In autumn, when the harvest is in the bins, gardeners have a lot of work to do to prepare their summer cottage for the next season. Among them is the planting of garlic in the winter. An important task is to prepare planting material and soil. Proper preparation of garlic for planting in the fall is a guarantee of a rich harvest.
Soil preparation
It often happens that gardeners try to plant garlic in spring and autumn. But the result remains deplorable in both cases: small heads that are not stored rot and deteriorate. Therefore, for many, the question remains how to prepare garlic for planting.
Most likely, the planting of garlic was carried out without preliminary soil preparation and without taking into account previous crops. The harvest of garlic will be much higher if it is planted after:
- Early varieties of cabbage and cauliflower;
- Sideratov;
- Ogurtsov;
- Zucchini, pumpkins, squash;
- Early potatoes;
- Peas, beans, beans.
Planting garlic is least recommended after:
- Carrots;
- Greens: onions on a feather, celery, lettuce, spinach, radish;
- Turnips;
- Spicy herbs: cilantro, parsley, mint, basil, coriander.
Crops: tomatoes, peppers, garlic, eggplant, beets, onions, late varieties of cabbage allow garlic to be planted after them, without affecting the crop.
Light loams, neutral in acidity, are best suited for garlic. If the soil in the garden is acidic, then it is recommended to deacidify the bed for garlic. Add: dolomite flour, slaked lime, chalk, limestone, ash, 1 cup per 1 sq. m of soil.
Garlic does not like shady areas and poorly drained soils.
Before planting, the soil should be fertilized with compost or humus and fertilizers: double superphosphate and potassium sulfate, 1 tbsp each. l. and 2 tbsp. l. respectively, per 1 sq.m.
The earth is dug up, a bed is formed, its width is not more than 1 m, its height is up to 30 cm.
If it is not possible to observe crop rotation, then the soil for garlic should be prepared more carefully: disinfect it with copper sulfate at the rate of 5 liters of the dissolved preparation per 1 sq. m of soil. For solution: in 1 bucket of hot water dissolve 5 tbsp. l. substances.
Under planting garlic, it is recommended to add urea: per 1 sq. m soil half 1 tbsp. l.
Those who want to get clean products without the use of chemicals can use green fertilizers – green manure. They form a powerful root system that improves the permeability of the soil for water and air. And the green mass, which grows very quickly, after embedding it into the soil, saturates the soil with organic matter.
At the end of August, seeds of peas, barley, mustard, and beans are sown. After the aerial part becomes about 30 cm high, it is mowed and embedded in the soil. Before the onset of cold weather, the green mass will have time to decompose. Garlic can be planted in prepared soil.
You should focus on the climatic conditions and weather forecast for your region. Too early planting can lead to germination and the appearance of greenery, which will freeze with the advent of cold weather, the plants will die. Planted teeth will not have time to form a root system, which will also lead to their death if they are planted too late.
The teeth do not need to be pressed into the soil, this can damage the bottom. It is better to make holes or trenches, put compost, humus on the bottom. Lay out the teeth and sprinkle with soil. Between rows of plantings, an interval of 20 cm is observed, and between cloves 10-15. The depth of the holes is 5-7 cm.
Then plantings should be covered with mulch. This will be an additional guarantee of protection against freezing. Fallen leaves, mowed grass, straw are used as mulch. In the spring, a layer of mulch must be removed so that the soil dries out faster and warms up.
Watch a helpful video:
Preparation of planting material
Preparatory actions begin with a visual inspection for visible damage. If a batch of garlic prepared for planting has a high percentage of damaged cloves, then such garlic is not recommended to be planted. It should be completely replaced.
If there are no external damage, signs of rot, stains, then the largest heads are selected. They are divided into cloves shortly before planting. For planting choose the largest cloves.
If there is an excess of planting material, then the largest of the selected cloves are planted. If not enough, then calibrate in three groups: large, medium and small. And planted accordingly in groups. So, you get more even shoots and crops.
Garlic cloves should be without damage to the skin and bottom, which should be evenly colored in a light gray color. They should not be wet, which can provoke the growth of ground mass, which is not required from garlic in the fall, it should only grow roots.
In order for the garlic to grow large, not to acquire any diseases that will cause it to rot during storage, the garlic is processed before planting. How to process planting material?
- Weak solution of potassium permanganate. Its color should be barely pink. Garlic cloves are placed in the solution immediately before planting for 30-60 minutes;
- 1% solution of copper sulfate. Soaking lasts about 10 hours. You can soak in the evening to plant in the morning;
- Salt solution: for 5 liters of water take 3 tbsp. l., dissolve, soak the teeth for 2-3 minutes, take out and dip in a solution of copper sulfate for 1 minute, immediately planted;
- Step by step in 3 solutions: 1st solution – nitroammofoska (1 tablespoon / 10 l), soaking time – day, 2nd solution – strong saline solution (5 tablespoons / 5 l), time – up to half an hour , 3rd solution – copper sulfate (1 tablespoon / 10 l), time – 1 minute;
- Ash solution – 1 tbsp. / 1 liter of water. The ash is well stirred in water, it is better to take a fine fraction, give time for the heavy particles to settle, the upper part is used for soaking for 1 hour;
- You can treat the garlic with the drug “Maxim”. The peculiarity of its action is that it acts as an antibiotic, however, it has a completely natural origin, its protective effect is maintained during the entire growing season. To process garlic in the fall before planting, one ampoule diluted in 1 liter of water will suffice. The teeth are processed for half an hour. The same solution can be used for dressing, for example, bulbous plants, and after use, it can be poured onto a garden bed under garlic;
- Another drug that garlic is treated with is Fitolavin. Protects against damage by bacterial infections, root rot, fungal diseases. The peculiarity of the drug is its high efficiency and the fact that it treats already affected plants. “Fitolavin” breed according to the instructions;
- Fitsporin-M is used to protect garlic in the fall. The drug is of natural origin, it is based on spores of soil bacteria. When they enter the water, they begin their vital activity, destroy other bacteria and fungal spores that cause diseases. Plants have increased immunity, they become more resistant to diseases. The drug increases the safety of garlic bulbs. Preplant soaking lasts 1 hour. How to breed Fitosporin-M, read the instructions. It is available in liquid, powder and paste form.
Do not avoid pre-plant preparation of seed, so you will protect the plants and increase the shelf life of garlic.
Conclusion
In order for the culture to survive the winter, it is necessary to properly prepare the soil for garlic. But this is not enough. It is important that the plants not only develop well, but also give a decent harvest that will last a long time without damage. Therefore, seed preparation should be carried out.