[Zippy]

I just spent a very nice morning on the plot today  - tried pulling one garlic as they have been showing yellowing and rust on leaves. The whole plot of garlic has been destroyed by white rot.

This is two different strains from different suppliers, one mulched and one not mulched but they were both affected. I guess the land is contaminated.

I spent more on garlic seed cloves than I do if I were to buy bulbs from a supermarket in a year! 

I guess the ground can be used this year to plant a courgette or other non-allium plants.

[SG6]

Meant to post this here as it seems the most appropriate but managed to insert it in the Onion, Garlic not growing well topic. Which appears to be converging with this topic:

http://www.hortweek.com/news/search/879914/Science-practice---onion-white-rot-control-composted-waste/

Seems to be saying that composted waste made with onion material helps.
I presumed that it means uninfected onions.
But an infected onion could introduce the fungus that then allows a bacteria to multiply that feeds on the fungus. So when dug back in the compost has the fungus eating bacteria present.

Seems there is no real effective cure and the the fungus can last for 18 years. There was mention of a agricultural chemical, but it is not available to the public. Suspect therefore that it is quite evil.

Some say crop rotation helps but others say that this keeps the level of infection down but enables it to spread from bed to bed by whatever means. So eventually infecting everything.

In simple terms it would seem that if you have it then you are in trouble for a long time.

[Paul Plots]

I think just taking a chance and not getting overly worried works - moving the onion crop around and expecting some loss - trying to avoid leaving onions in the ground when it is near harvest time and wet weather is forecast also helps minimise the numbers lost to white-rot.

I find red onions are worse hit most seasons (no matter what the weather) so will give growing them a miss I think.

Elephant garlic (maybe not very closely related to onions?) is fine on my soil just as long as it is not pouring for days before harvesting.

All in all it is so much a game of chance...  :blink: but I am not going to add anything to the soil other than compost and a dash of chicken pellets where needed. 

[Ivor Backache]

This is my first year on an allotment and I am finding the tell tale signs of white rot. My four rows of Bedfordshire Champions were autumn sown and were doing OK but over the last four weeks I have lost about 15. All  golf ball size. The remainder continue to do well and there now a few  cricket ball size. I have spring sown Red Mammoth and they are unaffected but they are smaller.
Other neighbouring allotments are affected and there is no longer a cure.
I grow brassica in pots upto 4" and transplant in an attempt to thwart clubroot. Has anyone tried growing onions in pots in the same way to avoid white rot. An allotment is incomplete without onions.

[Aunt Sally]

I grow brassica in pots upto 4" and transplant in an attempt to thwart clubroot. Has anyone tried growing onions in pots in the same way to avoid white rot. An allotment is incomplete without onions.

I thought I might try that this year but ran out of time.  I might just give it a try next year as I suspect my onions are badly affected 

[neal]

Lost all but one of my autumn sown onions now my spring sown are going the
same way. This problem has been getting worse year after year crop rotation
dose hold it back but the fungus spreads around the plot via tools and boots ect.
Terrible disease of no known cure. Will not be growing alliums for the forseable
future will use the space for a more productive crop .

[SG6]

The mammothonion site has this advertised.
Seems to be seeds, and I am no good with onion seed, not much better with sets as it happens.
Could be worth a try.


Golden Bear F1 Onion NEW £2.10 
 
Current Stock:

Early maturing globe shaped with vigerous growth. Heavy yeilding. Highly tolerant to Downy Mildew and Botrytis. Resistant to White Rot.
50seeds £2.10

 
 

[BigPaddy]

Chap on a neighboring plot says he dips his onions in in a lime paste before planting. I'm losing a lot of my crop to white rot. Has anyone tried the lime paste method?z