Garlic is an irreplaceable plant for human health and other crops on the land. Its taste and aroma cannot be confused with anything and cannot be replaced by anything. A huge amount of useful substances and healing qualities - this is all garlic. Summer residents and gardeners know both varieties of this vegetable crop - spring and winter. Each of them requires a special individual approach and disembarks at different times.
Features of growing garlic
The entire growing process cannot be called complicated, but it will require creating all the necessary conditions for high-quality growth and development of fruits.
It is very important for garlic to be on fertile soil, neutral in acidity (for example, loamy or sandy loam). The whole process of crop development and the abundance of crops in the future depends on the composition of the soil.
Garlic beds should be located in a well-lit area, since the plant is very light-loving. It is good if the garlic grows on a separate plot of land, but it will also accept the neighborhood with other crops positively. Basically, all vegetables, as well as flowers, can be planted next to this fragrant neighbor.
Plants such as onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, as well as berries (black and red currants, strawberries and strawberries) and flowers (tulips, all varieties of roses and gladioli) grow beautifully next to garlic. The fact is that the pungent garlic aroma acts as a deterrent against various pests and diseases. For example, such beautiful flowers as roses can be protected from black spots with the help of garlic scent. Vegetable crops will not be afraid of invasions of slugs, borers and numerous caterpillars. But the root crops will be protected from the arrival of the mole.
It is not recommended to plant garlic near cabbage, peas, beans and other legumes. The growth and development of these plants will be slower and the quality of the crop will be low.
Garlic breeding secrets
The most convenient and common way to propagate garlic is to plant cloves. But, if spring garlic can be grown only in this way, then winter garlic can also be grown with the help of air bulbs.
The bulb bulb is used to grow a one-toothed bulb (in the first year) and a multi-toothed bulb (in the second year). Both types of bulbs have the same beneficial properties and quality characteristics. They can be eaten and used for various purposes in exactly the same way.
To increase the yield and improve the quality characteristics of the crop variety, it is necessary to update it from time to time, and to carry out health-improving measures with the planting material. They consist in the fact that:
- Garlic cloves must be carefully sorted by quality, size and damage before planting.
- For planting, only the largest and healthiest specimens with a dense and intact shell should be used.
- Do not plant small, diseased or damaged teeth, they are better used for other purposes.
- All planting material must be disinfected before use.
To disinfect garlic cloves, you will need a specially prepared chilled solution consisting of 2 liters of water and 400 grams of wood ash. Before use, the solution should be boiled for half an hour. All teeth selected for planting must be left in this solution for at least two hours for disinfection.
Planting and growing spring garlic
- Spring garlic seeds can be planted directly into the soil, or you can germinate before planting. Sprouted teeth will take root and take root much faster. This is very easy to do. You will need a damp thin cloth and a plastic bag. Teeth wrapped in such a cloth and placed in a bag for three days will sprout and accelerate further growth. The seeds must be well dried before planting.
- Spring garlic is planted in mid-April - early May in warmed (up to about 7-8 degrees Celsius) soil. The culture will grow well even at an air temperature of three to four degrees Celsius and even with light frosts. If there was snow on the ground, then after it melts in the soil there will be enough moisture, but dry areas of the land must be moistened before planting seeds.
- The depth of the grooves on the garlic beds should be no more than 5-6 centimeters. The row spacing and the distance between the planting material is not less than 20 centimeters. Germinated teeth have very fragile roots, so they must be planted carefully. It is recommended to apply a mulching layer immediately after planting the cloves, which will preserve the necessary soil moisture for a long time and protect against temperature extremes. This is especially true and essential when growing garlic in warm climates. And also mulch will protect the garlic beds from weeds.
- At each certain stage of development, garlic will need an individual temperature regime. For example, during the growing season, the air temperature can fluctuate between five and ten degrees Celsius, at the stage of fruit formation - from 15 to 20 degrees, and during ripening - up to 25 degrees.
- The rules for watering garlic also differ depending on the period of its development. At the initial stage of the culture, frequent and abundant watering is important. Active growth directly depends on the amount of moisture received by the plant from the soil. Watering becomes much less when the fruit is forming. In humid climates and with frequent precipitation, watering may not be carried out at all at this stage. An excess of moisture can lead to the death of the bulb from rot or from various diseases.
- As a fertilizer for garlic, it is recommended to use bird droppings or mullein (in a ratio of 1 to 12 or 1 to 10) in the spring and an ash infusion prepared from 10 liters of water and 200 grams of ash in the summer. These two dressings will be enough. You should not use other additional feeding.
- Garlic beds should be loosened frequently. Great attention must be paid to the presence of pests. It is important not to miss their appearance and protect plants from them in time.
Planting and growing winter garlic
- Winter garlic is planted in late September - early October. It is necessary to choose the right planting time so that the garlic cloves are not sensitive to frost and winter cold (with too early planting) and have time to take root well and adapt to winter conditions (with late planting). Timely planting of garlic will save the planting material from frost and death.
- It is recommended to prepare the beds in advance for planting winter garlic. The grooves should be about 20 centimeters deep.Each groove should have a three-centimeter layer of coarse river sand or wood ash. Such a layer will prevent the garlic cloves from contacting the ground and protect them from decay. The preservation and protection of the teeth on the coldest winter days depends on the depth of planting. The distance between the teeth during planting is at least 20 centimeters.
- For winter garlic, it is very important to apply a mulch layer about 3-5 centimeters thick, consisting of sawdust or peat, to the beds. It will protect plants from the most severe frosts and maintain moisture. In areas with a more severe climate, you can use an additional film cover.
Propagation of winter garlic bulbs
Garlic bulbs can be planted both in autumn and in spring to a depth of at least 3-4 centimeters. The grown single clove must be dug out, thoroughly dried and re-planted to grow a full-fledged multi-clove fruit.
This frost-resistant variety is able to withstand even very severe cold. He is not afraid of prolonged twenty-degree frosts. Winter garlic will retain all its best qualities at such temperatures and will give a bountiful harvest. But at winter temperatures of more than 20 degrees below zero and in the absence of snow, garlic will not be able to survive.
The basic rules for caring for this variety completely coincide with caring for spring garlic.
In order to increase the yield of the crop, it is necessary to get rid of garlic arrows in time. This must be done as soon as their length reaches the ten-centimeter mark. If the garlic bulbs are still required to extend the genus of winter garlic, then a small number of arrows can be left until they are fully ripe.
The main diseases and pests of spring and winter garlic
Most often, pests and diseases on garlic beds appear at the initial stage of culture development. During the growing season, special attention to plants is required and full compliance with all requirements and recommendations for growing.
- Black mold is a fungal disease that affects the leaves of a plant and significantly reduces the yield. First, yellow spots appear on the leafy part, which later turn black.
- White rot is a fungal disease that causes the entire root of the plant to rot. The onset of the disease can be seen by yellowing and dying leaves. The whole bulb dies very quickly.
- Bacterial rot - affects the chives and leaves. The garlic fruit changes its usual color and smell.
- Fusarium is a fungal disease that first affects the leaves and then the bulb of garlic.
- Powdery mildew slows down the growth of the plant, covers it with a gray bloom and leads to drying out of its individual parts.
When choosing high-quality planting material and observing the rules of care, you can avoid all the problems associated with growing garlic.
