Negi is a staple of Washoku, cultivated in Japan since antiquity. This allium (related to onions and leeks) is found in many traditional Japanese dishes. Grown and repeatedly hilled in deep soil similarly to leeks, Negi is distinguished by its long, white stalks and hollow green tops more like spring onion. Managed well can grow up to 75cm long. In contrast to leeks, they have hollow leaves, and when grilled, produce a tender and silky texture with a distinctly unique flavour boasting a garlic-like aroma and sweet, earthy flavor profile. Negi is used to bring out the savoury notes in meat, fish and vegetable dishes without overpowering them.
Negi T6 F1 is a true Negi, from the same breeders as Nabechan F1 and Akiba F1. With soft leaves, sweeter than its spring onion relative, Negi T6 is offered in Australia to suit our temperate growing window. It can be grown as bunching onion (last 3 images) or grown out like leeks by blanching to acheive it’s traditional long shank (first 3 images).
Growing Tips for traditional negi crop in the southern hemisphere.
● Cropping calendar in temperate Australia: sow in July-August, transplant October-November, harvest May-June.
● Soil: large, well drained and rich soil is good for planting. Using both tile drainage and open ditch drainage will prevent physiological disorders by poor drainage. Add compost and ameliorant to 25cm deep tillage more than a week before transplant.
● Fertilisation amount (kg/10a): basal fertiliser is N:5, P:8, K:5 (do not fertilise for transplant after the middle of December), additional fertilisation is N: 15, P: 15, K: 15 (before hilling, divide into 5-6), pH 6~6.5 is appropriate.
Germination
● Sow seeds as early as two months before estimated last heavy frost. (Check your growing zone to find out the last frost dates for your region.)
● Temperature: Ensure that the temperature does not go above 30˚C while plants are in the trays.
● Transplanting recommended. Sow 3-4 seeds per cell into a 128 or 200 cell tray.
○ Fill cells evenly and fully with soil, gently shake to settle.
○ Press shallow holes into the tray, about 6mm deep.
○ Sow 3-4 seeds per cell, and cover gently by sprinkling soil on top. Gently remove any excess soil.
○ Water in well (approx. 1L per tray, approximately 4 waterings with a shower hose).
○ Either cover the trays to maintain moisture, or until pruning, water twice per day, making sure to moisten the edges. (The small cells can dry up easily.)
Maintenance, Pruning & Preparation
● Prune seedlings at 12.5cm in length — cut to remove top 25mm to stimulate more growth (should be 10cm tall).
● After pruning, allow cells to dry between watering. Water in the morning, and if you notice cells are dry in the afternoon, water again. Do not water in the evening to prevent mold and fungal disease.
● You do not need to separate the seedlings prior to transplanting.
● Prior to transplanting, trim new leaves leaving an extra 25mm (should be about 12.5cm).
● Spacing: distance between ridges is 90-100cm, height of furrow is 25 cm, width for planting is 25 cm.
Transplanting
● Water heavily prior to transplanting.
● Plant deep: dig a trench and transplant 10cm-15cm deep into soil, so only the green part of the stalk is showing.
Maintenance
● Water generously once plants are established (3 times per week).
● Hilling: to establish the characteristic long white shank, the base of the plant cannot be exposed to sunlight. Add soil to cover the division point of the plants repeatedly, when the shank is 7.5cm above the soil. The green leaves should still be visible above the ground. Typically this is about 20 days after transplanting, and then hill again about every 20 days.
● Do not top dress the plants with fertilizer. If using pesticides, only apply them in the evening when it is cool.
Harvest
● Harvest at 45cm in length (depending on hilling) when fistulous layers form together and tighten.
● Mature stalks will feel dense, not spongy, when squeezed.
● Negi can hold in the soil for weeks after maturity, and can store for up to 8 weeks.
● Storage: store at 0C-5C degrees, and ship within 2-5 days.
Negi T6 | F1 Bunching Onion Seed
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Allium fistulosum.
CULTURE: Seed can be sown in early spring for summer use as bunching onions, and in January or February for autumn and overwinter. Bunching onions prefer a soil with a pH of 6.2-6.8. Extra-hardy varieties will normally survive the winter if the soil is well drained. Note: For Negi T6, it will stop growing in extremely hot or cold weather, so it’s best to grow it from spring towards summer. If it is grown in a cool climate, you can probably grow it until autumn.
DIRECT SEEDING: Sow 6mm apart in rows of 5-7mm wide bands, 6-12mm deep. Thin to about an 2.5cm apart only if large diameter is needed. Keep well cultivated so that plants receive maximum light.
TRANSPLANTING: For negi-style shanks with a thicker blanched portion, start in flats. Then, beginning in late spring, when 20-45cm tall and pencil-thick, transplant outdoors 15cm apart, rows 60cm apart in holes dibbled about 15cm deep. Only 2.5-5cm of leaves need extend above the soil surface. Do not firm soil, allow irrigation or rain to fill in the dibble hole.
BLANCHING: During the growing period hill the plants with soil 2 or 3 times, higher with each hoeing. This forces the leaves higher up the plant resulting in extra-long blanched stalks and a much greater edible portion. When using the “dibble method”, hilling is reduced or eliminated.
HARVEST: Loosen with fork or and gather. Wash, hydrocool, and hold at near freezing until shipped or displayed.
AVG. DIRECT SEEDING RATE: 30g/80metres, 120g./300m, 500g/1.2km, 3kg/acre at 50 seeds/30cm in 5cm wide bands 45cm apart.
SEED SPECS: Seeds/500g: Avg. 155,000.
Quick Facts
Latin Name: Allium fistulosum
Days To Maturity: Bunching onion- 60 Days, Negi-160 DAT
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