Sturon Onions

I ordered Onion sets ... thinking they would be like ordinary onion sets ...
What turned up is what looks like baby spring onions.

The instruction say plant in clumps of 3-5

Will these grow into normal size/shape onions, even though in clumps ?

 

Sounds more like seedlings than sets Sargan. They will bulb up if planted in clumps but won't be as big. I'd plant them 4 inches apart, 9 inches between the rows

 

Instructions advise putting them in clumps is 4" pots first to harden off. Then planting in 3-5 bunches .... my concern was they would not reach full size this way

 

Sounds like those 'Sturon' onion setts are past their sell by date if they've sprouted that much, plus the seller doesn't know what they're talking about if advising to plant in "clumps", which would reduce the size of the mature onion bulbs even if planted in the best of condition. Close planting of setts is normally used by those who deliberately want to stunt their onions.

Got a link to the seller's webpage for these?


P.S. Have they sent you Welsh Onions in error? I think you should contact them. (Wilkos have half price onion setts instore at the moment)

 

Here is the link ....
http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/onion-sturon-pid2343.html

The lable that came with them said "As is now common practise with commercial growers we recommend that you sow this variety of onion in clumps. (of 3-5 plants) rather than individually.
Plant each cell as soon as possible after receipt into pots and harden off untill end on April/early May before planting in rows 1" deep and 12" apart"

and here is a pic of what was received last week ( I put them in the trays in 3-5's) they came in 25 clumps in a plastic bag.
http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx351/Tafflad/garden/sturon.jpg

 

That's plants, not setts.

 

OK . so same Q ... should I plant out as the said 3-5 in a clump.

what is difference between plant & set ? ... is it just that some onions don't form sets ?

 

Onions are biennial plants. Year 1 the seed is sown, grows into a plant and forms a bulb. Year 2 the bulb sprouts,expands and then flowers and forms seed.
Onion setts are the bulbs that have been formed in year 1 and for horticultural puposes the plants will have been planted (or sown) close together in order to restrict the size of the bulbs which are harvested and then sown as setts the following year.
All onions (as far as I know) form 'setts' in that they produce bulbs though the setts you buy are bulbs grown for propagation rather than eating.
If you want to grow your sturon plants into decent sized bulbs for eating you need to space them out rather than plant in clumps.

 

I'm tending to disagree, I always, well recently, grow my seed grown onions in clumps of three or four.
I find they form quite reasonable sized bulbs that way, I would not try separating at that stage, it would cause them a set back, and possible bolting in a few weeks time.

Its true, they are seedlings and not sets, but thats not a problem.

 

Thanks to both

 

I would go to poundland/poundstrechers/homebargains/wilcos or B and M
Then buy some sets 75 for a pound, three different varieties available

Mine have come on great, at present my FIRST SUCCESS (Better not count my chickens before they have hatched though)

I have 150 planted normally, and 150 planted at one inch intervals, Supposedly I thin them out as and when required to use as substitute spring onions in salad

Jack McHammocklashing