Green Onion Plants In Water: Tips On Growing Green Onions In Water

regrow green onion
regrow green onion
(Image credit: Alton Applewhite)

It’s one of the best kept secrets that there are some vegetables you need only buy once. Cook with them, place their stumps in a cup of water, and they’ll regrow in no time at all. Green onions are one such vegetable, and they work especially well because they’re usually sold with their roots still attached. Keep reading to learn more about how to grow green onions in water.

Can You Regrow Green Onions in Water?

We are often asked, “Can you grow green onions in water?” Yes, and better than most vegetables. Growing green onions in water is very easy. Usually, when you buy green onions, they still have stubby roots attached to their bulbs. This makes regrowing these useful crops an easy endeavor.

How to Grow Green Onions in Water

Cut the onions a couple inches (5 cm.) above the roots and use the top green part to cook whatever you like. Place the saved bulbs, roots down, in a glass or jar with just enough water to cover the roots. Place the jar on a sunny windowsill and leave it alone apart from changing the water every few days. Green onion plants in water grow very quickly. After just a few days, you should see the roots growing longer and the tops beginning to sprout new leaves. If you give them time, your green onion plants in water should grow right back to the size they were when you bought them. At this point you, can cut the tops off to cook and start the process right over again. You can keep them in the glass or you can transplant them into a pot. Either way, you’ll have a virtually inexhaustible supply of green onions for the cost of a single trip to the produce section of your grocery store.

Liz Baessler
Senior Editor

The only child of a horticulturist and an English teacher, Liz Baessler was destined to become a gardening editor. She has been with Gardening Know how since 2015, and a Senior Editor since 2020. She holds a BA in English from Brandeis University and an MA in English from the University of Geneva, Switzerland. After years of gardening in containers and community garden plots, she finally has a backyard of her own, which she is systematically filling with vegetables and flowers.