Later sown leeks suffer damage too

You may remember this thread that started on sprouts and then moved on to leeks...

http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/sprouts-micky-v-t24096.html

I'd hoped my later sown leeks might avoid onion fly damage but I noticed this morning that some of them were looking a bit tatty. So I dug a couple and sad to say, they were being tunnelled deep inside by onion fly larvae (I think), just like the early ones.

So that's another idea gone down the tubes. Damn.....

 

What rotten luck Flinty :( but as John says you'll be able to salvage most of each plant, though they'll not develop into anything like they could have done.
I've been lucky so far, touch wood, and have never been bothered with onion fly on leeks though I have often had it on onions.
How do you plant your leeks? Do you dibble holes for them so that the base of the plants is well below the soil surface? Mine go into holes about 6" deep and as I've mentioned in a previous post they are also planted through membrane or perforated plastic sheet.

 

Hi Dave

Yes, I dibble the leeks in to about 6 inches but that hasn't stopped the little b*****s attacking them.

When I sliced one of the later leeks down the middle, you could see how the onion fly larvae penetrate the top of the stem through the side and then tunnel downwards, presumably for safety and to find the juiciest bit! Trouble is, once inside the plant, they're pretty safe unless you use a systemic insecticide which I'm not keen to do in my own garden.

None of my neighbours grows vegetables and so onion flies must just be roaming the countryside looking for members of the onion family to attack!

 

.
Hi,

My leeks as all the others on our allotments, have been ruined this season, as they were also last, by grubs and fungus rot and rust.

I was out a drive in the Vale of Evesham in the sunshine yesterday and passed a large field full of leeks.
I stopped to have a look and the were perfect, at least the ones I could see.
I suppose that they would have access to proper strong sprays to keep the pests and diseases at bay!

My problems with them started 3 seasons ago, and have not had any proper leeks since then.

There is always next year I suppose, all I can do is "keep the faith" and hope for the best!

Cheers!

 

I tried growing leeks for the first time this year and had no problems, so I'm sorry to hear about the problems with onion flies. Maybe because my veggie patch is new (two seasons old), the pests haven't found out about it yet! Anyway, I have eaten all the leeks I grew, so I'll be sure to grow a lot more of them next time.