Topic: Garlic crop wiped out by onion rot - any ideas?

[George the Pigman]

For the third year running I have lost virtually all my garlic crop with some form of onion rot. Planted proper commercial varieties last November, they grew fine and dug them up a couple of weeks ago. All rotted.
Anyone any cure for this?

[BarriedaleNick]

Well you could try the "onion soup" method.  It does work but not always.
Basically you need to treat the area, probably this month or next, with ground up, liquidised onions/garlic.  Garlic powder seems to do the job and is as cheap as chips.  The idea being that you trick the WOR "spores" to become active but as there are no onions to feed on they then die off. 

More here..  http://www.growyourown.info/page173.html

This has worked pretty well for me over the last couple of years..

[tim]

Safer still, don't grow alliums on that patch for 7 (9?) years!

Lost all ours last year to Rust.

Tim

[gray1720]

What's the weather like round Brum this year, George? I can't imagine it's that different from Oxford (Tim is even closer to me, and I lost at least half of mine last year), but I've lost one bulb of garlic to white rot this year, and not an onion. I did wonder if it was because it was so dry (and, being on a watermeadow with topsoil on gravel it exacerbates it), but I did treat with garlic powder the autumn before, so maybe it does work?

Not growing is probably best, but it depends on how much space you have.

Adrian

[squeezyjohn]

I had it near Oxford this year ... and my only solution is to pick it all as soon as there's a hint of it happening and you can save the majority of the crop before it spreads.  I lifted mine back at the beginning of July from an October planting and they were all ready.

I think I will try the onion juice method on the area I will plant next year's crop in ... if there's a chance it works.

[small]

So sorry to read this, George, it's such a disappointment, isn't it. The garlic soup method worked for me for a couple of years but last year failed, so I decided to give up on onions and leeks. I've grown garlic this year in large buckets of spent compost from last years tomatoes, and they've been fine. We don't eat a lot though, it's probably not much use if you use large quantities. Best of luck with whatever you try.

[George the Pigman]

Thanks for your replies. The weather in Brum this year has been generally on the dry side. The winter was relatively mild.
The strange thing is that isn't having a significant effect on any other alliums - shallots, onions, leeks & even elephant garlic.

[Robert_Brenchley]

You may have it just in that patch, for the moment at least. Leeks (elephant garlic is a leek, of course) don't seem to be affected. I don't remember having it on shallots either, for that matter, but I may be wrong. It seems odd if it doesn't affect them.

[George the Pigman]

I rotate my crops every year and it seems to appear wherever I grow them.

[small]

You may have it just in that patch, for the moment at least. Leeks (elephant garlic is a leek, of course) don't seem to be affected. I don't remember having it on shallots either, for that matter, but I may be wrong. It seems odd if it doesn't affect them.

I can't grow leeks or shallots because of white rot. In fact, shallots were the first crop that succumbed. The only related thing that doesn't seem to be affected is/are chives.

[laurieuk]

The first year I had my plot I lost all my onions to white rot but since then I have read about using garlic powder. I have not cleared it but I do get a crop worth growing. I am applying the powder again this autumn in the hope of finally get rid of it . Do remember if you are rotating your crops that it is very easy to spread the disease by walking on infected soil. So clean all tools ,footwear etc. when going from one part to another.

[chriscross1966]

I've got round mine for the last couple of years using a raised bed with membrane between it and the soil, I fill it with the soil I dig out form the greenhouse each year.... though I have a massive greenhouse so that method might not get you enough soil....

[astraman1]

chucked my garlic powder on the ground the other day dug it over and put about 500g over 1.5m x 6m area and watered it in
now the rain can take it even deeper in the ground for me hopefully this will be enough to sort it

[astraman1]

dont knwo about anyone else i tried to mix it in the watering can and it just globbed up in chunks on the top this is why i threw the powder all over the ground and watered it

[BarriedaleNick]

Make a paste with the garlic powder and a little water and then add it to a watering can or large bucket full of water.  It does however swell up A LOT so if you use a lot (500g is quite a lot) it will just form something like thick wallpaper paste.

[astraman1]

there were a few big powdery deposits but i dropped it from 1m high so it spread and hopefully all the rain we are due will wash it in if not ill just dig it in again

[George the Pigman]

I have looked it up and it looks like garlic powder has been scientifically proven to be effective. However you have to apply it on the  area of the plot you are going to put the garlic one year before planting garlic . You can grow other things on it the year its not in use for garlic. Obviously also you have to take care not to contaminate this cleaned area with soil from other, possibly infected, areas.

[astraman1]

from what i read it has to be put down when the temp is atleast 15 degrees so it will germinate but you can do it now for planting in oct/nov

[busy_lizzie]

I too am having an awful problem with white rot. I put in 140 onions this year, but have lost half of them to white rot. As has been said it gradually infiltrates the whole area even though I rotate my crops on a four yearly basis. My garlic was a huge disappointment as they too had been affected though they looked fine from above. My shallots were absolutely fine though, which is just as well as I always enter some in the annual allotment show, which is Saturday.

I must try the garlic powder method. Can anyone tell me where I get it from, and I will sprinkle on next seasons garlic bed to see if it helps.  Thanks for bringing this up as it really helps knowing I am not the only one suffering. busy_lizzie   

[BarriedaleNick]

See
http://www.growyourown.info/page173.html

If you need anything made clear just holler..