Perhaps, in Russia you will not find a garden plot where garlic would not be grown. This culture, known since ancient times, has not lost its popularity. Which is not at all surprising, because garlic has a completely original taste, a lot of vitamins and microelements.
The plant helps to improve appetite and digestion, strengthens the immune system, is used as a folk remedy for various diseases.
The technology of growing garlic is considered quite simple, nevertheless, you need to take care of it, properly care for it, observing the requirements of agricultural technology. In addition, its presence on the site benefits other plants as well.
General description of the culture, species and varieties
Garlic is a perennial herb, its cultivation began in Central Asia. According to scientific data, it originates from the long-pointed bow and has been known for more than 5 thousand years.
Characteristic features of the plant:
The specific smell inherent only to this plant and a pungent taste is explained by the presence in its composition essential oilscontaining allicin and phytoncides. Because of this, it is very popular in cooking.
Also, garlic contains carbohydrates, various mineral salts, nitrogenous and other useful substances, which allows it to be widely used in folk medicine... Therefore, growing garlic at home has been popular for a long time.
There are two types of culture:
- Spring (planted in spring);
- Winter (planted before winter).
The agrotechnology of growing different types of garlic is in many ways similar, but also somewhat different.
Winter varieties are larger, ripen earlier, but not very well stored, prone to rot. Therefore, it is recommended to immediately use it for food and preservation. Popular winter varieties:
- Komsomolets.
- Petrovsky.
- Losevsky.
- Lyubasha.
- Prometheus and others.
Spring varieties, subject to the right conditions storage, are distinguished by better keeping quality.
The most common ones are:
- Gafurian.
- Yelenovsky.
- Degtyarsky.
- Gulliver.
- Ershovsky and others.
Also, varieties are divided into shooting and non-shooting. In the first, instead of seeds, small one-toothed bulbs are formed in the inflorescence, which are often used for planting.
How to grow a good harvest of garlic? Almost everything depends on adherence to agricultural practices. For the most part, the cultivation of garlic in the open field is practiced.
The plant has its own requirements for the soil: it must be fertile, acidity - neutral, loam is perfect. The best option there will be a choice of a well-lit flat area in which water does not accumulate.
Usually garlic is allocated a special bed. But, for lack of space, you can arrange joint landing... Garlic, as a neighbor, is quite happy with the berries:
It also gets along well with such vegetables:
- cucumbers;
- tomatoes;
- potatoes.
It is very useful to plant garlic with roses, tulips and gladioli, as it scares caterpillars, slugs, borers with its smell. But there are vegetables, growing next to which for garlic is undesirable. These include legumes and cabbage. Although they, along with pumpkin crops, are the best precursors for the plant. The worst are the garlic and onions themselves: the agrotechnics of garlic recommends planting it in the same place no earlier than 4 years later.
Seed preparation and planting, cultivation and care
Experienced gardeners know: for good garlic to grow, you need to carefully select and process seed material.
The culture reproduces vegetatively. If spring varieties are grown with onion cloves, then winter varieties are grown with bulbs and cloves. It takes two years to grow a bulb from a bulb: first, a bulb-set is formed, or, in other words, a one-tooth. And in the second year, a real multi-toothed onion is born. Their taste and composition are completely identical.
How to grow garlic so that it gives a full harvest?
- firstly, the planting material needs to be improved;
- secondly, plant varieties should be periodically changed.
Rehabilitation is carried out as follows: preparing for planting, the cloves are calibrated, at the same time rejecting sick, soft, small, out of shape and shell. To grow good garlic, you need exceptionally large, dense cloves with a whole shell. Then disinfection is carried out. To do this, 400 g of ash is dissolved in 2 liters of water, ash liquor is obtained.
It is boiled for 30 minutes, cooled and the teeth are soaked for 2-3 hours. You can also use a weak solution of manganese or 1% copper sulfate.
Growing
How to grow large spring garlic? Agrotechnical rules recommend starting to plant it in the spring, when the snow melts and the ground warms up to 5-7 degrees. This is usually April-May. If the winter was little snow, and the land is dry, it must first be well watered. Then, grooves are made in the bed with a depth of 7-8 cm, at a distance of about 20 cm.The teeth are planted vertically, the planting depth is 5-6 cm.
Seedlings begin to appear at 3-4 degrees, cold and spring frosts they are not harmed. But mulching the soil after planting is necessary, especially in hot climates. In addition, it facilitates maintenance by reducing the frequency of watering, eliminating weeding and loosening. Frequent watering is necessary for garlic when it is actively growing. During the formation of the bulbs, watering should be moderated, with frequent rains, stop altogether in order to prevent the bulbs from damping out and the development of various diseases.
Garlic needs two dressings per season:
- before planting, add mullein solution or bird droppings;
- in the middle of summer, an ash solution is used.
The task of how to grow large winter garlic is no less relevant for the gardener. Planting is carried out in late September or October. The procedure is the same, but the bottom of the groove must be sprinkled with sand or ash, making a layer up to 3 cm so that the cloves do not come into contact with the soil, forming rot.
Insofar as winter garlic larger, it is planted at a greater distance - from 10 to 15 cm.Depth - 15-20 cm.At the same time, bulbs are sown, to a depth of 3 cm.It is also possible to plant them in early spring.
Mulching winter garlic with peat or sawdust is a must. The thickness of the mulch is 2-3 cm, even more is better, because it protects the planting from frost. Although winter varieties are very frost-resistant, in the case of a cold winter with little snow, it will be safer to cover the area with roofing material or thick polyethylene. When it snows, they take it off.
How to grow winter garlic correctly? They take care of him in exactly the same way as for the spring. When the flowering arrows are released from the plant, they are pruned after reaching 10 cm in order to increase the yield.
Diseases and insect pests annoy garlic mainly during the growing season. The most dangerous diseases are considered:
- various bacterial rot;
- fusarium;
- black mold;
- mosaic;
- rust, etc.
As a result of the defeat of these diseases, the leaves, stems and roots first of all suffer, then rotting and death of the whole plant can begin.
Of the insects, garlic is most harmful:
- stem nematode;
- onion lurker;
- bear;
- centipede;
- onion moth, etc.
Of course, you can use fungicides and insecticides, especially since now there is just a huge selection of such drugs, but do not forget that the head of the plant will absorb all the poisons that a person will then eat.
As folk methods are considered effective:
- spraying with tobacco infusion (250 g) and ground pepper (2 teaspoons) with the addition of liquid soap (2 tablespoons). Tobacco and pepper are poured into three-liter jar, are poured hot water and infused in a warm place for 3 days. Then the infusion should be filtered, brought to 10 liters, add liquid soap and spray the plants with it once every two weeks, starting in spring and ending in mid-summer;
- pollination with a mixture of tobacco and pepper with wood ash. Processing times are the same as in the first recipe.
But the most important thing is to observe crop rotation and agricultural technology, carefully prepare the seed. Then the plants will have a much stronger immunity.
Spring varieties are harvested in August-September, and winter ones - in July-August. By this time, the feathers turn yellow and lie down, the heads are fully formed. If you delay harvesting, the garlic will grow again, the head will fall apart, and it will become unsuitable for long storage.
The plucked crop is first allowed to dry in the garden, then the earth is shaken off and the heads are dried on outdoors or in a well-ventilated area for about 10 days.
Then pruning is carried out. In addition to the head, only a small neck is left: from 2 to 5 cm, it depends on the variety. It is useful to burn the bottom on a fire. Now garlic can be sent for storage, in a great variety of ways.
Each gardener has his own secrets of growing and storage. The recommended temperature for the preservation of spring garlic is 16-20 degrees, for winter garlic - 2-4 degrees, the humidity is average. Now, having a lot of information on how to grow garlic, you can move on to practice and, having tried, to achieve good harvest this wonderful culture on own site.
Garlic is one of the most common crops that can be found in every garden plot in any region of the country. Such plants bear spicy fruits with a pungent taste, besides, garlic is very easy to grow and it is not afraid of cold, return frosts and other weather factors.
You can grow a vegetable in a garden or dacha, or sow at home, for example, in a pot at home, on a balcony or in an apartment on a windowsill in winter.
Basic requirements for growing garlic in the country or in an apartment on a home windowsill
Growing garlic is a fairly simple process that even a novice gardener can do. The main thing is to adhere to all the rules and perform the necessary actions in time: take care of it properly, although if you grow it correctly, it can take a lot of trouble.
Having decided to grow a vegetable on your site, you first need to select suitable view , because planting and growing winter and spring crops are different from each other.
Varieties related to different types, differ from each other in terms of planting time, layout on the garden bed and rules of care, so if you equalize them and do not take into account important details, then you can forget about any rich harvest of spicy heads.
Also, before planting it on your site, you should think about a suitable place that will meet all the requirements. The soil must be light, nutritious and have neutral acidity. It can take a lot of time to achieve all these indicators on the wrong ground.
When to plant winter and spring garlic in the garden - the right conditions
Planting dates depend not only on the preferences of the gardener and on the climatic conditions of the region, but also on the species that is planned to be grown.
Spring garlic is planted in early spring, once after the snow melts, but no later than April 10. This kind has small heads with chaotically spaced teeth. The disadvantage of such fruits will be their less intense and pungent taste, the advantage is considered to be a long shelf life and the possibility of using it within 12 months.
Winter crops are planted before winter, that is, during the time period from mid-September to mid-October... It is very important to take into account the fact that before the onset of the first frost, the teeth must have time to build up a powerful root system, on average, this process takes 3-4 weeks.
The winter crop boasts large heads, with even and sharp teeth. The main disadvantage of the species will be a shelf life of 3-4 months.
Landing dates play a huge role.
In spring, plants are planted as early as possible so that they have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather. An early fall planting can also ruin the entire crop, because if the frost comes too late, the garlic will start to grow, after which it will die.
Preparing the soil before growing and sowing
It is a non-harmful culture, but picking up right place the number of harvested... The plant prefers fertile soil with neutral acidity. Also, the soil should be light and breathable. Loams are best suited for such purposes.
The place must meet the following criteria:
- a large number of sunlight required for fruit ripening;
- on the site should not accumulate melt water and precipitation. A deep location of groundwater is also desirable;
- peas, cabbage, squash, pumpkin, or greens are considered the best crop precursors. It is not recommended to plant it in those places where cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, carrots and garlic itself grew before it.
If clay or sandy soil predominates on the site, then they are diluted with peat, while the peat soil is mixed with sand or clay.
If the soil is clayey, it is diluted with peat. Regardless of the timing of planting, the land must be prepared in early September... To do this, it is dug up, weeded, cleaned of stones and debris, after which the following fertilizers are applied to each square meter:
- 1 bucket of humus or rotted manure;
- 30 grams of superphosphate;
- 20 grams of potassium salt.
Preparation of planting material
Before planting the garlic in open ground, planting material is necessary sort, choosing from the total mass of damaged, diseased, soft, curved, too small and uncoated teeth. They are not suitable for planting and are unlikely to be able to give a decent harvest.
Preparation of cloves for planting is as follows:
- for stratification, the planting material is placed in a refrigerator for 15-20 days;
- then the teeth are disinfected, keeping for 2 hours in a solution wood ash, potassium permanganate or copper sulfate;
- so that the teeth germinate as soon as possible, they are treated with a growth stimulant or wrapped in a damp cloth, cleaned in plastic bag and kept in this state for 2-3 days.
Planting process
Landing is carried out according to a certain scheme:
- Initially, furrows are made in the garden, at a distance 20-25 centimeters apart;
- When planting spring garlic, the depth of the furrows should be 7-9 centimeters, and when using winter varieties, 15-20 centimeters;
- The distance between individual plants will depend on the size planting material... Usually, spring varieties are planted from a distance 6-8 centimeters from each other, and winter varieties at a distance 12-15 centimeters.
The teeth are buried strictly vertically. In the event that the rib is located to the south, then the garlic feathers will grow more green and saturated. If the soil is dry, it must be watered immediately after planting.
In the spring, mulching plantings with peat or sawdust should be done at the request of the gardener, while when autumn planting these works must be performed without fail in order for the garlic to survive the frosts in snowless winters.
Care for good and large heads and feathers
Care is extremely simple and consists of several usual operations, which include watering, weeding, loosening and feeding the plants.
Water the vegetable in such a way that the soil always stayed wet... In dry weather, such work is performed 2-3 times a week, while on rainy days, watering can be completely abandoned. It is worth remembering that in August, soil moistening must be stopped. At this time, the bulb begins to gain weight and volume and does not need watering.
All dressing of garlic is carried out in conjunction with watering, this is necessary for the best assimilation of fertilizers. Winter and spring garlic are fertilized according to different schemes.
| Spring garlic | Winter garlic | |
| 1 top dressing | As soon as the plant releases the first leaves, it is fertilized with nitrogen fertilizers (urea, mullein solution or bird droppings) | In early spring, about 7-10 days after the snow melts, 1 square meter of soil is added: 100 grams of superphosphate, 50 grams of potassium sulfate and 50 grams ammonium nitrate. |
| 2 feeding | Complex mineral fertilizers are applied 2 weeks after the first feeding | After 25-30 days, using the same composition. |
| 3 feeding | In late June-early July, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied | The last top dressing is applied in mid-July, when the head begins to grow. |
To obtain larger heads of garlic, you need to remove the arrows every time they reach a size of 15 centimeters.
Winter garlic needs periodic renewal. To do this, once every 3-4 years, bulbs are planted instead of cloves, which by the end of the season will bear single-tooth fruits, which are planting material for the future harvest.
Diseases and pests
Garlic is often affected by diseases and pests. Of all the existing diseases on such a culture, the most common are:
- white, gray and neck rot;
- helminthosporiosis;
- fusarium;
- smut;
- false powdery mildew;
- mosaic;
- rust, etc.
Insects most commonly found on garlic:
- onion lurker;
- tobacco thrips;
- nematode;
- caterpillars;
- onion flies;
- bear;
- onion moth;
- centipede.
Unfortunately, many diseases destroy plants, so it is impossible to get rid of them, the only way out is removal of affected garlic and prophylactic treatment of healthy individuals with fungicides, or folk remedies, which include the infusion of ash.
You can get rid of insects with the help of insecticides, mechanical methodswhich include manual assembly and various folk tricks.
In order to prevent the appearance of such troubles, you need to follow the rules for planting plants, to prevent unwanted neighborhoods and predecessors. It is also very important to pre-disinfect the planting material.
Harvesting and storage
After a rich harvest of garlic is obtained, it must be kept safe as long as possible. Collecting the fruits of winter garlic is carried out late July-early August, and spring a month later.
You can see the maturity of garlic by the following signs:
- new feathers stopped forming, and old ones turned yellow and lay on the ground;
- the visible head has acquired correct color and size.
After harvesting, it is prepared for storage by doing the following:
- The heads are shaken off the ground and dried for 10 days at a temperature 25 degrees outdoors or in a well-ventilated area;
- The roots and leaves are completely removed, the neck is cut off up to 2-5 centimeters;
- At the last stage, the heads are folded into boxes with holes, nets or braided into pigtails.
Winter garlic is stored worse than spring garlic. Autumn heads are stored at a temperature of 2-4 degrees, and spring ones 16-20 degrees. Indoor humidity should be between 60-80 percent.
Growing garlic on your own plot is very interesting occupation, during which you can learn useful skills related to correct fit and plant care. If you follow all the recommendations, then a rich harvest will delight every gardener from year to year.
The nutritional and medicinal value of garlic can hardly be overestimated. By adding this vegetable to dishes, you can once and for all get rid of problems with digestion and assimilation of food. Moreover, it is prophylactic from many diseases. Knowing the basic rules, you can get it at any time of the year. The vegetable feels great on household plots, in gardens, vegetable gardens and even on the windowsill. It can be planted in open ground in both autumn and spring. And garlic is also very good as a fight against numerous pests that affect currants, tomatoes, strawberries. Therefore, it is recommended to plant it next to fruit and berry and vegetable crops.
Features of growing winter garlic
At the end of October or the beginning of November, when the gardens have already been more or less cleaned, summer residents start new job - preparation of sites for new guests. Not knowing how to properly grow winter garlic, novice gardeners are afraid to plant a crop for the winter. Although the seedlings planted in the fall are stronger and more hardy. The most important thing is to guess with the weather. The teeth should be planted about a month before prolonged frosts. If this is done ahead of time, then the garlic may germinate and lose its cold resistance. When planted late, the vegetable does not have time to create a reliable root system.
Popular varieties
To get a good harvest, it is important not only to know how to grow garlic, but also to choose the right seed. The bottom of the cloves should be without corked crust, because it retards the growth of the culture. There are some of the most sought-after varieties of garlic that have excellent tolerance low temperatures... Komsomolets and Otradnensky are suitable for planting in cold regions. They taste sharp, throw out arrows. A Komsomolets bulb weighs up to 30 g and forms about 8 cloves. "Otradnensky" refers to large varieties, its scales are lilac.
Also worth noting are the excellent taste qualities and cold resistance of "Gribovskiy jubilee". This garlic forms a bulb with big amount zubkov, its weight reaches 40 g. Also among summer residents "Poretsky" and "Danilovsky local" varieties are very popular. They form a large number of sharp, cold-resistant teeth.
Planting winter garlic
To get a good harvest, you should choose a suitable area with fertile soil. About a month before planting, the land must be dug up, organic matter and complex fertilizers must be applied, while fresh manure should not be used, because it is the source of the appearance of fungi. The width of the beds should be about 75 cm and the height - 8 cm. It is recommended to change the planting sites of garlic annually. Large bulbs will grow in areas where zucchini, cucumbers or cabbage grew.
Novice gardeners do not know how to grow a good winter garlic... There is a little trick here - you need to calibrate the teeth. Too small, rotten, soft should not be taken at all. It is also not recommended to plant specimens with double fruiting bodies or several tops. The planting material should be disinfected in a 1% solution of copper sulfate. The teeth should be planted to a depth of 5 cm, with an interval of 10 cm, the distance between the rows is recommended to be 20 cm. Garlic does not like density, because otherwise it will have to fight for space and will not be able to gain the necessary weight.
Garlic care and harvesting
In autumn, it is recommended to cover the crop area with agrofibre, leaves or spruce branches. As soon as the snow melts, the shelter should be removed. In early spring, it is important to make two top dressing with urea, they are necessary for active vegetation. If the soil itself is poor, then fertilization should be applied 2 times a month for the bulb to grow throughout the growing season. As soon as the height of the arrows reaches 20 cm, they must be pinched at the level of 5 cm. To make the garlic ripen faster, you need to shake off the soil from the bulbs a little.
It is not worth delaying the harvesting of the culture, it must be carried out as soon as they turn yellow lower leaves... It is very important to know how to grow winter garlic correctly, because if you do not have time to dig it up in time, the scales will move away and expose the teeth, and this will affect the storage quality of the vegetable. The bulbs should be placed under a canopy for a week to dry naturally, and when the root lobe begins to crumble under the fingers into dust, you can transfer them to permanent place storage.
Features of growing spring garlic
Fertile loamy and sandy loamy soils are most suitable for planting bulbous crops. Knowing how to grow onions and garlic can help you achieve a good harvest. These vegetables are not demanding, but still have some growing characteristics. Garlic is a light-loving plant, so you shouldn't plant it in the shade of trees. He can be allocated a separate bed or placed next to fruit and berry crops or vegetables. Garlic feels good near strawberries, potatoes, raspberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, black currants, onions, gooseberries, roses, gladioli, tulips. It can be planted in areas where cabbage and legumes used to grow, but it is not recommended to combine them on the same bed.
Novice gardeners do not know how to grow healthy and large summer garlic. To do this, you need to choose a good planting material, remove sick and small teeth. It is worth updating varieties from time to time, because they can degenerate. In order for spring garlic to grow faster, it is germinated. The teeth are placed in a wet cloth bag and put in a plastic bag for a couple of days. But doing all this is not at all necessary.
Planting summer garlic
It is necessary to plant a crop in the spring, as soon as the soil warms up to +7 ° C (somewhere in early or mid-April). Dry soil requires abundant watering, if it is wet, then watering the beds is not necessary. The garlic sits down to a depth of about 6 cm, it should be twice the height of the clove. Sprouted seed must be planted carefully without damaging the root system. The beds need to be mulched. The rows should be about 20 cm wide, the cloves are planted with an interval of 10 cm. Spring garlic is not afraid of frost, its shoots appear at +3 ° C. The initial growing season for the culture takes place at + 10 ° С, the bulb is formed at + 15 ° С, and it ripens at + 25 ° С.
Crop care
Many people wonder how to grow large garlic, especially if the summer is hot and it is impossible to constantly water the beds. In this case, it is necessary to mulch the soil, while it is better to choose a light mulch. During the growing season, you need to try to provide the garlic with abundant watering, because at this time it is actively growing. When the bulbs ripen, less moisture is needed. In rainy weather, the area should not be flooded with water at all. Waterlogging should not be allowed in any case, because it provokes the development of fungi and damage to the bulbs.
For spring garlic, it is recommended to carry out two dressings: in early spring, water the ground with a solution of bird droppings or rotted cow dung, and in the middle of summer - with ash solution. Mineral fertilizers are not used for the culture, they do not benefit either vegetables or human health. Recommendations on how to grow garlic also include weed control and periodic loosening of the soil. Thanks to mulching, you can greatly facilitate the care of the crop, do not weed the soil and reduce the amount of watering.
What is the difference between spring and winter garlic?
Crop varieties are divided into two large groups: shooting and non-shooting. Before growing garlic, you should decide on the variety and its type. Gardeners claim that arrows form only winter varieties, but in some cases they can appear on spring crops as well. It all depends on climatic features region. Winter garlic has large cloves around the stem. Spring is smaller, its bulbs are dense. Winter crops are frost-resistant and their yield is extremely high, but in terms of storage they are significantly inferior to summer crops, which remain intact throughout the year.
What does garlic need to grow?
It is an incredibly cold-resistant plant that can withstand temperatures down to -45 ° C, so residents of temperate latitudes need not worry about it. The bulbs are perfectly preserved under the snow cover, and in the spring at +3 ° C they grow. The culture develops normally at + 18-25 ° С. In the question of how to grow large garlic, the quality of the soil plays an important role. The plant feels best on loamy and sandy loam soils, but it does not tolerate acidic and saline soils.
Garlic responds well to feeding, but mineral fertilizers and fresh manure should be excluded. Loves moisture, but waterlogging can adversely affect the bulbs. For spring garlic, the site must be prepared in the fall, and for winter garlic - a month before planting. The garden bed should be dug up and about 5 kg of humus should be added per 1 m 2.
Planting large garlic
You need to immediately decide which crop to plant - winter or spring. There are several secrets on how to grow large garlic. Larger bulbs are easier to obtain from a winter variety. Depending on the climatic characteristics of the region, it is planted at the end of September or in October. The teeth should take root before the onset of frost, but not grow. Spring garlic is planted in early spring as soon as the snow melts. Frosts are not afraid of him, the main thing here is to gain time, because before the onset of heat, a bulb should form. Otherwise, the garlic will turn out small.
In order for the vegetable to grow large, you need to make wide rows (25 cm) and plant the cloves at a distance of 12 cm from each other. It is important to guess with the planting depth, it should be equal to twice the height of the planting material. This rule does not apply to spring garlic, its teeth are buried by 3 cm. The earth should not be made too loose, but it is not recommended to press the planting material into the ground. After planting, you need to cover the beds with mulch.
Garlic on the windowsill
Many hostesses worry in advance about the presence of greenery in the cold season. If everything is more or less clear with onions, because it sprouts incredibly quickly, then few know how to grow garlic on a windowsill. And garlic greens are required in many dishes. If you just plant the teeth in a pot of soil, they will sprout closer to spring. It is very easy to speed up the process. To do this, it is necessary to put containers with garlic outside in late autumn so that it undergoes cold treatment. Then you should bring the boxes home and water the soil with warm water. At a temperature of +17 ° C, greens will appear in a week. Even those who did not know how to grow garlic at home can easily get it in the cold season. Fragrant greenery on the windowsill when a blizzard is raging outside the window, what could be more comfortable?
Diseases of garlic
Despite the undemanding culture, it can still be affected during the growing season. various diseases... The most common is the rot of the bottom, because of the fungus, the bulb rots, the roots die, the leaves turn yellow. If the leaves appear gray bloom, which means that the garlic is attacked by downy mildew. This disease threatens with immature bulbs. White rot provokes the death of leaves and the formation of mycelium on the roots. The disease leads to tooth decay. To very unpleasant consequences also leads to bacterial rot. Because of it, brown sores with a rotten smell appear on the teeth. To protect the crop from pests, it is necessary to process the garlic with an ash solution before planting. You can also plant a plant next to calendula and chicory, they save from nematodes.
Garlic has narrow-linear leaves, a complex bulb, which consists of individual cloves, in an amount from eleven to twenty-five pieces. Garlic seeds are not formed, it vegetative propagation... Teeth serve as the material for planting.
Garlic is a cold-resistant plant that releases its first seedlings when the temperature rises to + 3- + 5 ° C. He is able to easily endure frost.
Garlic belongs to herbaceous plants family of onions. The birthplace of garlic is considered Central Asia.
Cultural garlic is subdivided into two varieties: arrow (winter) garlic and non-arrow (spring) garlic. In spring garlic, only bulbs are formed, which, in turn, consist of cloves, and in shooting garlic, in addition to the bulb, an arrow is also formed, which bears an inflorescence, where instead of seeds, air bulbs develop (they are also called bulbs).
In their summer cottages, summer residents usually grow those varieties of garlic that are typical for this particular area and are available in almost every region.
Agrotechnics of growing garlic
Under the garlic, as a rule, a plot of fertile soil is allocated, which has a neutral balance. Following the rules of crop rotation, ideal predecessors are early varieties cabbage, cucumbers, zucchini, if organic was introduced under them.
In autumn, when the harvest of the predecessor plant is harvested, organic and mineral fertilizers must be applied under the garlic. We add five to six rotted manure or compost, 30 grams of superphosphate and 20 grams of potassium chloride per 1 square meter. After this procedure, the plot is dug up qualitatively so that the fertilizers are thoroughly mixed with the soil.
Growing winter garlic
Planting winter garlic, as a rule, is done at the end of September - the first half of October. They plant him on the beds in a row method, the distance between the rows is maintained at twenty to twenty-five centimeters. The distance between the cloves of garlic in a row is determined based on the size of the clove and can range from five to eight centimeters. The garlic sits in the ground to a depth of three to four centimeters, the distance is counted from the tip of the tooth to the surface of the earth. After planting, winter garlic should be mulched with peat or humus (the layer height is one and a half to two centimeters, the mulch consumption is one and a half to two buckets per 1 square meter of soil).
Caring for winter garlic in the spring-summer period is to feed it with nitrogen-containing fertilizers in time, water it as needed, weed and loosen the aisles. Arrows must be removed immediately at the stage of their formation. This is done so that the bulbs form large. Arrows are left only on plants intended for seeds. The harvest of winter garlic ripens in the last decade of July - the first half of August. You should not delay harvesting the garlic, because when the garlic is overripe, its heads disintegrate. The yellowing of the leaves of garlic is a sure sign that the harvest is ripe and ready to be harvested. After that, the plants are removed from the soil and dried for 4-5 days. In sunny weather, garlic is dried in the garden bed, and in rainy weather - in a dry, well-ventilated room. When the garlic dries well, the tops and roots are removed from it, and a small "neck" is left, the length of which is 4-5 centimeters.
Growing spring garlic
Compared to winter garlic, the yield of spring garlic is noticeably lower, but it can be stored for a long time.
Spring garlic is grown on plots, the soil of which is highly fertile and has a neutral reaction. For spring garlic, fertilizers are applied in the same amount as for winter garlic. Spring garlic should be planted in the spring, when the soil thaws, as early as possible (as a rule, this is the end of April - beginning of May). Plant the garlic at the rate of fifty to seventy grams per square meter of soil. The distance between the rows should be kept at a quarter of a meter, and between the cloves of garlic - five to six centimeters. Planting depth of spring garlic is 2-3 centimeters.
Seedlings that appear should be fed with urea (10 to 15 grams per 1 m 2) and watered as needed.
At the stage of bulb formation, for feeding garlic, it is necessary to add fifty grams of superphosphate and fifteen grams of potassium chloride per 1 m 2 of soil.
You should start harvesting spring garlic when the lower leaves begin to dry out, and the upper ones turn yellow and lie down. This process begins approximately in the last decade of August - the first decade of September.
How to grow large garlic
Things to Rememberif you want large garlic:
- so that the garlic heads are formed even and large, it is recommended to shake off the earth from the head at the end of the second decade of June.
- Garlic leaves tied in a knot a couple of days before harvesting will speed up the ripening process of the garlic and improve its storage capacity.
- To get a high yield of garlic, you will have to feed it at least twice with a mullein (1 kilogram of mullein per 8 liters of water) or chicken manure (1 kilogram of droppings per 10 liters of water) for 5 square meters the area of \u200b\u200bthe garlic plot.
- The first feeding is done at the stage of garlic germination, and the second feeding is done at the stage of head formation.
- Before planting the garlic in the ground, soak all the planting material for several hours in a fairly strong solution of potassium permanganate (practically purple solution). Even if a couple of fungal spores "stick", potassium permanganate will disinfect everything.
- Plant the garlic, making the distance between the cloves at least twenty to thirty centimeters, and the beds so that you can walk freely on them when the garlic grows.
- Choose the largest head of garlic for planting.
A close relative of onions is garlic. Features of planting, care, storage and preparation for planting are, of course, he, like any vegetable crops... But growing garlic is no big deal. We'll figure out. Distinguish between shooting and non-shooting, winter and spring varieties of garlic - it depends on the biological characteristics of the plant. Non-firing garlic propagates only by chives, and archerous garlic, plus air bulbs (bulbs).
Shooting varieties are winter varieties. They give a good harvest when planted before winter. Among the non-shooting varieties there are winter and spring varieties. Planting spring garlic in the fall leads to poor rooting of cloves, thinning of crops, and a lack of harvest. However, there are varieties that grow well in autumn and spring planting.
The main thing when growing winter garlic is to create conditions for a good wintering. This is ensured the right choice places for planting, sowing dates, depth of seeding. The culture should be placed on fertile lands with a flat surface, free from weeds, not flooded by autumn or melt water.
The best predecessors are crops that vacate the field early, under which organic fertilizers are applied: cucumbers, zucchini, early cabbage, salad, legumes... Garlic is a good precursor for all crops except onions, since they are affected by the same pests and diseases.
Preparing the garden for planting garlic
The soil on the bed is treated in advance so that it settles somewhat. Directly for plowing or digging, humus (40-60 t / ha), mineral fertilizers can be applied. Norm mineral fertilizers per 1 hundred square meters: 30-40 g of ammonium nitrate, 50 g of superphosphate, 15-20 g of potassium chloride. Saltpeter is not brought in in the fall, only in the spring.
Preparation of planting material - garlic cloves, bulbs
For planting winter or spring garlic, three types of planting material are used:
- teeth,
- air bulbs (bulbs);
- sevok (one-toothed bulbs grown from air bulbs).
Only garlic heads with healthy teeth are selected. All diseased, shriveled or sprouted bulbs are discarded. Large or medium-sized teeth are the most suitable material for planting.
The teeth prepared for planting are etched, disinfected with a 1% solution of copper sulfate or a 3% suspension of TMTD for 10-15 minutes. If disinfection is not carried out, then it is useful to soak them for 12-24 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Such preparation helps to improve the health of the planting material, protects it from diseases.
Planting garlic in the fall before winter - terms
In order for the garlic to take root, but not sprout, it must be planted before winter two to three weeks before the onset of a stable cold snap. Optimal time planting winter varieties of garlic before winter is the third decade of October in the Kuban. With an earlier planting, for example, in September, the sprouted teeth leave before winter with 2-3 true leaves. So that the leaves do not suffer from frost or cold winds, the plants are hilled, and in early spring, transverse harrowing in order to release the neck of the plants.
With a later planting, the cloves do not have time to take root - there is a large sparseness of crops from the influence of cold winds and frosts.
Check the timing of planting garlic with.
Air bulbs are sown in autumn or early spring. From them, the so-called sevok grows - these are not cloves, but roundish small onions. If you plant air bulbs in the fall, then most of them will give arrows in the summer, and during spring planting, there is no shooting, but round one-tooth bulbs (apples) are formed. They are planted in the fall, as they are poorly preserved until spring.
Spring varieties are planted in early spring, as soon as there is an opportunity to go out into the field, since they are very demanding on soil moisture, low temperature at the beginning of growth. With a delay in planting, growth and development of plants are delayed, the yield decreases, and the marketable quality of products deteriorates.
The rate and scheme of planting garlic
Garlic is usually planted in rows, the distance between which is 20-30 cm. The teeth are placed at a distance of 6-8 cm, but this distance depends on their size: for large - the distance is greater, for small ones - they are planted closer to each other. One to two days before planting, the heads should be disassembled into teeth. If this is done, for example, a week before sowing or even earlier, then they will lose some percentage of germination.
How many cloves will be needed to plant, for example, 1 sq. meter of garden, it's hard to say. The planting rate depends on the size of the teeth you are planting. Usually, agronomists call the number 130-380 cloves per 1 m 2. They get the first figure based on the average weight of one tooth 3 g, and the second - if it weighs 7 g.
Larger heads grow from larger teeth. It is not worth planting teeth weighing less than 3 g, as small heads will grow from them.
How deep should you plant? It depends, firstly, on the size of the teeth, and secondly, on the timing of planting.
In autumn, before winter, winter varieties are planted. Large teeth are planted no deeper than 5-7 cm.Smaller teeth - no deeper than 4-5 cm.But, when planting in spring or in autumn, it is necessary to make sure that the layer of earth on top is at least 3-4 cm.You can cover the beds with a small one a layer (5-7 cm) of mulch - straw or dry grass.
Spring varieties are planted in the spring. The planting depth of spring garlic is 4-5 cm. Also, make sure that the layer of earth above the cloves is at least 3-4 cm. This will provide optimal conditions for good rooting, for the formation of heads of the correct shape.
Garlic planting care, feeding
One of the secrets of growing garlic is feeding.
In early spring, after the snow melts, as soon as the first warm days come, it would be nice to feed the crops with nitrogen fertilizers, for example, urea (1 tablespoon / 10 l of water). For 1 m 2, approximately 5 liters of solution should be consumed.
In April, when the seedlings grow up, feeding is carried out twice, for example, this is the middle and end of April. The first feeding should contain more nitrogen. Its composition may be as follows: half a liter chicken droppings + 1 tbsp. spoon nitroammophoska in a bucket (10 liters) of water. The second feeding should contain more phosphorus and potassium. The composition is as follows: 1 tbsp. spoon of double superphosphate + 1 tbsp. spoon of potassium sulfate + 1 teaspoon of urea in a bucket (10 L) of water. For 1 m 2, we also consume about 5 liters of solution.
Be sure to loosen the soil between the rows after feeding the next day, loosen it again after a week and a half, if the soil is dry, water it. Garlic loves loose soil without - oxygen must necessarily go to the roots and bulbs of the plant, so loosen the soil between the rows after each watering or after rain. By the way, if there is no rain, then watering should be carried out at least weekly. Water abundantly - 12-15 liters per square meter.
Mulching the row spacings can facilitate the work of the gardener. Mulch will retain moisture, and the soil under the mulch always remains loose.
In order for you to grow large heads, the arrows must be broken out in time. Try to break or cut them, and do not pull up - this way you can accidentally pull out the whole bulb or damage its root system. Break the arrows when they have reached a length of 12-15 cm, the breakout point should be as close as possible to the rosette of leaves. If you break it to a shorter length, it will continue to grow - large head you will not receive.
Breaking out arrows is a special agricultural technique that allows not only to increase the size of the head, but also accelerates their maturation.
By the way, do not throw out the broken arrows - they can be used when preserving blanks, as a seasoning for food.
For example, add finely chopped garlic arrows to boiled potatoes, after you have drained the water and slightly dried them. Add butter or sour cream, stir and serve. Once upon a time, long ago, I read this recipe - it was called "Phytoncid potato". Since then, it has been one of our family's favorite dishes.
Finely chopped arrows can be added to boiled hot pasta or noodles - this is also tasty, healthy, especially in spring, when vitamins are so lacking.
Harvesting garlic when it should be done
Usually at the end of July, the leaves of garlic begin to turn yellow. This suggests that the time has come for cleaning. Gardeners have an unwritten rule: it is better to harvest sooner rather than later. Even a 5 day delay matters. With earlier harvesting, it is left outdoors under a canopy to ripen. Do not break off the leaves yet. At the same time, nutrients from the leaves enter the bulbs, which increase their mass. At the same time, the heads are dense, covered with dry integumentary scales from above, of a good attractive appearance. And if you are literally 3-5 days late with the cleaning, then the scales covering the heads burst, the teeth crumble, the head itself becomes loose. This garlic will not last long.
But I would like to say separately about the timing of cleaning. There are many varieties that different terms maturation - it means that they should not be removed all at once, but in turn. How many times I have not talked with familiar gardeners, almost no one knows what variety they are growing. By the way, me too. But the differences in the variety can be seen by the color of the outer shell of the head, by the number of cloves in the bulb. I try to sort the heads before planting in order to at least approximately plant the varieties separately.
How do you know when it's time to remove garlic from the beds?
Very simple. I always leave a few arrows, not all of them cut off when they start to grow. At first, during growth, the arrows bizarrely bend, stand curly. But as soon as I noticed that the arrow is straightened, it stands vertically upward - this is the first sign that it is time to dig out the garlic.
There is one more sign - flower heads, which have already formed bulbs, have burst - while removing.
Thus, knowing these signs of ripening, wherever you live, you will never be late to harvest the garlic on time. Although the timing of cleaning will be different for everyone.
Replenishing and storage of air bulbs (bulbs)
To on next year you had your own garlic for planting, leave some part of the plants with arrows in the garden, do not break them. These plants with the arrows left should be left in the garden for another one to two weeks after the main harvest. Then the arrows with air bulbs are cut off. You can tie them in small bunches, hang them under a canopy (not in the open sun) to dry. This is how the arrows of garlic with air bulbs are stored for 20-30 days. During this time, there is an outflow of nutrients from the arrows into the bulbs, they are covered with dense scales, they become light straw or purple in color (the color depends on the variety). The bulbs are greatly enlarged, the shell bursts. If you are going to plant them in the fall, before winter, then clean, sort them by size. And if the bulbs are intended for spring-summer planting, then it is best to continue to store them in bunches until spring, since when cleaning, sorting in the fall, the bulbs are injured, they can dry out, and lose germination. Store them in a cool, dark place.
For storage, ripe, mature, well-dried heads with whole intact scales are selected. Best temperature for home storage - + 18 ° С. It is better to store garlic in mesh bags, pigtails or cardboard boxes.
How can you get one clove garlic?
To obtain one-toothed bulbs, air bulbs can be planted in autumn or spring. It should be remembered that when autumn sowing some of the bulbs freeze and rot. Therefore, sparse shoots are obtained. With early spring sowing, seedlings appear on the 10-20th day, as a rule, amicable. Sowing pattern: distance between rows 20 cm, continuous planting of bulbs along the row. Care consists in watering and the following shallow loosening, top dressing with complex fertilizers. One-toothed bulbs are harvested as soon as the leaves begin to lodge. After ripening (10-12 days), drying, cut off the roots, dried leaves. The one-tooth is stored at a temperature of 16-18 ° C, a relative humidity of 70-75%.
Last but not least ... Avoid planting garlic from grocery stores or supermarkets, as growing garlic runs the risk of introducing serious viral diseases to your site.