Topic: Has this been a bad year for onions?

[123b]

This is the third year that I have grown onions, and I have never had any problems before.
But this year, the onions didn't grow as big, lots have rotted in the soil and some have white cotton wool fungus looking stuff on the bottom.
I know this is probably the 3rd wet year in a row, but this year is the first year that I have had problems.

[Melbourne12]

I think it's almost luck of the draw in a wet summer whether you manage to avoid the dreaded rot.  For us, the dry June was a salvation, and we've already harvested about half our onions and all the shallots.  And they've done well.  Not a bumper crop, but respectable.

It is frustrating when a whole crop fails, though. 

Edit:  We did have a few that started to go to seed, which had to be pulled and used immediately.

[lewic]

My red ones that I planted last autumn are enormous and I have just harvested them as a couple looked mouldy.

Am wondering if I should do the same with my maincrop ones that were planted in May? The tops are lying flat but they are only a couple of inches across.

[Digeroo]

Sorry 123b that yours not doing well, but mine best ever.  Though the slugs have eaten the shallots.

[saddad]

Good year here... has that bed got white rot? Worst in wet weather...  :-\

[lancelotment]

Shallots and whites good but reds bombed.  Lance

[Tee Gee]

some have white cotton wool fungus looking stuff on the bottom.

Is it like this?





If it is then you have 'white rot' I am afraid  :-\

There is a bit of info here on the disease!

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Onion%20White%20rot/Onion%20white%20rot.htm

[Flighty]

I've had a good year with all my white Sturon onions growing well. I lifted them to dry and store the week before last.

[GodfreyRob]

So far the onions and shallots are good - not very large but they were late going in. They are all white as the reds seemed to be unreliable.

Sadly my garlic got the dreaded rust and I have had to dig it up early - it was growing well until the whole bed turned bright orange (quite pretty really). The rust this year was much worse than last - is there something I can do to prevent it happening again next year?

[Suzanne]

Its been a not so good year for me, about 2/3rds normal crop harvest from overwinterers. Also had to harvest main onions early as white rot looked to be setting in

However, I have grown banana shallots (zebrune) from seed this year and they seem to be doing really well.

[shirlton]

Our Radar have done very well but the Troy have very thick necks so we are using them first. We have covered them this year due to being in the area for the allium moth.

[cornykev]

I lost about 6/7 % to white rot, they were all over the place, not in one  line or next to each other and the ones that had white rot were looking healthy with the same greenery as the good ones, it was only when I fingered around the bulb to let the onion see the sun that I noticed they were a bit soft or loose.
But I didn't get a bad crop with the rest of them, no massive ones but better than OK. None had  bolted as they have done in previous years and very few thick necks.
My shallots did well but it does amaze me the difference in shallots per plant. I got  5 / 7 shallots per plant on average, then I got only three on quite a few plants, nice size though and ten on others and 14 being the most.  :o
I have watered in jeyes fluid on the infected area, I don't think it will make much difference but I've give it a go and will probably do it again late Autumn.
The only thing I don't understand is, if the stork dies away with this disease then why were mine still green when I dumped them.   ???  :-\       ;D ;D ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Most of my overwintering onions rotted, and the spring-planted ones got onion fly again. Not a good year!

[123b]

Hmm, thanks for all the replies. And thanks for the link and pics TeeGee.  It is white rot!!
I have harvested around half a bed (200/250 onions), and around 50% were rotten/and the white rot.
Plan to go back over the weekend to have a look at the red ones, and maybe lift the shallots. Fingers crossed the reds will be better, but they are still small.

[Dadnlad]

White Rot here too - about a quarter of those grown from sets (Centurion) :(, but none on those grown from seed (Long Red Florence) ;D
We're going with only seed grown onions next year !

[chriscross1966]

Spring-sown garlic was an utter failure for me and several others on our site.... that said the long red florence are doing ok, the few aiksla craig and rjinnsburgers seem ok, the Borretana and paris silv erskin have really come on in the last month, the welsh perpetuals seem healthy.... Some of my Kelsae are having a banner year, I might well break 3lb which would be an outdoor personal best for me and there's a possibility that a couple of them will hit 4lbs, which would beat my all-time best.... although the tree onions have only produced one tree in seven, the other six have turned into monster bulbs this year and shoiuld tree next year.....a decent year for onions but apart from the catawissa trees tghey're all from seed.....

chrisc

[123b]

Been thinking about this overnight. Wondering if the white rot would come form the soil, or if it has come from the sets? I bought sets from Wyevale, I usually get them from Wilkinsons.
Hmm, wondering if I should try growing from seed again! But the last time I tried they got overrun by weeds before they came through. Any tips on growing form seed?

[PurpleHeather]

It has been my best ever year for onions. Both winter and Spring ones turned out so huge they are bigger than the giant ones, I tried a few years ago.

I admit they were planted very early and just as the wet July set in they all got lifted. Tied up and hung in the garage to dry.

I suppose it depends on where you live and the weather conditions as much as anything. We were getting lots of hot weather with heavy showers at the time the bulbs were swelling and it must have suited them.

[TonyD]

the cotton wool fungas on your onions is white rot. white rot is a virus that lives in the soil, and will infect any onions grown in that soil. the virus travells up and down with the water table. and will get worse in wet years. what ever you do DONT put the infected onions on your compost pile, because the virus will infect the compost and you will spread it to where ever you put the compost. it can be contolled by fumigating and only killed by sterilizing the soil both of which are very expensive.  the only thing you can do with those onion is put them in bin bags and take them to the tip

[simon404]

Only lost about a third of my Stuttgarter to white rot this year, the previous couple of years I'd lost them all. On the plus side the ones that have survived are some of the biggest I've ever had.