Splitting and planting ornamental onion bulbs

My garden soil is quite light and sandy, not ideal for ornamental onions, so I grow them in pots. At the end of the flowering season, to stop them getting too congested, I knock the plant pots out (as can be seen here • Saving seed and bulbs ... ) and replant the bulbs. This year I thought I'd video me potting up the small bulblets that sprout from the base of the parent bulb.
I originally intended to publish this video in October, only discovering in March that I hadn't. I've now updated the end of the video to show the bulbs now growing away nicely.
​
Useful links:
My UKGardening website: www.ukgardening...
My UKGardening instagram: www.instagram.... @ukgardening
My Twitter: / ukgardening @ukgardening
My Facebook: / realukg
Share this video: • Splitting and planting...
​
Short link to:
The potting up tray: amzn.to/21bS38A
Plastic plant labels: amzn.to/29ad54E
Black, round, rigid 5L plastic plant pots (pack of 10): amzn.to/29N10VF

[@joalexsg9741]

Thank you so much for this instructional video!!

[@patrickconway6650]

Thanks for the vid!!

[@teridaniels3841]

Hi :) thank you for posting this :) just a quick question, when you filmed this in Oct 16 how long did it take the tiny bulblets that you've just potted up to start flowering for you .I have just dug up my alliums after watching your video as I didn't know about doing this and replanted them like you've shown here .with loads of tiny ones in a few pots and the larger ones back into their own pots .it would be great if you could advise me on when your tiny bulbs started flowering for you :) looking forward to your reply :)

[@UKGardening]

Good morning Teri. Thanks for your message. The bulblets will start to flower (albeit quite weakly) after a couple of years, but after the third year they flower pretty much like the parent plant. Good luck and I hope this information helps. Regards Nick

[@teridaniels3841]

@@UKGardening hi :) thank you for your quick reply :) . This is great news :) only 3 years to normal size blooms .did you have to dead head unopened flower buds to help them when young to promote bulb growth instead of the flowers (like it's done with tulips ) or did you just let them do their own thing without fussing with them like you have to do with tulips .

[@UKGardening]

@@teridaniels3841 no, I didn't pinch out the flowers, I just let them get on with it. Although I did keep an eye on them to make sure the pots didn't dry out too much during prolonged dry spells.