TO GROW ONIONS

Evening Post, Issue 86, 8 October 1936, Page 28

TO GROW ONIONS

TRANSPLANTING HINTS

When planting, merely press the roots into the ground; if dibbled in, use a very small dibble. Many onion growers discard a dibble and simply press the roots into the ground with the fingers. The roots take hold at once, and in a cpuple of days every plant stands erect. If planted too deeply, the bulbs form under the surfacej and in stiff soils ace -unable 'Jo

expand properly; they become all shapes and others refuse to bulb at all.

On sandy soils perfect bulbs may form under the surface, but when matured and dried off have no tough outer skin and keep for only a little time. If the weather is dry when planting give -the beds a slight sprinkling or hosing, just enough to keep the plants fresh uritil*the new roots commence to make.' Do not, however, water heavily enough to soak the ground and. cause it to cake hard, around/the small plants when dry. In cool weather, with loose, moist soil, no watering is necessary; plants dropped by accident between the rows have been known to root in and grow better onions than those carefully planted in the rows. The less applied water when growing the better, and only under very dry weather conditions should water be given, and then a heavy flooding.

Frequent'boeing to keep the surface soil loose is much better than many waterings. Moisture is thus conserved, and the air admitted to the growing plants, stimulating a strong, sturdy growth, the long roots deep in the soil absorbing all that is needed.

Weeds must be kept down scrupulously.

In cooler districts, on good, loose, clean soil, seed of keeping onions may be sown now. The seed should be sown very thinly in drills and the seedlings thinned out when the plants are up. These plants are never checked by transplanting, and soon overhaul- the earlier seedlings, while growing more naturally; they make perfect bulbs on the surface, the matured onions having better keeping qualities. When purchasing plants, avoid those that are too large. Small, sturdy little plants with short tops, when set out, make all. roots and very little tops, and when, bulbing invariably make larger and better bulbs. „ Plant now before the weather becomes too hot and while the soil is still moist.