Onion seedling leaves dying

[Dazzerelli]

The leaves on my onion seedlings are dying from the top down. Most seedlings have just one leaf and when that gets to about 5cm in height it starts to shrivel up starting at the tip. A new, strong looking leaf then grows from the base. Is this the normal growth pattern for onions?

Darren

[charles]

 No this is not normal growth!

Are you describing onions in module trays or outside in beds?

[Dazzerelli]

60 seedlings in an A4 sized seed tray in JI No 1. They never went dry. I planted them out a couple of weeks ago. They had a good root system and are looking small but healthy now. It’s not the first time this has happened which is why I ask.

[charles]

 Still hard to say, I am unclear whether there was any die back when seedlings were in modules, or is it since they were planted out?

I have had some problems with John Innes no. 1 and wonder about that, but have you had this when using other composts?

[Dazzerelli]

The die back happened when the seedlings were in the seed tray. Since being planted out they are doing well. Maybe it was the JINo1. I tend to use it because it dries out less quickly than most and seedlings can survive a whole day without being fried when it’s sunny. I’ve used it for all seeds this year with good results but maybe I’ll try something else next time for the onions.

[Pete Budd]

Hi Darren

I could never get on with JI no1 and tried a range of peat free alternatives over some years, with less than spectacular sometimes dire results. Garden Organic did a trial a couple of years ago and as a result I tried New Horizon veg compost and never looked back.

Cheers Pete

[Dazzerelli]

Thanks Pete, I’ll give New Horizon veg compost a try. Most days I can’t water my plants until the evening and I’ve found that composts based on coir and composted timber do tend to dry out quite quickly leaving seedlings in danger of being fried on a sunny day. Soil based composts do seem to be more resistent to drying out but are maybe causing these other problems.

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