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Thursday 5 June 2014

Chive Rust

A little gutted the other night as I discovered rust on my chives. This has come on suddenly and spread through the whole boarder of chives that surround my herb bed, the week of wet weather hasn't helped I guess. 
Rust spread through the whole patch


The chives are no more!
Evalyn loves picking the flowers when we're in the garden together and the bees go mad for them, but I've too many other alliums growing to risk leaving them in. I'm not looking forward to seeing her reaction when she sees they've all gone!
 I don't want it to spread to my garlic, onions, leeks and shallots so I pulled them all out and put them in my burning barrel. The chives are no more, it's a shame as they made a pretty boarder around the herbs and everyone said how nice they looked.
Anyone else have experience with rust on their chives or other alliums? Am I doomed to loose my onions as well due to them?
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19 comments:

  1. Endah Murniyati5 June 2014 at 07:53

    Flowerful garden! So nice!

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    1. Kev Alviti6 June 2014 at 08:34

      Those ones have all gone now I'm afraid!

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  2. Sandies' Patch5 June 2014 at 09:23

    On Pinterest there was an interesting 'remedy' for fungal infections in plants. Use Cinnamon powder as a natural fungicide in the soil around plants at planting time and when they are first growing. Obviously I doubt it will be of use now to the chives.
    Better go and check mine.......

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    1. Kev Alviti10 June 2014 at 07:37

      I've really been getting into Pinterest lately it seems to be a better version of google image search where someone else has done the sifting for you. I'll have to have a look! Thanks for the tip off!

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  3. Frugal in Derbyshire 5 June 2014 at 10:16

    Disaster! I have a line of chives that have been there for years. They are so handy aren't they? I will have to keep an eye out as , like you, I have a garden full of alliums to worry about. There does seem to be a lot of rust about here too.. two Gooseberries and a quince are suffering. I guess it is the warm wetness that's doing it. I think this year is going to be the year of the pest!

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    1. Kev Alviti10 June 2014 at 07:38

      I'm more gutted just because they looked so nice! I know what you mean about the year of the pest, I've never seen so many slugs about!

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  4. northsider 5 June 2014 at 10:25

    The old gardeners used to use sulphur sprays. Think most chemicals are probably banned now a day. I read somewhere that you get rust when the temperature is over 75 degrees and wet. Rust often attacks plants high in nitrogen but short in potassium. I think you always get a problem with some vegetable or flower disease every year.

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    1. Kev Alviti10 June 2014 at 07:39

      So how do I add more Potassium? something to look up.
      Yeah every year it's something different! Never beat them all. I guess if we had nothing to moan about it would be boring!

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  5. Vera5 June 2014 at 10:30

    That's a shame. No probs here with rust so far, and everything looks OK at the moment.... Hope you have managed to contain the rust....

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    1. Kev Alviti10 June 2014 at 07:40

      I think I have but only by chopping them all down!

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  6. Sue in Suffolk5 June 2014 at 11:45

    We had a couple of bad years with onions and someone said it was due to growing normal onions along with the over wintered sort. We don't grow the OW sort anymore and have not had problems since. It's already looking like a really bad year for pests and diseases.

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    1. Kev Alviti10 June 2014 at 07:41

      I've got no OW sort in but we used to grow a lot of them as it saves having the patch bare. I won't bother this year then and just stick to the normal ones, cheers for the tip.

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  7. Unknown5 June 2014 at 12:39

    I'm following with interest. I think I've had most things in my first year so next year should be a doddle. I hope x

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    1. Kev Alviti10 June 2014 at 07:42

      Don't be fooled into think that one! no matter how bad it goes sit can always get worse!

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  8. Mike Silvius5 June 2014 at 13:24

    Seems we have the same affliction here. Summer time is hot and very moist. Right now its just cold and moist. There is a lot I have given up on as I put a lot of effort in to it to just have it all suddenly go bad overnight.

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    1. Kev Alviti10 June 2014 at 07:43

      It's been really warm and moist so I guess that's what's doing it.I remember one year I had hundreds of leeks in and they went over night by this new "leak moth" that we now suffer with! I was gutted!

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  9. Anonymous6 June 2014 at 00:54

    I didn't even know that Chives could get rust - I thought they were pretty resilient and hardy. I will be checking mine from now on just in case!

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    1. Kev Alviti10 June 2014 at 07:44

      I always thought they were pretty much problem free as well! I learn this the hard way, I guess thats why I never really checked them much.

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  10. Unknown16 June 2014 at 22:48

    Hi Kev. I've just seen rust on my chives, seems to have come out of nowhere... so they are for the chop. Did you dig them up or just cut them right back? Cheers, Olly
    PS nice site ;-)

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