Growing garlic: how to care for a good harvest

Many Russian summer residents have experience in planting garlic, but not all of them can boast of results. Despite many efforts, it is often not possible to grow large tasty heads with numerous cloves. To avoid disappointment and save energy, it is enough to find out what features of agricultural technology exist and how to properly grow garlic crops.

When to plant garlic

The time of planting seeds depends on the type of plant and the climatic features of the growing region. There are two varieties of garlic - spring and winter. It is the belonging to the variety that determines the time of planting and the taste characteristics of the crop.

Winter species can be sharp arrows and non-shooters. These varieties are planted in the fall. Compared to spring species, they yield earlier, but are not subject to long-term storage. Spring garlic is only arrowed. These varieties are planted in the spring. The main advantage of spring varieties is their long shelf life and versatility of use.

Some grow garlic varieties at home for a valuable source of vitamins and minerals. To obtain a proper result, it is important to choose a container of at least 20 cm, use fertile soil and follow the basic rules of agricultural cultivation of a plant.

How to grow spring garlic

The technology for growing spring garlic involves planting in medium-sized Russian regions from mid-April. An important factor is the selection of high-quality varietal material. Picking the right landing site and following the pattern has a big impact.

Choosing a place for spring garlic

For the cultivation of garlic in the country choose a fertile piece of land. It is recommended to choose a sunny site, without the threat of stagnant water and without nearby groundwater. High humidity will lead to stunted growth and fungal diseases. The formation of a high bed will help to get rid of the hassle.

To increase the friability and breathability of the soil for better growth of garlic, adding sand or peat to the soil will help. You can plant a plant not only on traditional beds, but also use it as a decorating element on the site, landscape design, decor is one of the unusual uses of the plant.

Spring garlic planting scheme

You can get high yields only by providing the plant with fertile soil and proper cultivation practices.Garlic is planted at a distance between rows of 20 to 25 cm, between each clove is left from 6 to 8 cm. The maximum depth of planting material should not exceed 3 cm, otherwise there will be problems with the germination of the plant and the maturation of the heads.

Some gardeners, in addition to the standard planting pattern, use the following technologies:

in two tiers - the first cloves are deepened by 10 cm, the second row is planted as usual at a depth of 6 cm, the distance between them is from 10 to 15 cm, between rows from 20 to 25 cm, the result is a double crop;
sowing - cloves are laid out in a chaotic manner or simply scattered around the garden.

The first method is more often used when the garden plot is limited, the second, if you want to save time.

How to grow winter garlic

The soil for garlic should be of good looseness and fertility. During the season, the soil is enriched 3 times. In order for the variety to grow and bring a good harvest, the place should not be flooded, as waterlogging negatively affects the growth of the plant.

Before planting, the soil is carefully loosened and spilled to a depth of at least 30 cm.

Planted cloves 35 days before the cold snap. In the time before frost, the seeds should form a root system, but the green mass should not appear above ground level. Garlic planted ahead of time will germinate, and a delay in planting dates threatens the plant with freezing.

The cloves are planted respecting the distance between the beds of 20 or 25 cm. The seeding depth should be from 4 to 5 cm, between them leave from 6 to 8 cm. After planting, after 2 weeks, 2 cm of peat is formed on the beds, which will allow the plant to overwinter better.

Preparation of beds for winter garlic

Before planting, the soil is carefully loosened and shed to a depth of at least 30 cm. It is important to consider what kind of soil garlic loves. The soil should not be acidic; if there is a similar problem, chalk or ash is added to the garden. It is important to follow the rules of cultivation, that is, do not plant a plant for several years in the same place and take into account garden crops that are favorable for the neighborhood. It is not recommended to grow a plant in one place for more than 3 years. The best predecessors are pumpkin, cabbage, legumes.

Preparation of the beds must begin in August. In 1 m² of soil, humus or compost must be added, 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate, 1 tbsp. l. nitrophoska, 1 glass of dolomite flour. Peat is recommended for clay soils. The bed is dug up to a depth of 20 cm and treated with a solution prepared from copper sulfate with a calculation of 40 g per 10 liters.The product is prepared on the basis that 1 liter is required for 10 m^{2 area.}

Caring for winter garlic

The first shoots appear in early spring, you need to loosen them. Watering is carried out as needed and stopped 20 days before the planned harvest. The rules of cultivation and care set the watering rate in the form of 10-12 liters every 10 days per 1 m 3 Care consists in timely weeding, fertilizing and, if necessary, loosening. Summer residents when growing garlic resort to the method of mulching the soil, which can significantly save time on watering the plant.

Diseases of culture

Untimely planting of teeth and non-compliance with agricultural cultivation practices are often the causes of plant disease and poor growth. The most common is rust, which is when the garlic develops spots.The danger of a fungal disease lies in the rapid rate of spread. The reason for its appearance is waterlogging of the soil and high temperatures.

Common diseases include:

bacteriosis - depressions and sores of a yellowish tint appear on the teeth;
green mold - cloves become soft and covered with bloom during storage;
fusarium - the leaves turn yellow, the process starts from the top with the gradual death of the root system;
yellow mold - the aerial part of the plant turns yellow, the leaf plates become crumpled or corrugated;
mosaic - small blotches or wide stripes of a light color appear on the leaves, the leaves can begin to creep along the ground and plant growth slows down significantly.

Fungal diseases often occur due to waterlogging and non-compliance with the planting pattern. Shading is not suitable for the plant, only garlic likes shade for growing green mass as a seasoning.

Preparation of planting material

Only quality heads are selected before planting. If there is a defect even in one clove, it is rejected. The cloves are carefully separated and planted, pre-sorted by size. Planting seeds of the same type in size will ensure uniform germination and ripening.

Winter and spring garlic is prepared immediately before planting, carefully separating the cloves.

For planting, if possible, it is recommended to choose the largest cloves, which will allow you to get a large harvest. You should not take heads with 2-3 cloves or fused together as planting material, as this indicates the degeneration of garlic. When using such seeds, it is impossible to obtain the desired crop volume, and the grown vegetables will be of poor quality.

It is recommended to place the garlic in the refrigerator a month before the proposed planting, the temperature should be at least -3 C and no more than +2 ^{C . For a day, they take it out and carry out the disinfection procedure. To do this, you can use various methods. The most popular is soaking in one of the following solutions:}

ash made with 2 liters of water and 300g of wood material;
1% potassium permanganate;
Fitosporin;
1% blue vitriol.

The teeth are immersed in the solution for 30 minutes. After that, it is recommended to place them in growth stimulants, most often Epin or potassium humate is used. Organic and mineral fertilizers are first applied to the soil under garlic. During the season, top dressing is repeated at least 3 times.

Growing garlic seeds

Growing garlic indoors requires a significant amount of seeds, so garlic is often grown from seeds instead of cloves. In June, arrows with inflorescences begin to form in winter varieties, which are called “bulbs”, and it is from them that seed material is collected. In cold regions, a greenhouse can be used for planting.

For collection, it is necessary to choose he althy plants, at the time of bursting the inflorescence, the culture is removed from the garden and dried. To do this, the plant can be completely pulled out or cut off. Before direct sowing, the bulbs are cleaned, completely removing the inflorescence.

Growing garlic from bulbs

Growing garlic from air bulbs-bulbs allows you to significantly save planting material in the form of full-fledged heads. This method is not typical for spring varieties, but is used for winter species.In the period from September to the first week of October, the largest bulbs are sown. By July, each of them will grow into a full-fledged single-prong, which is later used as planting material before winter to obtain full-fledged heads in the future.

For planting, a bed is preliminarily prepared, applied to 1 m2^{2 3 kg of humus and 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate. The optimal width is 90 cm, with a larger size, care will be more difficult in the future. For sowing, grooves are formed from 2 to 3 cm, the seeds are planted at a distance of 10 cm from each other. From above, the grooves are sprinkled with loose earth.}

In cold regions, the beds are mulched on top or sprinkled with sawdust, which are removed when the first heat comes and the soil thaws. Plant care is standard and consists in timely watering, loosening and weed removal. Some grow garlic in a greenhouse using a conventional planting pattern.

Helpful tips

The first feeding is done in July, at this moment the plant should form 4 true leaves. To do this, use a solution of 2 tbsp. l. nitrophoska, diluted in 10 liters of water. If desired, you can use special organic fertilizers - Agricola, Fertility. For 1 m^{2 there are 2 to 3 liters of solution.}

The second feeding is carried out after the first in 14 days. To do this, use the same solutions, but increase the consumption. For 1 m² use 3-4 liters of solution. The third procedure is done in June. To do this, take 2 tbsp. l. crushed superphosphate per 10 liters of water, using a solution in a volume of 5 liters for every 1 m3²

Caring for garlic in August comes down to standard watering, weeding and loosening plantings. To obtain large heads of winter varieties in the underground part, it is necessary to break the arrows before August.

Basic recommendations for growing garlic:

choose a sunny, dry place for planting, with strong acidity of the soil, lower the level with chalk or ash;
use only high-quality material for growing, having previously disinfected it;
observe the timing and scheme of planting plants;
loosen, fertilize and not overmoisten the soil in time;
monitor the he alth of the plant, at the first sign of illness immediately start the fight;
observe the cultivation rules and do not plant garlic for more than 3 years in one place, choose the right predecessors.

Garlic harvesting is carried out from late August to mid-September. A signal of the possibility of harvesting is the massive lodging of leaves and their rapid yellowing. After digging, the heads must be thoroughly dried for a week and pruned, leaving the stem at a distance of 6 to 8 cm.