather daunting for a beginner :ohmy:  the onions were random sets that bolted tbh. planted last november.  same with the leeks, they were not prime specimens.  when i saw that they were going to go to seed i just left them to see what happened (they were so pretty and the bumble bees loved them).  in fact one of the pensioners whose garden overlooks my allotment said she thought the leek (as it stood tall and proud with its seed head waving in full flower) was a person in a big mauve wooly hat working on the allotment :lol: :lol: :lol:  time to visit specsavers i think

i reckon il do it properly next year, with better specimens,  thanks so much for you replies



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