Complete Onion Failure!

[WiZeR]

I don't know what I am doing wrong but however I sow onions seeds they end up like this



Tried in modules, with heat, without heat, seed trays, etc Can't work it out. Had same probs last year.

Any ideas?

[rustylady]

The ones in the front pot look OK, but very wet. Are they damping off (growing OK to start with, then collapsing and rotting)?

[Dobby]

Some ov our onions have done the same or worse I thought it was cos i Had them in a propergator too long or I had over waterd them
some have come up resonable where i did not put a propergator lid on

[PAULW]

The ones at the front look OK but they can be laid flat if you water from the top and if you dont pick them up they tend to rot, they dont need much water but I would water from the bottom not the top, I grow mine in individual cells much less bother when potting up and less chance of phytophthora spreading from seedling to seedling.

[Protea]

My banana shallot seedlings looked similar, i pricked them out into individual cells, gave them little paperclip crutches and put them in my heated greenhouse (which is cooler than the house), they seem to have perked up a bit now but i did loose 3 or 4 initially.

They look as if they need pricking out into cells or a bigger container anyway.

[WiZeR]

ok thanks, so I need to prick them out. Can, or rather should, I plant them deeper than they are not? As with toms?

[rustylady]

No, don't plant them deeper. Tomatoes (and cabbages) are capable of making new roots from the part of the stem which is buried when you re-pot, hence the advice to pot them to the level of the lowest leaves.

Onions only produce roots from the "base plate" of the plant - easier to see if you look at an onion set or mature onion.

[Wendy]

I had the same problem with my onions, thinking they maybe too wet i let them dry out a bit and now they are looking lovely again! all standing up again now

[Geordie]

Hi Wizer,

Stand your pot of seedlings in a tray of water rather than water from above. Do this for about 1/2 an hour or so to ensure pot has taken up enough water.

If you look closely at the bottom of the seedlings (ie toward the compost) you will see they go white instead of green and look thinner....this is classic damping off.

Generally if your seeds fail time and time again...3 things to look at - quality of seed, quality of compost, the rest of the growing process (eg heat, light, watering etc.)

I transplant my onions from pots like you have when they form right angle just after showing through. I leave my leeks however till they are about twice the width as seedlings in your photo. Trial and error I guess.

[Alice]

Hello Wizer, they look as if you've been pouring water over their heads and bashing them down. As others have said , water from the bottom. You might be able to save them if you give them a bit of nursing. I would try to lift them very gently one at a time to get them up, getting the excess water off them at the same time. And they do look as if they need potting on into individual cells. Let's know how you get on.