Armillatox..?

[sue-the-recycler]

I have white onion rot I have been told by a neighbour you can use Armillatox on the soil and then plant something else...I havent come across Armillatox before, is it similar to Jayes and if so is it not illegal?

[strawberry tart]

Hello Sue.
For 30 years or more Armillatox has been used in varying dilutions for a host of horticultural purposes, several years ago along with everything else that was of use to the gardener some one decided it wasnt safe for us British (or is that, us Europeans)to use any more.It can now only be sold as an algy remover and path cleaner. However if you go to their international website http://www.armillatox.com/onions.htm
then all the old uses and dilutions are there. For white rot they recomend 100-1 dilution @ 5 litres per sq metre 3weeks prior to sowing. Hope this is of help. Strawberry Tart.
p.s. prior to 30 years ago I used this product or a very similar one under the name Brayes emulsion this was before I.C.I got in on the act. but it was identical to use with all the different dilutions for different uses and smelt just the same (like freshly cleaned public toilets.)

[strawberry tart]

Further to the above, the actual reason given on the other website http://www.armillatox.co.uk/
for the change was the cost involved in the european pesticde review. Not quite the reason I was inferring. S.T.

[Johnboy]

Hi ST,
Armillatox is the only thing I know that will have a go a Honey Fungus. Such a great shame the EU ruling means enormous costs, which are peanuts to ICI and the likes, but all the profit to a small company.
JB.

[strawberry tart]

Further the white rot prob,Its a particularly difficult fungus to deal with, most advice is not to grow alliums for 9 years where affected,I did read about a natural treatment which involved watering the area with garlic powder solution for several years which stimulates the fungus into growth but then weakens the fungus as there is no host for it to work on and reproduce.
I would have no qualms though about using armitilox.Its got to be worth trying.
The website didnt actualy seem as detailed as I remember it I must try and dig out an old data sheet I kept.
I always put a drop in my water butts and nothing touches it for washing down glasshouses and tunnels in the winter...S.T.

[sue-the-recycler]

Thanks! That has been very useful. I found the site and the article about onion rot and also honey fungus - needed a dictionary to read it but very informative I see what you mean about 'technical' data. I am reasured the product is completley bio degradable and onion rot takes extreme measures. I plan to use that area for black currants now - 8 years is about the right lengh of time for new bushes to run out of steam. Would be intresting to find out if the garlic water worked - have read a suggestion to plant garlic aa a sacrificial host plant and lift at the first sign of rot, if repeated it eventaully weakens the fungus but not allowing it to reach maturity. Lot of wasted garlic and much effort though.

[strawberry tart]

Sue, I found this online,it has a bit about the "garlic cure"
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r584100511.html
S.T.