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Growing garlic, on the one hand, is not a very difficult task. The plant is quite easy to grow at home, if you properly care for it. On the other hand, it is important to understand how biology is built, how garlic reproduces. The real master in this matter is Vitaly Ivanovich Likhatsky, the author of the book Garlic: Biology and Technology of Growing. In this article, we will look at how to care for garlic, what the technology of planting, reproduction and further harvesting is based on, based on the information in Vitaly Ivanovich’s book.
About garlic
Garlic is a perennial herb of the onion genus, Amaryllidaceae family. Active growth is noted both in the underground part, where the bulb with cloves develops, and in the aboveground, where the stem, leaves, and air bulbs are located.
According to the time of growth and the method of cultivation, this crop is divided into two groups: spring and winter. Spring garlic is planted in the spring, in mid-April, at the latest – in early May. Winter, on the contrary, is planted in the fall: from late August to early October, so that it winters in the garden.
The difference between winter garlic and spring garlic
The biology of the species also differs: the winter one produces an arrow with a bulb that can be used for reproduction, while the spring one does not have such an arrow.
In spring garlic, the bulb contains up to 30 cloves, which are arranged in a spiral from the smallest central ones to larger ones along the outer axis. Moreover, this species exhibits better keeping quality, it can be stored for up to one and a half years, while the winter one cannot show such good results.
Sorts
The choice of variety depends largely on the climate in your area, the type of soil and the size of the plot. For rainy areas with high humidity, you should choose hybrid varieties that have much higher immunity to diseases. Listed below are varieties that Mr. Likhatsky would approve of in all or almost all respects.
Winter varieties of garlic that are good to grow at home:
- Gribovsky Yubileiny is a medium-late variety, the bulb of which contains about 11 cloves. The pulp is elastic, the taste is very sharp.
- Komsomolets is a mid-season variety with a large, round, slightly flattened bulb. Gives about 11 sharp-tasting cloves.
- Gribovsky 60 is one of the fastest in the growing season. It differs not only in its sharp taste, but also in its increased resistance to weather conditions and diseases.
- Lyubasha – differs in unpretentiousness to the type of soil. With abundant watering, the bulb of this variety grows large (up to 120 g in weight). There are only 7 cloves, but they are large, spicy in taste.
- Polessky – great for eating the aerial part. Green garlic produces leaves up to 50-60 cm long with a medium wax coating. The bulb is dense, large, consists of 7 cloves.
- Herman – differs in mid-ripening and medium formation of a wax coating on the leaves. Just like Polessky, this green garlic produces leaves up to 60 cm. The bulb is slightly elongated, weighs up to 54 g, contains 7-8 cloves with a very sharp taste.
- Skif is a mid-season variety with lilac husks, a small bulb, dense and spicy flesh. Good resistance to bacteriosis, white rot.
- Gradekovsky is an early ripening variety that matures in 86 days. However, it bears fruit in small bulbs.
- Bashkirsky 85 is another early maturing variety that reaches its peak of vegetation in 90 days. In the bulb collected 5-6 cloves with dense sharp pulp. Differs in high immunity from bacterial decay, onion flour, peronosporosis.
Spring varieties also shine with a variety of sizes, weights and resistance to harmful microorganisms:
- Degtyarsky – is distinguished by a mid-ripening bulb, moderately spicy taste. Forms up to 18 cloves.
- Cledor is an interesting red variety. His husk is pink, the bulb contains up to 20 large cloves. Mid-season variety, practically not subject to fungal microflora.
- Flavor is a hybrid variety with extremely high immunity to diseases caused by the fungus. Bulbs are medium, up to 80 g.
- Messidor is a mid-season variety with large bulbs.
Sowing technology
Growing garlic is impossible without proper planting. It does not matter whether it is a spring or winter species – the sowing technology must be carried out correctly, without deviations.
Garlic loves coolness, which means it is important to plant it at the right time to stimulate the development of the root system and get a healthy plant in your garden.
When to plant
Spring garlic is planted in April, when the snow has already melted and the earth has warmed up to +7 ° C. At the same time, early watering is practically not needed for such varieties, natural moisture from melting snow is enough.
Winter varieties are planted in early autumn. Depending on the variety, soil type and weather conditions, the planting time varies between August 20 and October 10. It should be understood that planting too early will cause the plant to grow too much, which means it will winter worse. But too late planting will harm him – due to an underdeveloped root system, the culture will grow more slowly in the spring.
Soil and seed preparation
At home, preparing the soil for growing garlic is quite easy. He loves loamy soil, always with low acidity, moderately moist. Crop rotation is mandatory, as is the control of predecessor species. Garlic grows best after annual early and mid-ripening crops: pepper, eggplant, pumpkins, cucumbers. These plants well saturate the soil with nitrogen, which helps the garlic in the growing season. It gives a poor harvest when grown after potatoes, radishes, turnips, carrots, which actively deplete the soil.
It is better to start preparing the soil one and a half months before planting (for winter varieties), or in the fall (for spring varieties). In 1 sq. m of soil, you need to add 1 bucket of compost or humus, 1 cup of dolomite flour (if the soil is highly acidic), 10-15 g of superphosphate, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of nitrophoska. Fertilizers should be thoroughly mixed with the soil, up to 20 cm deep. After that, it is advisable to pour the area with a solution of copper sulfate and cover with a film.
Since garlic is propagated by cloves, it is necessary to properly select and prepare them. Likhatsky notes that the biology of different varieties is suitable for different regions, so try to choose cloves that are taken from plants grown in your region. It is also important that they belong to the same variety in order to navigate in terms of ripening. Select the largest cloves that do not have wormholes, rot, or bruising. Be sure to sanitize them to avoid accidental fungus contamination. At home, this can be done with a pink solution of potassium permanganate, a solution of copper sulfate or ash liquor.
Landing
The answer to the question “how to grow garlic” is quite simple – with your own hands in the beds. There are several planting methods that are suitable for spring and winter garlic.
Make furrows in which the cloves will be laid, so that there is 20-25 cm of free space between them (sprinkle these areas with ash as a prophylaxis against insects). The depth of the furrow should be 16-17 cm for winter varieties and 10-12 for spring varieties. A small layer of river sand can be poured at the bottom of the furrow, which will help to avoid rotting of the roots.
Moisten the ground shortly before planting, place the cloves in the furrows at 10 cm intervals with the sharp part up. Carefully fill the furrows with earth and pour water or yeast solution.
Another planting method is suitable for areas with a small area. One layer of garlic cloves is placed in the furrow, covered with earth, and then the second tier of cloves is planted. The bed after this must be mulched.
Also, garlic can be sown in a “lazy” way, simply by scattering the cloves over the garden, then sprinkling with earth and mulching.
Video “Early planting garlic”
These unusual planting tips are sure to come in handy if you’re growing garlic in the Northwest region.
Care
Growing garlic involves minimal care for crops. It is not necessary to feed this crop during the growth process, except that once or twice a season you can use a liquid organic fertilizer, for example, an ash or yeast solution.
It is important to remove weeds and gently loosen the ground so that the plant receives sufficient nutrients, air and moisture.
You should be careful with watering – green garlic rots with an excess of moisture.
Otherwise, garlic needs warmth, a lot of light and the absence of voracious insects that spoil the roots and the bulb itself.
Pest and disease control
Likhatsky notes that viral and fungal diseases are most dangerous for garlic during the growing season. Among them stand out:
- Fusarium (bottom rot), which leads to yellowing of the leaves and rapid death of the root system, as well as bulb rot.
- Bacterial rot, which is manifested by brown ulcers on the bulb, the formation of rot.
- Downy mildew, due to which the leaves of garlic are covered with a gray bloom, and the vegetation slows down or stops in critical cases, leading to the death of the plant.
- White rot of garlic, which is manifested by yellowing and falling of the leaves, the formation of mold on the roots and bulb.
- Black mold that covers the leaves of the plant with yellow spots, followed by the formation of black mold.
As with any fungal diseases, it is better to carry out preventive spraying of beds with fungicides, for example, Topsin-M, Fitosporin. You can use an infusion of ash and nettle.
Insects do not lag behind in maliciousness, among which onion flies, onion hoverflies, thrips, secretive proboscis, moths, nematodes, mites are noticed. To protect against them, both insecticidal preparations and other crops are used. For example, nematodes do not like calendula and chicory. You can also use a variety of natural substances. From the onion fly, a mixture of 100 g of ash, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of tobacco ash, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper – this powder is sprinkled on the ground on the beds with garlic.
Cleaning and storage
Harvesting garlic is best done in cloudy weather, when there is neither rain nor sun. It is advisable to take it early in the morning or late in the evening so that the bulbs do not get burned from the sun’s rays.
Spring garlic is harvested from mid-August to the end of September, depending on the growing season of each variety, and winter garlic is harvested in mid-July. Pry the bulbs with flat-toothed forks, trying not to damage them, remove them from the ground and leave them to “breathe” for a few minutes. After that, clean the bulbs from the ground, being careful not to break off the roots, and put them under a canopy.
This kind of drying should last 7-10 days, so that the vegetation processes can be calmly completed. After that, you can cut the roots up to 2 cm, and the stems up to 5 cm and start preparing for further storage.
There are a great many ways to keep garlic intact with all its nutrients. For example, braid or tie into bouquets, and then hang in a cool, dry place. Or cut into plates, dry in the oven and grind into powder. For lovers of fresh garlic at any time of the year, a method with diced cloves and subsequent freezing in the refrigerator is suitable. Also, you can store peeled cloves in sunflower oil.
The most important rule when storing garlic is to ensure that the air temperature does not rise above +5 ° C. In a warm environment, garlic quickly loses its shape, becomes wrinkled, withered, moldy and rotten.
Video “Secrets of a great harvest of garlic”
To get a good harvest on your site, you need to know some features of growing garlic. This video talks about them.