Kick Start Your Onion Plants After a Long Winter
Many customers ordered their onion plants at their normal shipping times, but still may have them in storage because their ground has been frozen. If the plants have been stored in a cool and dry location, the onion plants will transplant successfully after winter. They may have dry leaves, but we remind customers that dry plants are better than wet plants.
Once planted, they will be on their way to full size onions. Here are some tips to help kick start your plants once you are able to plant.
Loosen Up Your Soil
After a long winter, the soil will need to be loosened up to provide proper aeration for the plants. Loose soil is important for onion plants to grow and bulb at the proper time. For some, this may require a few extra passes with the tiller or cultivator compared to a “normal” season. Compacted soil can leave you with torpedo shaped bulbs and/or smaller bulbs if the onions do not have the space to grow.
Fertilize your onion plants with a High Source of Nitrogen
If you have stored your plants for a few weeks or just received them recently, fertilizer is key for onions to receive the proper nutrition. We recommend fertilizing the soil prior to planting or just after planting so the plants have the nutrition available to them as soon as they are planted. If using our 10-20-10 Dixondale Farms Onion Special or similar high nitrogen source, be sure to not fertilize directly on the plants, but rather in the trenches, to avoid burning the roots. If using one of our Weed & Feed products (All Natural Weed & Feed or Weed & Feed), apply the fertilizer prior to planting across the entire bed for weeding and feeding purposes. Once established, continue to feed them every 2-3 weeks with Ammonium Sulfate Fertilizer 21-0-0 or another high source of nitrogen.
Water your onion plants well
Onion plants go dormant between Dixondale Farms harvesting them in the fields and you transplanting them in your gardens. During that period, the plants live off of the carbohydrates they have stored up in the bulbs. You will want to water them in very well at planting so that they will shoot new roots and take off in your garden.
Look for signs of new growth
Once you see new green leaves on your plants, they are off to a good start. New leaves should start to shoot up in the middle of your plants after they have been in the ground about a week. If you have specific questions about the onion plant you have stored this season or any growing questions, give us a call at (830) 876-2430 or email customerservice@dixondalefarms.com. We are available year-round to answer your questions throughout your growing season.
