Growing onions from seeds-first time

15 years ago

I will be growing onions from seeds monday.Any advice on how much flourescent grow light they should recieve daily.I plan on planting in garden when they reach thicknes of pencil.

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Comments (4)

TJG911
15 years ago
same as any vegetable 16 hours on 8 off. keep the lights 1" above the plants. keep them watered when they dry out, those lights are warm but do not over do the water. i wait until the container is dry. also cut them when they get to 5" back down to 3" or they'll be leggy. as thick as a pencil may be too thick, too long to wait. mine are ~ 1/8" at the base when i plant out and they do fine. the key is to get them out as early as possible so they achieve max size prior to mid june when bulb formation starts. also onions do not require a lot of fertilizing so i fertilize just a few times before they go out.

tom
baygrower
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks.I will cut back to 3 inches.I will fertilize lightly with kelp extract.I hope to have in ground by late march.
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Here that would be the 1st of September and transplants set out Nov 15, just before the rains start. Harvest around the 15th of June. Temps are usually 2.2C to 43.3C. If you are not in this range, adjust accordingly. Absolutely the best would be to ask some one who grows onions in your area. Perhaps call one of the Israeli research stations listed in the link. Here is a link that might be useful: research stations and other regarding onions
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You'll be able to tell. Since they are in what you can consider a mini greenhouse in which the vent is on the top, you can check in each day to monitor the progress. The more consistently warmer it gets, the more you would need to enlarge the opening on the top. In addition, the more you need to make sure the soil is moist and not dried out. But this is a VERY important point. Do not put the containers in full sun as it does get warmer. You will bake your sprouts! Dappled shade works best. But it all really depends on the plant you have in the container. There are people who winter sow and do not plant out their plants until the following year since they have so many plants sprouting from this method. The sooner you plant them out, the better. I planted out my perennials from their containers into a holding bed. Within a month, the sprouts grew more rapidly than I expected. For example, I grew butterfly bush from seed using this method. Two containers, spread seed throughout on top of three inches of soil. Put more soil, about a 1/4" to 1/2" on top of the seeds. Placed outside in February. By April I had sprouts. Put them in the ground in June, on a cool shady day. By September I had 15 six foot tall butterfly bushes. Basically, winter sowing toughens up the seedlings and promotes a vigorous and deep root system. Check out the winter sowing forums here and ask questions. The people are friendly and will give you the advice you will need. Plus, it is addicting. I'll stop ranting now. I hope this helps!
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I'll defer to others as to whether they're ready to transplant (I wait until there are some true leaves), but I see you're getting good germination and two seedlings coming up in each pot. Do you want to keep all the seedlings, or will you sacrifice one and leave one to grow? If you want to keep them all, the separating and transplanting is probably best done sooner rather than later. I've seen some recent discussions on the techniques folks use to accomplish this. Good luck with it. You've already done better than some first timers who have difficulty getting seedlings in the first place! Tom
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Are you using regular florescent tubes, or the grow-light tubes? There is a difference, and for seedlings, you need the grow-light ones. Sorry but no. This claim has come up here before and the "you need" part of it simply isn't correct. Thousands of growers, professionals included, use nothing but regular, plain, inexpensive 4' fluorescent tubes to grow seedlings quite successfully. There is no need to spend the extra $$$ on special grow bulbs. The goal is green growth only, not the blooming and fruiting that require the grow bulb spectrum. Now of course you can invest in them if you wish. They certainly aren't going to hurt anything. But there is no NEED to use them. Dave
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megmaine
15 years ago
ohhhh, so I am supposed to trim down the green growth while they are under lights? That would explain why they did so poorly the last time, because I didn't know to trim them. Do the green parts, once trimmed, still grow properly once they are outdoors? And do I also do that with leeks started indoors, trim the tops to 3 inches? That would explain my previous failure.
baygrower
Original Author
15 years ago
megmaine.I trimmed the onions i planted a month ago, today to 3 inches.Some of the onions are getting multiple shoots from base.Yes, you trim them under lights as they will get leggy from artificial light and this thickens the shoots.I have grown leeks from seed for 10 years plus and do not trim at all.When they are 1/8 thick i plant in clump in garden and when they are pencil thick i seperate the individual leeks and plant 4 inches apart.I have been eating leeks continuosly threw winter, from may 28 outdoor planting in 2008.

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Growing onions from seeds-first time

Comments (4)

TJG911

baygrower
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Growing onions from seeds-first time

Comments (4)

TJG911

baygrowerOriginal Author

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megmaine

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