Pricking out Onions

[Hazel at the Hill]

Here's a piccy of my Brunswick Red Onion seedlings - pretty aren't they?

Now I'd like to prick them out into their own little pots and my question is: how deep should they be? Same amount of stem showing as now?

[zazen999]

I would also like to know that one, I always think mine are too shallow, or too deep and would really like a definitive answer from an expert!

[Flummery]

I'll wait till I hear before doing mine then!

[jacob marley]

Here's a piccy of my Brunswick Red Onion seedlings - pretty aren't they?

Now I'd like to prick them out into their own little pots and my question is: how deep should they be? Same amount of stem showing as now?

The answer is yep yep and yep jacob

[Hazel at the Hill]

Excellent, Jacob, thank you!

Guess wot I'll be doing this evening!

[rustylady]

As they're in pots anyway (looks like about 3 to a small pot) I would leave them as they are for a bit at least. If you're going for prizewinners, then thin them out to one seedling per pot, but I wouldn't suggest putting them into bigger pots yet as the roots won't cope with the amount of compost. On reading your original post (before looking at the piccies) I had assumed that you had twenty or more seedlings in one 3 inch pot.

[Hazel at the Hill]

I think that I'll be taking Shirlthegirl's advice for next year - one seed, one small pot. I did decide to prick them out into individual pots, but obviously that's caused massive root disturbance. Hope it doesn't set them back too much.

Thanks for your help, peeps.

[shirlthegirl43]

I think that I'll be taking Shirlthegirl's advice for next year - one seed, one small pot.

Cheers Hazel, I am trying it this year as I have found that while I might have energy for sowing the seeds and usually get some stuff planted out, my energy levels can drop so low sometimes that I often lose seedlings due to not potting them on. This year, I decided the way round that was to sow as much as possible in fibre pots so that they would not suffer root disturbance or restriction if they ended up in the fibre pots until planting out time. (well, I hope it works)

Still need to sow more onion seeds though as my first ones all grew along the soil instead of standing up - how deep are you supposed to sow them?

[Hazel at the Hill]

Still need to sow more onion seeds though as my first ones all grew along the soil instead of standing up - how deep are you supposed to sow them?

1/2 inch deep according to the packet - not sure what happened to yours, except perhaps they were too damp? PW told me that onion seedlings should be kept virtually dry and also to keep them cool.

[Flummery]

I think I'll be pricking mine out into small modules - they are currently all in a 3" pot. Then they can go in the garden when they've chunked up a bit.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Here they are now.

Think my neighbour thinks I'm crackers - she can see the mini greenhouse from her kitchen window, and me out there everyso often taking photos...

[shirlthegirl43]

There we go - too shallow as the packet didn't say and too moist. Will try again soon as I have lots of seeds left!

[pigletwillie]

1/2 inch deep according to the packet - not sure what happened to yours, except perhaps they were too damp? PW told me that onion seedlings should be kept virtually dry and also to keep them cool.

Damp Hazel dearest, not wet.

[crichmond]

I am glad I read this thread now Hazel as mine are about 3/4" at the moment so nearly ready for pricking out into 3" pots.

[smallblueplanet]

Can I ask all you 'prickers' why you bother, why not just leave them until its time to plant them out?