Onion weed is one of those weeds that is so persistent when it appears in the garden or wherever it appears. There is one reason for this, but one that is often ignored because it isn’t the ‘easy’ option in dealing with it. In following the ‘easy’ option, you don’t actually deal with it at all.
Onion weed is a one of those names that has several different plants with that name, or is one plant has many different binomial (Latin) names. Out probably somewhere in the middle. Either way, I will say what I have to say on the plant I know, along with how to manage it and I hope it will be of help.
Onion weed is a plant that has several bulbs attached to its main bulb in the ground. All these bulbs fall off easily and are able to produce a completely new plant, thus allowing onion weed to spread. While onion weed does flower and set seed, it is the bulbs that are the problem.
There is really only one way to remove this plant as far as I’m concerned. This is to dig out the individual plant as you find them, ensuring you get as many of the bulbs as you can.
People will argue that it’s time consuming, boring and that you will never get all the little bulbs, and also that spraying this weed with something like glyphosate will stop the plant photosynthesising (true, the main plant ends up dead), so there won’t be any more problems. Then don’t get me started on the very true line that my boss sprouted about a week ago, that basically you can get taught anything you want about best practice methods of weed control but people will still do the ‘easy’ thing. That is everything wrong with the horticulture industry right there, and I really can’t stand people with this attitude-laziness is the root of so many problems in our world and needs to stop.
Why do I disagree with such people?
I don’t disagree with everything as I agree it is a boring, tedious job digging out onion weed, but I’m not saying you do the whole thing at once. Do a little every few days or once a week-be consistent and do the job well, over time it will get done. If you can plant plants that you want in that soil, there will be increased competition too, which isn’t great for the onion weed!
As for spraying, there are several points to be made. You can spray the leaves and the plant will die, but that poison rarely, if ever actually gets passed on to these bulbs in the soil. Neat thing you know, the original plants are dead, but new ones are coming up-so you have the same problem but worse (as the new plants grow, so do new bulbs but more of them as you have more plants growing).
As for the people who take the ‘easy option’ of spraying, sort yourself out and think long term. Spraying whatever chemical week after week in the same places is not fun, unnecessary and bad for the environment. With the experience of working in the industry that I now have, there is always a spare half an hour in week to do jobs like onion weed (or other persistent weed) removal, no matter what anyone says. Laziness really is an unnecessary evil and waste of oxygen.
That’s my take on removing onion weed. As with anything, proper removal takes a while to remove properly, but you will notice a difference quite quickly.