For those of us who enjoy growing onion plant , scallion , and related to alliums in our home garden , there ’s nothing more frustrating than having disease ruin these easy - growing crops before they mature . Two of the most mutual problems areonion rustandonion white rot .

Onion Rust

The first gets its name from the orangish pustules that form on the leaves of the affected plants . finally , those leaves may yellow and snuff it , killing the plant . Fortunately , onion rust is easygoing to annul . If you remove infected crop debris and verify both nitrogen and potassium levels in the soil are titular , the disease is unlikely to recur . Crop rotation every three or four years is also a skilful idea .

Onion White Rot

onion plant bloodless putrefaction is n’t near as comfortable to deal with as Allium cepa rust . This ill , which is characterized by a whitened cottony growth along the cornerstone and side of the onions , is get by a persistent fungus that can survive without a innkeeper for as long as fifteen years .

If onion ashen rot rap , your best bet is not to grow alliums in that particular bit of ground for 8 - 10 years . Since that ’s a little extreme , you’re able to essay raise onion from seeds rather than set ( transplants ) instead . That direction , radical developing is minimum during the fungus ’s most active period , ahead of time in the season . However , onions grow this way can take up to two seasons to maturate , so this , too , is a long - full term pick .

you may also try planting your onions in wide - spaced clumps 12 inch or more asunder , since onion white rot has a tendency to spread sidewise along intertwined roots . This way , if one clump becomes infected , you’re able to clear it out before others are stricken . If nothing else works and you need your genus Allium , try arise leeks . They ’re least likely to be infect by onion white rot . Otherwise , you may need to switch to container gardening until your blanched rot problem clears up .

Common onion fungal disease

Want to learn more about onion fungal diseases?

Onion Rustfrom Pacific Northwest ExtensionWhite Rot of Garlic and Onionsfrom University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Treating Onion Fungal Diseases in the Garden