I HATE spring onion seeds...

[lillian]

What is it with spring onion seeds. I'm lucky if 5% germinate and this happens year in year out. Have no problems with leeks or ordinary onion seeds.

Anybody know what the optimum conditions needed for germination. I mean how do the professional spring onion growers manage it.

[lillian]

[Eristic]

They use good quality seed. Sod the price.

[flowerofshona2007]

I have had the same! I now germinate them in a pot and transplant them and i have success that way  :D

[Bugloss2009]

I do the same as FOS2007. I use those little trays you get cherry toms in, with cling film over the top. Problem germination a thing of the past

just potted some on - and found that my Red salad onions were much sturdier that the ordinary ones, though sown at the same time

[macmac]

This thread mystified me  ::)
poor germination on spring onions must be the only problem we've never suffered.
The OH sowed 3 rows last September at 2 week intervals.He always planned to cover them with a cloche but never got around to it and he's sharing a lovely crop with lottie neighbours.Spring sowings direct have always been successful
Am I tempting fate ? :-X

[Bugloss2009]

don't think it's poor germination. I think they germinate fine in the ground, and then either dry out, or get eaten

[lillian]

Well I've sown them in pots this year and after 7 weeks only one spring onion. :'(

The seeds I buy are from various well known companies.

Macmac where do you buy your seed from?

[goodlife]

I don't suffer with spring onion germination...? Shall we go back to basics...they do not need to go deep...just light covering with compost/vermiculate/grit/soil..any one of them or mixture...
I water mine from top..and keep them wetter than just damp until they pop up...they do not need propagator or extra heat..mine are in unheated greenhouse..I haven't noticed any difference who's seed they are...I do not compact the compost down much before sowing as watering above tends to do it anyway..oh, that's about it..are you doing anything different?

[goodlife]

..another thing came to my mind..how/where do you store your seeds? I never use full packet in a year so mine is stored with other seeds in cool roomtemp. with silicate gel pouches in seed boxes in original bags...I never leave seeds in greenhouse, after they are sown I bring them in...
..just trying cut out all possible causes....

[davyw1]

Where they sown direct into the ground,Do you water them in and keep then moist until they germinate, also how much of a covering do give the seed

[macmac]

Well I've sown them in pots this year and after 7 weeks only one spring onion. :'(

The seeds I buy are from various well known companies.

Macmac where do you buy your seed from?

anywhere I see it  :)
basic white lisbon 'though we did use the winter hardy one for the sept sowing,they were Kings seeds but I get them from wilkies or anywhere they're on special.As for storage (I often buy in sales for following year sowing)I'd like to say I'm careful but they're basically tossd in a box with rest in the conservatory. :)

[goodlife]

davyw1....I don't normally sow straigt into ground...trying avoid extra bending...I sow mine into 24-cell trays, few seeds per cell (5-10), covering with few mm of vermiculate or compost..what ever is closest..only so that the seeds are just about covered.
And yes I do water them in and keep them watered...and I woud do same in ground too...of course outside it all depends of the weather..if it was raining all the time or cold I would give cover...

[flowerofshona2007]

Well lets put it this way i grow thousands of seeds a year including very difficult tropicals but the only seed i have trouble with are spring onions !!! normal onions are fine as are leeks, shallots, chives !!!!!!!
All my seed is stored correctly and is fresh, i water and still they will not grow in the ground ! in pots there fine so I'm guessing they get eaten in the soil or they just don't like our soil.

[goodlife]

 ::) ::)...what can I say....it must be one or another then....

[davyw1]

::) ::)...what can I say....it must be one or another then....

Of course not there are always other options.
Why not try sowing in a seed tray and cover it with clear polythene and then something to extract any light.(black polythene, news paperetc)
So directly into the ground, make your drill then put a layer of seed compost in it then the seeds, water it then cover again with compost.
As they say nothing ventured

[Palustris]

Lillian I have been failing to get Spring onions seeds to germinate for over 40 years now. and it does not matter where I get the seed from , how I sow them, in what or anything else, they do not germinate. In fact your one is 100 percent more than I have ever managed. And I do not need lessons in seed germination thank-you.

[cornykev]

I normaly have to sow three times filling in the gaps to get a full line.    :(      ;D ;D ;D

[Bugloss2009]

perhaps if you tried to b e nice to them instead of HATING them, they'd do the business  :D

[grannyjanny]

Eristic. Good to see you back.