Bolting is when an onion plant produces a flower stalk. At this point, the bulb stops growing altogether because the plant needs energy to make the flower stalk. The abnormal growing conditions that can cause bolting are: Temperature fluctuations and cold weather stress.Click to see full answer. Likewise, people ask, should I let my onions flower? Do Not Let Onions Flower Don’t let onions flower! As soon as you see an onion has flower buds, snip the buds to prevent the bulb from splitting, then harvest and eat those onions first, the sooner the better. Onions that have bolted don’t store well. Onion bolting is a problem for even professional growers.Secondly, what happens when onions flower? When an onion flowers, often referred to as bolting, the bulbs are still edible, but quality of the bulbs as an edible food crop diminishes. The overall size shrinks, flavor diminishes and the onions are harder to store. If the onions flower, dig up the bulbs and eat them right away. Also to know is, what causes bolting? Bolting is induced by plant hormones of the gibberellin family, and can occur as a result of several factors, including changes in day length, the prevalence of high temperatures at particular stages in a plant’s growth cycle, and the existence of stresses such as insufficient water or minerals.Should I cut off onion scapes?The scapes should be cut off, because they steal energy needed by the forming bulb. I didn’t cut off the scapes of my first harvest, and the bulbs were quite small. When half of the foliage is yellow — some time in July — it is time to dig up the new garlic bulbs. Do not pull them up.