Planting onion seeds under lights – Related: Grow lights vs a sunny windowsill for starting seedlings. Onions are cool-season crops that need at least 90 days to mature. Due to this extended growth season required and their preference for cooler weather, it is difficult for onion bulbs to achieve a healthy size before the onset of warm weather if they are planted immediately into the garden in the spring.
This necessitates starting the seeds many weeks prior to transplanting the plants into the garden. In addition, onion seedlings have a moderate growth rate. Therefore, if you wish to germinate onion seeds indoors under grow lights, you should do it 10 to 12 weeks prior to planting them outside in early spring.
However, sowing onion seeds inside under grow lights is more complex than planting seeds of other crops. The lights should be on for 16 to 18 hours each day while growing tomato, eggplant, and other vegetable seeds indoors under grow lights. However, if you grow onion seeds inside under grow lights and leave the lights on for that long, you will produce tiny onions with an early bulb set.
Is it difficult to grow onions from seed?
How to Save Onion Seeds – Onion seeds are normally easy to cultivate and gather, but bear in mind that they are a biennial crop, which means that they only produce seeds every two years.
Make a shallow cut with a hoe or hand tool to eliminate weeds just below the soil surface before they become a problem. Do not deeply hoe or chop. Inoculated onions are more susceptible to illness. Mulch to a depth of 3 to 4 inches with herbicide-free grass clippings, weed-free straw, or other organic material to inhibit weed development and minimize the frequency of cultivation.
When approximately half of the onion tops have fallen over and become dry, onions are ready to be harvested. Lift and undercut bulbs using a spading fork. If the weather is dry and warm, you can keep onions on the ground for many days, or you can bring them inside to cure. Curing onions is vital if you intend to keep them.
Keep the onions in a warm (75 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit), well-ventilated place for two to four weeks, or until the outer bulb scales are dry and the neck is taut. Insufficient curing will result in spoilage during storage. When onions are sufficiently dry, they can be braided or their tops chopped off.
What is the onion’s life cycle?
In the Garden: Onion Cultivation Copying the link to the clipboard Learn English by reading and listening to this tale. The Merriam-Webster Learner’s Dictionary may be accessed by double-clicking on any term. This is the VOA Special English Report on Agriculture.
- Onions are available in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and tastes, ranging from mild and sweet to fiery and pungent.
- A mature onion plant has roots, bulbs, and leaves.
- The leaves are long, hollow, and thin.
- They are erect and form a bulb at the bottom.
- Onions are biennials, with a two-year life cycle.
But they are often harvested during their first year, before to the formation of blooms and cessation of bulb growth. Onions thrive in loose, nutrient-rich soil. They may thrive in a variety of climates. In chilly areas, onions may require 14 to 15 hours of sunshine to initiate bulb formation.
In warmer areas, onion bulbs can form with less hours of daily sunlight. Extension agent at Oregon State University, Barbara Fick, states that planting sets is a speedier approach to cultivate onions. The phrase BARBARA FICK: “However, onion sets are actually miniature plants, as opposed to seeds. So, when you have a set of onions, you actually have the little bulb.
So it does not take as long to grow.” Onions may be grown in thick soil with the assistance of compost or leaf mulch. Once their tips have dried and fallen over, the bulbs may be dug from the ground. Onions may be kept for several months. However, according to Barbara Fick, preserved onions must first be cured.
- Curing is a means of ensuring that the outer surfaces of the leaves are completely dry.
- Here are some instructions from the National Gardening Association’s editors.
- First, sun-dry the onions for a day or so.
- Then, remove the plants from direct sunlight for two to three weeks.
- Spread them out in any warm, airy, covered location.
Alternatively, cover the onions with a thin cotton sheet secured in place with stones. The covering will protect the bulbs from the sun’s rays. Don’t fret about the rain. Additionally, avoid using plastic or canvas sheets. Heavy covers will trap moisture, preventing the onions from properly drying.
- Turning the bulbs several times will ensure that they dry evenly.
- After curing the onions, they can be hung in mesh bags for additional drying.
- When onions are placed in storage, there should be no moist patches present.
- National Gardening Association editors assert that the longer onions are cured, the longer they will last.
Some individuals remove the onion’s top leaves prior to curing. If you do so, you should not trim the leaves closer than 2.5 cm from the bulb. This concludes Jerilyn Watson’s Special English Agriculture Report for VOA. For further gardening-related content, please visit voaspecialenglish.com.
How long may onions be left in the ground? As long as the soil is dry, you may leave onions in the ground for several days before plucking them. That is one of their greatest benefits! However, if it is damp or raining often, they should not be left in the soil for too long because they are more prone to decay.
