Topic: leeks

[alby12345]

hi all im new to this forum and have grown leeks but they have just seem to have rotted off ive grown them before and had no probs any idea thanks ken

[goodlife]

Alby..we need little more info.
Where have they started rotting from? Could you describe the look of the 'rot' ::)..yes sounds stupid..but is there any white fungal like growth on the bottom of the leeks..or do they just go brown and mushy?
Has plants still got they roots on when you try to lift them?
Have you leeks flowered?
Any floods or standing water in the area?
Was it sudden rot attack or did it creep in slowly?
Anything else 'different' on your leeks?
Did they managed to grow decent size before the rot?
When did you planted your leeks and when did the rot start...any other onion family plants effected?

[claybasket]

hi Alby my leeks are the also rotting ,same last year,the flags start with holes then they kind of wilt just the flags,I was so fed up last year I just left them in the soil,they then began to grow new flags it was late in the year when this happened ,I wont grow them on the lottie a third year,will make a leek box at home ,Aim not sure if its thrip!anyone else know out there?

[Duke Ellington]

Mine too.

http://transitionculture.org/2009/09/28/attack-of-the-killer-mutant-leek-moths/

Duke

[Tam]

.

What about the "leek moth?"

The leeks turn to slime when attacked by the caterpillars which are about a quarter inch long and difficult to see!

Had this problems the past two years, then read about it!

This year I have sprayed with insecticide from when they were transplanted, so far I have only lost a few, so it pays to spray!

hope this helps!
.

[claybasket]

Thanks Duke for the info on the leek moth,that is exactly what ive got ,next year its scaffy netting on frames ,hopfully that will protect them from the beasties

[cornykev]

Some of mine look like they've had the tops chewed off.   :'(

[Robert_Brenchley]

My Musselburgh are flourishing. Winter Giant never got started. You never can tell!

[strawberry1]

The pesky blighters still get through environmesh. You will need finer than that. I buried all the mesh edges in soil and they still got through pristine, new net. I am giving up on leeks

[Mr Smith]

Although I have not picked any of my Sweetcorn I Picked some cracking Leeks at the weekend, :)

[Morris]

Aargh I've got leek moth. Never had it before  >:( >:( Peeled back leaves and there were the little bu**ers.  There seemed to be only one caterpillar in each affected leek - is that right? Or will I need to keep checking for more? So far only a handful of plants had them, or so I could see.

I've covered with debris netting, but is this enough? Strawberry1 doesn't think so; anybody else got other experience?  I don't really want to use fleece because they have a touch of rust as well and the air circulation won't be so good.

Leeks are usually one of my best and easiest crops. These are my young, second sowing, intended for late winter/early spring cropping. Don't know what is best to do now. Any advice please?

[claybasket]

HI Morris,its hard to see the little caterpillars they seem to manage to get in between the leaves,bye the time we noticed it was to late ,next year we are going to make frames we can move ,and cover them with saffy netting,or a fine net curtains stapled on to the frames,we couldn't take 3 yrs of losing our leeks ,all you can do is hope the cold kills them of and the leeks rally round again good luck.

[Garden Manager]

I have suffered losses to leek moth for 3 years in a row now. After last years devastation i decided to cover them with enviromesh to keep them off. I planted out and covered them but have since lost virtualy all of them in the same way as the last 2 years. I thought perhaps the moth had gotten through a gap in the mesh, but after buying and planting some more leek plants from the garden centre, treating them in exactly the same way as my own grown with no hint of moth damage, i concluded that the moth must've got to the plants before they were planted out. The enviromesh then probably served to protect the grubs and allowed them to thrive.

Not sure what i can do to stop this happening again. Other than give up growing leeks of course!!! :o

[Robert_Brenchley]

Grow them from seed.

[Garden Manager]

Grow them from seed.

I do and it still happens/ed. Leek moth must've got to the plants while they were waiting to go in the ground.

The plants i bought later weren't affected.

[claybasket]

How big is this moth? :-\

[pansy potter]

Mine remain unaffected under the enviromesh

[chriscross1966]

Lost all mine :-(.... mesh next year then.... will need to build a frame to cover a third of a bed at home....