cutting onion (etc) tops?

[George]

1. We have some (red) onions growing. I've read that cutting the greens produces bigger bulbs. (They have a fairly elaborate protocol for this.) Is this a universal belief? I'd have thought that they NEEDED the green part, for the photosynthesis thing. I do cut off the seed pods, when they develop.

1. Garlic. Everyone says, cut the scapes. So, OK. But, what about soft neck? Ours don't produce any scapes, at least as I understand them. Does it help to cut the greens back on these?

2. Shallots. We have some uknown variety, from sets we got from the bin at a farm store. I've read ) that you CAN cut the greens, but to take care not to cut "new growth from the central stem." If these shallots have a 'central stem', it's not obvious to me. I'm wondering if this rule applies to all shallots, or what's going on.

Any insight on any of these would be appreciated. Thanks. George

[Gary Woods]

No; the leaves make food to make bulbs, just as you thought. At the risk of starting a holy war:

I've done the experiment a number of times (OK, OK, I always miss a few scapes), and at my location the garlic with uncut scape is about half size at maturity compared to bulbs that had their scapes cut and made into pesto. If you have unlimited soil fertility, there may be less difference. And letting the scapes mature and produce bulbils is a good way to propagate a variety without transferring any soil-borne diseases.

Keep an eye on that softneck; sometimes they put up a scape just to mess with you.

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic Zone 5/4 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

[David Hare-Scott]

) that cutting the greens produces bigger bulbs. (They have a fairly

You are right. To get big onions you need to have a healthy plant with lots of leaves and good roots at the start of its life, when it comes to making a bulb it then has the energy to make a big one. This doesn't mean feeding them on lots of nitrogen as all you will get then is big tops.

David