Kitchen Garden Forum

My Red Baron onion sets planted very early from sets are struggling with a black sooty mould on the leaf and some leafs blackening and withering at the end, should I treat with anything or count my losses and pull the onions and cut off and burn the foilage, storing and drying the onions in the ususal way? This disease has spread quite widely on our site and appears to have come as a result of the hot / humid weather.

CoMpO

Any ideas anyone, i am going up to the plot tonight and wondered if anyone has a better idea than just pulling the onions?

CoMpO

Dear Compo, i think what you have got on your Onions might actually be Downy Mildew.
I'm afraid if it is this, the onions don't tend to store very well as they often go soft quite quickly.
Badly drained soil, and a lack of air, either from close planting or weed growth can make this disease worse.
Also try planting in a different area next year.

We have all been complaining of a similar problem with the Autumn planted red sets mainly. Some are blaming it on last years seed/sets but I think once you get any disease in onions the only answer is to destroy them and if you can never plant in the same place again or at least for 10 years and on an allotment not easy.

Hope you can save some to use but as OH says they won't store.

Beryl.

Well l will try and pull them now and dry them in crates in the shed cutting off the leaves, they got two chances eh?.............I am going to stick to growing from seed next year, as I think (and I am only guessing) that seed is a cleaner option. I have some seed started now for a late crop of smaller onions.

Thanks for the advice folks.

OH
we have the same problem on our lottie and we are on sandy soil it drains that well we are very rarely stopped from getting on the plot even after the wettest of weather, the problem we have as explained by Brian Kidd
Solent radio gardening expert, is the plot is not close enough to the coast and not far enough inland so we have a strip that runs from devon up to hampshire that sits under humid still air add a shower of rain and it doesn't take much rain last year one day lovely healthy plant a five minute shower and next day it looked like someone had tipped a bag of soot over the onions bobs your uncle the black death hits your onions again, if you are quick enough and good at guessing spraying with Dithane or copper fungicide can help but is not a cure.

COMPO
My onions that have just been hit are from seed what we do is plant loads of overwintering onions early sept and dig them before the black death arrives.