Hi All. Been lurking around here and looking for an answer, but since didn't find it, I thought I'd join and post it! Here's the question, we have onions that the tops are going gangbusters and getting taller and taller. Bulbs are also growing. Someone at work said that we need to cut the stalks back so that the onion's energy is directed at growing the bulb rather than the stalk. I've looked in several books and can't find info on this. Has anyone done this? Did it work? How short to cut back??? Any help appreciated. . . . . BTW--tons of glorious info on this site!!

I have read about topping the onions, but the authors don't indicate how much to cut off. There are enough in my garden to experiment with so I will try different cutting lengths. Since plants use the greens to perform photosynthesis, leaving the majority of the height would make sense, and would prevent the shoot from developing the seed ball.

It's a theory. Let us know what you try and what happened as a result.

Hi,
I talked about cutting onions back to 4ins.This was onions from seeds that I start in the basement under lights.After there a couple of inchs high I transplant them to 3ins pots Then I keep them trimmed to about 4 ins high until I plan them outside.Then I let them grOWW.When you think they are big enough you can bend them down but they will bend on there own.
Dave

Thanks, Everyone. We're kind of doing a mix 'n match of all suggestions so we'll see what happens. We are getting to the point of the greens flopping on their own and some turning brown so we're getting close. Can't wait to see what's hidden down there/how big the bulb is! Sometimes it's the most simplest of pleasures that bring the most joy. . . . . .