Garlic Rust

[Kestrel]

Hi all

The recent shed weather has caused my garlic to get rust. It happen almost overnight.
Not panicking but a good google around has revealed contrasting approaches to deal with it from lift the whole crop and burn it (no chance) to leave it and don't worry.

Have lifted one bulb of an early variety (Sprint) and its a decent size and cloves have formed. Nearby onions unaffected.

Is there a definitive course of action as I would like the bulbs to swell more if possible. Over to you and cue the differences of opinion.

Kes

[Matt94]

just had a google for you as this is my first year in growing garlic (so i hadn't got a clue what garlic rust was) anyway on garlicworld.co.uk they say that they should be pulled up and the foliage burned or treated with a fungicide. It says that garlic rust forms when they are subject to low light levels and high humidity, and that it is usually most common in leeks.

And ive also looked on other forums and they say that garlic rust can spread to leeks- do you have leeks? if you do i would definately pull them, as i personally wouldn't want to risk losing both crops to the disease.

[VirginVegGrower]

I have pulled mine. Most on our site are showing signs. Mine were planted early so got to a decent enough size. I would pull all as the growth gets checked and hang somewhere to dry. Leave your leek seedlings if planted.

[Jelliebabe]

Mine too - I have taken off the worst leaves and left in the ground as mine are still smallish - still not too long until they should be harvested anyway.

My first time growing garlic and they have looked smashing until now... I will jsut weep if they are all rotten!

[Kestrel]

Thanks guys
Low light levels and high humidity is certainly my recent experience. As regards leeks, still not planted them out. Had rust on leeks last year but not garlic as it was late summer. Pulled off the infected leaves and mostly they grew through it, though most were quite small but perfectly good.

Just think its a real shame as only my second year of garlic and last years crop was pretty miserable but this years was looking fab. No, IS fab.

[Paulottie]

I'm afraid the rust will sap the garlic's strength and they won't swell to their full potential but you hopefully have some. Mine looking very sad too.

In my experience it does not make that much difference to the following year if you have a good rotation. so just salvage what you can of the harvest and burn the outside leaves etc. then bin/burn kitchen waste.

If they don't seem worth saving, you can make lazy garlic (crush with salt and cover in oil in jamjar) or freeze garlic butter.

[Shadylane]

I always get rust. Except last year when there was a drought. I always get big leeks and good sized garlic, seems to make no difference. I'd leave em to it.

[CimaDirapa]

Some garlic verities in my plot are practically orange, I lifted three examples and the size is exactly what I want (like the shop bought size) and cloves are formed nicely.

I wouldn't worry about it too much, we live on an island and we have to take this into account as rust formed in the above conditions, still even without fungicides you bound to get a decent crop.

[Kaiya]

Mine have rust too, and although they are close to both seedling leeks and overwintered shallots I won't be pulling the garlic (it's not ready yet) - the garlic have had eight months of time put in, the leeks only a couple, so my aim is to give the garlic a chance even at the risk of the younger plants.

[Nik]

My garlic always gets rust, but doesn't seem to matter too much. I just pull them up when they look like their on their last legs. I did that a couple of weeks ago and I got a bumper crop.

[Rabidbun]

I have had some success in slowing rust with a spray of cheap gin as suggested in another thread somewhere on here).

I get it on some plantings most years (though not predictably and often not from the same planting sites) and this year am adopting the "Buy better gin and drink rather than spraying" plan. I haven't noticed any difference in storing the garlic, and not much in size. It seems to lose me maybe a week to a week and a half of growing time as the rusted leaves tend to fall over and go brown/get covered in rust only slightly earlier than the normal non rusted ones.

[VirginVegGrower]

OK Bought a book on garlic today - very nice - but I thought that for future reference I would put the advice here. To help prevent rust feed with sulphate of potash in February. At first signs of rust remove bad outer leaves and dust with sulphur powder. Continue every ten days from April onwards. Cheap gin as mentioned before also halts a mild spread.
Wish I'd known this earlier...