[richyrich7]

I've had a really bad year for these, lots of rot on lifting 
Just thrown away 80% of my garlic and about the same a fortnight ago with my overwintering onions.
On both counts I've found white rot and very few roots.

Is anybody else seeing similar things ?

[elibump]

Garlic is going terrific guns (maybe France has something to do with it?) Onions, waste of a raised bed, bl***y useless  and the broad beans didn't amount to much as we had a torrential hail storm just as the flowers came out on the plants, heigh-ho though.

[zazen999]

Out of the 100 overwintered radar and senshu - about 10% white rot thus far.

Out of the 120 odd garlics, about 5 white rot

Out of the 110-odd onions sown last autumn and planted out - I'm losing a couple a week.

The rest, the winter sown and the shallots etc - I'd say about 10% have been pulled because of it.

I'm pulling them as soon as the leaves look slightly yellow, so they are still useable with a little whittling down...I've lost about 10 in total that were soggy throughout. I grow about 300 - and have still got plenty that are being moved from the seed bed to spare patches to give smaller specimens through the winter.

Of course, as the summer goes on, it could get worse with all of them

[NigelB]

  So what's causing all this guys?
I just pulled about 100 overwintered onions and they all seemed fine. A couple had less development than the rest, but none thrown and no signs of any rot.
The overwintered garlic, although not yet pulled, all seems fine too here in North Wales. I've never seen it so big.

Is it the heat? The humidity? Something else?

[fatbelly]

Richie, I am in Cheshire close to yourself and I and nearly everyone else on our site has had dreadful results with overwintering Garlic.

[vineweevil1]

My first year for overwintering both but I had had a great crop. Only lost about 4 cbulbs to rot, out of about 60.  My senshu? onions are huge and I have lost about 3 out of 50.     We are in the midlands. Having said that it seems every plot round me has had white rot this year, not loads but enough to have to pull their onions early and I lost a whole row of shallots to it.

I wonder what I do with my onions when they have had white rot on every part of the plot? Where will I plant them then?

[Minty]

We are at the top of a hill on clay soil and all our over wintered onions and garlic have been fine but two women whose plot is further down the hill on sandy soil have lost loads of onions to rot and we all planted then at the same time.

Not sure if soil type is significant or not.

[richyrich7]

Last year I dug a load of composted grass cuttings in, thats what got made me thinking if it was my approach, but possibly not    perhaps this year will just get a dressing of BFB/ growmore and like it. 

[Elaine G]

I have lost at least half of my onions too, and I am a long way from Richy!
I lost a few last year but assumed it was the wet summer.
I am fairly near the top of a slope, on stoney clay!
Have not pulled up any shallots or garlic yet, so fingers crossed.

Elaine

[SG6]

All the overwintering onions seem to be there, bit crowded, although some are not that big. Planted Radar and Senshu will pull when I think some are big enough and I need them.

Planted 3 types of garlic last Oct/Nov and all except one are growing fine. Still green so not pulled any yet.

[sean moore]

is it too late to plant onion sets?
regards
sean

[richyrich7]

is it too late to plant onion sets?
regards
sean

probably yes but if you have them give them a try, it's too early to think about overwintering onions ... just incase you have some of those 

[Salmo]

Once you have white rot it is usually with you. It is easy to ignore for a year or two but it starts to take more of the crop each rotation as the spores build up in the soil.. Infected soil needs a break of 10 years to clear.

Overwintering onions/garlic/shallots must help it to survive the winter. Perhaps break this green bridge by growing only spring crops and widening the rotation. Careful plant hygiene on your plot is essential.

[zazen999]

Once you have white rot it is usually with you. It is easy to ignore for a year or two but it starts to take more of the crop each rotation as the spores build up in the soil.. Infected soil needs a break of 10 years to clear.

Overwintering onions/garlic/shallots must help it to survive the winter. Perhaps break this green bridge by growing only spring crops and widening the rotation. Careful plant hygiene on your plot is essential.

My soil just had a 12 year break.  I'm not giving up growing onions so am looking at different ways of sorting this out - my overwintered onions grown in a raised bed in 90% sand were absolutely clean as a whistle...

[celsis]

Ours seem fine so far.  Lifted a bulb of garlic yesterday and al seems well.  one question though, whats the best way of keeping them, last year they didnt seem to store too well?

Celsis