Moving Onions

[AlittleSalt]

We are tearing the garden fence down today. I need to move around 100 onion plants that have been planted out since mid-January. I've never moved onions - have any of you done it? It seems like it would be okay.

[ddsack]

I have never moved onion plants in active growth, though I've found forgotten onions that got lost and tumbled around when pulling the crop and they came up fine the following spring. The plants would probably survive being moved just fine, but I would worry about whether they might try to set seed heads prematurely due to the stress of root disturbance. Guess you won't know til you try.

[AlittleSalt]

Dee, thank you for replying. I have experienced the same. The only way to know is to try it. I have some onions growing out in a thicket that are third year. I know they are biennials, but they didn't grow to seed last year. Maybe lack of sun? I'm not sure. They may be reverting to the way onions used to grow?

[greenthumbomaha]

Are these two month old onion plants seed planted , sets or bunched plants? If they are really large with several sets of leaves I would try and dig them up in clumps keeping as much soil as possible. I've never actually moved onions but I have pulled a few small plants by accident when weeding , replanted, and they did grow back.

- Lisa

[AlittleSalt]

They are still small - not much bigger than when I planted them. I don't know what variety they are. They were sold as, "Yellow". They were what was available locally.

[SueCT]

I have small Egyptian onions that were here when I bought the house and no matter how hard I try, I can't kill the darned things. Where they are is now a flower bed, but I swear if I put a house on them they would lift up the house and keep growing. I have dug them up with a shovel and they keep coming back. I can't use them because they grow over into the lawn as well, and my lawn service is not organic. Would not eat anything growing in the lawn. If your onions are anything like these, I would be more worried about putting a house on top of them. And it would the house I would be worried about, not the onions.

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by SueCT

I have small Egyptian onions that were here when I bought the house and no matter how hard I try, I can't kill the darned things. Where they are is now a flower bed, but I swear if I put a house on them they would lift up the house and keep growing. I have dug them up with a shovel and they keep coming back. I can't use them because they grow over into the lawn as well, and my lawn service is not organic. Would not eat anything growing in the lawn. If your onions are anything like these, I would be more worried about putting a house on top of them. And it would the house I would be worried about, not the onions.

That is the reason why I have to move them. Our son is going to put a double wide home there. I moved three lantana plants yesterday too. I don't know if they will make it or not? If not, we'll buy some more.

[MissS]

Lantana can be started from cuttings.......... Just a thought.

[AlittleSalt]

The lantanas are still dormant - nothing to get cuttings from. The could have froze too. I'm not sure.

[MissS]

Ahh, Then check the roots to see if they are still alive. If so, it is the perfect opportunity to teach root division.