Onion setback

I noticed some white mould on 2 of my Kelsaes, so pulled the lot along with all my other onions. Those infected have been disposed off.
Really gutted now because I was planning to use the same bed again next year and I've got parsnips thriving in my other raised bed so can't use that!

bugger it, dare say I'll find a solution somewhere.

 

Oh bother, not onion white rot? That'll be 10 years before you can re use that bed for onions

 

reggub, sorry, this censorship is getting ridicuolous

 

Raised bed Zigs, I'll dig the whole lot out, use copious amounts of Jeyes, refill and try again?

That 5kg Onion is determined to make my life miserable?

Got some 1kg plus specimens drying out in the greenhouse, so not a total loss?

 

Thats a relief Vince. Still a bit of a pain though.

Slugs ate all my onions this year, right down to the roots.

 

Start again using molehill soil from grass verges in the spring - those areas have never been used to grow onions in the last 10 years.

 

Zigs, Onion White Rot can remain viable for 18 years!

Rather than dig out and start again, I might try another tactic, been reading up on onion white rot and may have found a solution?

It'll be next year and I will plant up the infected raised bed BUT not with alliums. When conditions are right, I'll saturate the bed with onion/garlic/leek extract, hoping the white rot fungus (doesn't produce spores) will be fooled into thinking there are tasty plants to infest but in reality none!

Once "germinated", unless a suitable host is found, the white rot thingymajig (similar to a poppy seed) will die within a few days......

That's the theory, wish me luck?

 

18 years? Blimey Vince.

Thats interesting, a bit like in this paper then?

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/sr/sr1066-e/05.pdf

Good luck

 

Don't put Jeyes on your soil. Banned (for good reason, rather than bureaucratic red-tape)

Depends what word you were trying to use?

 

Jeyes is still widely available and so it should be, I've used it numerous times with no known ill effects, Neither myself or my family have snuffed it yet and all appear healthy, I don't use it to sterilize soil, just my raised bed frames!

Since when (in recent times) has B U G G E R been offensive?

I've got a serious problem because I like to grow "serious" onions, I grow normal ones too, Not Ailsa Craig, too unreliable and I want to keep up my ageing uncles work, growing very large and tasty onions? Something He's unable to do now!

So sorry Kristen but I may know a bit more about onions than you credit me for?

Zigs, London is a long way from Egypt - hell of a lot drier there?

A new onion bed is under construction for next year but I'm not too unhappy with this years results, drying out in the greenhouse, will post piccies when ready!

 

Hiya Vince.

A pity about those Kelaes. I know growing large onions is quite a commitment, so it must be a right pain in the 'tree'.
I heard a while ago about fooling white rot, sounds like a planAnyway, there's nothing to lose trying it out. No doubt, you'll let us know how you get on

Cheers...Freddy

 

I'm not questioning your ability with onions I interpreted your original message that you were planning to use Jeyes on the sub-soil rather than to clean/sterilise the frame.

I have heard of people using Caliente Mustard as a green manure for its fumigating properties (the way in which you incorporate it will be important to retain the fumigant and to ensure it is mixed deeply enough into the soil). I remember thinking that I wasn't convinced by the article - but if I had the problem I might be prepared to try anything. Google turned this up:

http://www.greenmanure.co.uk/caliente_mustard.htm

I have also read of a technique involving either composted onion waste as a mulch, or watering with an onion/garlic solution, or something along those lines - the ideas iis that the present of "onion taste/smell!" causes the Onion Rot fungus to think there was an onion crop to attack, and it germinates/grows/whatever a fungus does, and then it burns itself out (or something like that) when it doesn't actually find a genuine host plant.

 

Sorry to hear that Vince..and I hope one of your solutions work.

It was my first year growing larger onions and I have managed this..magazine used for sense of scale.



Any chance you could perhaps write a post or two on how you go about growing your onions from start to finish....I for one would be very interested.

Steve...

 

Or maybe next year start an "Onion Growing Diary"?

 

I read this one http://www.allotment-diary.co.uk/Exhibition-giant-show-onion-growing-2012.html

and this one

http://keithfoster.wordpress.com/tag/ailsae/