Soft n'floppy onions - Help!

[Weavie]

Hi - Can any of you gardening guru's suggest what's happened to my onions please. All was well on Saturday when I looked under the cloche ie: lovely pert healthy looking sets (planted in Oct) and this evening when I looked they were flopped over. When I dug one up it was soft. I pulled them all up out of the raised bed and they were all soft and are now in bin. There was no sign of fungus. Very dissapointing to say the least. This is a new raised bed. It seemed to my untrained eyes that they've been waterlogged. Does that sort of thing happen to veg? Checked the spring cabbages in another bed and they seem fine. Have another set of onions - is it too late for planting them now. Here in Guildford it's still really mild. 12 degrees today.
Thanks for any help.

[nick the grief]

I would have left them if I were you. it may be that it was just the cold over night that made them flop or if you've had a lot of rain recently they could have been flattened by that.

If you've some more I'd put them in ASAP as it's not so much the daytime temp but the night temp & they lack of daylight thats the problem.

[Weavie]

Thanks for advice Nick. I pulled them up because the bulbs felt soft although the roots had taken. I could kick myself! Thought they were a complete write off. It must be lovely having the experience to be able to look at your crops and know what the prob is. I'll dream on about that day - meanwhile I've got some onions to plant or do you think I should hold back now till Spring? I'd hate to loose another lot. Also, if I plant them do you think they'd be better without the fleece cloche over?

[Snadger]

I know it's a bit late now, but I agree with Nick.

Once the sets start utilising their own roots the foodstore in the bulb is no longer needed and it eventually rots away. Could it have been this natural bulb softening that you have felt?

[Weavie]

Oh nooo! I don't believe it! What exactly happens to the bulb then? I (wrongly) thought that the little bulb expanded into a big bulb.
I fear this is the first of many mistakes I'm yet to make! Cheers for all advice.

[nick the grief]

Don't worry Weavie thats how you gain experience from making cockups. I could write volumes on the ones I've made over the years.

If the onions you've got are overwintering ones I'd plant them now. they should be OK without fleece - well, mine aren't getting any

As to the bulbs of your other ones, I could be wrong but I would assume that that the bulbs go soft because the plant is starting to grow & they use the bulb (which is just a food store really) to give it the energy till the roots are well enough developed to take over ( bit like if you don't eat you loose the er... love handles around your waist )

[Weavie]

Beautifully explained Nick! I get it now. Next time I'll seek advice before being so impulsive! The others are over wintering so I'm def going to put them in tomorrow - it'll probably be good therapy. Just watching Hugh F W - he's on chnl 4. Just dug up some celeriac - hmm can't wait for spring.
You've really cheered me up - Thanks again for your kind words.