Onion Seeds

Apart from being a delicious addition to your food, onions are a great source of vitamin C, sulphuric compounds, flavonoids, and phytochemicals. Onions are also packed with antioxidants that can help your body fight inflammation. Certain studies have also shown that eating onions can help in reducing your blood sugar levels. Onions are also a good source of probiotics and fibre which can help keep your gut healthy.

Note: Used as seeds only and not for consumption. Seeds to be sown before the expiry date.

Sowing

• Red Onion seeds can be sown throughout the year, but it is best grown in winters.
• Fill a well-draining seedling tray with cocopeat if you are growing them indoors and fine soil if you are growing them outdoors.
• Sow 2-3 onion seeds per cup, take care to not sow it in too deep, and cover it with a light sprinkling of soil. Water immediately with a spray or mist to keep the growing medium moist at all times.
• Keep the seedling tray indoors till the seeds germinate. To encourage germination, place the seed tray in a box or cover it with paper for the first 4-5 days.
• Fill the cells/cups with a moist coco-peat medium.

Caring

• Once the seeds germinate in 6-8 days, put the uncovered tray in an area with partial sun.
• From the second week, the seedlings will grow into a plant. At this stage, retain one seedling per cup and trim away the undergrowing ones.
• Transplant your seedlings, with the root balls, to larger pots (12 inches or more) or raised beds (3 feet apart) 30-35 days after sowing.
• The growing medium should be a well-draining mix of 2 part garden soil & 1 part Organic Manure. Or, 1 part garden soil, 1 part coco-peat & 1 part Vermicompost.
• The plants like full winter sun with an alternate day of watering near the rots. Also, stop watering Onion plants 2 weeks before harvesting when leaves start to turn yellow.
• Feed the plant every 15 days with vermicompost or a balanced fertiliser.
• The onion bulbs will be ready for harvest 110-120 days from sowing. Dry the bulbs before storing them.
• Hold the seeds and sow 2-3 seeds per cell/cup. Since Lavender seeds are small in size, do not sow them deeply.

Common Problems:

My onion plant is growing but isn’t forming any bulbs.
For dumb formation, your plant needs to be healthy and receive sufficient nutrients and water in its growing stages. Make sure you are using a good sowing medium and providing fertilisers whenever necessary and watering your plant regularly. Another reason your onion plant isn’t forming any bulbs is too much nitrogen in the soil.

Why are my onion seedlings wilting?
Overwatering coupled with soil that is not well-drained leads to wilting of seedlings. Make sure you are never overwatering your onion plant.

Why are my onion seeds not germinating?
A lot of factors like, soil temperature, watering schedule and sunlight affect the germination process of your onion seeds. For example, with cool soil temperatures, your seeds will take longer to germinate. Whereas with warmer soil temperatures your onion seeds will germinate within 6 – 8 days.