leeks and white rot

[gan heather]

I have white rot on my plot (affected last year's onion/garlic crops and I tried a different area of the lottie this year and added lots of new compost, but still affected the crop) and I have leeks growing in a tray that are ready to be planted out. Will the white rot affect them as well?

And as we're on the subject, if anyone has any magic tips for dealing with white rot, I'm all ears. There's a world of alliums I'd like to grow next year and this is very disheartening.

[dave_norm_smith]

Hi

One of the veg blogs I follow asked the same question the other day

This was one of the answers

They say don't plant in that ground for 7 years but i would try and find a way of sterelizing the soil, i've herd domestos will do. I have the same problem myself so come winter will try this, if anyone knows how to use bleach it might help.

Before I get duffed up, I'm not advocating this, meerly answering the question.

[oldie]

There have been a number of reports that making a garlic solution and spraying it on the ground I think in late Autumn causes the spores(?) to activate but as there is nothing to grow on they die. There is a post somewhere on the site giving some links. I am trying a crop this year in ground that I treated with Caliente Mustard last year and so far I have no white rot but until they are dried and stored I don't want to jump to conclusions. This mustard acts as a bio-sterilant and I'm hopeful that it will work. I'm not sure I would want to put domestos on my soil!

[Nik]

Domestos?! Yikes. Is that even legal?

[dave_norm_smith]

It wouldn't do for me either but it seems that the show crowd use it. What it does go to show is that you really don't want white rot in your beds. I know Monty has got it as it was on the special the other night, however I can't remember if he offered a solution that doesn't include drain products? I-player anyone?

[gan heather]

I saw that episode as well and I was really looking forward to hearing some solutions. His only solution was to plant something else there! Very nice if you have a few acres to grow veg on and you can put your onions somewhere else. But I only have the one plot...

[dave_norm_smith]

Its a real pig by the looks of it. I checked out the RHS site and they were mentioning that it could lay in the ground for up to 15 years and that there was no 'magic bullet' for the amateur yet. However it does make reference to what Oldie suggested. Although it has not been followed through, its got to be worth a go as people have had some success. Good luck with it

[gan heather]

How exactly do you treat with caliente mustard?

[dave_norm_smith]

Ah, I meant the garlic solution part. I'll let oldie answer the other one. I'm guessing with the former a couple of large bulbs of garlic, smashed up, boiled up for 30 mins, strained after cooling and then sprayed over the plot? (Its good for spraying over your carrots to confuse the fly aswell apparently!)

In addition it appears that it will stuff your leeks up as well! Sorry

Incidentally due to the disease being spore bound you could be transferring it with your footware between areas, hence the new compost becoming effected

[oldie]

How exactly do you treat with caliente mustard?

The following link gives some good info. Plant Solutions Limited - Biofumigation and Green Manure - Caliente Mustard

[Aberdeenplotter]

White onion rot is the pits. I have put bits of my plot into permanent soft fruit hoping that by the time 15 years is up I will be able to plant onions leeks and garlic in those areas again but I have to say I am not confident at all that I will be able to do so. To be able to grow onions for exhibition in my polytunnel, I've replaced the soil down to the depth of a foot. All to be wheeled uphill in barrows on the way out and thankfully downhill on the way in but several tons per side of the tunnel.

Some of the growers swear by armillatox but that isn't approved for the purpose nowadays not that stops people using it. Domestos/bleach is an oxidant I think but I haven't heard any of the guys say they have used it. There is a soil sterilant named basamid which I think is for professionals but some growers have got their hands on it and are using it to good effect. Not curing the problem but much reducing it.

I prefer to be able to eat what I grow knowing there is nothing applied to the crop which may affect my delicate system so I tolerate the disease within reason. I know I will undoubtedly have to replace the soil in my tunnel again in the future as the return of the disease is almost guaranteed.

[Snadger]

My onions, shallots and garlic have all been affected by white rot in certain areas of my plot. My leeks have never succumbed though?

I have a theory about clubroot which is another ground based fungus, and that is, it doesn't prosper in the winter months. I've proved this by growing spring cabbage with ease in areas that summer cabbage would be affected.
What has this to do with onion white rot I hear you say?..........well, my leeks grow through the winter and don't seem to be affected but my other alliums succumb during the summer months!

[VirginVegGrower]

Chec out article in September's GYO mag on this subject and 15 years is mentioned.

[realfood]

You may remember that I have been trialling a new organic method for clearing ground of white rot, using a solution of garlic applied to the ground the previous year.
I have now been harvesting some of my onions and shallots and not one has any sign of white rot!! I am astonished that it has been so successful as I would expect about 1/3 of the crop to be affected.
There is still time for you to treat the ground where you are going to plant your alliums next year.
You will see full details of the theory and quantities for the treatment here :- vegetable diseases

[zazen999]

Liking that RF; and just waiting for my potato bed to be free before I apply. Glad to hear it's been successful for you. *crosses fingers