Pregnant Onion

I recently (Sept 8) acquired a pregnant onion "mama" and babies from a kind soul on this forum. Babies are rooting and doing well. Mama's leaves appear green and healthy however the bulb is kind of tan and wrinkly. I'm in Ohio so weather is oft times unpredictable. They were outside but I have since brought them inside since temps are now below 60 degrees F at night. I've watered when soil felt dry to touch (twice) since I received her but I'm wondering if her appearance is normal? Is she supposed to look tan and wrinkly or does this indicate a need for water or am I watering too much? Any advice would be appreciated as I don't want to lose her! Thanks for any help you can provide.

Are you checking by just feeling the surface of the soil? The surface always dries out faster, the best thing to do is stick your finger down into the pot a little ways and feel underneath the surface--if that's starting to dry out too then it's OK to water. Otherwise if you just check the surface and it's still wet just underneath the surface then you can end up watering too much.

Thanks ecrane3, you're quick. And yes I'm sticking my finger down in to the potting (cactus mix) soil about to the first knuckle. And it not only looks dry but feels dry and loose.

You'll be surprised at how quickly they respond to additional watering after they've allowed to dry out. It will be full and smooth again in to no time. Preganant onions are almost impossible to kill.



This message was edited Sep 30, 2008 2:09 PM

O thank you growgirl59. I thought I was killing it. I was getting scared except for the fact that the leaves still look really good. So should I water it more often?

I water mine about every other week. Depends on the size of the container and type of soil it's growing in, but as I said before, you can't hardly kill them. I keep a shelf of odd-ball plants and this is one of them. It amazes me how this puts out so many babies. If you keep moving the container size up, the bulb can get very big. As long as they get sufficient light, they will put out a stalk in the spring and a cluster of flowers will appear. Just watch for scale. It seems to be a magnet for them, but if you catch them early, it's no big deal to keep them under control.
Chris

I have had Pregnant Onion for several years now and am familiar with all it's cycles......

It is NOT an Onion at all--but a member of the Hyacinth family.

When I bring mine inside for the winter--I put it on the windowsill down in my laundry room and, basically, forget about it! It can survive very well in a semi-dormant state, and actually puts out a lot of new baby onions and growth during this time. A couple of times during the winter, I water it.....

This "plant" can become hugely root-bound and will need dividing about every 2-3 years. You will be amazed at the solid root-ball under it---and there is NO way you can just pull it apart! You will havr to hack it apart with a knife! In thew process, many of the baby onions will fall victim. You can root these in soil and let them grow bigger.
The BIG onions---put each one in about a 6" CLAY pot and let it grow there.

The Pregnant Onion grows immensely tall "leaves" and it can also send out a 3'-4' stalk with a "bloom" on the end. This could also happen in it's dormancy period.

I keep mine in a heavy 18" clay window box. I hhave lots of pictures---hope I can find them for you!

Gita

Here's a surface shot of a root-bound PO. See all the babies?

Here is a shot of the Window Box and all it contains.....

This is a better shot---you get to see just how crowded it can get......

Here is what the root-ball looks like pulled out of the box.....SOLID!

This is a picture of my attempts to pull it apart!

Here is a good picture of the mama and how the babies grow around her. The "babies" can also grow under the soil as well as under the "skin" of the Mama. Many....many......

Here are many of the larger "onions" re-potted in their own 6" clay pots. Took these to a plant swap.....

This is the "bloom" at the tip if the 3'-4' stalk. As the blooms wither--they will fotm seeds that you can collect....BUT--WHY bother with seeds???? You are way ahead planting the "baby onions" that are already rooted.....

OK! This is what you are in for!!!

I also have a "Climbing Onion".......that's another story.........

Hope you learned a lot from all my pictures......

BTW---I DO believe the bulbs are toxic if ingested......so wash your hands when messing with this plant!

Gita

Man, Gita, you have more pictures of your Pregnant Onions than I do of my wedding!!! I had no idea they would look so good grown together in a pot. I've always separated them early on and grew them individually. Now I'm going to let them "colonize" for a change. I can't believe that root system on yours. Mine have never been allowed enough time in a pot to grow like that, I guess. This is off the subject, but when you get a root system on your plants like the one you show above, what happens to the dirt? I have had many plants in the past that sit on a windowsill without being moved around. When I repotted them, they were nearly all roots with very little soil remaining. There's never dirt around the base of the pot indicating the roots are displacing the soil. Since plants can't "consume" soil, where does it go? Just one of the many fascinating things about plants. By the way, I too have Climbing Onions....they're even odder than the Pregnant Onions!
Chris

Chris,

Your question about the roots and the soil will just have to remain one of life's big mysteries....like, ever pull up an old, root-bound Spider Plant? There is NO soil at all!

On the Pregnant Onion, those whole, matted roots are mostly around the outside of the root-ball as you can see in the picture I sent of where I am pulling apart the root-ball. Even then, it is VERY difficult to separate these "onions". They are a mass!

Get yourself a wide, shallow clay pot and let them grow in there. I like seeing the mass of them. The one I have right now should have been repotted this Spring, but I never got around to it. It has now pushed the larger "onions" up and out of the soil, as the newer ones grow around them. Massive--I tell you!

Wow Gitagal! What great pictures! And yes I have learned a lot from your pictures. I've learned that I can't wait for my momma and babies to get some size on them and fill up a pot or two. I'm gonna try a couple singles in a pot and a "nursery" pot and see which way I like 'em best. No matter tho, I've simply fallen in love with this plant! Thanks so much everyone for sharing your valuable info.

Here's a picture taken a couple of weeks ago showing how the newly growing "onions" have pushed the original up and out of the soil--completely!

They are SO tight together--it is hard to even try to pry one away without damaging it.....BUT--You have plenty to "play with" at this stage......

Gita

Another great pic! Gitagal, I'm jealous! LOL!

Hi Everyone, I had to give my neigbor my onion plant, My cats like to eat on it. This summer I transplanted it out side, it did very well and had a few babys,, Well it started to get cold here and froze but it looked very healty when i gave the plant to her, Now she called and says some of the leaves are turning a redish color. could this be from the cold you think? i'm not worried too much about the plant I have had it years and i'm a batchlor and I sometimes neglect the plant for a few weeks and it still survives. Thanks for a the great info here. Great pics.. Oh ya. Over the summer the roots got very big.. I use to keep it in a 4 inch pot but I had to put it in a much bigger pot from it being able to root as much as it wanted in the flower bed. Any suggestions. Should I cut some of the root off?

God Bless

Thanks

Cutting off some of the roots won't hurt the plant a bit. You could cut them back to a couple of inches without noticing a difference. This is the one of the toughest plants you'll ever grow. I had one I let go for the entire winter. I set it in a basement window and forgot it was there until spring. It was the size of a raisin and just wrinkled when I came across it. I threw it in the compost pile and it stayed in there for about 6 weeks. I turned the pile and out rolled a very firm pregnant onion (with babies) the size of a lemon. It couldn't have been healthier looking. I wish all my plants could take such neglect.
Chris

n7,

When I bring mine inside for the winter, a large amount of the leaves shrivel up and turn yellow. I think it is just a reaction for a change in environment and dryer air. Not to worry! I think sometimes, most of the growth takes place while the "onion" is in this semi-dormant state.

I have never planted it in a bed. I keep mine in that heavy, clay window box.

I agree with "growgirl".......this plant is indestructible

Gita.