[Yorkie]

I hate to say this but that sounds like white rot ! and it can stay in the soil for 8 years some say 10 ! try to avoid that area with any allium and that includes leeks and garlic 

I believe that there are other diseases which produce similar symptons, particularly given the particular growing conditions for those onions, so it is not necessarily automatically white rot.


Annen, I'm not aware of a green manure which does as you describe.

[Annen]

I hate to say this but that sounds like white rot ! and it can stay in the soil for 8 years some say 10 ! try to avoid that area with any allium and that includes leeks and garlic 

I believe that there are other diseases which produce similar symptons, particularly given the particular growing conditions for those onions, so it is not necessarily automatically white rot.


Annen, I'm not aware of a green manure which does as you describe.

Thanks both, I might try caliente mustard, or I have heard that a garlic spray concoction can help, although garlic being an allium strikes me that it might not work against an onion fungus.

[Kristen]

I have heard that a garlic spray concoction can help, although garlic being an allium strikes me that it might not work against an onion fungus.

The theory is that you water on solution of Allium (not sure of the details, but "garlic spray" sounds about right). This causes the White Rot spores to say "Hey, Alliums, Yum Yum" and germinate, then they find no Alliums so they die. Good!  You repeat this, increasingly weakening the spores that are present.

If it works (no personal experience) it has to be a whole pile better than waiting 7 years ...

[Annen]

I have heard that a garlic spray concoction can help, although garlic being an allium strikes me that it might not work against an onion fungus.

The theory is that you water on solution of Allium (not sure of the details, but "garlic spray" sounds about right). This causes the White Rot spores to say "Hey, Alliums, Yum Yum" and germinate, then they find no Alliums so they die. Good!  You repeat this, increasingly weakening the spores that are present.

If it works (no personal experience) it has to be a whole pile better than waiting 7 years ...

Ooh! That's clever! How to out-think a fungus! Def worth a try, I have plenty of those little garlic buds or secondary growths which I didn't want to throw away, but which are really too small and fiddly to use in cooking.