[AndyRVTR]

I'm just about to set some away in the house and am using a seed compost mix with some of that white flyaway stuff, that gives better drainage (can I heck remember the name of it). I was told to grow in cell trays with a 50/50 mix, then pot onto 3" pots when large enough to handle..... does this sound right?, I just dont want to end up starting all over again in a few weeks time if this idea fails.... all suggestions greatly appreciated as always.. 

[DD.]

Vermiculite?

[AndyRVTR]

Thanks DD.... is that white, a bit like polystyrene?

[fatcat1955]

Started my onions, Walla walla ,red baron, mammoth improved and mammoth red 10 days ago. So far i have pricked out into seed trays, 75 walla walla and 70 red baron. All were sown in run of the mill shop bought multi compost with gentle heat. They are now in a cold g/house in trays of the same compost. The 2 types of mammoth are just poking their heads through so another week and they will get the same treatment.

[Totty]

Any pics of ideal size to prick out? I sowed The Kelsae on the 28th of dec and they are poking through now, i have them in modules though.

Totty

[fatcat1955]

Prick out whilst they are still at the crookneck stage. When they come up they look like a loop , when they are big enough to handle that's the time to prick them out.

[Goosegirl]

I think that white polystyrene-looking stuff is called Perlite.

[AndyRVTR]

I think that white polystyrene-looking stuff is called Perlite.

Thanks GG... I thought it was too... but Perlite (from what i've read about) is a rock like substance and this is just like foam polystyrene.
It was stored in a dustbin in one of the old potting sheds, and I do remember years ago my old dad talking about how he used to make his compost go further and to help in drainage was to break up polystyrene boards and mix it wth the compost.

[Kristen]

Perlite "looks" quite like individual Polystyrene cells / balls. Perlite is incredible light (well, until you add water), so in terms of comparison to "rock" where it comes from it would be easy to think that it couldn't possible be Perlite/Rock as it weighed so little ... and Perlite is bright white like Polystrene

Vermiculite is flatter and not round, and greyer. Bit difficult to describe really!

but in terms of looking like Polystyrene I reckon that is Perlite

[Totty]

When grown in trays or modules, what do you transplant them to when at the crookneck stage?

[AndyRVTR]

Thanks Kirsten... I planted half with 'the white stuff' and half in standard compost... watch this space... 

[down the lane]

Great stuff everyone. I'm also trying to grow from seed this year and am following this thread with great interest. I have 150 seeds that i am going to sow in modules with John Innes and some perlite in a Propigator. Don't have a plan after this so keep posting and let us know.

Thanks all

[Colin of Oxford]

Great encouragement!
Last year I tried growing onions from seed for the first time and evidently started too late.
At the end of the season they were no bigger than the 'autumn sets' I was about to plant.
I will now sow this year's seedlings (but I have already insured my supply by planting the autumn sets - that look good despite the bitter winter - and will plant some spring sets as well).
In similar vein, does anyone sow shallot seeds?
In 2009 I had a marvellous crop despite having lost sight of them in weeds, but in 2010 they were even smaller than the onions.
I am talking about the 'banana' shallots and not the bunching varieties.

[TerryB]

Have grown Robinsons Mammoths White & Red for the last 2 years with great results.
Found the transplanting at the crookneck stage a bit difficult so this year started them in  60 module trays. They only need a temp of 12c to germinate, so no extra heat required. 

[AndyRVTR]

Just a quick update on Ailsa Craig onons that I'm growing from seed... they seem to be ok and are anywhere between  1" - 2.5" tall at the moment. They are still on the kitchen bench and not in direct sunlight, BUT.... some of them seem to be drooping... not all of them... just the odd one or two, which tend to be the ones at the end of the bench next to the fish tank (biorb), so I dont know if this is down to the little bit of extra heat coming from the tank... if I have over watered or some underlying problem, any idea's anyone?