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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] White Rot

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  • From: Harriet Allen <hattie_allen AT yahoo.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] White Rot
  • Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:08:24 -0700 (PDT)

I've got patches of white rot here and there in my garden--sometimes called Leaf Drop, White Mold, sometimes it is the Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, sometimes the sclerotinia minor.  Interrupting the stuff anyway you can helps.  Growing any kind of covercrop is a plus...Crop rotation seems essential to me. Air circulation.  My hoophouse is getting solarized this summer as Paul suggests since I don't tend to be able to rotate much in there.  If you place clear plastic over your soil, the temps can get pretty high, even in less warm climates.  To save your garlic, I would spray it with Oxidate (OMRI approved).  It is essentially Hydrogen Peroxide in a stable form (you can also buy just regular Hydrogen Peroxide in large quantities, but it is not going to last very long and you'll want to use it up).  The Oxidate is mixed 1:100, or a bit over an ounce per gallon.  You should apply it every day for three days, then once every 5 days.  It goes off into the atmosphere and doesn't require a reentry interval, but stay away from the fumes of the stuff when mixing it...it is very caustic at full strength.  The hydrogen peroxide you buy over the counter in the pharmacy is about 3% strength (actually hydrogen dioxide) I think and the commercial grade hydrogen peroxide is about 30% hydrogen dioxide--you can find it online-- and the Oxidate is 27% hydrogen dioxide.

It will kill bacteria, fungi, viruses and is a great disinfectant around the farm instead of using clorox, etc.  Although Storox is also made and is specifically for postharvest use.  I do not know what the difference is between Storox and Oxidate.  Not clear from the labeling.

It is best if you drench the soil with it, and that takes some work, but it will do more good than anything else I know for something you want to salvage.  The Sclerotinia is in the soil, so while killing the spores on the plants is fine, it is still going to be there.  There is also a biological control made in Germany called Contans.  I have not been able to find it in a quantity that would work for my small space.  You may be able to find a larger farmer who is using it and try to get a small amount from them.  I had no luck with the company itself and asked them for samples, etc. and they could not help.  The product is also OMRI approved.  They have a facebook page.

Hattie Allen
Hattie's Garden
Lewes, DE 19958




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