Azure Garlic: variety description, cultivation and care with photo

Among professional gardeners, one of the most significant vegetable crops is winter garlic. Antiseptic actions and stable yield of the variety are the main components of its demand. The arrow variety is versatile, as it is suitable for use in various dishes and for long storage.

Variety description

The variety belongs to mid-season and is intended for cultivation in summer cottages and household plots. The leaves are light green in color with a slight wax coating on the surface, reaching a length of 53 cm, a width of 1.9 cm.The bulbs of the shooter variety are round-flat and have a mass of about 60 g. The number of cloves in each head is 5-6. The structure of the teeth is simple.

In the outer color of the scales of the bulb, lilac-violet hues and anthocyanin touches predominate. Leathery scales - brown. The pulp is white, spicy in taste. The average yield of Lazurny garlic is about 0.7 kg/sq. m.

Growing

To increase the rate of fruitfulness before planting garlic, it is necessary to properly prepare the soil. First you need to dig up the ground and process it with copper sulfate to saturate it with nutrients. A couple of weeks before sowing, you need to add compost and fertilizers (potassium sulfur, superphosphate) to the soil.

This variety should be grown in beds no more than 20 cm high and up to 1 m wide.Plants in such beds will not be oversaturated with moisture and will warm up better from the sun. The timing of cultivation is calculated in such a way that 1-1.5 months remain before the onset of frost, and the soil at the time of sowing has cooled to +10 degrees.

Suitable dates for planting Azure Garlic - mid-April - early May, or late September - early October.

Features of care

The first gatherings of the Winter variety appear at an early stage, therefore, after the snow melts, nitrogen fertilizers should be applied at a rate of 10-15g/sq. m. For the entire period of ripening, garlic is treated twice with complete mineral fertilizer. The first fertilizer is applied at the beginning of growth, the second - a month later. For additional feeding of seedlings, ash can be applied at 0.5 l / sq. m.

If garlic is planted in the spring, then it will be much easier to distribute care work. It will only be necessary to remove coarse mulch from the beds, if it was used for insulation, loosen the ground, remove weeds and apply fertilizer.Due to melt water, the soil will be saturated with moisture necessary for vegetation. Planted garlic of the Azure variety needs much less watering than other varieties.

At the initial stage of growth, shoots actively increase and in all respects bypass weeds. This allows you to weed beds with seedlings less often. When forming 7-8 leaves, the plant independently inhibits emerging weeds, which saves time on weeding the earth.

Pros and cons

Only inexperienced summer residents who make mistakes when caring for plants can face the disadvantages of growing garlic. Subject to the rules of care, the grown crop will have the following advantages:

1. Large bulbs. Compared to other common varieties, Azure Garlic has larger cloves.
2. Variability of use. Due to its special taste and aromatic characteristics, the culture is suitable for fresh consumption, in pickles and various dishes.
3. Storage duration. The bulbs of the plant can be stored without damage for 6 months, without requiring the creation of special conditions.
4. Crop stability. With constant planting of one variety, it is possible to harvest large volumes of crops.
5. Undemanding care. To maintain plant growth, it is enough to follow a list of standard rules (watering, loosening, weeding, fertilizing).

Pests and diseases

Garlic is exposed to diseases and pests more often than other vegetable crops. The main pests of the plant are the stem nematode and the root mite. Each of these insects has its own methods to deal with.

When a stem nematode is found in the garden, an admixture of peat and coarse sand should be added to the soil. Before each next planting, the ground should be treated with a solution of table s alt to prevent the emergence of new worms.If the garlic has been affected by a tick, then this can only be detected after harvest, so the rotten heads will have to be thrown out and the ground treated with a disinfectant to improve the next plantings.

Harvest and storage of crops

The harvest period is determined by the arrows of the garlic and the yellowing of the lower leaves. The average duration of crop maturation is 100-120 days. To check the ripening of garlic, you can rake the ground from several plants and assess the condition of the shell. If the scales are strong, the crop is ready for harvest.

To leave the garlic for storage, it must first be dried. To preserve the head, it is necessary to treat it with vegetable oil and iodine, which acts as an antiseptic. After that, the heads should lie in the sun until the solution is completely absorbed. A semi-basement dark room with a cool temperature is ideal as a storage location.You can also leave the harvest in the refrigerator or in wooden boxes.

Reviews of gardeners

I constantly grow Winter garlic in my country house. The harvest is always large, I leave the main part to be stored. I only encountered pests once when I forgot to fertilize.

One of my favorite varieties of garlic. I grow in large quantities, as it is eaten very quickly, especially in winter. Ideal for pickles and salads. It is easy to grow, no special conditions are required.

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