anyone ever see this?

[tjg911]

i was out looking for scapes to cut yesterday and cut some. i saw something i never have seen before.

of the scapes that exist i'd guess 25% maybe 33% of them are yellowing, drying up and dying. i think all the problem scapes look like they have been chewed in 2 or 3 places by an insect but i can't say only those with this "chewing" on them are dying but i suspect it is. then i thought it may be hail damage blasting away parts of the scape and causing it to die. but now i question this cuz cabbage, chard, broccoli, lettuce, squash, cukes, onions and garlic leaves don't have holes from hail. so i am not sure what to think. i suppose hail fell where the garlic is only but the onions are right nest to them. it seems to occur on all varieties not just certain ones.

are there bugs that chew on parts of a scape that would cause them to die? it looks like 1/4 to 1/2 of the scape's diameter was chewed as it is brownish and scabbed. what do you think?

tom

[henry]

Expect you have Leek Moth, link to information and photos of it.
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/...cts/08-009.htm

Henry

[tjg911]

thanks. i don't think the leek moth is the problem based upon the picture of how the scape was eaten/damaged. that scape is eaten at the end or it cut the scape in 2 but it has a terminal point of damage. my scapes have lateral damage, the scape is not eaten off or cut in 2 but has some of the scape's diameter removed from the side of the scape. i hesitate to say eaten as i am not sure it is eaten (could it be hail damage?) but some of the scape is missing, 3/4", sometimes it scars over and continues to grow but sometimes it turns yellow and dies. also onions are right next to the garlic and no damage there so this is why i suspect the leek moth is not the problem plus i don't see any leaf damage like in the picture.

if leek moths are the problem and this prevents me from growing garlic and or onions then i'm going to be really upset. these are main crops that i store and eat all year in the case of the onions. this may be the straw that breaks the camel's back as far as the way i garden. it's going to mean not organic to spray and kill these vermin or changing the garden to just growing a minor amount of things and cutting my food i produce by 90%. alliums have been one thing that i have not had to battle insects for take them away and gardening is looking pretty iffy.

[henry]

Good to hear that it is unlikely the leek moth. With a little luck odds are it will not affect your garlic harvest. Floating row covers will control a leek moth problem if it should ever come your way. Has this affected the look of the rest of the garlic plant in any way?

[tjg911]

no i don't think so. at this point the plants are not pristine pure dark green. some are yellowing, some are paler green many have been pushed at an angle from strong winds, some appear to be getting close to harvest but what i don't see is evidence of LM worms tunneling. covering garlic with frc is going to be hard. some of these plants are 3' tall and the stuff i have is 4' wide and 100' long. LM are not really around here tho there has been 1 case in upstate NY.

i called a local garden talk show hosted by 2 organic folks with lots of experience and they were both stumped tho 1 said she is seeing strange things with her garlic tho she did not say what. her thought was we have had so much rain that it is causing issues and this may be it. another thought was they needed more fertilizer but it is too late for that. i add bone and blood meal along with compost to the bed when i plant and spray 3 times with neptune's harvest. this is what i have done for several years and it works fine. of course i rotate so i'm not planting in the same place the same thing, it's a 4 year rotation.

tom