Most Gardeners Want BIG Onions, But Don't Do THIS!

[@JuxstLer]

These are the videos I like. More leaves more rings. Dont worry about photosynthesis. Focus on growing more leaves & set the stage for that with pruning. A focus on a specific plant & covering as much useful info as possible in one video.

[@happyheartgardening]

I grew your utah yellow and your walla walla from seed...and I am having a HUGE crop OF LARGE onions..tytyty

[@patriciacawleywhitney5157]

Is it too late? The summer solstices was 2 weeks ago?

[@janinemartell1283]

The loss of daylight is marginal at first - losing anywhere from just a few seconds per day the first few days of summer, to about 30 seconds per day through early July. As we head into August and September, the loss of daylight accelerates.

[@patriciacawleywhitney5157]

@@janinemartell1283thank you

[@traceydysert6096]

It's called topping your onions. Don't top your onions If it is going to rain in the next few days. Only top your onions when it's going to be nice for 5 days straight. This will give the onion top time to close up and not get water inside of the leaves. Don't throw away the tops of your onions! Take them inside and wash them, dry them and turn on your oven to the lowest setting it will go. Use the largest cookie sheet you can possibly find or have on hand and place parchment paper on top of the cookie sheet. Place your onion tops on the cookie sheet and spread them out thinly. Let them bake for an hour or two and flip them over. Once both sides are dried, You can put this in a blender and blend it up into green onion powder to put on the shelf and use in any of your dishes that requires onion flavoring. You can even break them up into pieces and put them in a mason jar to use later in many of your dishes. ABSOLUTELY NO WASTE!❤ ❤❤😊 Last year I grew onions the size of softballs or even bigger! Your onions need to be fed every two weeks! Onions are very heavy feeders.

[@ht6684]

What does a person do that has had rain everyday?

[@aphillips5376]

I am a second year gardener. Last year my onion growing bombed so I studied up. This year they are growing great and just pruned them, gave them some fish fertilizer and they started to bulb!🎉

[@kaepeach7588]

Same with my garlic. Understood it was a set it an forget it, nope. I'll let them remain in ground over winter as right now, most are so teany. Didn't help we had a massive swarm of web worms invade the county, ate all greenery so still, no scapes.

[@donnayoung5942]

I can’t wait to try these tips! Thank you, Luke!

[@jacobellis7129]

I didn't even think of treating onions like leafy greens even though that totally makes sense. Thanks for the tip!

[@Lizzy_333]

Well, I know what I’m doing today!! THANK YOU!

[@DanlowMusic]

Yeah me too. I need to harvest my lettuce so I will be in the garden anyway. Might as well take advantage

[@Lizzy_333]

@@DanlowMusicsame! 😃

[@gregux3169]

Chapters would really help in your videos! I always appreciate the depth to which you explain things and the context you provide, and I seek your channel above all others, but sometimes it is challenging to find a quick answer!

[@marktoldgardengnome4110]

Go to his home page, in the bar that says videos, about, community, and a search bar, type in pruning onions, you'll find even this video is already there. It does minimize time searching. The only thing I don't like is it doesn't put these video's chronologically, newest to oldest, but it helps. Good Luck Greg

[@marleigh9194]

I’ve taken your advice at the start of the year and you’re exactly right. Zero water damage and zero pest damage thank you.

[@phillippinter7518]

I havent watched to video yet bc im at work. But I would so much rather have more small onions than less big ones that add up to the same amount because i don't like having half vegetables sitting in the fridge that i feel pressured to use within a certain amount of time.

[@never_too_old]

Yes! I too prefer a smaller onion I can use entirely in a meal than use half a big onion and have to store the rest.

[@marktoldgardengnome4110]

@@never_too_old I agree. However, with those larger Onions, to avoid waste, you could try this. Take the remainder of that large Onion, coarsely chop it, dehydrate it, and store it in an airtight container, as is, or put them through a coffee grinder to make granulated or powder Onion. Or, coarsely chop them and freeze them in ziplock freezer bag and freeze them. When you have a recipe for say, a small amount of chopped onions, open the bag, scoop out what you need, and put the rest back into the freezer. Both work great and ZERO waste. Never buy Onion powder again. And you're correct, Never Too Old", I learned these tricks 8 years ago, when I was 62 years old.

[@marytepp4212]

If you can't use before spoilage, I just slice, or dice them and throw them in a freezer bag. Often i cut up 2-3 onions at a time this way. Big time saver!

[@PharMamaUSA]

Heading out to chop off all my onions at 7inches or so. Thank you Luke!!

[@stephanie5249]

BRB going to mow my onions 😎

[@lyta1138]

I trim my onions. I dehydrate it for onion powder. Great flavor.

[@terrihart2133]

Ha ha I just posted that and read your comment afterwords. Great minds.

[@ericacarte3889]

I need to try this!

[@user-nn4ex4ot8h]

do you need to let them dry out first after cutting?

[@lyta1138]

@@user-nn4ex4ot8h Just wash, spin or pat dry, and put them in the dehydrator.

[@kimberlymurray304]

This is blowing my mind! Treat them like leafy greens, not roots 🤯

[@sudarmiadi4496]

Think of banana tree, it has tuber like form under the soil, and all that we see on top of the ground are all in fact just leaves

[@amysinger2201]

I started onions from seeds for the first time this year thanks to your encouragement and I can 100% confirm after YEARS of sets, that seeds grow faster and bigger bulbs! Thanks you so much for helping me 'master' onions in a SINGLE season

[@Dianatorres6990]

We live in the Rio grande valley in Texas. We are 15 miles from the Mexican border. The 1015 onions are from here. They are the best onions to make the onion blooms you see in festivals, carnivals, rodeos and more. At the end of harvest season ,some farmers allow people to go and pick what was left behind.👍

[@beckymartinez9926]

I’m also in Texas and failed at growing unions last fall/spring. This video is so confusing. No idea when days are short or long or when summer solstice is. I don’t think my onions got enough sun through the winter and didn’t fertilize. After watching this I have no idea what to do. 🤦‍♀️

[@hardstylzz5024]

Hope this helps. I start mine from seed here in 9a South Georgia mid September when they come up I trim mine few times that year, and stop in February of timing onions when bulbing forms, you also can check with lazy dog farm he been growing short day onions has videos on them. The south only grows the short day types and there is a map that shows.

[@beckymartinez9926]

@@hardstylzz5024 thanks I’ll check it out

[@Crystal_Blue_Persuasion]

I've been waiting for permission to prune my first crop of onions. Thank you

[@nancynesytofreske]

This video was posted on July 3rd. We're past the summer solstice here in the northern hemisphere. Were these tips to be performed say in May? Would be helpful if you did clarify. Also, on a previous video, I think from last year, you did talk about pruning the leaves to keep them from bending so they keep growing, can this also be done now, 2 weeks after the solstice? Thanks.

[@janinemartell1283]

The loss of daylight is marginal at first - losing anywhere from just a few seconds per day the first few days of summer, to about 30 seconds per day through early July. As we head into August and September, the loss of daylight accelerates.

[@normarosado5697]

Oh no they cry😢,weeping,😅 Thanks for the tips. I'm learning so much from your videos. Sunflowers just bloomed even though I lost a few to pest.

[@mrslsix]

There are many contrasting practices on YT regarding growing onions. Some same trim, others say don't trim. I've done both and haven't had any success with either. Next year I'll do a side by side comparison 🧅

[@vickiwestlund7777]

After watching this video, I did just that.. trimmed 1/2 of them!

[@cantseetheforestforthetree9673]

Pruning the doesn’t really help that much. The real trick is getting them out early, keeping them watered, and providing lots of nitrogen. According to the KZbin channel Gardening in Canada which actually cites their sources and relies on published scientific research, pruning the seedlings once prior to transplanting can help with establishing bigger root systems earlier in the season, but pruning in any other context does not help, and can hinder growth by reducing photosynthetic potential. He’s right about the size of the onion correlating with the number of leaves, but the way to get the most leaves is to maximize photosynthetic potential from the outset and getting the tops as big as possible before the day length triggers bulb formation, at which time they will draw down the sugars being produced in the leaves into the rapidly forming bulbs, and the more leaf surface there is to photosynthesize and produce sugars the more sugars the bulb will have to store resulting in larger bulbs.

[@terrivance8750]

Thank you, Luke. 😊

[@anncromwell8410]

this video shows a posting date of July 3. This is several days after the summer solstice of June 23. Therefore, do not trim onion leaves or fertilize now? If so, I wish this video would have been posted early in June.

[@tinapayne2367]

I have the same question. I was literally ready to go trim my onions and I have blood meal but then thought I'd better not. Is it too late????

[@verleejenkins]

Me too 😮

[@northsidedork_3043]

Same

[@lundquist22]

Yes...confusing

[@roslynyates4015]

He's in Michigan, so that may make the info different for some.

I'm pruning onions this year. Its for the first time and based on your videos - and I'm very happy with the results.

[@Betharoot]

I didn't realize what a hot button topic topping onions is. I decided to take the leap and try topping for the first time this season. Wish me luck!

[@denisefoster01df]

I did not know this about pruning onions “I am going to do this “ I am from the uk watch you all the time, thank you for sharing ❤

[@North_ofthe_GoldenRD]

Thank you for this. The light cycle makes sense. Never would have thought to cut the leaves

[@madeleinehayes4100]

Who knew! On my way now to give my tiny little onions some nitrogen!! And you could not be more right about growing from seed - I planted seeds and sets this year and the onions from seed are twice as big and have way more leaves than the ones from sets. Thank you for this info! Of all the gardening videos I have watched about onions I have never heard this and my onions continue to be quite small year after year.

[@MichaelJohnson-ig4xp]

You are so right, the wind does this for me. After a good wind they look like they have been beaten up. Then away they go.

[@valjalava1951]

Thanks for the advice we did prune our onions but now will go get some fertilized

[@hollish196]

Great video! I will trim my onions tomorrow.

[@antonianovoa6416]

Once the temp cools, I will trim them. 105 is not fun for me to garden

[@tammyp2782]

I am growing onions for the first time this summer, they were starters, but...I give them hair cuts and feedings, they have abt 10-12 leaves and are impressive for my first try :) Thank you for your videos!

[@lindag4484]

Yippee! I'm a pruner! I've always done this because the onion tops get long and top heavy, so I cut them halfway down (not even knowing it's the right thing to do - lol)

[@madkapquilter]

I have learned so much from this one video! Thank you!

[@mickybearden9641]

I did this...cuz you said! It worked!!!! Thanks Luke!!

[@Jb-ip8lq]

I was wondering why my onions were so tiny!!! Thanks for the tip. I will definitely be trimming my onion leaves.

[@simplyluvcoupon]

Did you plant these onion later in the season? They look like they are far from being ready I’m seeing others posting onion harvest videos? Thanks

[@mariepellerin2151]

It depends where the garden is. Luke is in Michigan, and the last frost is pretty late, do harvest is later.

[@katebles4559]

A very knowledgeable dude in a gardening Facebook group in my area posted about his onions. He does not trim once the onions are in the ground or when they start bulbing and to lay off the nitrogen when they start bulbing. Trim in the early growing stages, march through may. I planted them out in mid/late may I have some monster ones out there now.

[@GardeningwithFran]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. My onions from seed have always been small. Trying your tips this year. :)

[@mrsmc2612]

Is that a cabbage? How did you grow it so big! Wow

[@MIgardener]

Lots of Trifecta fertilizer :)

[@timclark7507]

I need to take classes from this guy. I live about an hours drive south of him and my garden is pathetic compared to his.

[@amyd3464]

His Trifecta fertilizer works great!

[@Cocreatewithus]

We've already had the summer solstice, Luke. Lol

[@beckymartinez9926]

I guess I’m going to have to look that up. I’ve no clue when is summer solstice and no idea what that even means. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@matthewfriday2979]

@@beckymartinez9926 First day of summer.

[@yanirisencarnacion04]

@@beckymartinez9926lol me either 😂

[@palomacalper]

The solstice is better for several things, it doesn't mean it won't work in different degrees the rest of the year.

[@Cocreatewithus]

@@beckymartinez9926 the summer solstice is the first day of summer, longest day of the year. It was June 20th

[@lliefveld]

So.... this is my first year growing onions, and I did prune the leaves. However, I posted on one of my FB gardening groups how I grew my onions, and a couple of them were bulbing, but most were not, and my question was whether or not I should now treat the entire bed as bulbing, and stop the nitrogen. Every single person that responded said not to trim them after the seedling stage. So now I'm confused.

[@clairehiker]

I learn so much from you, Luke!

[@plainpat]

Now, if I could just get mine to stand up straight from the get go this information will be helpful next year!

[@mehtarelingolien]

Will this technique work on Egyptian walking onions?

[@UnderAPileOfScrap]

What few onions I have, flopped over a long time ago, and they weren’t even that big. 😢 I think I have 2 that are worthy of cutting down, but the bulb ones were doing better than the starts. I’d die as a homesteader if my life depended on it. The bugs, raccoons, squirrels and deer would live long and prosper with my garden! The more I try, the harder it gets.

[@UpRiverRafting]

The summer solstice was June 20th. What do you mean we have all that time?

[@DDiamondRRuby]

Well since we are past the summer solstice, I guess it is too late to add more blood meal but I might trim the leaves. I did add bone meal a few weeks ago, hope it does something 😮

[@awrinkleintimeyesterday6067]

Huh? Sorry I am not familiar with the connection. Can you share info? Thanks.

[@daveglowa9546]

Try to fertilize half your onions and see what happens, couldn't hurt

[@donaldp9259]

Being a bulb as well, would this pruining tip also possibly apply to garlic?

[@beverlyr8152]

I did this! Thanks to you, my onions did much better and bigger this year growing from seed and keeping tops pruned ❤

[@angelaschettino1327]

If starts were planted in April, when is a good time to harvest them? Some of the onion leaves are thicker and bent already I never knew to trim them.

[@elenaantunes1263]

Does treating like leaves apply to garlic too??

[@loridunivon5219]

I actually did this to my onions today :). SO glad I did this!

[@GTRZ519]

Do you stop pruning and fertilizing when the bulbs have developed?

[@stevebaker8322]

I am trimming my " onion leaves", and hitting onions with fish N; I did hit onions with Mega-Crop, but the onions are still not very big. I didn't realize the summer solstice was June 20 it was not on my mind this season. Thank you for the info. Luke. next season I will grow bigger onions!

[@thx3188]

I have never been able to get seeds to grow so I usually use starts but this year I did sets for a change just to see what happened. I'm not dissatisfied with the end results but I'm definitely going back to starts next season because they're all just kind of... medium sized.

[@rondakinzey7637]

Should you trim/prune leeks in this way also?

[@MichiganDaisy-1111]

One of my favorite parts about growing onions is having the tops to cut off and use as the onions grow underneath. I can't help myself but cut some of those greens a couple times a week to put in my rice and salads 😅💯 I do the same with the garlic greens too 😅😊

[@dianebevans6864]

Do you treat shallots the same way?

[@markdecker2724]

Perfect timing Luck. Was just out looking at my onions, and seeing that they are getting pretty tall. So, out to trim them back later today. Thanks again.

[@ericawhitfield9289]

Thank you for this, Luke!

[@anandapur26]

Do these rules apply to shallots too? What about garlic? Thank you.

[@Warrior-In-the-Garden]

Thanks Luke. Now long day makes more sense. Never much success with onions. This year tried again. Started with 2 yr old MIG seed eventhough I heard to use fresh seed evey year. Germination was great! Just starting to see bulbs. Time to pile on the nitrogen. THIS IS THE YEAR!

[@sharibc3597]

Great video! I’m trimming onion leaves tomorrow!!

[@wildwind61]

I was also wondering about trimming leaves so long after the solstice. Some of my onion leaves are quite long and wide. Some have broken or bent --I live in a windy area! If it would be wise to trim them at this point, I will do so immediately!

[@cherylpresleigh6403]

Great information! Question, since we are past the summer solstice for 2024, am I correct to assume trimming the onion leaves this year wouldn’t have the same benefit? I will for sure make a note for doing this with next years crop? My onion leaves today are very large and long so if I trimmed them now is the flavor the same as when they’re a little smaller in size?

[@PaddyyYY]

Do garlic plants also benefit from this?

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

This is funny, Travis on the Lazy Dog channel grows huge onions but he says you should never prune your onions as the top growth is photosynthesizing energy to grow huge bulbs! I figure one of you must be wrong 😂😇! The good news is you both agree on adding nitrogen!

[@brianczuhai8909]

I'm a Lazy Dog Follower as well. He seems to be King on onion advice.

[@jillstavos7344]

Maybe depends on where you are? Sounds like an experiment to try.

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

@@brianczuhai8909 I agree!

[@80sforever3]

I guess it depends the area we are living in. In mine pinching the leaves invited pest in pronto. I just followed Bre Ellis adviced, trim the leaves when they are still small, then don't touch it.

[@PlantObsessed]

I also wonder if it is a long day vs short day onion thing. Travis is a short day area. Luke is in a long day area. 🤔

[@dash-4150]

Thank you for the tip, just topped my onions, and picked a couple

[@thenextpoetician6328]

I knew about trimming when just sprouting, and then no longer pruning. I take it the reverse order works just as well and are mutually exclusive, or I'll look that up in case I'm wrong. I'll be trimming tomorrow regardless. :)

[@kimberleyfriesenhahn2515]

So since we are past the summer solstice, what happens if we prune the onions now?

[@MIgardener]

Still recommended to keep the weight off of the onion neck

[@kimberleyfriesenhahn2515]

​@@MIgardenerwill do. Thank you.

[@GaryArbaugh]

We prune ours every year. We also take the cut greens, dehydrate them and make green onion powder.

[@vickiwestlund7777]

At what size do you trim? Mine are starting to grow the bulb.. too late to trim?

[@kjudestevens1519]

Wow, cool! As usual, I now really want to grow something I don't have and don't have room for 😂 I'd prefer a bunch of tiny onions that can be harvested over time since I'm cooking for 1 person.

[@terrihart2133]

When I cut my tops off I dehydrate them and make delicious onion powder.

[@LSFprepper]

Does this work the same for garlic?

[@TroyBrinson]

Does this tip apply to leeks too?

[@living4Him90]

So helpful! Just wish I had learned a couple months ago lol.

[@thereseaustin3460]

I love your videos! So helpful! I was able to transplant onion seedlings into my garden for the first time ever this year, and they're off!

[@lorrigierman7089]

When should they be fertilized if they are planted in the fall?

[@deborahkristensen9344]

Gonna do it tomorrow!

[@laurielyon1892]

Thank you so much for doing this video. I've heard people say not to prune the leaves and to do as you say. It makes so much sense now as to what happened to mine. They were too top heavy. I will make sure I do this next year.

[@markcarruthers3313]

Does the treatment of onions apply the same to leeks i.e. fertilize with high nitrogen fertilizer and trim the leaves? (I would think so.🤷‍♂️)

[@die-hardhexican9905]

Okay , I am onboard and will dry the leaves for onion powder

[@mrwormtester]

I guess I'll be pruning some onions today!

[@marrceliuslonhardt5999]

but we are already behind the sommer solstice (20 juni). so does that mean from this point we dont prune the onions any more? if so, why is this video comming now and not 3 monts bevore?

[@janinemartell1283]

The loss of daylight is marginal at first - losing anywhere from just a few seconds per day the first few days of summer, to about 30 seconds per day through early July. As we head into August and September, the loss of daylight accelerates.

[@verleejenkins]

Luke, I'm assuming the pearl onions would still be treated as you would the big onions, even though it is past the solstice? Thanks for the heads up on treating onions like greens instead of roots. No wonder mine have never done well 😂.

[@fizzypop1858]

Another perfectly timed reminder, Luke! Thanks!

[@metalmartha2571]

I’ve always struggled growing onions.. I had no idea that if I gave them a haircut, they were produce better than pumping them full of fertilizer! Of course I will still give them bloodmeal, but not the miracle grow that I used to give them still never getting awesome onions. Thank you so much for this video.

[@JULIAHOLLINGSWORTH-v4p]

Can this be applied to carrots?

[@edmundprescottano1173]

Does the pruning of onions also apply to shallots and leeks

[@beckymartinez9926]

I’m more confused than ever. We put our onions in the fall so maybe that’s why I’m confused? I don’t know when the sun gets lower or when days get shorter or longer for them to store nutrients as you mentioned. My onions are not in the ground in the summer. I’ve watched this 4x. Maybe I’m just slow. Last fall/spring was my first time growing onions and they basically failed. I don’t think some got enough sun through the winter and I didn’t fertilize. Some grew a small bulb and some did not.

[@kimvanlandingham4168]

Look up the difference of growing long day and short day onions. You might be growing the wrong kind d for your area.

[@longwinters4304]

I end up trimming my onions, two or three times during the season. I use some of the cut tops in recipes but most, because of the volume of them, I spread around my squash plants. Hoping that the smell from them will help to dissuade squash vine bore. I can’t prove one way or the other that it works, but I figure it can’t hurt.

[@lor6496]

I actually took some of the green tops last year and tied/looped them around the squash plants, I also put some of the green tops in with water in a blender and sprayed around the base of the squash etc, I did get some dang bugs still but not as many

[@geedee2420]

I do the same thing 😂

[@lorismith2484]

I'm going to prune them😮.

[@BonnieRocks]

Do you pinch off or can you just cut them all down? Thanks Luc ❤

[@melissagoodwin2602]

I'm going to try again

[@mollysmith6055]

It might have been better to release this video *before* the summer solstice rather than after, hahaha. I'll go ahead and trim the leaves in hopes of preventing the onions flopping. However, it may not matter because we are getting high heat in a day and I'll have to be putting up the shade cloth so the onions will sense less light anyway in addition to the shorter days due to the calendar.

[@verleejenkins]

That was my thought exactly! It's not only after but upper 90 s as well!

[@CottageontheCorner]

I tried planting sets and it was a failure. I don’t have the space indoors to do heat mats or grow lights and diamond zone 7B. I don’t know if I can just direct so the seeds outside… Not quite sure what to do.

[@DeborahHazzard]

Thank you

[@jenniferkessener1111]

My onions have already flopped, is it too late to prune? 1st time vrowing onions, I grew from a bundle of sprouted onions. They are about golf ball size, so not big enough.