The spring period is considered important for any plant due to the beginning of the vegetative process. The normal development of young shoots is the key to obtaining a generous harvest. Particular attention in spring care is given to voracious crops, which include garlic.
Winter varieties are planted in the fall. A suitable place for the crop is first selected, which eliminates shading and strong drafts.
Predecessors in an open area can be: cucumbers, early cabbage, onions, zucchini, pumpkin, squash. After potatoes, it is not worth planting beds under spring or winter garlic, there is a high probability of infection with nematodes and fusarium.
Correct planting scheme in open ground
Correct diagram:
- spacing between rows – 25-30 cm;
- distance between teeth in a row – 15-20 cm;
- depth of planting of cloves – 10-15 cm.
The period of work is the end of September, beginning of October.
You should not violate the interval between the cloves when planting. Thickening interferes with crop care and reduces yield. And shallow immersion leads to freezing of the planting material.
Pay attention and preparation of seed material. It needs to be sorted out, removing damaged cloves. It is also recommended to disinfect by soaking the garlic in a solution of copper sulfate (1 tablespoon per 5 liters of water). A weak solution of potassium permanganate or Maxime is suitable as a disinfectant.
After planting, the beds are mulched with a layer of peat (sawdust and humus can also be used). This will help the seedlings survive the harsh winter. In the spring, the mulch is removed, why, so that the shoots are not blocked.
The need for fertilizers and processing when growing garlic
Garlic is gluttonous, so it pulls from the soil a large amount of micronutrients necessary for vegetation. After harvesting, such an area should be generously enriched with fertilizers, and it is recommended to replant it in 3-4 years.
The culture responds well to organic matter and minerals. It is better to use them in combination to prevent rotting of planting material or developing heads.
The soil is being prepared a month before planting. It is dug up and humus or compost is introduced. Also, to increase soil fertility, add superphosphate (30 g) and potassium chloride (20 g) per 1 m2. In the presence of an acidic environment, wood ash is used.
After the snow melts (about a week), the first complementary foods are introduced. At this stage, it is appropriate to use urea (7-10 g per 1 m2) or ammonium nitrate (10-15 g per 1 m2). The procedure should be repeated in the second half of May, when the heads begin to form.
Do not use fresh manure as fertilizer for garlic.
Loosening and weeding in spring
To ensure normal air circulation, it is necessary to loosen the soil. The first time this should be done is after shoots appear above the soil surface in April. Rakes or light harrows should be passed (3-4 times) across the rows, plunging the tool 8-10 cm.
This procedure Maximum retains valuable moisture in the soil, which accumulated at the dacha for winter period. At this stage, weed shoots are manually removed.
After 2-3 weeks, weeding is carried out with deep removal of weed roots. During the growing season, proximity to them is extremely undesirable, since there is a high probability of rotting of the developing bulb. Clearing beds of weeds is preventing the spread of diseases and pests.
The absence of dense thickets does not attract insects, because they look for secluded places to deposit larvae. When performing work, you should rake away the soil from the garlic stems to form holes. This provides plants with good access to moisture from precipitation or irrigation. In total, at the first stage of the growing season, 2-4 loosening and weeding are carried out.
Gardeners often mulch the soil to reduce the amount of weeding and loosening. peat or rotted manure. The crop is additionally enriched with nutrients, and weeds are less likely to break through the mulch layer.
Rules for watering with water and saline solution
Garlic belongs to moisture-loving plants, therefore, at the first stage of the growing season and during the formation of heads, it is necessary to carry out regular irrigation with water.
Adjust the amount of liquid depending on precipitation and soil conditions. Approximate standards:
- in moderate heat and rain - water 10-12 liters per 1 m2 (once every 10 days);
- in dry weather, the norms remain the same, but the frequency of watering increases to 1 time every 5 days;
- in rainy weather there is no need to water the plant.
3 weeks before harvesting root crops, irrigation stops.
The soil after watering should be moistened to a depth up to half a meter. Irrigation activities should be completed by harrowing to ensure deeper penetration of moisture into the soil.
Saline or salt water is practiced to create protection against onion flies. The procedures should be carried out at the stage of formation of 3-5 leaves. To prepare the solution, use a glass of table salt in a bucket of water.
According to the advice of experienced gardeners, this processing method should not be abused, because excess sodium and chlorine contained in the product inhibit the growth and development of plants. In addition, such a mixture is dangerous for the soil, it destroys its structure and provokes the leaching of useful microelements from the nutrient layer. You need to carefully monitor how much mineral is added, and if anything, drain off the excess and dilute with plain water.
Common mistakes when caring for garlic
The unpretentiousness of the plant relaxes many inexperienced gardeners who violate the rules of care. Ardent care, garlic, is also considered unnecessary does not require abundance of watering like many other cultures.
Excess moisture causes the heads to rot, which shortens the shelf life.
It is worth taking into account the mistakes that gardeners often make when growing garlic.
- Planting garlic in the same place leads to a significant reduction in yield. The optimal time interval is 3-4 years.
- Shading of beds by tall trees, bushes or buildings is unacceptable. Lack of sunlight affects the growing season.
- A good harvest cannot be grown on devastated soil. In autumn and spring, planned activities should be carried out to feed the plantation.
- Nitrogen fertilizers are undoubtedly useful and important for crops, but their excess leads to a decrease in shelf life. It is not at all appropriate to introduce them at the beginning of the head formation period.
- Abundant watering is appropriate only at the initial stage of shoot development. Further, the norm is reduced, and before harvesting, 20-25 days before harvesting, irrigation stops altogether.
- Some owners practice growing garlic from cloves and bulbons (seeds) in the same bed. This cannot be done, since the planting technology has different conditions and terms.
- Planting material must be sorted. When separating the cloves, you should not damage the scales, because they prevent rotting.
- There is a misconception that there is no need to rush into harvesting, as the heads will gain more volume. This is a misconception; delay threatens the disintegration of the cloves. After the leaves turn yellow, the root crop is ready for harvesting and drying.
Garlic is not difficult to grow, but you still have to put in some effort and care to get a rich harvest. For convenience, gardeners draw up a schedule of mandatory activities, which allows them to provide the plant with nutrients in a timely manner and carry out prevention against diseases and pests.
Even novice gardeners are very well aware of the benefits of garlic. This plant is rich in substances that strengthen human immunity (allicin, phytocides, protein). In addition, garlic lowers blood cholesterol and is even used to prevent cancer. Today it is widely used both in folk medicine, and in cooking for its characteristic spicy taste and expressive aroma.
As a garden crop, this plant is extremely hardy and unpretentious, which is a huge plus for the gardener. Garlic easily withstands the low temperatures of winter and the stifling heat of summer, humidity and deadly drought. But if you want to get large and juicy heads, you should pay attention to how to properly care for garlic.
What kind of garlic is there?
There are two varieties of garlic:
- winter;
- spring.
This classification is due to the period of its landing.
Winter garlic is planted in the fall. It is distinguished by a large onion and high yield compared to other varieties, but is unsuitable for long-term storage. The teeth are from 6 to 10, they are located in one row. Winter garlic can bolt, resulting in the formation of bulbous bulbs.
Spring garlic is sent to the soil on April 20–25. Its heads are smaller, as are the cloves, which are arranged in a spiral; there can be up to 30 of them. This variety has a lower yield, but high shelf life. It reproduces exclusively by teeth, since bolting is not typical for it.
Winter garlic: planting and care
bed
The best option is considered loamy neutral soil, on which garlic or onions have not been grown for 3–4 years. Good predecessors are beans, pumpkin, cabbage or greens. It is desirable that the site be flat, without hills or depressions, in an open area that receives a lot of direct sunlight.
It is advisable to fertilize the soil before planting. Humus or compost is perfect for this. Use the fertilizer bucket on square meter. It is also recommended to add a tablespoon of superphosphate or nitrophoska and a glass of fluff lime or dolomite flour.
In case you are unlucky enough to have suitable soil, its quality can be improved with additives.
- If the soil is clayey, then a bucket of peat will save the situation.
- Peat soil is corrected with a bucket of loamy soil.
- Add a bucket of loamy soil, peat and all the necessary additives for the standard version to sandy soils.
Landing dates
Planting winter garlic 1–1.5 months before the first frost. In regions with a harsher climate - around September 20, in warmer climates - from October 15.
It is not advisable for the garlic to sprouted. This usually means he was dropped off too early. But this is not critical - it is important that the plant develops a strong root system. In this case, he is not afraid of any cold.
Planting scheme
In the garden before planting create grooves 6–10 cm deep. The depth depends on the size of the clove; larger ones are planted in deeper grooves. It is advisable to compact the soil: this promotes the development of larger bulbs.
After 2–3 weeks, peat is added for insulation, layer about 2 cm.
If severe frosts are possible, the bed must be thoroughly insulated. Straw, branches or grass are suitable for this. But before sprouts appear, it is necessary to remove any obstacles to the growth of the plant.
Caring for garlic in spring
The most important period for caring for winter garlic is spring.. When the temperature rises to just zero degrees, it throws out the first shoots. This is the first signal that it’s time to get to work.
As soon as the soil dries out a little, you need to loosen the soil a little - 2–3 cm, no more. This procedure will destroy the crust, which prevents normal growth. But it is important not to overdo it - at a distance of 6–8 cm there are not yet fully formed heads that can be damaged by careless actions.
Garlic during its spring growth needs a lot of moisture.
- If the weather is dry, watering should be done every 5-6 days, using about 10-12 liters of water per square meter.
- If there is a moderate amount of precipitation and the air temperature does not rise above 30 degrees, it is worth repeating watering with the same amount of water every 8-10 days.
- In rainy times, garlic does not need watering.
Stop moistening the soil no earlier than 18–20 days before harvesting.
An important element of garlic care is his feeding. After all, the amount of useful substances contained in a fragrant plant directly depends on the elements that are added to the soil during its growth and development.
Weed control
The high immunity of garlic to various external factors does not negate the fact that the necessary care consists of in regular weed removal. There will be a harvest in any case, but its quality directly depends on the efforts made.
It is worth recognizing that regular mulching of the soil significantly slows down the growth of weeds, which is a definite plus.
Another problem may be arrows, which winter garlic is prone to producing. They must be removed - broken off or cut off. You can leave a few of the strongest arrows and use them for growing in the future.
Growing winter garlic from bulbs
Before landing it is necessary to free the bulb from the inflorescence. The material is sown from September to October, depending on the air temperature. First, the soil is fertilized with 3 kilograms of humus or compost and a tablespoon of superphosphate, the bed is carefully dug up and leveled. Then, at a distance of 10–15 centimeters, grooves 2–3 centimeters deep are made. The prepared bulbs are laid out at intervals of 1–2 centimeters, covered with a small layer of soil and left for the winter.
Harvesting
Harvesting winter garlic late July - early August. The main sign by which its suitability for harvesting is determined is yellowed and fallen leaves. After digging, the heads must be dried for two weeks in the sun and not exposed to damp. This garlic is suitable for long-term storage.
Spring garlic: planting and care
The soil requirements of spring garlic are identical. Fertile loamy soil is required, into which minerals and minerals are added before planting. organic fertilizers. You should not plant garlic where potatoes or tomatoes previously grew.
The soil must be moist. The dug up bed is dotted with furrows at a distance of 20–25 centimeters from each other. The cloves of spring garlic are noticeably smaller than those of winter garlic. They do not need to be buried deeper than 2–3 cm. The distance between the cloves is about 6–8 cm. You should also not press them into the soil - this does not contribute to stable and healthy growth.
Spring garlic is also very demanding when it comes to watering. The doses of water required for its growth are similar to winter garlic. Dry tips of leaves are evidence of insufficient watering. But too much water can have a bad effect on the safety and nutritional characteristics of the future head.
Feeding plays an important role in care.
To get a large bulb of spring garlic, it is necessary after each watering loosen the beds. It is also recommended to tie the leaves to reduce their feeding. In this case, all the beneficial substances will flow to the teeth, making them juicier and larger.
Spring garlic is harvested in late August - early September. The heads are dug up and left to dry for 6–8 days right in the garden bed. Then the leaves are collected and trimmed. After this, it is suitable for storage.
Conclusion
Caring for garlic is not difficult, it’s just necessary follow certain instructions. This will allow you to grow large and strong heads that are full of benefits and essential minerals.
Garlic is an indispensable seasoning on any table and an excellent medicine. It owes its appearance to the foothills of Central Asia, and the first mention of it dates back 5 thousand years ago. It was found in the burials of Egyptian pharaohs and the diet of Roman legionnaires; it is found on the pages of the Bible and the Koran.
Since then, this plant from the bulbous family has been grown everywhere, including in personal plots open air. Garlic is an unpretentious plant, but to get a good harvest you will have to work hard.
Species features of garlic
Garlic belongs to herbaceous plants from the bulbous family. It has a round bulb with a fibrous rhizome. The leaves are narrow, lanceolate, from 30 to 90 centimeters long, growing from each other, forming a false stem. The peduncle grows separately and reaches a height of 1.5 meters, ending in an umbrella inflorescence, on which seed pods appear after flowering.
The leaves and the bulbs themselves, which form from 2 to 50 cloves covered with scales, are suitable for food. This part of garlic contains a large amount of vitamins and antioxidants and is considered the healthiest and tastiest. Garlic can be spring or winter for planting under the snow in the fall. Growing garlic is simple and does not require any special tools.
Varieties of Garlic
Spring garlic
This species is planted in open ground early spring and harvest in early autumn. The heads of spring garlic are not large, but they are perfectly stored until the next fresh harvest without losing their properties. In addition, the plants do not form arrows, and the bulbs themselves consist of small internal cloves and larger external ones. Large segments are selected for seed material.
Popular varieties: Elenovsky, Gulliver, Victorio, Moskovsky.
Winter varieties
The difference with summer varieties is in the planting technology and the size of the bulbs - in winter garlic they are noticeably larger. Used in everyday nutrition and culinary production, it is poorly stored. Shooting varieties ripen earlier and produce a harvest at the beginning of summer, but require additional care.
Popular names in Russia are Zubrenok, Alkor, Lyubasha, Lekar, German and others.
Soil preparation
It is important to know that any garlic is sensitive to soil acidity. This plant prefers normal or alkaline soils, so applying fresh organic fertilizers before planting is not recommended.
The planting site should be in a dry and well-lit place. In the shade, the plant will go into arrows, and the bulbs will remain underdeveloped. The optimal soil will be loamy with a large amount of organic matter (peat, humus, compost) and with good moisture holding capacity.
For garlic, the following crop rotation rules are observed:
- Grows well after zucchini, potatoes, cabbage;
- Suitable for proximity to raspberry, currant, gooseberry, and strawberry bushes;
- It is not recommended to plant after onions, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes;
- The maximum period for planting garlic in one place is 2 years in a row, the next planting in this place no earlier than after 4 years.
Land preparation begins in the fall, when the bed is cleared of weeds and fertilized with compost, leaves, and rotted manure. To reduce acidity, add lime, chalk solution or dolomite flour.
In the spring, everything is dug up and minerals are added in the form of superphosphate - 30 g/m2 and potassium salt or urea 20 g/m2.
When the soil is depleted, ordinary stove ash, applied dry or in solution, helps well.
Preparation of seed material
You can buy ready-made teeth for planting in the store, but it’s better to do it yourself. For this purpose, the best bulbs from last year's harvest are selected for each type separately. The main selection criteria are the large size of the slices, their cleanliness and the absence of mold on the surface. Even one infected clove on an onion can cause infection in all the others. Until planting, the heads are not divided into slices, but stored in a dark and dry place.
Cleaned teeth are soaked before planting in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or late blight to prevent the development of fungal diseases.
Each clove should always be cleaned of the outer shell, on which rot and microorganisms can accumulate. After this, it is immediately placed in the ground to prevent the bottom and root from drying out.
Another popular way to obtain seeds is from arrows with inflorescences. The best plants are selected and arrows are left on them until they are fully ripe. A bulb (airy bulb) is considered ready when it has acquired a characteristic color and is freed from the protective film. Large and healthy bulbs are picked for seeds. This scheme is designed for two-year cultivation. In the first year they get one clove, and in the second year they get a full-fledged onion.
Advantages of this method:
- Planting material has no contact with the soil and is therefore practically sterile;
- A large number of high-quality cloves from garlic heads are not wasted.
A feature of any variety of garlic is the need for long-term stratification - keeping the planting material in cold conditions. Therefore, winter garlic is planted just before the onset of cold weather, and spring garlic is planted in cold soil immediately after the snow cover melts. This planting technology favors the development of a healthy plant and a bountiful harvest.
Planting winter varieties of garlic
In central Russia, the optimal time for placing seeds in the ground is considered to be the end of September - early October. If planted earlier, the cloves will sprout and produce shoots that will freeze and not sprout in the spring. If planted late, they will not have time to take root and will sprout slowly.
To plant under the snow, the slices are dried, then they are not afraid of any frost.
The standard distance between rows is 25 cm, between plants - 8 cm. The depth of burial is at least 10-12 cm, so that the germinating roots do not push the seed to the surface before the onset of cold weather. Planting among other garden plants gives good results. This compaction does not affect the yield in any way. Dry soil can be watered once before the onset of cold weather.
The quantity and quality of the winter garlic harvest is affected by the amount of snow in winter. To retain snow, a bed planted with peat and sawdust is covered with spruce and fir spruce branches. It is useful to throw snow on the beds with garlic in winter with little snow.
Planting spring varieties of garlic
For spring sowing, it is advisable to have an already prepared bed. The top layer of soil thaws first and is already suitable for planting garlic seeds, without waiting for the soil to thaw to its full depth. Early planting is the key to a future excellent harvest.
There are several options for planting garlic:
- In rows with a gap of 10 cm between plants and a distance of 20 cm to the next furrow;
- Using the square method with a cell size of 15 by 15 cm;
- Double-layer planting in one hole, when the first clove is deepened by 15 cm, and the second by 8 cm;
- Two-layer planting in squares - the cloves of the lower layer are located in the center of the squares formed by the upper row of seeds.
Such nesting schemes help to obtain a harvest throughout the season, and the yield exceeds the standard by 1.5-2 times.
When do you prefer to plant garlic?
in springin autumn
Caring for garlic after planting
Plant seedlings need regular care and respect. This applies to watering, weeding, and fertilizing.
Watering
It is no secret that garlic loves moist soil and abundant watering, especially during the period of sprouting. At this time, it needs regular watering in a volume of 10-12 liters per square meter.
As the bulbs grow, the intensity of watering is reduced, and from August until harvest it is stopped completely. This reduces the risk of rotting and spoilage of ready-made heads of garlic in the ground.
Weeding and control of bolting
Weeding begins with the appearance of the first shoots. Not only weeds are removed, but also excess garlic shoots that interfere with the full formation of the main bulbs. Simultaneously with weeding the beds, they are loosened (it is recommended to loosen the soil after rains).
Breaking of arrows begins with their growth to 15-20 cm, if it is not planned to obtain bulblets for seeds. The arrows should be broken or cut closer to the bulb. The broken shoot will continue to grow, taking a lot of nutrients from the root system. This operation is performed regularly.
Soil fertilization
The addition of mineral and organic substances greatly affects the yield of garlic. It is important to strictly follow 
dosage and time of fertilizer application. Preference is given to fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium: superphosphate, potassium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, urea, ammophosphate.
These fertilizers are applied 3 times per season - at the beginning of planting, a month later, when a small bulb is formed.
Organic fertilizers are applied when the first leaves appear. The best composition is considered to be mullein solution. It is rich in nitrogen and harmless to plants and humans. Bird and other droppings are used carefully, adding them in rotted form or in weak solutions. Large amounts of nitrogen are needed only during the initial growth stage.
Always combine fertilizing with watering. This promotes rapid absorption of nutrients by the plant.
Diseases and pests of garlic
Plants are susceptible to fungal diseases, which can be airborne or contained in untreated soil.
These diseases are considered:
- Bacterial rot;
- Black mold;
- Downy mildew;
- Fusarium.
Treatment of affected plants is carried out by spraying with fungicides or Bordeaux mixture. After harvesting, the stems from these plants are burned, and the bed is treated with the same preparations. It is advisable to change the crop grown, for example, sow carrots or potatoes.
Proven help against onion flies and mites folk remedy. Pour a glass of tobacco dust and ground pepper with several liters of hot water, leave for 2-3 days, filter and dilute in one bucket of water. Spray every 10 days.
Harvesting and storage
They begin to dig up winter garlic in July and finish harvesting in late August - early September with spring varieties. You should focus on yellowed lower leaves and ripe seed pods. Ripe garlic stops producing new feathers, and the inflorescences begin to crumble.
Without waiting for the tops to completely wither, the bulbs are carefully dug up and the entire plant is removed. Cleaning is carried out in dry weather, and watering is stopped 2-3 weeks before.
The rhizomes are shaken off of excess soil and sent to dry in a warm and well-ventilated place. It is allowed to dry garlic under the sun during the daytime, and at night it is removed indoors.
During the drying process, beneficial substances from the leaves are transferred to the bulbs.
Dried garlic is tied into bunches or braids and hung in a cool, dry place. The optimal temperature for cold storage is 1-3 degrees, and for warm storage no higher than 25 degrees.
Properly harvested and dried garlic can be stored for several years without loss of taste and vitamins.
Kira Stoletova
Winter garlic is a popular variety in the Slavic region, there are as many as 19 varieties versus 7 of its spring counterpart, Yarovoy. This preference in selection can be explained by the fact that Winter is more spicy, its cloves are larger, which makes cleaning easier. Caring for garlic in the spring requires some preparation, which we will look at later in this article.
Features of winter garlic
Garlic is planted in the fall to be left for the winter. Harvesting earlier than Yarovoy is usually oriented towards the Feast of Peter and Paul. But this is not entirely true: it would be much better to look at the state of the plant, because there are a lot of things that affect the speed of ripening.
Unlike Spring garlic, Winter garlic can be propagated by shoots. Its teeth grow around the shaft, even and always in even numbers. And their taste is much more expressive than that of spring.
Winter garlic is somewhat easier to grow. It does not require an early foray to the dacha, like Yarovaya, which means that time can be spent on other work. Propagation by arrows will save your harvest and get rid of pests that settle on the cloves. Its increased spiciness is explained by the high content of essential oils, so it is healthier.
Advantages
Positive sides:
- comfortable fit;
- rapid ripening;
- high productivity;
- propagation by arrows;
- more spicy and pronounced taste;
- simple peeling.
Flaws
- shorter shelf life. It's good if it doesn't go bad before the beginning of January.
- It may die during wintering if it is too severe (below -25).
- Regional sensitivity. Imported from other regions may perform poorly.
To prevent a short shelf life from becoming a nuisance, winter garlic is used to the maximum: in canning, cooking, and as a snack with borscht. If a crop is facing a harsh winter, it is planted a little deeper to protect it from frost and covered from above. Buying garlic on the market for planting can be a bad idea: varieties imported, for example, from the southern regions can show a poor harvest, or even die. Therefore, it would be right to take an interest in local varieties, select the largest ones, and only then engage in their selection yourself.
Planting for the winter
Deadlines
Planted at the end of September - mid-November, the exact time depends on the region, the colder the earlier, this should be done 35-45 days before frost. By planting earlier, you will get a higher yield, but if it has time to germinate before frost, it will die, so you need to choose the optimal time. To prevent the cold from overtaking the plant by surprise, take note of what kind of spring it was: if it’s early, frost will come earlier than usual. In this case, planting occurs in the first ten days of September.
Place
When choosing a place for planting, you need to take care that last year garlic and onions did not grow here; the soil takes a break from them for 3-5 years. It would be a good idea to choose an area where melons grew: cabbage, squash, pumpkins, zucchini or legumes, but nightshades will make you feel bad. By planting garlic next to strawberries and other berries, you can kill two birds with one stone: protect vulnerable crops, and provide the bulb with good conditions, she likes such neighbors.
Treatment
To prevent sudden problems with garlic in early spring, I treat it with potassium permanganate, soaking the pre-dried cloves for 2-3 hours. The solution should be pink; this procedure will protect it from disease. To enhance the effect, you can soak it in a strong salt solution, a tablespoon per liter of water for 2-3 minutes, it will also work copper sulfate, half a teaspoon per 1 liter. water, kept in the same way as in salt.
Make sure that the cloves are freed from the bottom, otherwise it will interfere with the roots. When planting garlic, keep a distance of 10-15 cm, and 20-25 cm between rows. Place the cloves in the hole gently; force can damage it and disrupt root growth.
If the frost is expected to be destructive, below -25, or the winter cover will be weak, you need to take special care of the shelter. For this, dry plants are used, covered on top with a film, agricultural fabric or other suitable material. With the onset of spring, they get rid of the shelter.
Garden bed care
Caring for winter garlic plantings in the spring begins with fertilizing: the seedlings are flavored with urea dissolved in water in a ratio of 10-15 g per 1 sq. m. m. of land. When the arrows stretch to 15-20 cm, they are cut to 5 cm. This is done to increase the yield; several arrows from the largest bulbs can be left for propagation. To speed up ripening, the soil covering the head is raked.
Productivity significantly (35-42%) depends on moisture.
Therefore, caring for winter garlic in the spring includes the very first and most necessary watering, during the germination period. The next stage, which requires an abundance of moisture, is the formation of the head, this moment is determined by the appearance of the arrow. The bulbs that are selected for planting can be watered until harvesting; the rest stop watering two weeks earlier.
The moisture regime is designed as follows: from mid-May - early April and until July, water once a week; if the weather is rainy, the amount of water is reduced, or not watered at all during this period. In case of very heavy rainfall, you need to take care of the rows: grooves are dug between them, so the liquid will not stagnate and will not destroy the roots.
No garden is complete without a bed of garlic. This is not only a necessary seasoning, but also an invaluable assistant in the fight against flu and colds. Growing garlic and caring for it can be done by any gardener; you just need to know its preferences well and follow all agricultural techniques.
To get a good harvest of this crop, not much is required:
- high-quality and healthy planting material;
- loose fertile soil;
- timely landing;
- proper watering and fertilizing;
- compliance with cleaning deadlines.
Selection of planting material
If you are planting cloves from your own harvest from last year, then you need to choose only the largest heads for seeds. They should not have double teeth or double tips - these are signs of degeneration. Teeth with external damage and traces of disease are not suitable for planting. Before planting spring garlic cloves, they need to be prepared: vernalized and germinated.
- vernalization - kept in the refrigerator (not in the freezer!) for a month;
- germination - place in a damp cloth, wrap in a bag and keep in the vegetable section of the refrigerator until the beginnings of roots appear.
The yield from prepared planting material will be higher. To disinfect it, the heads with the rudiments of the roots, disassembled into cloves, are soaked in an ash solution or in a solution of potassium permanganate. To prepare an ash solution, boil 400 g of ash in 2 liters of water for half an hour. The teeth are placed in the cooled solution for 2 hours.
To prepare a solution of potassium permanganate, a teaspoon of the drug is diluted in a ten-liter bucket of warm water. Exposure time – 10 hours. The prepared cloves are planted on the beds.
Planting spring garlic in open ground
Prepared and germinated seed of spring garlic is planted in the ground in early spring.
Soil and site preparation
Growing garlic begins with preparing the soil. This procedure is carried out in the fall. The place for the plants needs a sunny place; in the shade the leaves will also grow, but you won’t get a good head. Spring garlic prefers loose fertile light or medium loamy soils with sufficient humus content. The soil reaction should be neutral or slightly acidic.
In the fall, when digging, they add it to each square. m:
- 0.5 buckets of humus or well-ripened compost;
- 2-3 cups of ash;
- 15 g of complex mineral fertilizer.
Immediately before planting, the bed is loosened, but not dug up. It should have a flat surface so that all planted teeth are at the same level.
Then plant garlic
The correct precursors for spring garlic are very important. Plant health largely depends on them. It is best to plant spring garlic cloves after any pumpkin crops. They do not have common pests and diseases, and after harvesting the beds remain well manured, the soil is loose and fertile. Good predecessors are grains, greens or legumes. But you can return garlic to its original place or plant it after onions only after 4 years. The proximity of beds with garlic and peas and beans is undesirable. Their secretions do not like each other, and the yield of all crops will be low.
How and when to plant
Spring garlic is planted only in spring. When planted in winter, it can easily freeze. However, this representative of alliums is not afraid of frost, so it is planted as soon as the earth has warmed up to 5 degrees, but has still fully retained moisture after the snow has melted. Spring garlic grows roots better at low temperatures, so you can’t be late with planting dates. They depend not only on the growing region, but also on the weather.
Planting method: form grooves about 4 cm deep in the bed, into which the cloves are carefully placed with the roots down. They cannot be pressed into the ground - the fragile root primordia are easily damaged, and then you will have to wait a very long time for seedlings. Ideally, the orientation of the rows will be from west to east - this way they will receive the most light.
Planting scheme
The cloves are planted shallowly, sprinkled with a 2 cm thick layer of earth. The distance between small cloves is about 8 cm, and between large cloves - up to 12 cm. The row from the row should be at a distance of 25 cm. It is good to mulch the plantings with a layer of humus 3-4 cm thick It will provide the plants with additional nutrition and protect the soil from drying out.
Winter garlic: nuances of cultivation
This type of garlic boasts large heads. In some varieties, the cloves weigh 12 g or more. Even from the name it is clear that it is planted before winter. After planting, the cloves should have time to take root before frost, but not sprout. Usually they need 1-1.5 months for this. Therefore, planting dates are calculated based on the onset of a frosty period in a given region.
What does winter garlic prefer:
- light sandy loam soil, rich in humus and retains moisture well;
- location with lighting throughout the day;
- a bed prepared in advance, for each square. m to which a bucket of humus, 25 g of nitrophoska and superphosphate are added.
Winter garlic is planted 2-3 cm deeper than spring garlic; the technology and planting scheme do not differ significantly. But there are differences in the preparation of planting material. Like spring garlic, the largest cloves are selected for planting, but they do not need vernalization. It is also not necessary to germinate it, but it is necessary to treat it with a solution of potassium permanganate or an ash extract. This is done in the same way as with spring garlic cloves. It is best to mulch the plantings with peat or humus in case of severe frosts without snow.
In the spring, the first thing to do is loosen the beds with hatched seedlings. To prevent the tips of the leaves from turning yellow, loosening can be combined with foliar feeding solution of nitrogen fertilizer at the rate of Art. spoon per 10 liters of water. In cold soil, roots do not work well and do not absorb nitrogen. Rapidly growing foliage lacks it, so the tips of the leaves turn yellow.
Winter varieties are divided into bolting and non-bolting. The first ones release a flower arrow, but do not form seeds, but airy bulbs. If they are not needed for subsequent propagation, the arrows are broken off as soon as they begin to curl, leaving a stump of 1 cm. 1-2 arrows should be left as beacons. Cracking of the cover on the formed bulbs will serve as a signal for harvesting.
Outdoor care
Like onions, garlic has not lost the habits it acquired while growing in its natural habitat: spring and early summer, rich in moisture from melting mountain snows, contribute to the formation of green mass. The dry period coming in summer is a signal for the formation of a bulb or head. The mode of watering garlic in the beds should take this feature into account.
Watering
In the absence of rain, watering should be regular. It is done as the top layer of soil dries to a depth of 2-3 cm. The root layer should be completely wet. Stop watering 3-4 weeks before harvesting, allowing the head to gain weight appropriate for the variety.
Fertilizer and feeding
If garlic grows on fertile soil, and the bed was well filled with nutrients before sowing, then a good harvest can be obtained without additional nutrition. Otherwise, you can’t do without fertilizing. At different stages of development, garlic's need for nutrients is different.
- When growing green mass, plants need nitrogen most of all. It can be given in the form of root dressings with solutions of ammonium nitrate or urea. The fertilizer is diluted in accordance with the instructions, usually Art. spoon on a bucket. Most often, two feedings are practiced: the first at the emergence stage, the second when 3-4 leaves are formed. Per sq. m of bed, 2-3 liters of solution is enough. If the soil is fertile, one feeding is enough.
- The third feeding is carried out 2 weeks after the second with a complete complex fertilizer - Art. spoon on a bucket of water. Per sq. m of bed, pour 3-4 liters of solution.
- The last feeding is carried out at the stage of bulb formation. At this time, plants most need phosphorus and potassium. It’s good to pour ash under them and loosen them. To enrich the soil with phosphorus, dissolve 2 tbsp. spoons of superphosphate in hot water. When it cools down, pour it onto the square. m 3-4 l of solution.
Each liquid fertilizing is combined with watering with clean water. The next day the beds are loosened.
The following agrotechnical technique will help to obtain larger heads: 3-4 weeks before harvesting, the soil from the bulbs is carefully raked into the aisles, exposing them completely. This creates freedom for growth, which increases the yield.
Harvesting garlic
It is better not to delay harvesting the garlic, otherwise the heads will crack and will be stored worse. The signal for harvesting is lodging of shoots and yellowing of the lower leaves. A cracked cover sac on the left beacons will also tell you that it’s time to harvest the crop. Do not dig up garlic ahead of schedule. Unripe bulbs will not only be smaller in size than they could be, but will also be stored worse. After harvesting, the garlic is dried in the garden for several hours, and then dried in the shade in a well-ventilated place.
The harvesting period for winter garlic is July, and spring garlic is September. It is removed after the leaves have completely yellowed.
Features of reproduction
Spring garlic reproduces only vegetatively - by cloves. Winter garlic can also be propagated. But bolting varieties have another opportunity: sowing aerial bulbs, the so-called bulbs. They are formed at the end of each arrow. When growing garlic from bulbs, the seed material becomes healthier. In the first year, they grow into single-toothed bulbs - bulbs consisting of one tooth. They are used for autumn planting along with traditional cloves and produce a good harvest of large and healthy bulbs.
Sowing winter garlic bulbs
They can be sown in autumn or spring. Sowing time depends on the size of the bulbs. Large aerial bulbs can be stored in the room until spring, small ones will simply dry out, and in the soil they will survive the winter well. The bulbs are collected when they acquire the appropriate color for the variety and the seed sac bursts. It is better to select the largest specimens for planting. Prepare a bed for sowing in the same way as for winter garlic. Sowing dates are the whole of September and the beginning of October. Sowing pattern: 10 cm between rows and 2-3 between bulbs. They are laid out to a depth of about 3 cm. To prevent the crops from freezing, it is better to mulch them. The easiest way is to sprinkle the beds with a 2-3 cm layer of humus. Caring for crops in spring and summer is no different from that for winter garlic.
Diseases and pests: control methods
Despite the large amount of phytoncides, this plant is also susceptible to disease and can be attacked by pests.
Table: diseases and pests of garlic.
| Pest or disease | How it manifests itself | How to fight |
|---|---|---|
| Root and quadruped mites | Lagging of the bottom of the onion and its rotting, ulcers on the cloves | Maintaining crop rotation, heating garlic at 40 degrees after harvest, careful selection of seed |
| Onion fly | The larvae eat away some of the cloves, the tips of the garlic feathers turn yellow | Joint planting with carrots, dusting the beds with ash and tobacco dust or ground hot pepper, watering with a salt solution of 1 glass per 10 liters of water, watering with mullein infusion or urea solution |
| Nematodes | The green stem is bent, the heads are loose, the integumentary scales lag behind | Maintaining crop rotation, disinfection of planting material |
| Fusarium | Caused by a fungus, the stems lose leaves that dry out. Pale pink or white traces of mycelium on the bulb and stem | Treatment of seed material and soil with fungicides: Hom, Fitosporin, Maxim |
| Rust | Rusty spots on leaves, developmental delays, meager harvest | Treatment of seed and beds with fungicides |
| Downy mildew | The upper part of the stem turns yellow and dries out, growth slows down | Warming up the harvested crop and seed material in bright sun at a temperature of about 40 degrees, treating with fungicides: Thiram, Polycarbacin |
| Bacteriosis | Yellowish-brown wounds on teeth | Do not harvest the crop until it is fully ripe; treat the beds with Hom. |
Types and varieties of garlic
Garlic is divided into two groups, which differ not only in shelf life, bulb structure and growing season, but also in planting time. Spring garlic is characterized by lower yields, but it is stored almost until the new harvest. Its teeth are smaller and arranged in a spiral. Winter garlic has a central core around which the cloves are grouped; spring garlic does not have one.
Winter varieties
Gribovsky anniversary.
There are 11 cloves in the onion. Its average weight is about 40 g. The taste is pungent. Ripening time is later. The variety is bolting. The color of the covering scales is purple.
Gribovsky - 60.
An early ripening variety that produces shoots. The onion with a pungent taste consists of 11 cloves and weighs 40-60 g. The covering scales are reddish with a purple tint.
Komsomolets.
The variety is bolting, the covering scales are pink-violet. There are from 7 to 11 cloves in the bulb. It has a pungent taste.
Danilovsky local.
Doesn't give an arrow. In a large onion with purple covering scales, the number of cloves ranges from 6 to 11.
Spring varieties
Gulliver.
Produces very large bulbs weighing up to 115 g. The scales are gray, the taste is sharp, and ripening is late.
Elenovsky.
The variety is frost-resistant, the heads weigh 35 g. Ripens in the middle period. Can be stored for up to 2 years.
Sochi.
The variety ripens early. Bulbs weighing up to 45 g with white scales, excellent taste. Can be stored for 1.5 years.
Victorio.
The taste is semi-sharp. An onion can have up to 13 cloves, weighs about 40 g, and has a shelf life of up to 8 months.
Garlic has a long tradition of use, both as a spicy seasoning that complements the taste of many dishes, and as a preventive and therapeutic agent for many diseases.