Author Topic: Leek moth and onions  (Read 3458 times)

Mart56

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Leek moth and onions
« on: July 24, 2019, 20:23:45 »
I have had leek moth for a couple of years and use enviromesh this year on my leeks.  However it looks like my onions are starting to suffer - tips wilting, marks on leaves.  If I dig them up (they are a couple of weeks off ready) will the bulbs still be OK or will the pest continue to turn them to mush?

saddad

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Re: Leek moth and onions
« Reply #1 on: July 25, 2019, 07:11:51 »
Well they will pick on onions, if they can't get at the leeks, but those symptoms can be other things. I find that the pests in the leaves rarely get into the bulbs, you can cut off the worst foliage if you feel it necessary, but the drying out of the onions tends to solve the problem... that's why they prefer leeks, they are in the ground longer, allowing the wee beastie to complete it's life cycle... as the onion foliage will die off in the next few weeks any baby beasties will die with it.. seems to be my experience... onions going mushy is usually white rot...

Mart56

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Re: Leek moth and onions
« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2019, 10:30:14 »
That sounds promising.  Onions not going mushy yet.  I've found some things that look like the pictures I've seen of the little b.......  Fingers crossed then.  Thanks.

Vinlander

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Re: Leek moth and onions
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2019, 11:32:37 »
I would be surprised if the moth jumps to onions before affecting other more closely-related alliums... Anybody seen it first-hand on other crops at all?

Apparently Babbingtons (Allium ampeloprasum) isn't affected - at least according to this link which recommends them as a substitute crop: https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/when-leek-not-leek.

However leek moth does seem to be quite localised, so I suppose it might just hit whatever is grown in quantity nearby - I suspect some ornamental alliums will be more common than Babbingtons, and Elephant garlic might be common enough to be the next victim?

Cheers.
With a microholding you always get too much or bugger-all. (I'm fed up calling it an allotment garden - it just encourages the tidy-police).

The simple/complex split is more & more important: Simple fertilisers Poor, complex ones Good. Simple (old) poisons predictable, others (new) the opposite.

saddad

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Re: Leek moth and onions
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2019, 21:06:04 »
I tolerate some self set Babbington Leeks on my allotment, used to grow them as a crop but no longer harvest them... just preserving bio diversity.. not seen any evidence of the moth on them, might have a closer look.

saddad

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Re: Leek moth and onions
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2019, 11:48:52 »
Did find one of the little red pupae between layers of an onion that had split with the rain this week..

Plot22

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Re: Leek moth and onions
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2019, 08:14:23 »
We have had Leek Moth for the last 2 years on our site. This year I covered mine with scaffold netting and I am the only plot holder with leeks although not perfect they are at least edible. We also suffer from Allium Leaf Miner and Downy Mildew so I have covered my onions with enviromesh for a number of years . As regards Downy Mildew last year because it was so hot we did not get it this year because of the rains it is back. The only alternative is to grow resistant varieties such as Santero and Highlander. Some of my fellow plot holders have grown over winter Jap type onions and have had some success in combating the Downey Mildew so this year I have bought a cheap packet of 50 sets from Wilkos and set them without netting to give them a try. This morning I am going to set my garlic and that to will be under enviromesh as one year I was completely wiped out with Allium Leaf Miner and it cost me a fortune to replace them

 

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