Onion
Allium cepa
Vegetables Difficulty: Easy
📖 About this plant
A fundamental kitchen staple grown worldwide for its edible bulbs available in yellow, red, white, and sweet varieties. Onions are biennials grown as annuals, forming bulbs in response to day length (long-day, short-day, or day-neutral types). Rich in quercetin and other beneficial compounds.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Full sun (6-8 hrs)
💧
Water
Every 1-2 weeks
💨
Humidity
Moderate (40-60%)
🌡️
Temperature
10-25°C
🪴
Soil
Well-draining, fertile loam with high organic matter; pH 6.0-7.0
🧪
Fertilizer
Phosphorus-rich fertilizer at planting (bulb development); nitrogen side-dress every 2-3 weeks until bulbs begin to swell, then stop
🌐 Common Names
HI
Hindi
प्याज
BN
Bengali
পেঁয়াজ
MR
Marathi
प्याज
TE
Telugu
అల్లం
TA
Tamil
வெங்காயம்
GU
Gujarati
ઉકાડું
UR
Urdu
پیاز
KN
Kannada
ಈರುಳ್ಳಿ
OR
Odia
ପିଆଜ
ML
Malayalam
ഉള്ളി
PA
Punjabi
ਪਿਆਜ
AS
Assamese
পিয়াজ
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Central Asia, Iran, Pakistan
- 📏 Max height
- 30-60 cm
- 📐 Spread
- 15-30 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Summer
- 🎨 Bloom color
- White, Pink
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Blue-Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Biennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic edible bulbs; excessive consumption of raw onion can cause gastrointestinal irritation in pets (dogs/cats)
- 🌱 Propagation
- Plant sets (small bulbs) 2.5 cm deep; or direct sow seeds 1 cm deep; or transplant seedlings started indoors 8-10 weeks early
🛡️ Health & Safety
🐾 Pet safe
✅ Non-toxic
Non-toxic edible bulbs; excessive consumption of raw onion can cause gastrointestinal irritation in pets (dogs/cats)
Common issues
- Onion maggot larvae in bulbs
- Thrips feeding on leaves
- Bolting from temperature fluctuations or stress
💡 Care tips
- Plant sets or transplants in early spring for summer harvest
- Stop watering when tops begin to fall over and yellow
- Cure harvested onions in a warm dry place for 2 weeks
- Store in a cool dark well-ventilated area for longest shelf life
🪴 Add to My Plants
One click — added instantly. Watering every 11 days, fertilizing every 18 days.
