Japanese name: ワケギ（分葱） Scientific name:Allium ×wakegi
[Overview]
A bulbous perennial of hybrid origin.
The underground part forms a yellowish brown to reddish brown bulb.
It is said to have arisen from a cross between the Welsh onion (negi) and a multiplier-type onion, and to have come to Japan 1,500 years ago.
There are several strains, and in Japan there are mainland and southern types.
The mainland type has dark green leaves; the leaf tips die back in winter and new leaves appear in spring.
The southern type has pale green leaves and is weak to cold, but its leaves keep growing in winter.
The Japanese name Wakegi (分葱) comes from its vigorous tillering.
There are many local names, and in some regions it is not distinguished from negi or asatsuki.
[Cultivation]
Propagation is vegetative, by bulbs.
Because its cold hardiness is weak, it is grown west of the Kanto region.
It prefers sandy loam.
In warm seasons, care is needed with pests such as thrips and the Welsh onion leafminer.
When harvesting, pull up the whole plant or cut it off at the base, but if making seed bulbs for propagation, do not cut the leaves.
Dig up the bulbs in May–June, dry them well in the sun, store them in a well-ventilated place, and plant them in autumn.
