My garlic has a bad rust infection. Does anyone have any experience with this? the infection has reached the point that a few of the plants appear to be dead. Harvest time should be in a couple of weeks.

Should I pull everything now? Cut the foliage off and wait until normal harvest time? Will it affect the bulbs? Will it affect how they store? Can I plant the bulbs this fall or do I need to get new cloves to plant?

I have checked my books and online and not found any conclusive answers. Any help will be appreciated.

Harvest it NOW. All harvest debri should be buried deeply AWAY from your gardening area. You're out of the allium growing business for at least 2 years. That's a wet weather problem; where are you located ? If you are in commercial garlic, onion, shallot, or leek production country, your local extension would probably like to know about it.

It can affect the shelf life of your harvest as your plants were stressed by it, if you're gonna save any of it for personal use, don't wait too long.

DO NOT share that garlic with anyone. Do not replant those bulbs. Do not wear the same footwear that you tread your garden with in anyone else's garden. Basicly, you would be a walking "Typhoid Mary"...........

Good Luck.

MHG,I was hoping you would spot this thread. I would like to use it in the tips.Too important to leave out, it appears. Does it have another name besides rust? farmboy I am sorry you got hit like this. You could help a lot of garlic and onion growers here if you could put up a couple pics. If you need help, let me know,and I will gladly post them here. MHG, I noticed you didn't mention burning the stuff. I assume the bad spores or whatever will spread in the smoke?

That was my reasoning, yes...

Gees,

Dave, get this on the tip list pronto!

Add pics to the Round up thread and make a note on the tip thread or post them on the tip thread, but make sure everyone knows what to look for!

Farmboy, hope you come back and update us!

This is now in the garlic tips post. Scroll down to
#13 Problems and diseases Pics as soon as I can.

Reading this reminded me that last year's garlic had a bad case of rust. But not this year's! Just planted some of the leftovers of last year's crop. Should I dig it up and throw it away?

Here is a site with good info and pics
http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/disease.cfm?RecordID=1328


This is garlic rust

Thanks for the link. But the chemicals they recommend are atrocious!

jenniferch,I know they are. It was one of a few sites that had info and pics. Us organic gardeners can skip the chemical part. I just wanted us all to know what we were up against. I put a disclaimer in the tips post about the chemicals. If I find a more suitable site I will change it.

Thanks for your responses. Unfortunately I have not had much time for gardening the last few days. My sewer backe dup and my water line sprug a leak. Just finished getting the sewer cleared and am getting quotes on the waterline tomorrow.

I am going to harvest the garlic tonight. My plan is to cut off the foliage and bag it for the regular city garbage because I don't have any place I can bury it deeply (my garden is on top of a gravel pit or so it seems). Hopefully it will get buried in the landfill.

One of the few things I found on the internet was a study that claimed that garlic rust did not transfer to the bulbs. So, I hope I can cure them and use them.

I can't face the prospect of no alliums for two years so I am planning to buy new seed bulbs and plant them in a new part of the garden that I am preparing for this fall.

I know it's been a year but I'd like to pick up this thread about FarmBoy's garlic rust because I have the same problem with my garlic crop. Since I live in the same neck of the woods as FarmBoy, I would like to hear about his experience with his garlic crop this year after all the advice he was given last year. I'd like to hear what, if anything, worked so I have some direction for next year. Did you buy new seed cloves, etc? The thought of having to buy garlic for the next year is so depressing.