How to grow large garlic

Garlic is one of the most common crops that can be found on every garden plot in any region of the country. Such plants produce spicy fruits with a sharp taste, besides garlic is very easy to grow and is not afraid of cold, return frosts and other weather factors.

To grow a vegetable can be in the garden or cottage, and sow at home, for example, in a pot at home, on a balcony or in an apartment on a windowsill in the winter.

The main requirements for growing garlic in the country or in an apartment on a home window sill

Growing garlic is a fairly simple process, implementation of which is the power of even a novice gardener. The main thing is to adhere to all the rules and perform the necessary actions in time: to look after properly, although if you grow properly, it may require hassle.

Deciding to grow a vegetable on your plot for the beginning, you need to choose the appropriate type , because the planting and cultivation of winter and spring differ from each other.

Also, before planting it on your plot, you should think about a suitable place that will meet all the requirements. The soil must be light, nutritious and have neutral acidity. To achieve all of these indicators on the wrong ground can take a lot of time.

Before you start growing garlic you need to decide on its variety

When planting winter and spring garlic in the garden - the right conditions

The planting time depends not only on the gardener's preferences and the climatic conditions of the region, but also on the type that is planned to be grown.

Spring garlic is planted in early spring, once the snow has melted, but no later than April 10 .This species has small heads with randomly arranged teeth. A minus of such fruits will be their less saturated and sharp taste, advantage is considered a long shelf life and the ability to use within 12 months.

Winter is planted for the winter, that is, in the time interval from mid-September to mid-October .It is very important to take into account the fact that before the first frosts occur, the teeth should have time to build up a powerful root system, on average, this process lasts for 3-4 weeks.

Winter boasts large heads, with even and sharp teeth. The main disadvantage of the form will be the shelf life of 3-4 months.

In spring, plants are planted as early as possible so that they can mature before the onset of cold weather. An early autumn planting can also ruin the entire crop, because if the frost comes too late, the garlic will start growing and then it will die.

The timing of planting garlic plays a very important role

Preparing the soil before growing and sowing

This is a non-destructive crop, but picking the right place can significantly increase the amount of the harvested crop. The plant prefers fertile lands with neutral acidity. Also, the ground should be light and breathable. Best of all for such purposes fit loam.

The site must meet the following criteria:

• a large amount of sunlight , necessary for the ripening of fruits;
• at the site should not accumulate meltwater and precipitation. It is also desirable deep location of groundwater;
• peas, cabbage, zucchini, pumpkin or greens are considered the best precursors for the crop. It is not recommended to plant it in those places where cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, carrots and garlic grew before it.

If the soil is clay - it is diluted with peat

Regardless of the planting dates, the land must be prepared in early September .To do this, they dig it up, weed it, clean it of stones and debris, after which the following fertilizers are applied to each square meter:

• 1 a bucket of humus or rotted manure;
• 30 grams of superphosphate;
• 20 grams of potassium salt.

Preparation of planting material

Before planting garlic in open ground, planting material must be sorted , choosing from the total mass of damaged, sick, soft, crooked, too small and teeth left without a shell. They are not suitable for planting and are unlikely to be able to give a decent harvest.

Preparation of teeth for planting is as follows:

• for stratification; planting material is placed in an refrigerator for 15-20 days ;
• then the teeth are disinfected, keeping for 2 hours in a solution of wood ash, potassium permanganate or copper sulfate;
• so that the teeth sprout as soon as possible, they are treated with a growth stimulator or wrapped in a damp cloth, put away in a plastic bag and kept in this state for 2-3 days.

In order for the chives to sprout more quickly, they are treated with a root formation stimulator

When planting spring garlic, the depth of the furrows should be 7-9 centimeters, and when using winter varieties, 15-20 centimeters;

The distance between individual plants will depend on the size of the planting material. Usually, spring varieties are planted at a distance of 6-8 centimeters from each other, and winter varieties at a distance of 12-15 centimeters .

Teeth are buried strictly vertically. In the event that the edge is located to the south, the garlic feathers will grow more green and saturated. If the soil is dry, then immediately after planting it must be watered.

In the spring, mulching landings with peat or sawdust should be done at the request of the gardener, while during the autumn planting these works must be performed so that garlic can survive the frost in the snowless winters.

Care for good and large heads and feathers.

Care is extremely simple and consists of several familiar operations, which include watering, weeding, loosening and feeding plants.

Water the vegetable so that the soil always remains wet .In dry weather, such work is done 2-3 times a week, while on rainy days, irrigation can be completely abandoned. It is worth remembering that in August, soil moisture should be stopped. At this time, the bulb begins to gain weight and volume and does not need watering.

All garlic supplements are performed together with watering, this is necessary for the best absorption of fertilizers. Winter and spring garlic are fertilized according to various schemes.

Spring garlic	Winter garlic
1	top dressing As soon as the plant releases the first leaves, it is fertilized with nitrogen fertilizer( urea, solution of mullein or bird droppings)	In early spring, after about 10–10 days after the snowing or bird droppings)	, after 7–10 days after the skin is removed, after the skin is removed, the amount of bird droppings is approx.meter of soil make: 100 grams of superphosphate, 50 grams of potassium sulfate and 50 grams of ammonium nitrate.
2 top dressing	After 2 weeks after the first top-up, complex mineral fertilizers	are applied. After 25-30 days using the same composition.
3	top dressing At the end of June and beginning of July	phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied. The last dressing is made in mid-July, when the head begins to grow

For larger garlic heads, you must remove the arrows each time they reach 15 centimeters.

Winter garlic needs to be updated periodically. To do this, once in 3-4 years instead of zubkov planted bulb, which by the end of the season will bear fruits one-teeth, which are planting material for the future harvest.

It is very important that the soil always remains wet.

Diseases and pests

Garlic is often affected by diseases and pests. Of all the existing diseases in such a culture, the most common are:

• white, gray and cervical rot;
• Gelmintosporioz;
• Fusarium;
• smut;
• powdery mildew;
• mosaic;
• rust, etc.

Cervical rot of garlic

Insects most commonly found on garlic:

• onion stealth;
• tobacco thrips;
• nematode;
• caterpillars;
• onion flies;
• bear;
• onion moth;
• centipede.

Nematode

Unfortunately, many diseases destroy plants, so it’s impossible to get rid of them, the only way out is removing garlic and prophylactic treatment of healthy individuals with fungicides or folk remedies, which include ash extract.

You can get rid of insects with the help of insecticides, mechanical methods, which include manual assembly and various folk tricks.

To prevent such troubles from occurring, you must follow the rules for planting, avoid undesirable neighborhoods and predecessors. It is also very important to pre-disinfect the planting material.

Harvesting and Storing the

Harvest Once a rich harvest of garlic has been obtained, it must be kept as safe as possible. Winter garlic fruits are harvested by at the end of July and beginning of August, , and spring , a month later, .

One can see the ripeness of garlic by the following features:

• new feathers have ceased to form, and the old ones turned yellow and lay down on the ground;
• the visible head has acquired the correct color and size.

Mature garlic after harvesting

After harvesting, it is prepared for storage by doing the following:

• The heads are shaken off the ground and dried for 10 days at temperature 25 degrees outdoors or in a well ventilated room;
• The roots and leaves are completely removed, the neck is cut to 2-5 centimeters ;
• At the last stage, the heads are put into boxes with holes, nets, or woven into pigtails.

Winter garlic is stored worse than spring. Autumn heads are stored at a temperature of 2-4 degrees, and spring 16-20 degrees. Humidity in the room should be in the range of 60-80 percent.

Growing garlic in your own plot is a very interesting activity, during which you can get useful skills regarding proper planting and plant care. If you follow all the recommendations, then a rich harvest will delight every gardener from year to year.