Did you plant green onions in your garden for the first time and now their leaves have begun falling over? And now you’re worried about why are my green onions falling over?
It is very natural for a new gardener to become worried about such problems. Especially when you have no idea why are my green onions falling over? If this is the problem in your case, then don’t worry.
This article might have everything you need to know to find out the answer to the question why are my green onions falling over? Keep on reading to find out what your plant is trying to tell you!
Onions
Onions are considered the indestructible plant among all other vegetable plants. They have a strong plant system to overcome almost every kind of problem. They can survive through droughts, temperature drops, and every other kind of environmental stress, too!
The growth of onions may be time-taking, but it is not difficult. New gardeners should consider planting onions as they can survive on their own. However, in some cases, the leaves of the onion plant, also known as green onion, begin to fall over, which makes gardeners panic.
Why Are My Green Onions Falling Over?
Out of all the reasons which can cause the leaves of green onions to fall, the most common is that it might happen when the onion bulb is mature and ready to be harvested. This is most likely to happen when the leaves have sent all of their energy for the growth of the bulb and are now falling over.
However, this is not the only reason which can cause the falling over of green onions. Problems like underwatering, overwatering, plant disease, and excess heat can also be the cause.
Below is the detail of all the problems that can be the cause of your falling green onions:
Underwatering
Seedlings that are not old enough to survive can fall over if you don’t water them properly. Young seedlings can easily get dehydrated, but on the other hand, they can overcome this problem in a matter of hours. They can spring back in no time after being watered properly.
This might be the problem with your plant if you can visibly notice dry soil around the plant. Even if you are planting them indoors, the grow lights can increase the temperature, causing dryness and lack of moisture.
If the falling over of green onions is noticed in the early stages, it can easily be treated by watering the plant. If the dryness is caused by dry soil, try adding a thin layer of mulch to prevent the loss of moisture. It will also prevent the growth of weeds.
Pests
In the early growing season, your onion plants can be attacked by pests. Onion maggots are common pests that feed on raw onions. They are grey-brown colored flies that have humpbacks.
The larvae present after their eggs are hatched damage the roots of the onion plants. In some cases, they also feed on plant stems. This causes the onion plants to turn yellow and wilt causing the green onions to fall over.
According to research, row covers prove to be effective in preventing the onion fields from being destroyed. Cover your plants for a few first weeks using the row covers to discourage the pests from attacking.
If your plant is already attacked by onion maggots, try using flypaper or sticky cards to distract the maggots by their bright yellow color.
Diseases
Several diseases can be the reason behind the falling over of your green onions. One of them is downy mildew. It is caused by fungus-like microbes that act as parasites and cause the yellowing of plant leaves.
This problem can be avoided by planting disease-resistant plant varieties, and by timely removing the infected plant away from other plants.
Shallow Planting
If you have transported your onion plant to another location, there exists a chance that you might have planted it too shallow. It should be planted at the depth of one inch at least so enough soil to anchor the green onions is present.
Hilling of soil around your plant stem should be avoided. In the case of onions, it can cause root rot.
Maturation
The falling over of your green onions can be a sign of maturity. After you plant your onion seeds, green onions or onion leaves appear after some time. When the onion bulb is mature enough, the green onions transfer their stored energy to the bulb to help it grow.
After the transfer of energy, the green onions start to fall over as an indication that the onion bulb has matured. It shows that the onion is ready to be harvested.
Can Onion Bulb Grow After The Green Onions Fall Over?
After the onion leaves die back, the onion bulb can not grow further. The reason behind it is that all of the energy of green onions is already transferred to the onion bulb. So the onions are now fully grown and mature enough to be harvested and are unable to grow more.
What Happens If You Don’t Harvest Onions?
After maturation, if you leave your onion bulbs underground and don’t harvest them, they start to rot. The longer they are left underground, the more they will be attacked by pests and diseases.
Conclusion
If you are planning to plant onions in your gardens, you need to know when they are ready to be harvested.
If your green onions are starting to fall over and you are unaware of the reason, then this article is all you need to solve your problem. You don’t always have to worry about the leaves falling over as it can be only an indicator to start harvesting, which is nothing to worry about.
Look out for all the possible problems that are causing your green onions to fall over. Start treating the problems to make your plant happy again!