Winter Onions Looking Poor!

[chris1988]

Cant believe I have only just found this forum!!

Little bit of a newbie to the allotment world took over an overgrown allotment late Oct 2011 just spent most of last year tidying up etc. but now for a fall season!

I am having some problems with my Japanese onions they were planted out November time and came through fine etc. but they are looking very poor now!
It looks almost as if something is nipping the tops off, some are bent over and just look pathetic none of them are bigger than 3cm long!

Any ideas gratefully recieved?! Or should I just dig up and start again with them?

Thanks

[zazen999]

Are you in the West Mids?

Could be Allium Leaf Miner if so...

[SarzWix]

Hi Chris, welcome to the Vine

Whereabouts are you in the world? (If you could put a vague location in your profile it would help, as our climate is very different between the top of the country and the bottom )

I find over-wintering onions very hit and miss here in Yorkshire. I have pretty heavy clay and they don't seem to like that. I planted some in the polytunnel this time, and even those, though healthy enough, aren't very big as yet. Might be worth rigging up a polythene covered cloche over them, that bit of protection will help them a bit. Also, it's probably slugs or snails having a munch on them, I've noticed they've become active over the last week or so of sunny weather, so maybe time to deploy your slug/snail armoury

[chris1988]

Im in Norfolk forgot to say theyve been grown from sets

[darcy spice]

Not sure if allium leaf miner is active in november. I'd give them a boost with an organic high nitrogen fertiliser eg chicken manure pellets, or even diluted urine to see what happens. Its quite usual to feed overwintering onions now, particularly after all the rain we've been having.

[chris1988]

Not sure if allium leaf miner is active in november. I'd give them a boost with an organic high nitrogen fertiliser eg chicken manure pellets, or even diluted urine to see what happens. Its quite usual to feed overwintering onions now, particularly after all the rain we've been having.

Thanks for your advise, I did read this elsewhere but getting mixed messages about dilution rate for urine?

[zazen999]

Not sure if allium leaf miner is active in november. I'd give them a boost with an organic high nitrogen fertiliser eg chicken manure pellets, or even diluted urine to see what happens. Its quite usual to feed overwintering onions now, particularly after all the rain we've been having.

Hello Darcy!

Good to see you.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Your onions will have been sitting just ticking and no more during the winter months. I think I'm correct in saying that Norfolk being in the east of the country as we are up here gets the worst of the cold winter winds coming off the continent and the North sea so you may be being just a tad over optimistic if you are expecting to see luxuriant growth just quite yet. I would give them a week or two yet and then treat them to an application of liquid seaweed or similar to give them a kick start. As the days lengthen and the night time temperatures increase(hopefully) they will get the idea they should be starting to perform

[binley100]

Allium leaf miner is busy twice a year, oct and apr, so best to protect for a few weeks either side......mine are covered with fleece to protect them at the moment. Saying that tho my leeks leaves got nibbled in Jan time. Look like they've been cut across I would say rabbits but they like to give the whole row a haircut and it's not all of them.......

[Tripmeup]

Hi and welcome...
As the others say, hopefully growth will pick up in next few weeks...
Compared to my over wintered onion sets last year ( I also grow winter ones from seed), they do look a bit worse this year... Every season is different obviously, but I think the strong winds damaged them more this year..

[rustylady]

It's been so cold for so long that I'm beginning to wonder if overwintered onions will ever start growing properly.

[bario1]

I planted 50 sets in November. No sign of them at all now. Not one. All the garlic i planted at the same time is coming up though. Weird?

[jacob]

Same here -- October planted onions have just poked through, miles behind where I hoped they would be. The garlic is somewhat better 6-8" and looking pretty strong.

Surely at some point it will warm up. Then I can survey what last night did to stuff in the greenhouse...

[Two_Sheds]

Ah ha !

hahahahahaha

[Two_Sheds]

Hello Darcy!

Good to see you.

Yes, welcome.