Contents
Every year we face a wide variety of obstacles that prevent us from growing a healthy and rich crop of our chosen crops. Basically, diseases caused by the activity of fungal microflora become a source of problems, less often – insects. So, if garlic rots in your garden, the circle of suspects has already been outlined. In this article, we will look at the possible causes of rot, how to deal with rot and what to do to prevent such a development of the situation.
Possible reasons
If you notice alarming symptoms in the plants in the garden, it is important to ask yourself: “Why does the garlic rot?”. The reasons may lie in insufficient care or violation of the landing rules. Often this happens due to the fact that you did not observe the crop rotation or sacrificed the disinfection of the site for the sake of quick preparation of the beds.
Among the most common causes of crop damage, of course, fungal diseases are in the lead. Fusarium wilt of garlic, for example, develops in high humidity, when moisture stagnates in the soil. If this happens during a hot period, then the plant has very little chance of withstanding the onslaught of the fungus. The disease develops from the root system of garlic, gradually rising up, so it is very difficult to notice it in the early stages. The first obvious symptom is early yellowing of the leaves.
The longer the disease remains untreated, the more fatal the consequences: the cloves become soft, rot forms in them, the root system dies under the influence of the fungus, and then the whole plant withers. Fusarium spreads through soil and water, so all plants in the garden are quickly infected.
Another reason why garlic rots is white bottom rot. The disease develops actively with abundant watering, when soil moisture is too high, however, unlike Fusarium, low air temperature is required for its spread. Winter garlic is at risk in the spring, when the snow begins to melt. The leaves and stems of garlic turn profusely yellow, soon dry out and fall off. In the root part of the plant, a white mycelium is formed, that is, a mycelium that infects the soil with spores. The roots die off over time, and the cloves in the bulb rot.
If penicillosis (green mold of garlic) has appeared on the garden bed, then this can also be the cause of rotting. Watery spots of brown color form on the bottom and outer husk. Individual cloves in the bulb are affected, gradually fading and becoming covered with small depressed dark yellow spots. These spots quickly increase in size, becoming covered with a white mold, which turns green in a few days. The reason for the development is high humidity, coupled with high temperature.
As you can see, the main range of reasons is the high humidity of the environment, as well as the lack of preventive care for plantings.
The right choice of seed
Often, diseases and other reasons why garlic rots appear for a reason. I would like to believe that this is just bad luck or that the circumstances have developed, but the fact is that the conditions for collection or storage were violated.
It is extremely important to do the selection of seed. It is unacceptable to use rotten, moldy or worm-eaten cloves. It is they who become the source of fungal spores, which subsequently infect the soil and all neighboring plants.
If preventive treatment of seed with fungicidal preparations is carried out, then the probability of bringing the disease to the garden is significantly reduced. You can use “Fitosporin”, “Topsin-M”, with a solution of which the cloves are sprayed before sowing or soaked the day before.
It is impossible to take cloves for planting if they are taken from a diseased plant.
Seed material must be processed before planting. You can wash the cloves in a saline solution by dissolving 3 tablespoons of table salt in 5 liters of water, and then lowering the cloves into it for 1-2 minutes. It is recommended to soak for a day in a pink solution of potassium permanganate or a solution of copper sulfate. You can also use ash liquor for disinfection by boiling 2 grams of ash in 400 liters of water, cooling the solution and soaking the cloves in it for 2 hours.
In addition, you can reduce the chances of rot by simply choosing a fungus-resistant variety. These include:
- Anniversary Gribovsky – a variety of medium ripening, produces an arrow. Vegetation lasts from 80 to 125 days, the bulbs grow small, up to 50 grams in weight.
- Zubrenok – a variety of medium ripening, produces an arrow. A large bulb reaches a weight of up to 75 grams, 5-6 cloves.
- Novosibirsk – a variety of medium ripening, does not release an arrow. Vegetation takes up to 80 days.
The subtleties of choosing a landing site
Do not forget that the quality and healthy development of garlic is affected by the place where it is planted. What should never be done is to plant this crop twice in a row in the same place. It is this reason that takes second place in the list of answers to the question “why garlic began to rot.”
In rare cases, it is possible to grow air bulbs, and then single-toothed ones in one place, but at the same time, it is imperative to carry out preventive treatments of the beds with fungicides and closely monitor the condition of the plants. You should not plant garlic next to potatoes, since this culture stimulates the development of Fusarium wilt in all plants surrounding it.
To disinfect the beds, you can use a solution of copper sulfate, a strong solution of potassium permanganate, special preparations, for example, “HOM”.
In addition, the landing site should not be in a lowland where water lingers. Remember that high humidity creates an ideal environment for mold spores to develop. The site can additionally be fertilized with a mixture of saltpeter (200 grams), potassium chloride (200 grams) and superphosphate (600 grams) per 10 square meters. Be sure to keep a distance between the planted cloves of at least 10 centimeters, the depth should not be less than 4 centimeters.
Video “The problem of rotting garlic”
If you notice that the garlic is rotting, it may be infected with Fusarium. This video will tell you about the signs of damage to your garlic by Fusarium and methods of dealing with it.
