Onion White Rot

[zazen999]

I can understand the logic behind the spraying with garlic water theory as the spores won't have a host to latch onto. Fair enough, but to put affected onion waste on land will mean the spores multiplying on the host plant, completing their life cycle, lying dormant in the soil, then even more spores/mycelium will be ready to attack the next allium crop. Or am I missing something?

No - me neither. Is this another case of not understanding the logic and making it up as you go along, publishing/broadcasting and then it becoming popular opinion....without any actual connection to the original treatment?

[womble]

I'm absolutely gutted, just found 3 out of 60 leeks have got white rot. I thought that bed was clean.
So that leaves me with one bed without it atm. Well I can't grow leeks in the same spot every year can I. Sob

[womble]

Just noticed, another leek gone, another winter without leeks, I can't believe it.
Is there anything I can do to stop it spreading to all the others?

[zazen999]

I don't know....it seems to have rules of it's own as to where and when it strikes....

I would think about digging a trench, filling with sand and planting them in there...or at least having a layer of sand at the level of the roots and seeing if that helps.

[womble]

Would they grow in ericaceous compost? I have a load that I'm not using and I could put them in large containers after washing all the soil off.
The problem is that if one has it, it will run like wildfire through the pots. But I've seen it run from one end of a large bed to the other in a few weeks, the the chance of any surviving where they are must be tiny.

I don't think the sand idea is practical for me.

[Snadger]

Funny that..........my onions often get white rot but I've never had it on leeks grown in the same area? It starts by attacking the roots so I'm wondering if my deep planting of leeks has took the roots down below the surface infected layer?

[womble]

Funny that..........my onions often get white rot but I've never had it on leeks grown in the same area? It starts by attacking the roots so I'm wondering if my deep planting of leeks has took the roots down below the surface infected layer?

It's been worse on my garlic most, to the extent I've given up trying to grow it. Then the onions, which I've also given up trying to grow, then lastly the leeks. My ones this time were planted at about 7" I would think, do you plant lower than that?
It could be that the ones which have got white rot were planted slightly shallower, I'll see what happens from now on.

[Two_Sheds]

Well, the theory is that the white rot spores do their thing on the soil and die out

Surely this will just feed the white rot and help it prosper? ... to put affected onion waste on land will mean the spores multiplying.. then even more spores/mycelium will be ready to attack the next allium crop. Or am I missing something?

No - me neither. Is this another case of not understanding the logic and making it up as you go along..?

Prolly.

Here's the RHS bit about it all. My brain is far too sleep-deprived to make sense of anything more complicated than toast at the moment.
Somebody brainy translate it please

[Jeanied]

Hmmm - basically what it is saying is that by using volatile compounds in fresh alliums you can potentially trick the fungus to germinate, - and then find nothing to feed on, it will die off. It also says that there is no commercial product using this idea yet. So maybe the garlic spray is a good idea. Or any spray made from onions. I guess the garlic will be stronger.
I think this may be worth a try once an onion crop is lifted - maybe in early autumn. Then anything left in the soil will germinate and die off before the winter.

ETA - fell into that one TS. Why aren't you sleeping?

[King Carrot]

Intersting stuff, I'm now thinking of trying this garlic spray this autumn where I'm going to plant next seasons onions and garlic - now, If only I knew where they're going to be planted

[zazen999]

Hmmm - basically what it is saying is that by using volatile compounds in fresh alliums you can potentially trick the fungus to germinate, - and then find nothing to feed on, it will die off. It also says that there is no commercial product using this idea yet. So maybe the garlic spray is a good idea. Or any spray made from onions. I guess the garlic will be stronger.
I think this may be worth a try once an onion crop is lifted - maybe in early autumn. Then anything left in the soil will germinate and die off before the winter.

I was going to try this, but I've gone for my sand mix instead and it worked last winter.....I will await news on the trials and if it's good news - will post on here as soon as I see them

[Jeanied]

So all I have to do is spray my next year's onion bed, once I have decided where it is going to be - and hopefully all will be well!

[LolaLou]

Must admit, I thought I was well clear of any white rot on my plot but this year lost 50% of all my overwinter onions and 95% of all my garlic to it. Interestingly I planted my summer onions in the same bed in rows next to the autumn planted onions and garlic (didn't know at the time there was a white rot issue) and they are absolutely fine and some of the tops are just starting to fall over as they mature. Don't quote me on this but I grew the summer onions from seed and planted them out in their own biodegradable pots (not peat ones) that I had been growing them on in at home and I'm not sure if maybe that has protected them from any WR sprores in the soil around them as they certainly do not look like there are any issues yet (touch wood!)???

[The Large One]

Don't quote me on this but I grew the summer onions from seed and planted them out in their own biodegradable pots (not peat ones) that I had been growing them on in at home and I'm not sure if maybe that has protected them from any WR sprores in the soil around them as they certainly do not look like there are any issues yet (touch wood!)???

my allotment neighbour done this and had great results (potting individual onions)
his brother who planted open field in the same plot has lost all, i will be trying this next time, already starting to collect some pots for it

[BarleySugar]

I lost loads at the allotment garden, which haven't grown anything for goodness knows how many years. I lost all the garlic stock I had built up over the last 4 years, so now no garlic or stock to plant next year. It has been worse on the overwintered Japanese onions, I haven't lost many of the spring sown ones, although I did pull them a bit early. The ground is very free draining so the spring sown ones are small but better than nothing.