Allium cepa var. aggregatum 'Red Sun' (Shallot 'Red Sun')

Botanical name

Allium cepa var. aggregatum 'Red Sun'

Other names

Shallot 'Red Sun'

Genus

Allium Allium

Variety or Cultivar

'Red Sun' _ 'Red Sun' is a small bulbous perennial, cultivated as an edible vegetable, with strap-like green leaves and an edible bulb with red tinged skin and a flavour somewhere between an onion and garlic.

Foliage

Deciduous

Habit

Clump-forming, Upright

Awards

RHS AGM (Award of Garden Merit)

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Colour

Flower

Insignificant or absent, Flushed yellow, Flushed pink in Summer

Foliage

Green in Summer

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How to care

Watch out for

Specific pests

Eelworm (stem and bulb) , Leek moth , Onion fly

Specific diseases

Bolting , Bull neck , Downy mildew , Neck rot , Rust , Saddleback , Shanking , Smut , White rot , White tip

General care

Pruning

Break off any flower heads that appear.

Propagation methods

Seed, Sets

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Monthly care advice

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Where to grow

Allium cepa var. aggregatum 'Red Sun' (Shallot 'Red Sun') will reach a height of 0.3m and a spread of 0.3m after less than 1 year.

Suggested uses

Add to salads, Beds and borders, Flavouring food and drinks

Cultivation

Often grown from sets, which are quick maturing, adaptable, and less prone to mildew and onion fly. Or grow from seed in prepared beds. It is a good idea to rotate site annually. When preparing bed in autumn add lime if soil is acid.

Soil type

Loamy, Sandy

Soil drainage

Well-drained

Soil pH

Alkaline, Neutral

Light

Partial Shade, Full Sun

Aspect

South, West

Exposure

Sheltered

UK hardiness Note: We are working to update our ratings. Thanks for your patience.

Tender in frost (H3)

USDA zones

Zone 11, Zone 10, Zone 9, Zone 8, Zone 7, Zone 6, Zone 5, Zone 4

Defra's Risk register #1

Plant name

Allium cepa var. aggregatum 'Red Sun' (Shallot 'Red Sun')

Common pest name

allium leaf miner

Scientific pest name

Phytomyza gymnostoma

Type

Insect

Current status in UK

Present (Limited)

Likelihood to spread in UK (1 is very low - 5 is very high)

3

Impact (1 is very low - 5 is very high)

3

General biosecurity comments

Pest of Allium already present in UK and spreading; previous consultation supported awareness raising only; industry should prepare for the event of findings in commercial crops.

Defra's Risk register #2

Plant name

Allium cepa var. aggregatum 'Red Sun' (Shallot 'Red Sun')

Common pest name

Asain cotton leafworm; Cluster caterpillar; Fall armyworm; Rice cutworm; Taro caterpiller; Tobacco budworm; Tobacco caterpillar; Tobacco cutworm; Tobacco leaf caterpillar

Scientific pest name

Spodoptera litura

Type

Insect

Current status in UK

Absent

Likelihood to spread to UK (1 is very low - 5 is very high)

3

Impact (1 is very low - 5 is very high)

3

General biosecurity comments

Regulated pest; frequently intercepted with occasional outbreaks which have been successfully eradicated in the UK.

Defra's Risk register #3

Plant name

Allium cepa var. aggregatum 'Red Sun' (Shallot 'Red Sun')

Common pest name

Nematode; common spiral; Spiral nematode; Steiners spiral nematode

Scientific pest name

Helicotylenchus dihystera

Type

Nematode

Current status in UK

Absent

Likelihood to spread to UK (1 is very low - 5 is very high)

2

Impact (1 is very low - 5 is very high)

3

General biosecurity comments

Nematode pest unlikely to be very damaging in its own right; but used as a an indicator species to assess compliance of soil requirements of imported plants to be kept under review in light of EFSA evaluation of soil requirements.

About this section

Our plants are under greater threat than ever before. There is increasing movement of plants and other material traded from an increasing variety of sources. This increases the chances of exotic pests arriving with imported goods and travellers, as well as by natural means. Shoot is working with Defra to help members to do their part in preventing the introduction and spread of invasive risks.

Traveling or importing plants? Please read "Don't risk it" advice here

Suspected outbreak? Click here for contact details to report to the relevant authority.

Date updated: 7^th March 2019 For more information visit: https://planthealthportal.defra.gov.uk/