Yellowing onions

[SuzieP]

Are anybody else's onions suffering? Nearly all the Autumn planted onions on our allotment site have started going to seed and the leaves are all yellowing from the centre out - it's almost like a plague as they all went over at the same sort of time.
Any ideas what's causing it?

[TPeers]

Sounds like a virus or pest attack - not very good with onions. Would the tops rot from the recent rain?

Terry

[SuzieP]

Would the tops rot from the recent rain?

Hmmmm!? Wouldn't that also affect the spring planted ones? They're all okay at the moment. Some old boy said it's a problem that's sweeping the country - might take that one with a pinch of salt unless grapes tell me otherwise

[Snadger]

I have heard quite a few allotment holders saying there Autumn sown onions have been going to seed! With this in mind I checked mine the other day and today and found four out of approximately 250 of my onions have seeded. The rest are bulbing up nicely.
Took a lump of strong chedder with me yesterday and had two of the seeded onions with it for my bait! Very tasty it was too!

[nick the grief]

A lot of the guys on my site grow seed sown Autumn onions and theirs are exactly the same. It's as if they are running out of steam but can't ripen and with all this water we are getting now they are rotting off. Mine are sets that I planted and they are doing fine (touches wood quickly) so perhaps it's the warm , dry winter that means they haven't really stopped growing and think it's summer !!

[SuzieP]

Just had a look and a disease called 'Shanking' causes the leaves to yellow from the centre out. Cut open a bulb and there will be an evil smelling slime. No treatment - lift and burn the onions.

Oh Yuk! Will have a look inside tomorrow. Fingers crossed it's not 'cause at least then we can do as Snadger's did It's such a shame, as long as it's not the disease Lesley Jay looked up (thanks for that by the way) those people who go over there regulalrly can at least harvest and eat / use them but some plot owners haven't been near nor by for weeks and their entire crop will be wasted now its seeded.

[Paulottie]

Bolting often caused by dry weather.

My commisserations if it is shanking. It is a real sh*t. I lost half my onions to it last year. Need to avoid that bed for quite a few years as well.

[Nicky]

So, can someone clear a couple of quick, stuid questions up for me as I've never grown autumn onions or summer ones for that matter, just did what the other plot holders told me and went with the winter ones.
Whan should they stop growing and start to die off/ripen?
I assume you lift tham at some point and dry them off on racks in the sun?
Some of them look quite big and the other half keep wanting to pick and eat them.

Thanks.

[Snadger]

So, can someone clear a couple of quick, stuid questions up for me as I've never grown autumn onions or summer ones for that matter, just did what the other plot holders told me and went with the winter ones.
Whan should they stop growing and start to die off/ripen?
I assume you lift tham at some point and dry them off on racks in the sun?
Some of them look quite big and the other half keep wanting to pick and eat them.

Thanks.

Hi Nicky
There's no problem with eating onions fresh from the lottie/garden before they are ripe as the ripening process only allows them to be stored!
The first stages of the ripening process is when the tops 'fall over'. Once this happens ease them slightly to break the roothold and allow them to put there energies into ripening. Once the tops have shrivelled, lift them and put them somewhere to dry out, either a mesh rack outside or as I do, on the greenhouse slatted staging. Once fully dry I plait them................but this is another subject altogether!
All this should start happening from mid June to August depending on the type of onion, when planted, location etc

[Flummery]

You can also store them in your old tights Snadger!

[Snadger]

You can also store them in your old tights Snadger!

Nick's fishnets do a better job!