Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: hammers07 on June 18, 2007, 19:57

Title: onions gone to seed ?
Post by: hammers07 on June 18, 2007, 19:57

i planted some red onions and some of the plants whilst appearing to be growing well have off white coloured seed sacks on top of the stems. I opened one and it wa full of what looked like seeds. Why would this happen ? Could it be that the onion sets i used (bought from garden centre) were old ? :?:

Title: onions gone to seed ?
Post by: DD. on June 18, 2007, 20:26

This is 'bolting'. Red onions are renowned for it. They are not seeds, but flower buds.

Have a butchers at this thread..

HERE (http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=5432&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15)

Title: bolting onions
Post by: hammers07 on June 18, 2007, 20:30

thanks , if i remove the effected stems will the onions still grow ok

Title: onions gone to seed ?
Post by: DD. on June 18, 2007, 20:32

Not as such. You'll find there's a flower stem inside the bulb. This will rot quickly & affect the onion so it won't store. You can still use them, but use them soon after harvest.