I assume you began with sets which would have had "leaves" all ready. Each layer of the onion we eat is a part of the original leaf so you will see many leaves growing from center of the plant which tells you the number of layers it has but not the size.

petzold

I began with transplants, which is what I think you meant, right? Sets are the small bulbs.

Since I've put the transplants in the soil, almost all have developed more leaves from the middle than they originally had as transplants. To simplify things a bit -- the question is, do onions put forth a limited number of leaves? Do onion genes limit the number of leaves to x and they will develop no more, no matter how they are fed and watered?

Onions like any plant is governed by it's genetics but conditions have to be optimal for them to reach that limit. An example, green onions/table onions will continue grow as a cylinder up to about a half inch in diameter but will not develop a bulb as a yellow onion will. If your sets (transplants) are a bulbous type they will begin forming that bulb about two wks after setting out. I've seen bulbous onions 4+" in diameter, they are call super colossal. I hope this answers your question/s.

Well, no, but thanks for giving it a shot! I'll keep looking on the internet to see what I can find.

We've discussed how tomato genetics express various characteristics on the Tomato forum but I've never seen any similar discussion (or interest in one, either!) about what onion characteristics are genetically set. It's just matter of curiosity on my part, hardly likely to change the ultimate character of my onions!

Happy Gardening!

Well, Anney, I don't think I can answer your basic question -- genetics vs environment -- but I will share one observation -- the bigger the plant I got from Dixondale last year, the bigger the onion it grew to be. Some of the transplants were at least twice as thick as pencils or even bigger, these grew into massive onions. The small, thin, whispy grass-like plants grew into the smallest onions.

I love Dixondale. I still have about 2.5 bushels of last years onions in the garage, as well as a lot of dried onions. Next week, my case of 30 plants arrives. Plus, I picked up 2 bunches of short-day onions (which they really shouldn't be selling here in the North) at Lowe's the other day on a lark. Lots of onions again this year.

Dennis
SE Michigan

Dennis

I fell in LOVE with Dixondale when I received my onion order from them. They told me I was receiving 1 bunch ("at least" 60 transplants) in my order of mixed yellows, whites, and reds. To my amazement, there were more than 200, and I had to get another container! I think they sent three bunches instead of one.

Among all the varieties, some of the transplants were pretty large, as you describe yours. There were lots of small red and white ones, though the yellows were more uniform. I planted them all, of course, planning to pull the small ones for spring onions. They really are growing like crazy, which led me to this post. I wondered how large they'd get (wandering off into the mysterious and wonderful world of onion genetics eventually) if they're growing this rapidly now. I can almost hear them squeaking with exuberance!