Dying shallots

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jambop

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Dying shallots
« on: May 15, 2019, 08:06 »
 Don't know what is going on I planted out my shallots a bit late this year and they all came away... but are now wilting and dying. No idea what the problem is but I think it must be some soil pest scoffing the roots.

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JayG

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Re: Dying shallots
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2019, 10:53 »
Onion fly and white rot attack the roots, in the latter case you might see the white fungus infection at the base of the bulbs.

If the roots seem undamaged, allium leaf miner is a possible candidate - I have known my shallots to be attacked by it and they looked pretty poorly, but did subsequently manage to grow through it and produce a crop, albeit a reduced one.
Sow your seeds, plant your plants. What's the difference? A couple of weeks or more when answering possible queries!

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jambop

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Re: Dying shallots
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2019, 11:31 »
Onion fly and white rot attack the roots, in the latter case you might see the white fungus infection at the base of the bulbs.

If the roots seem undamaged, allium leaf miner is a possible candidate - I have known my shallots to be attacked by it and they looked pretty poorly, but did subsequently manage to grow through it and produce a crop, albeit a reduced one.
Well I have dug out a couple of the ones that have keeled over  and it is like there is some sort of fermentation within the parent bulb. I am now wondering if what has happened is I have planted them out too late in the season and although they have grown after the first change from warm dry weather to a cooler period of wet ' ish weather then back to warm weather again some sort of fermentation is talking place because there is a definite pickle like smell from the bulb when it is broken open. I have onions groing right next to the which seem to be doing fine... touch wood. They are in ground I grew potatoes in last year.

should add the ground was manured about 6 weeks before they went in
« Last Edit: May 15, 2019, 11:37 by jambop »

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AussieInFrance

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Re: Dying shallots
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2019, 19:13 »
Hi, any chance the manure wasn't composted enough?
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jambop

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Re: Dying shallots
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2019, 08:30 »
Hi, any chance the manure wasn't composted enough?
Possible but the onions are going well in the same soil although the were transplants that were grown from seed.

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JayG

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Re: Dying shallots
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2019, 08:57 »
Well I have dug out a couple of the ones that have keeled over  and it is like there is some sort of fermentation within the parent bulb. I am now wondering if what has happened is I have planted them out too late in the season and although they have grown after the first change from warm dry weather to a cooler period of wet ' ish weather then back to warm weather again some sort of fermentation is talking place because there is a definite pickle like smell from the bulb when it is broken open. I have onions groing right next to the which seem to be doing fine.

Never say 'never' in this game, but onions and shallots usually respond to being stressed by unfavourable growing conditions by bolting rather than rotting, which is what yours seem to be doing now.
I'd remove and destroy the affected plants and hope for the best with the remainder.

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jambop

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Re: Dying shallots
« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2019, 10:37 »


 I am still wondering if I got them started too late and they a rotting due to the soil getting wet and cold then getting warmed again but still quite wet. My soil is fairly heavy and when it gets very wet it stays wet for some time and of course if the sun comes through we can have air temps of 25C here in the blink of an eye that gives a quite high surface temperature to the soil causing the rot to set in ? The ones nearer the drier end of the plot seem to be still OK... of course that could change.


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JayG

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Re: Dying shallots
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2019, 18:18 »
Hope you're right - just wanted to remind you of other possibilities, including the chance your (presumably bought) shallots may have been infected by white rot, which wouldn't immediately affect your onions from seed unless your plot was already infected.

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Gardener and Rabbit

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Re: Dying shallots
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2019, 11:12 »
Hi jambop, yes I had the same problem a few years ago with shallots, it was your mention of a distinctive fermentation smell that reminded me. We had a very wet Summer, some plants keeled over early, and the bulbs kept rotting from the base in storage through the Autumn. It affected the newer varieties and the longer bulbed types, so I've since rebuilt my stock of an older type, and haven't had any more problems. G&R

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goose

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Re: Dying shallots
« Reply #9 on: May 25, 2019, 18:18 »
I have just dug all of my shallots up including the onions as they were looking very poorly and the onions had curled leaves which indicates infestation.

the little grubs were visible on the onions and the shallots looked like they had rotted and were also infested with all sorts of nasties!   :( it also looked like a bit of white rot.

i havent grown onions for years as i had rot previously and was itching to get something growing this year as we had an early warm spell.

you live and learn, i guess! ::)

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grinling

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Re: Dying shallots
« Reply #10 on: May 25, 2019, 19:40 »
there is no cure for white onion rot. So you cannot grow leeks etc. Farmers use garlic water on the soil to activate the spores so they die.
I have done this for 3 years and will try onions for the 1st time next year.



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