white rot on garlic?

[queen of the cobs]

Hi All,

My garlic was looking very sorry for itself so I pulled up a bulb to see what might be wrong. It was very small, but seemed to have split into cloves. However, when I pulled the cloves apart, there seemed to be a small amount of mould inbetween them.

Should I pull up all the rest? They have just developed rust, and one by one, the leaves are going very yellow and withered, and I know that I'm not supposed to lift them till July, but if they die, surely there's no point in leaving them? Can I use the bed for onions again?

I've put a link to a photo, sorry, not very good:
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/albu...photo=98916571

sigh - would be grateful for advice and general cheer. Am feeling very disheartened.

[Cutecumber]

Sorry to hear about your mould.

It could be onion white rot, which isn't good and does hang around in the soil... but it might not be.

I think you should pull another, to be honest, and see what it's like.

It's just one of those things - no matter how hard you try (and how much you pray!), sometimes things just don't work.

Don't be disheartened - we have to take a deep breath and chalk it up to experience when these things happen.

[Paulottie]

Hi Queen and CuteC,

My garlic was looking just great a few weeks back but then the rust came! I decided it was time to get it drying. I have found white rot in about 18 bulbs, 36 were selected for 3 plaits and another 18 or so were split from swelling to quick or too small.

I am enclosing a few photos. One of white rot for your comparison, plus one of the onions with it -they are easy to find as the remains of the roots snap off. I noticed it in this bed 3 years ago.....still there!

If it is white rot or shanking my comiserations its a bore. You should burn all diseased waste and try and avoid spreading it with your tools. and start a fresh bed. Certainly you shouldn't compost it.

Mrs P's plait(she's French! its instinct) we stripped 5/6 skins to get the stems thin enough and the bulbs colour up again as they dry, she will have to re-tighten the plait when its dry.

With the remains, that we can't use fresh: we will either- mash it with salt and cover it in a jam jar with light olive oil for an easy supply for cooking (might brown a bit but lasts quite well if you top up the oil.)-or-make garlic butter with parsley to freeze...also handy.

[queen of the cobs]

thanks everyone - I think probably not white rot, maybe just cos the ground's been wet. I pulled another up as suggested and it's small, but perfectly formed and no sign of rot or mould. Hope the rest (my other 3 plants!) will be even better...and that they come out into as beautiful a plait as yours, P. That would cheer me up no end.

[BayViewPlot]

Wow,those look fantastic!

Just pulled half of my marco up coz they were yellow and rusty.. small bulbs but split OK

Better luck next time!

[Protea]

I was concerned my garlic had white rot last year as there was a white fluffy mould on the underside of quite a few bulbs - however, i dried those that weren't too badly affected to see what would happen - if it was white rot, they would have disintegrated, but they didn't. I have since realised it was in fact Fusarium basal rot - this will dry up if not too badly affected ad garlic will still be useable.

White rot is characterised by a white fluffy mould and hard black round spores in the mould - the hard, black 'sclerotial' spores are what differentiates it from fusarium basal rot. the foliage will also go yellw prematurely with fusarium.

Fusarium requires hot hot hot conditions (like last summer, and this April), whereas white rot requires warm and high humidity. White rot can be brought in on infected bulbs so always by certified disease free sets - never grow from supermarket bulbs.

If its white rot - you should not grow alliums on that soil again (and your whole plot is probably out as it will no doubt be everywhere), if its fusarium just follow your normal rotation, its not ideal, but i've got a better crop this year.

[Paulottie]

I am encouraged by what you say Protea. I had a bed with shanking last year so I was gutted when this outbreak of whatever affected garlic, onions and shallots at home and at the allotment. I was thinking no more alliums...I so hope you are right! I haven't see these spores -even with the mud!

[moggssue]

Paulottie - when did you plant your bulbs? How long did you have to wait for them to get to that size? I hear so many conflicting things about the best time to plant I'm getting confused!

[Paulottie]

I plant about Guyfawlks night and harvest in June. I was quite quick to harvest this year because of rust and the rot thing. All drying nicely now.

[moggssue]

Right, this year I'm going to plant in Nov as well - it obviously works best, yours look fantastic Paul!