Green onions, also popularly known as Scallions, are one of the healthiest and easiest vegetables to grow in your backyard.
They are packed with the goodness of nutrients and nourish our body upon ingestion. Apart from being the most common practice, growing green onions from scraps also provides a way to reduce food wastage.
If you decide to regrow green onions then you would practically be growing food out of water and soil. Note that the process remains the same for green onions and spring onions of any shape and size, until and unless the root end is not separated.
Green onions
As we proceed, you will gain more knowledge about how you can regrow green onions by yourself. However, before we proceed to the step by step guide, let us know some essential facts about green onions.
Starting with a fun fact, that most people are aware of, green onions specialise in giving the strong onion flavour without the hassle of peeling and chopping it. The difference between green onions and regular onions lies in how they are harvested.
As for green onions, they are harvested before the complete formation of the bulb, whereas regular onions are harvested in a completely opposite manner.
Many people use the terms spring onions, green onions, and scallions, interchangeably, as we might have done in this article. But, these differ from each other in the size of their bulbs.
Green onions have leaves that are healthy for consumption purposes, and they are harvested with small bulbs. Spring onions have leaves that could be eaten, but do not prove to be a good choice for doing so. They are harvested with bulbs smaller than a quarter. Lastly, scallions come attached with thin bulbs and leaves that are good for ingesting and have certain health benefits.
Conclusively, consumption of green onions is toxic to animals, so if you have pets, it is suggested to keep them away from your backyard. If your pets show symptoms of depression, diarrhea, anemia, abdominal pain, or an irregular heart rate, rush them to a wait, since these are early signs of poisoning.
Also Read: Growing Cabbage from Scraps
How to Grow Green Onions from Scraps?
Below listed are not one, but two of the most popular ways which will conveniently assist you in regrowing green onions from scraps quickly. You can pick either of them as per your convenience. Without further ado, let us begin.
Regrow green onions in water
Before we begin with the step by step process of growing green onions in water, there are a few ingredients that you would need before we start the process. These are:
- White bulbous portion of the crop- about 1 to 2 inches long
- Roots of the crop perfectly intact
- Water- 1 cup
- Source of light indoors- a window preferably
#1 Begin by cutting the onions. As mentioned above, we would require the white bulbs and roots of the plant intact, so do not cut that portion.
#2 Keep the white stalks under running water and rinse them for any excess dirt.
#3Choose a small size cup, place it down on a stable surface and add water. The water should leave space for some bulbs to be seen from above. Place the bulbs carefully inside the glass jar.
#4 Next, we would advise you to locate a window where your plant can get maximum sunlight. Place the glass jar near that window.
#5 Wait for your plant to grow. It is suggested to change the water in the glass container after every 2-3 days. Change the water when it gets old, dirty, or starts to discolour.
The job is done! Remember that it takes about 24 hours for the onions to display signs of growth and progress.
Also Read: Growing Zucchini from Scraps
Regrow green onions in soil
A preliminary way of regrowing green onions is to let them grow up about 5 inches taller so that they can get more from the soil. Either that, or you can wait for a week before regrowing them in soil.
Growing green onion scraps in soil is one of the added benefits of regrowing green onions in soil. However this process can take a month longer than usual. Let us dive in right to the step by step process.
#1 The first step is to rinse the green onions. Remove them carefully from the material that they have been in for so long, and keep them under a source of running water. Rinse of them any impurities that are visible to get a clean green onion crop.
#2Select a container, preferably one that is made up of a porous material and supports drainage. Pick up a potting mix, something that does not hold water for long. You can either mist your soil before placing it inside the container, or you can do so after putting it in the planter. Anyway, just make sure that the soil remains moist. The only benefit of making the soil moist beforehand, is that it would provide stability to the soil.
#3 Use your fingers or a poker to poke large enough holes in the soil, making space for green onions to grow. Make sure to not poke huge holes since it can interfere with the plant’s ability to stand erect. Further, make sure to leave a gap of about 1.5 inches between each hole in the soil.
#4 The next step is to plant the onions. To do so, stick the green onion roots and bury it into the soil. About 2 inches of the green onion bulbs should be covered in soil in a way that they are compacted enough, thus preventing the plants from drooping over. The number of green onions that you can plant inside the pot depends upon the size of your pot. Do not overcrowd it since it would restrict other plants in the pot from achieving their maximum potential.
#5 The final step is to start watering the pot. This step will test your patience to the maximum, so prepare yourself for that. All you need to do is keep the soil from being soggy or too wet, and keep it moist for most part of the day. Observe the texture of your soil. Do not let it dry out excessively.
That’s it! That is all you need to do for growing green onion scraps from the soil. Follow the plant care instructions given below to achieve the maximum out of your plants.
Also Read: How to Grow Broccoli Microgreens?
Taking care of green onions
Green onions are the most versatile and most forgiving plants, in the sense that they can be grown in a variety of environments. However, following certain specific considerations will make them thrive in your backyard, because, remember the goal is not to merely survive, but to flourish.
Below are some tips listed, which are specific to the growth of green onions?
Light
Green onions are green because they enjoy being placed under direct and full sunlight. They don’t enjoy shade and demand abundant sunlight in order to remain healthy. However, abundant sunlight does not mean that you let the sun directly shine on the plant for 24*7.
The ideal amount of sunlight for a green onion plant ranges from 6 hours on most days to 8 hours on some days. You should also keep a check if your plant is showing symptoms of too much sunlight, most common being root rot.
Immediately place it under partial in such a condition, and do not deprive it of sunlight altogether.
Soil
If you are looking for a way to grow green onions, start looking for soil that has properties such as good drainage, loamy texture, and highly rich and nutritive. We are looking for a soil type that absorbs water but does not hold it back for hours. This will lead to root rot, not a favourable condition for any plant.
To make your soil wholesome, add organic compost in your soil, about 8 inches deep, while also taking special care to remove any and every stone from the matter.
If you want to get and earlier green onion crop, try mulching during the cold weather season and the spring season. This should do the work.
Water
During the growing season, and after it finishes, green onions require soil that remains evenly moist most part of the day. That is, they are big fans of water. However, most people do not know when to demarcate a line between too much water and too little water.
That is why they either end up overwatering the plant or underwatering it. Nevertheless, note that your onion plants need at least 1 inch of water per week. The levels can go a bit up, as per your observation.
Soggy soil does not support optimum plant growth, therefore remember to measure the amount of water that you are pouring in. There is absolutely no need to follow a fixed watering routine. Instead, you can water the plant once every 3-4 days or check the soil regularly. If you see it becoming dry and arid, that is your clue to water green onions.
If you are having a hard time determining the soil condition, follow this simple test. Insert your finger inside the soil bed, if the second knuckle of your finger feels utterly dry, water the plant immediately.
Temperature and humidity
As mentioned earlier, green onions are flexible plants, so they do not really have specific temperature and humidity requirements. However, if you wish to get good crops, maintain the soil temperature of about 45 degrees Fahrenheit at least.
This temperature is vital for the plant to germinate. Generally, it demands a warmer temperature than this, and can tolerate up to the limit of 78 degrees Fahrenheit.
As far as humidity is concerned, it is not an issue with green onions. Although, if the level of humidity in the surroundings continue to interfere with the drainage quality of the soil, it can be a danger.
Fertilizer
You will hardly find a fertilizer that is designed to meet the needs of a green onion crop. Ever wondered, why? This is because green onions do not have any restricted fertilizer needs.
They can thrive in a regular fertilizer mix. However, they do demand a mix that is sufficiently high in nitrogen. Fish emulsions also do well in this case.
Regular fertilizers provide your green onions with food that it is not able to achieve from light, water, soil, or any other source. In order to keep your crop growing and green, meet its organic fertilizer requirements.
Pests and diseases
Given its taste, one would believe that it is impossible for green onions and scallions to attract any kind of pest or diseases. You would be surprised to know that this is not the case! In fact, a lot of insects, both harmful and friendly, seem to be attracted by the growth of green onions.
One needs to watch out for them and take actions like spraying neem oil, or an organic pesticide that would keep them away from spoiling your crop. Also, planting your next green onion crop in another part of your garden will help.
Some of the most common pests that are dangerous to your crop are cutworms, onion maggots, onion nematodes, slugs, thrips, and allium leaf miner. Inspect your plant regularly to identify these insects at their earliest.
Conclusion
But, why should anyone engage in the process of regrowing green onions, when they can actually go and buy some from the nearest grocery store, or from the comfort of their homes, even better, right?
While some might think this way, it is important to clarify that this is not how it works. If you are a fan of saving money, time, and abundant energy, then you will find the option of regrowing green onions a lot better than purchasing it commercially.
Some people have also witnessed a lifetime supply of green onions by just following the practice of regrowing onions rightfully.
Now that you know how to grow spring onions from scraps, and how to take care of them, you are free to build yourself the greatness of everything good filled in scallions.
Happy gardening!