How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Climbing Onion Plants: Bowiea volubilis, the Climbing Sea Onion Plant, is neither edible nor truly an onion. Although it belongs to the Asparagaceae family, it has nothing to do with onions or alliums. In fact, the plant’s green, string-like leaves is evocative of both culinary asparagus and ornamental asparagus ferns. This tropical, sensitive perennial bulbous succulent is hardy in USDA Zones 10 and 11.
How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Climbing Onion Plants
In its natural habitat, this plant grows from a bulb that is 8 inches broad; in pots, it is 4 inches wide. In reality, only around 10% of the bulb is still in the ground. The roots extend downward into the earth from the base.The bulbs produce thin stems that branch into feathery stalks about two feet tall. A twining, rambling, and quickly spreading vine appears. From January through March, a profusion of greenish-yellow and white blooms emerge along the stems, producing elegant 6-pointed stars.
Climbing Sea Onion Care
This fragile perennial prefers warm temperatures, lots of light, and soil designed specifically for succulents. Handle it similarly to an African violet, making sure not to overwater but also not to allow the soil to become dry. This unusual plant, sometimes called the Zulu Potato or Climbing Potato, may provide years of eye candy if given proper care.
Light
This fragile perennial prefers warm temperatures, lots of light, and soil designed specifically for succulents. Handle it similarly to an African violet, making sure not to overwater but also not to allow the soil to become dry. This unusual plant, sometimes called the Zulu Potato or Climbing Potato, may provide years of eye candy if given proper care.
Soil
Plant in a coarse, well-drained soil, like cactus mix, or a mixture of half sand and half potting soil.
Water
Water well during the growing season, but avoid overwatering. Don’t let the soil dry out, but do let it remain moderately and consistently moist. With the right conditions and care, the bulb ought to sprout again in the fall. Watering should resume as usual.
Temperature and humidity
Similar to where it originated in South Africa, warm weather with moderate humidity is ideal for the plant’s growth. Overheating causes the bulb to callus and go inactive.
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Fertilizer
As long as the bulb is producing well, the plant doesn’t need fertilizer. Carbohydrates that enable continuous plant growth are stored in the bulb.
Types of Climbing Sea Onion
There are two subspecies of this unusual plant that come from Africa: Bowiea volubilis subsp. gariepensis, which has bigger leaves and shorter stems. It usually blooms in the autumn. Bowiea volubilis subsp. volubilis, the other subspecies, is widely utilized in African medicine.
Pruning
Late summer is when the plant goes dormant after the stalks dry out and it stops blooming. As the stems get brown, trim them off. During the growing season, if the foliage dries up, cut it back to encourage the growth of new foliage.
Propagating Climbing Sea Onion
If you need to refill the soil every five years, divide. Seed set is unusual because most climbing sea onion Plants are propagated clonally.
The more popular method of propagation involves dividing and repotting the smaller bulbs that the maturing plant produces in the late summer and early fall. Climbing onion bulbs branch at the base, much like most other bulbs do, and gradually generate “new daughter bulbs.”
Cutting the bulb scale’s thick outer peel off the mother bulb is an additional method. Divide into two or three halves. Lay the container on damp potting soil and cover it with a plastic bag. This is a true patience test. In three to four months, little pea-sized bulblets may start to form.
How to Grow Climbing Sea Onion From Seed
Sprinkle seeds on top of the soil and cover with 1/4 inch of white pumice if you are buying or propagating seeds. For seeds to germinate and grow bulbs, they require warmth, light, and regular irrigations.
