Topic: White rot on onions - Success with organic control!!

[BarriedaleNick]

So we have white rot on our site and I normally loose a fair proportion of my onions to it.  On a good year I would loose 20% but a bad year could claim 50% or maybe even more.  I have got round it with careful rotation but it seems to be everywhere to a certain degree.

So last August/Sept I got a couple of packs of garlic powder and watered it down and then watered it on to a bed.  The idea as I am sure most of us know is to wake up the spores - without an actual onion to feed on the die off.

This year I planted some shallots, some sets and two types of onion from seed.  I have pulled everything except my Florence Red onions and not a single bit of rot showing.  Not scientific proof but it is good enough for me as I have never had a year without being affected by the dreaded rot.

This is something that will now be in my schedule every year from now!

Now to work out what to do for rust on leeks!!

[laurieuk]

It seems like most things it works for some people, I tried garlic solution 2 years ago then last autumn I tried garlic powder. I did exactly as suggested but lost many onions again with white rot. I think the very dry hot conditions did not help but when I see how good they looked early in the year and then how few I harvested I am uncertain of the future. You can see how good they were in my little website.

[InfraDig]

Do you have any ideas on leek rust? Thanks.

[realfood]

I use real garlic solution and have almost no white rot now. Just lifted garlic, onions and shallots and only 1 or 2 of each affected. Certainly works for me.

[squeezyjohn]

Sounds like something worth pursuing definitely ... I had white rot on about 20% of my onions and all my hard neck garlic this year and in a place that definitely hasn't had onions on it for at least 10 years! (it was overgrown with weeds for 7 of them!)

Garlic has been my saviour with regards to stopping the mice finding and eating my peas ... it would be brilliant if it could be used to reduce white rot too.

[BarriedaleNick]

Do you have any ideas on leek rust? Thanks.

My mate does spray his with Bordeaux mixture which seems to work.  However he has been growing the same leeks, from his own saved seeds for years, selecting the biggest and healthiest plants so they may have naturalised.

[small]

My first year trying the garlic treatment (I ground up real cloves and watered the sludge in) was really successful, great, I thought, cracked the problem....did the same last autumn, and this year I've  lost about 2/3 of my onions (sets, not seed, that may have been a mistake), all my spring onions, my leeks are sitting there and I daren't even look at them. I'm so disappointed, so much work and hope, I don't think I'll try again. Glad it's working for some, though.

[Pescador]

Nick, what rate of garlic to water per sq.yd.? I  get such back white rot that I have had to give up all Alliums!

[realfood]

Information on garlic treatment here :-http://www.growyourown.info/page173.html

[BarriedaleNick]

Nick, what rate of garlic to water per sq.yd.? I  get such back white rot that I have had to give up all Alliums!

I am afraid I wasn't very scientific.  I used one bag of garlic powder on my bed which 4 ft square.  Next year I may try something a bit more controlled.  I think the real trick is to get it into the soil so do it on a rainy day or water well in.

[lezelle]

Guday, I like the sound of the garlic water. I suffer from white rot as does my neighbour. So on the evidence given here will give it a go this year following the advice from the post by Realfood.

[telboy]

This is an interesting subject as white rot has been problematic for A4A members for some years!
I never had the disease for 30 years then it cropped up and the severity increased until I tried the garlic method covered on this site some years ago. I think a Canadian guy trialled the experiment with success so I followed suit.
The only difference in my approach was to not walk on the affected soil, soak the affected ground with tar oil winter wash a few weeks before application of garlic mix.
My crop rotation is only 3 years and I have been free of rot since the treatment. As gross feeders, the fertility of the soil needs to be kept high. I'm not saying the treatment I used is a definitive answer but my Stuttgarter crop this year has been wonderful.

[BarriedaleNick]

Well just taken the last of my onions - three rows of Red Florence and not a hint of white rot.  That's the first white rot free crop in ten years!

[pumkinlover]

Well just taken the last of my onions - three rows of Red Florence and not a hint of white rot.  That's the first white rot free crop in ten years!

Pleased for you BN!

[laurieuk]

There does seem to be different types of garlic powder for sale online, I have bought some more to try once more and it smells a lot stronger than what I got last year so lets try again.
 

[Tee Gee]

Touch wood I have not been affected with this problem for around ten years as I have been able to avoid the bed I had it in since then.

My concern now is that my rotation plan looks like I am going to have to use that bed next year so fingers crossed  I remain clear and the ten years or so has been a long enough to eradicate the problem occurring again!

As Telboy mentioned this problem has been discussed a lot on this forum over the years and still there does not seem to be an organic cure!

A thought struck me as I was reading the thread and that is;

  Would digging in the leaves from this years crop into the bed planned for next years crop work ?

Could such a practice possibly do a similar thing to that asked of all the other 'allium' treatments mentioned so far ?

Or is the risk too great and might make the situation worse?

What do you think guys?...Tg

[BarriedaleNick]

I think that it would be best to liquidise the leaves etc and then water it in but essentially I guess it could be done Tee Gee.  I am going to do next year's beds next week so may mix some garlic powder in with the trimmings of this years crop for added onionyness!!

[gray1720]

Where are you getting your garlic powder from, Nick? I'm wondering whether Countrywide's horse food stuff would do the job...

Adrian

[BarriedaleNick]

I just used a pack from Sainsbury's!!!  I guess pretty much any will do though...

[gray1720]

Ooh, have to hit Sainsburys tomorrow, so will have to have a look. Thanks!

Adrian