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Post by flowerweaver on Sept 20, 2015 19:31:49 GMT -5
This onion was given to me by a local who did not know what kind it was other than a multiplier. It set seed for me this year and I have sprouted some of it.  |
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Post by philagardener on Sept 20, 2015 20:26:42 GMT -5
Interesting! How many bulbs did you get for each one planted? It looks like you might have 2-3 clusters in your hand (or did those all grow from one original bulb in a season?)
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Post by flowerweaver on Sept 20, 2015 21:09:21 GMT -5
philagardener Those are two clusters. The man gave me a dozen and said they would each make four, but mine on the average made more than that. They have a nice flavor. I'm also excited they made viable seed.
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Post by zeedman on Sept 21, 2015 23:50:17 GMT -5
Those onions look quite similar to McCullar's Topset, although the bulbs look fatter (there is a photo of McCullar's at the end of the Fleener's thread). But you said yours made seed? Were there any topset bulbils?
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Post by flowerweaver on Sept 22, 2015 0:32:20 GMT -5
zeedman no bulbils, only seed. Would that rule out the McCullar's then? Is it possible mine might make bulbils in the future, or will they always be seed producing?
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Post by steev on Sept 22, 2015 2:32:41 GMT -5
They look like nice, but maybe not keeping onions.
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Post by richardw on Sept 22, 2015 14:56:59 GMT -5
Yes they dont look a good keeper
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Post by flowerweaver on Sept 22, 2015 19:41:27 GMT -5
steev richardw So, in general are multiplier onions not good keepers? Or is there something about mine that makes them look so?
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Post by steev on Sept 22, 2015 20:38:12 GMT -5
I've no expertise on multiplier onions; to me, those just look like they haven't dry skins; don't know whether they might have eventually had dry wrappers; so, my supposition is that they would behave like scallions more than keepers; further data eagerly awaited.
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Post by richardw on Sept 23, 2015 13:59:44 GMT -5
Even with a good covering of wrappers multiplier onions are not great keepers normally. Its certainly behaving like one by the looks of it given sprouting away.
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Post by zeedman on Sept 27, 2015 22:07:30 GMT -5
Even with a good covering of wrappers multiplier onions are not great keepers normally. In the case of walking onion ground bulbs, I would agree with that statement... they don't last long out of the ground. However, walking onion bulbils & the bulbing multipliers I've grown store exceptionally well. I leave walking onion bulbils on an unheated patio all winter, and they survive until late Spring. The multiplier bulbs planted in May of this year, were harvested last October & kept in the basement all Winter. Granted, I picked through looking for the healthiest bulbs... but nearly all of the over-wintered bulbs appeared to still be alive. Those I planted did very well. flowerweaver, will you be testing those onions to see how long they store? I would be interested in hearing your results. When I was young (not saying how long ago that was) I remember catalogs listing red, yellow, and white potato onions. It may be that you may have one of the white cultivars, which pretty much disappeared many years ago, even in seed saving circles. I had begun to think the white potato onions might be extinct, so I will be following this thread with great interest, and hope you will be posting updates. I might like to try a swap (perhaps with McCullar's), although I suspect that your onions are short-day, and may not perform well in my latitude... but then, McCullar's is originally from Missouri, so who knows. |
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Post by flowerweaver on Oct 29, 2015 12:49:06 GMT -5
Here's an update on my multiplier onions steev richardw zeedman. The ones I dug up in the photo have been sitting on my kitchen counter for 40 days and are showing no signs of deterioration. So far they look and feel unchanged other than drying down a bit. How many days is a 'keeper' onion supposed to last? Zeedman, that's very interesting. Although I'm south I'm higher in elevation and in a frost pocket. These may do better than expected in your climate. I've had pretty good luck so far experimenting with mid-day set onions; in some years they outperformed the short-day. Sometimes the latter get faked out by the warm and cold oscillations in early spring and put up flowers after only 4 months! OK, I have another question...time got away from me and I didn't get around to dividing and replanting the rest of the bed of these. With the recent rains they have re-sprouted after summer's lull and have tall leaves. I'm wondering if it would harm them to move them now? My first freeze is probably about 10 days away. |
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Post by richardw on Oct 29, 2015 13:20:53 GMT -5
I think a good keeping onion should be about 150 days though we are still eating the last of our Pukekohe long keeper onions that were pulled 200 days ago, these are only just growing a shoot now but are still eatable
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Post by steev on Oct 29, 2015 18:16:13 GMT -5
Given that you can lift them with good roots and re-plant them gently, they should be fine, especially if you can give them a good mulch against cold.
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Post by philagardener on Oct 29, 2015 20:39:57 GMT -5
These sorts of onions usually are tough as nails. Why not divide half and leave the others in place until Spring as a backup?
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