Mystery onion does something unexpected. Now I'm not even sure what these are. Can you identify them
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- Опубліковано 10 тра 2024
- Last year I was given some leek plants that turned out to be onion plants at least that's what I thought they were. I've grown them on in a bucket through Autumn and Winter into Spring and was expecting to be able to divide them off to grow again this year, just like they had divided off last year. Now I'm not even sure what these are. Can you identify them???
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Jim, this video might be the answer to propagating your bunching onions: The You Tube Channel is My Organic Garden, and the video is entitled, "Keep green onions multiplying and you'll never have to buy green onions again." Hope this helps.
Apparently, Welsh Onions and Leeks are different, but Welsh onions can be used as a substitute for leeks. We love leeks here in the US.
Almost looks like an Egyptian Walking Onion.
In the southern US, we call these potato onions or more commonly- multiplying onions. They grow babies off a central mother onion. If they are overwintered they will try and put up a seed head come Spring. Cut off the seed heads to redirect the energy to the bulbs, divide the remaining onions and replant individually 1" apart for green onions/chives or 4" apart to start the bunching growth again - be sure to get some of the growth plate with each divided onion. If possible, divide them in the Fall, replant and mulch heavily in cold regions and lighter mulch in areas with warmer winters. A heavy freeze will bite back any unharvested leaves, but they should be fine. These can be kept growing for a continuous harvest of fresh onions or harvested and dried for storage. These may not be the exact cultivar that I grow, but they look very similar. You could always take off only one, cut off seed head and replant and see how it does and leave the bulk to continue the seeding process if the lone onion doesn't fare well. Hope this helps!
Do your multiplying onions produce both seed heads and babies?
@@HomeGrownVeg If I leave them in the original bunch with the mother in the middle and overwinter them, then yes - I get a seed head. Egyptian walking onions are different and not like the onions I have. I have an old fashioned multiplying onion (or potato onion) that has a very strong onion flavor. This year I did overwinter in bunches and will cut off seed heads, divide, and replant individually.
I always cut the flower stalks off so that the strength of the plant goes to bulbs and/or divisions. Otherwise you get a lot of seeds but not much to eat.
As for the variety I am blessed if I know! None of my onions has EVER looked like that, LOL!
Wow! subscribed 6 years ago. Thanks for your support. Jim.
My "Welsh Bunching Onions" that I grew from seed last Spring are looking just like that right now, with the exact same seed head.
After harvesting most of it through last year whenever I needed spring onions, I left about 12 plants in the raised bed over the winter and spring, and they have started to flower. Mine are next to a patch of chives which are also flowering with purple flowers.
Are you planning to take seed ?
@@HomeGrownVeg Yes I will be, but then leaving them in the ground to see what they do next year.
I have a bunch of onion here in Pennsylvania that is similar to those. We call them walking onions. Where ever top seed head touches the ground you get another bunch of onions a few feet from the mother plant.
Since uploading this video I've looked at walking onions on you tube. Mine are producing seed heads not the small bulbils that walking onions produce.
If those flower heads open into a bunch of miniature bulbils that look like small onion sets, then it is an Egyptian walking onion, also called potato onion or multiplier onion. A very useful plant that tastes like shallots. If it opens to flowers, I haven't a clue. BTW, the walking onion stem will continue to grow from the bulbils head and set more bulbils at the end of that branch. You can plant the bulbils or the bulbs to increase your patch size.
I need to give this more time. Looks like I'm getting seed but no bulbils. Lets see what happens. Jim.
Can’t help, wouldn’t have a clue what to do with that loll
So I looked into this and that was one deep, winding rabbit hole. To say the terminology is imprecise is an understatement and most sites just repeat whatever 'wisdom' they've acquired from other sites, repeated endlessly.
Onions are biennials. So they form bulbs the first year and make seeds the second year. Which is why a warm/cool/warm spell tricks them into thinking they've lived through a winter and it's time to go to seed when it's still year one.
From what I was able to gather, true shallots have been crossbred so extensively they rarely go to seed and if they do the seeds are usually sterile. This is why saving your own shallots year to year produces new bulbs without setting seed. However you can buy shallot seeds so maybe seed producers have isolated ones that produce viable seeds?
The shape of what you have looks like a bunching/multiplying onion (terms used interchangeably and possibly incorrectly). Shallots usually have that papery covering.
The fact that they all went to seed leads me to believe they're some kind of true onion, not a shallot.
Just my guess. Now I'm off to close the 35 tabs I have opened. Thanks for the adventure. You're braver than I am. I'm content to stick sets into the ground and take what comes.
Diane, Thank you slamming the door for me also. I've still got 2 other experiments
and 3 conundrums on the go. Ironically mostly to do with Onions. lol
Hello Diane. You certainly do 'go that extra mile' for me, thanks for that, much appreciated. The more I look at other peoples walking onions on you tube the more I'm thinking these are not walking onions these are Welsh Onions. I'll keep them going for a while longer to see what develops. Jim.
From some videos I have viewed on here, they state to cut the green tops all the way to the ground(Jasons Jungle). These tops can be used in soups and salads. They state that these will grow back greens and begin to make more onions. One can also separate the clump and these will create more and bigger onions. Jasons Jungle states there are two varieties, white and red. Interestingly enough, their Welsh Onions were standing more upright with the flowering head than yours, which seemed to be flopped over. I'm at a loss to state what these could possibly be.
The flopping over is uncharacteristic of Welsh Onions but they look like they are producing seed heads rather than bulbils. Perhaps moving them has made them unstable? Jim.
@@HomeGrownVeg I can't say Jim. I have Walking onions and they don't flop over like that. I have Red Sun Shallots and Dutch Shallots and they don't look like that. I also have Potato Onions and while they sprawl out, that only when they are ready to pull and are dried out.Oh and Potato Onions have bulbs 2"-4" across. I'm at a complete loss to say what they are. I don't know if moving them caused this. You might have an onion I never seen before.
Why not further the experiment and try growing the seeds.
I'll keep them going for a while longer to see what develops. Jim.
The first "onion" is a leek.
Question: if you had to choose one variety of each veg you have grown over the years what would it be?
Each time I type an answer I change my mind. Onions would have to be Ailsa Craig, good size, good storage and nice to eat. Jim.