Onion white rot - advice, please

[sprout]

A few (not many) of my Japanese (overwintering) and onions from sets show onion white rot (identified by my plot neighbours). The number affected is very small.

Will I have to leave onions off the soil for eight years?

Is there any antidote or precaution for this disease?

Are all members of the allium family included in the embargo if I have to exclude onions from the affected patches?

I hope someone has advice - this is the first serious 'sickness' on the new plot

[oldherbaceous]

Sprout you need to lift and burn any affected onions straight away. If you catch them before the small black resting bodies of fungus form you should be O.K.
If it is white rot it does affect related plants.
I think i would try and leave any of the allium family off that direct piece of ground for a couple of years just to be on the safe side.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

Theres no fool like an old fool.

[sprout]

Thank you oldherbaceous, I lifted most at the white furry stage so fingers x'd, will lift the rest pronto, and position a permanent wooden marker with NO ONIONS UNTIL 2009 written on it. Do you think it might help to pass a flame gun over the undisturbed bed before putting in the next crop?

[sandersj89]

I have suffered this year for the first time on my second allotment I took on 14 months ago. See my earlier thread here:
viewtopic.php?t=1540
It did not seem to effect last years leek but my over wintered onions have suffered and I have lost about 50% of them. Shame as they were getting to a decent size. They are all lifted and drying now.

I have been advised to lime the bed where I am to grow them next year very very heavily. You also used to be able to water the bed with Jeyes or Armillatox but this is not allowed now……

Jerry

[sprout]

Thanks jerry there is some hope then!
Crikey, mine weren't as bad as yours pictured, thank goodness, but I don't want any more. So it's leeks, and add lime to boot, when next alliums go on those beds.
Have you heard of watering with garlic water? I seem to remember reading about that somewhere - it's supposed to get the spores excited and they die over winter. But I read it in passing, wish I'd paid more attention.
All the sheds around my plot have a can of Jeyes Fluid in them. I wonder what they're used for?

[Allan]

My experiments so far indicate that onions can be grown very successfully in containers as they don't need as much space as previously allocated. This means that you can use anything like new multirpose compost, old sterilised compost etc. and never get the infection. Were there any doubt start again with fresh compost.

[Johnboy]

Hi Sprout,
This website seems to give you a fair am,ount of information.
www.organicgardening.org.uk/factsheets/dc16.php
I do hope, although gloomy, this assists you.

[sprout]

Thanks for that tip Allan.

Most helpful link thank you johnboy. I think I got off lightly looking at the illustrations! Well, it can't all be sunshine and roses (sigh)

[sandersj89]

Well I have lifted some Garlic, mainly Purple Wight, and it seems OK, lost about 5 heads. Still to lift the Solent white but that is not looking so good.



Jerry

[sprout]

Bee-yootiful jerry

[idigyourgarden]

I remember reading it stayed in the soil for 30 years.?

[sandersj89]

Yea, certainly a long time!



Jerry