Why don't my spring onions thrive?

[sweetcorn]

Having planted Spring Onion seeds and got nothing, I bought a strip from the garden centre. Now they are just sitting there looking miserable - the leaves are going yellow and wilting. I have planted them in my square foot garden - my lettuce and rocket and chard look good in it. What is going wrong?

[Dorothy rouse]

I look forward to reading some replies,cos I can't grow spring onions well either, and it just seems so silly, when other stuff does ok.

[RaptorUK]

Having planted Spring Onion seeds and got nothing, I bought a strip from the garden centre. Now they are just sitting there looking miserable - the leaves are going yellow and wilting. I have planted them in my square foot garden - my lettuce and rocket and chard look good in it. What is going wrong?

I have a 4m row of White Lisbon and another of Purple Lilia at my allotment, they have done much better when it has rained, are you keeping them watered ?

[sweetcorn]

I thought I had but maybe not enough!

[Bill HH]

Gardening is a funny thing is it not, spring onions just seem dead easy for me, but cauliflowers I just cant seem to grow. I use MPC in a 6 inch deep container scatter the seeds on and lightly cover. Then retire immediately or they will shoot up and poke my eye out. The irony is I don't particularly like spring onions but I love cauliflowers.

[pigletwillie]

I start mine off in three inch pots then plant out the whole thing when the roots hold the soil together. To harvest I just pull out the biggest ones. Planting in clumps slows them down a bit too so you dont have a million all at once.

Water is essential. As for them gonig yellow, is the soil they are planted in tired? I dont know if you are using raised beds but they need feeding more than traditional beds. You may need to give some feed and think about top dressing later.

[Alison]

I start mine off in three inch pots then plant out the whole thing when the roots hold the soil together. To harvest I just pull out the biggest ones. Planting in clumps slows them down a bit too so you dont have a million all at once.

I know loads of people who get on well with clump methods but if I do that I just end up with a clump of grass that hasn't swelled into any form of onion. I struggle with them a bit (can only dream of having enough to call a glut, it's radish I always get all at once ) and have to ensure I thin out to reasonable spacings.


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[Dorothy rouse]

Who needs spring onions anyway, maybe chives are the way to go?

[Richard Eldritch]

I get on OK with spring onions, they just take along time to get going. I'm experimenting by sowing five or six into four inch modules before planting out. So far not much difference.

[sweetcorn]

I was wondering if there is a nutrient deficiency of some sort. Some of my garlic's leaves are going yellow too. I do use raised beds, and have been very diligently putting on compost, manure and chicken manure. Too much maybe? Or is there something else onions like that I am not giving them?

[Richard Eldritch]

I was wondering if there is a nutrient deficiency of some sort. Some of my garlic's leaves are going yellow too. I do use raised beds, and have been very diligently putting on compost, manure and chicken manure. Too much maybe? Or is there something else onions like that I am not giving them?

Have you checked the soil PH? compost, manure and chicken manure will be quite acidic which will prevent the release and absorbtion of some nutrients.

[Samurailord]

If the leaves on your alliums are going yellow, try a feed of epsom salts.

That should sort them out.

Andy

[Richard Eldritch]

If the leaves on your alliums are going yellow, try a feed of epsom salts.

That should sort them out.

Andy

What sort of amount?

[RaptorUK]

What sort of amount?

From here:Nutrient deficiencies/RHS Gardening

Magnesium deficiency
Symptoms: Yellowing between the leaf veins, sometimes with reddish brown tints and early leaf fall. Magnesium deficiency is common in tomatoes, apples, grape vines, raspberries, roses and rhododendrons.

Cause: Magnesium is needed for healthy leaves and for plants to harness energy from the sun (photosynthesis). Soil shortages of magnesium are more common on light, sandy soils. Over-use of high-potassium fertilisers (such as tomato feed) can cause magnesium deficiency, as plants take up potassium in preference to magnesium.

Remedy: In the short term, apply Epsom salts as a foliar feed in summer. Dilute the salts at a rate of 20g of Epsom salts per litre of water (1/3oz per pint) plus a few drops of liquid detergent. Apply two or three times at fortnightly intervals, spraying in dull weather to avoid leaf scorch. In the long term apply to the soil around the roots either Dolomite limestone (calcium-magnesium carbonate) at 100g per sq m (4oz per sq yd) or Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) at 30g per sq m (1oz per sq yd). Dolomite limestone will make the soil more alkaline, so should not be used around ericaceous (acid-loving) plants such as rhododendrons or camellias, or where the soil is already alkaline.

[sweetcorn]

Very interesting! Will certainly try Epsom Salts. Thanks