Extension > Garden > Diagnose a problem > What's wrong with my plant? > Vegetable > Garlic > Neck of the bulb is soft and spongy
Garlic > Clove/bulb > Neck of the bulb is soft and spongy
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Botrytis neck rot
Botrytis porri
- Stem (neck) appears water soaked at the soil line
- Outer leaves yellow and die back, in severe cases the entire plant dies
- Small, hard, black fungal structures form in the decayed stem tissue
- Rot may extend into the top of the bulb in severe cases
- Disease is common in cool wet weather or in heavy wet soils
- More information on Botrytis Neck Rot
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Stem and bulb nematode
Ditylenchus dipsaci
- Base of stem (neck) of plant is soft, eventually wilts
- Plants appear distorted
- Plants are stunted with shortened and thickened leaves
- Bulbs are often desiccated and light weight, secondary rot organisms like soft rot may invade and rot the bulb
- More information on Stem and Bulb Nematode
