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Spring Onion care guide

Spring Onion (Allium fistulosum) is a foliage plant that likes very bright light or direct sun and water every 5 days. Here is everything you need to keep it healthy.

Botanical nameAllium fistulosum
Also known asScallion, Green Onion
Plant typeFoliage plant
LightVery bright light or direct sun
WateringWater every 5 days
FertilizingFeed about once a month in the growing season
GrownIndoor or outdoor
Type of plantEdible

How often to water Spring Onion

Water Spring Onion every 5 days as a baseline. Treat that as a reminder to check rather than a rule to follow blindly — push a finger an inch or two into the soil and water only if it feels dry at that depth.

Expect to water more often in warm, bright, or dry conditions, and noticeably less in winter when growth slows. A pot with drainage holes matters more than the exact interval: standing water is the most common way houseplants are lost.

Light requirements

Spring Onion prefers very bright light or direct sun. It needs as much light as you can give it, including several hours of direct sun. A south-facing windowsill or a sunny patio is ideal.

If growth becomes stretched and leggy with long gaps between leaves, it is reaching for more light. Pale or bleached patches usually mean the opposite — too much direct sun.

Feeding and fertilizer

Feed Spring Onion about once a month through the growing season using a balanced liquid fertilizer at half the strength on the label. Pause over winter — an unfed plant recovers far more easily than one with fertilizer burn.

Care notes

One of the easiest container crops — a deep window box or small pot on a sunny sill is enough. Sow in batches a few weeks apart for a continuous supply. Keep soil consistently moist and snip from the top as needed; they'll often regrow a time or two from the same roots.

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Frequently asked questions

How often should you water Spring Onion?

As a starting point, water Spring Onion every 5 days, then adjust to your own conditions. Check the soil first: push a finger an inch or two down and only water if it feels dry at that depth. Most Spring Onion problems come from watering on a fixed schedule rather than watering when the plant actually needs it.

How much light does Spring Onion need?

Spring Onion prefers very bright light or direct sun. It needs as much light as you can give it, including several hours of direct sun. A south-facing windowsill or a sunny patio is ideal.

Should you fertilize Spring Onion?

Feed Spring Onion about once a month during the active growing season (roughly spring through early autumn) with a balanced liquid fertilizer at half strength. Stop feeding in winter, when growth slows and unused nutrients build up in the soil.

Is Spring Onion an indoor or outdoor plant?

Spring Onion can be grown indoors or outdoors. Outdoors it will usually grow faster and need watering more often; indoors it needs the brightest spot you can offer.

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