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A variety of ways to grow garlic opens up truly inexhaustible opportunities not only to get more and more harvest from year to year, but also to personally monitor how the plant develops. Moreover, there is nothing easier than growing garlic from bulbs, planting them for the winter. We will talk about how to properly plant and grow garlic bulbs in this article.
Spring and winter garlic
Two varieties of garlic – spring, which must be planted when the spring heat comes, and winter, which is planted in the fall, help gardeners grow a healthy and nutritious crop all year round. However, not only the planting time is different, but also the structure of the bulb. Spring varieties contain up to 20 cloves, arranged in circles around the stem from the smallest in the center to the largest in the outer circle. Winter crops, on the contrary, contain up to 9 cloves, which are located close to the stem. The taste characteristics of the species also differ – winter is more spicy. However, spring garlic is stored longer, sometimes it is possible to save it from spoilage for a whole year, while winter garlic is stored for a maximum of 5 months.
Winter garlic differs from spring garlic in the presence of arrows with bulbs, which must be collected for further reproduction. True, they are often cut off to speed up the growing season.
Why grow from bulbs
The logical question “why plant garlic with bulbs” has a simple answer – because this way you can avoid the degeneration of the variety. In addition, the argument is that planting bulbs significantly saves the finances spent on the purchase of seed.
From one bulb of a winter variety, you can get a maximum of 9-10 cloves for planting, while up to 100 cloves are stored in one bulb, from which 100 large sets will grow next year. And from them in a year you will receive 100 bulbs.
At the same time, the question of the degeneration of even the best varieties, if planted with cloves from bulbs, is really relevant. After 3-4 years, the culture becomes more vulnerable to fungal diseases, bacteriosis, produces bulbs that are smaller in mass and size.
Another positive point: protection against certain fungal diseases and insect pests. As you know, the stem nematode makes its way inside the garlic head when it is formed, and then eats away from the inside. It also overwinters in bulbs. However, she does not touch the bulb. Therefore, from the bulb we get pure seed.
How to grow
Growing bulbs is not difficult. They are independently formed on a flowering stem in those varieties that produce an arrow. When the inflorescence ripens, the protective film that covers the sets bursts on it. They need to be cut and dried. Landing for the winter requires drying for at least 10 days, 35-45 days before being placed on the garden.
As already noted, from the bulbs in the first year, garlic heads with one clove are obtained. They are small, rarely weighing more than 5 g. A single tooth can be grown in the same place where the bulb grew, but it is recommended to dig it out, dry it and plant it in a new place.
You can save the bulbs for the winter, and when the weather becomes warm, plant them in the garden. Dried inflorescences are placed in a room with an air temperature of about 15 ° C. Two months before planting, they are transferred to a cooler place with a temperature of about 5 ° C to harden and stimulate the growth of the root system.
Immediately before planting, when the soil has warmed up to at least +7 ° C, the bulbs are sorted into groups, usually based on their size. They are laid in the ground to a depth of 3 cm, keeping a distance of 5-6 cm.
There are several ways to grow garlic using bulbs:
- Growing for the winter. The same planting method is used as for regular winter garlic cloves. Sets are laid to a depth of about 10 cm, but 2-3 pieces at a time. The bed must be mulched with leaves, straw or needles in order, firstly, to retain moisture, and secondly, to prevent them from freezing in severe frosts.
- Two years in a row. With this method, bulbs can be planted both in autumn and early spring. Follow all the conditions for planting winter or spring garlic. When single teeth ripen, they are dried and transplanted in order to get full-fledged bulbs next year.
- Two years in a row without a transplant odnozubok. With this method, you just have to mulch the beds with crops so that in winter the single-toothed teeth do not die from the cold.
When to collect
Bulbs are harvested from mid-July for winter varieties, and from early August for spring varieties.
The first sign that the inflorescences are formed is the yellowing leaves of the plant. Next, be guided by the condition of the shell on the bulb, as soon as it starts to crack – it’s time to collect the seed.
Do not delay the collection, as this adversely affects the quality and health of the bulbs.
Both single-toothed sets and bulblets are best collected on a cloudy day, in the early morning. Direct sunlight in a matter of minutes spoils the seeds, so that they can not be propagated later.
In a small area, you can choose garlic from the ground with your own hands, but in a larger area you will have to involve special equipment. Place harvested single cloves or full-fledged bulbs under a canopy to dry before further cultivation or storage.
Video “Growing garlic from bulbs”
This video is about the winter planting of garlic bulbs. You will find out why such a procedure is performed, what are the terms and landing technology.
