Only those gardeners and gardeners who know everything about garlic, what the plant family is, how solo garlic, sowing and spring types differ can consider themselves experienced. It is important to know what the head and clove look like, how garlic reproduces. And also it is necessary to pay attention to planting, caring for this plant and its reproduction.
general description
It should be noted right away that Garlic is a perennial herb. It belongs to the onion genus from the Amaryllis family of the order of the asparagus flowers of the monocotyledonous class. In addition to different types of onions, its botanical relatives are snowdrop and daffodil. The sharp taste and specific smell of garlic makes it very interesting from a culinary point of view. Therefore, this culture is actively planted in various countries.
The garlic bulb is a fruit only in terms of cooking. According to botanical criteria, it is a modified shoot. The bulb itself is divided into fragments (heads), which are an excellent seed. Leaves, arrows and flower stalks can also be edible. They are collected mainly from young garlic shoots. It is curious that the very name of the plant in Russian goes back to the most ancient words with the meaning “to divide, split.”
The conclusion is simple – already thousands of years ago people paid attention primarily to the properties of the bulb. From a botanical point of view, garlic belongs to the group of vegetables, as it is a herbaceous species with a soft stem. Each individual clove (which would be more correctly called a daughter bulb) has its own leathery scales. The general rounded bulb is slightly flattened. Closer to the middle, she has an oval ribbing.
Such a modified stem looks different, since it can have:
- dark purple;
- pink purple;
- white;
- yellow color.
Under natural conditions, it is the bulb that allows garlic to reproduce vegetatively. This property of culture was also appreciated by gardeners. Narrow garlic leaves are pulled out in the manner of a lancet. They have a grooved structure and a keel located below. And also the leaves closer to the tip are pointed. Their length varies from 0,3 to 1 m.
Interestingly, each new leaf grows from the previous one, and at the same time a “false stem” appears, which is stronger than that of a real onion. The height of the peduncle, commonly referred to as an arrow, ranges from 0,6 to 1,5 m. The garlic inflorescence is a simple ball-shaped umbrella. The flowers of this plant are sterile. In addition to them, in the inflorescence there are breeding bulbous bulbs, as well as a compacted blanket. The flowers are supported by long pedicels. The perianth is visually similar to the corolla. The perianth will have 6 petals. They are painted white or pale lilac. The real fruit of garlic is a box. Seed formation is very weak.
History of origin
The antiquity of the roots of the name indicates that such a vegetable culture in Eurasia was known at least as far back as 1000 BC. Botanical studies made it possible to establish that garlic comes from Central Asia (it was there that its wild forms were cultivated earlier than in other places). Later, not a single significant civilization could do without this bitter, but such a healthy vegetable. Such a plant was widely known to the ancient Greeks, and Rome borrowed it. Even earlier, the culinary specialists of Egypt and India, as well as China and the Sumero-Akkadian kingdom, became interested in garlic.
Available sources suggest that this spicy herb was part of the mandatory daily diet of the builders of the pyramids. Garlic appeared in Russia very early, most likely, when it was still possible to talk about Russia itself only in the future tense. It is possible that it even began to be used before the proto-state unions of tribes arose. The mention of this culture in the texts of the XNUMXth century is precisely established. Even earlier, it became a full-fledged part of domestic cooking.
In the Middle Ages, sharp “cloves” continued to be the constant food of rural residents both in our country and in Western Europe. There is no doubt that they saved tens of thousands of lives in conditions of total unsanitary conditions and incessant epidemics. But in England, according to some sources, garlic appeared only in the middle of the 1000th century. But the statements of such sources are extremely doubtful, since the corresponding word is already known about XNUMX years earlier.
Landing
For all the significance of historical facts, gardeners are keenly interested in much more prosaic things. The timing of planting garlic is determined by its species. Winter types of vegetables are planted in the last third of September and further, until mid-October. The calculation is made on the fact that the culture should take root thoroughly before the onset of frost, but by no means germinate. If this requirement is violated, normal development and a good harvest in the next season will be unattainable. The cultivation of summer varieties should begin as soon as the snow finally melts. Usually we are talking about the beginning or middle of April. Germination is possible even when the earth temperature is only 6 degrees. It is necessary to do everything so that the heads have time to form before the onset of hot days. If this nuance is missed, the crushing of the crop is inevitable.
The choice of open spaces is recommended. Garlic feels good only with active insolation. The width of the ridge should be at least 75 cm. It is advisable to equip 8 cm and higher ridges. This will simplify processing and eliminate unnecessary accumulation of water. Row spacing should be at least 20 cm. The gap between individual holes is made half as large. Such proportions are due to the convenience of the subsequent care of plants. Due to too dense planting, the sprouts will compete with each other. In such an environment, it is impossible to count on obtaining full-weight heads and strong cloves.
The soil in the selected area is dug up 2-3 weeks before planting. Otherwise, it will not have time to settle, and the goal of digging will not be achieved. Autumn preparation is recommended for spring planting garlic. It is useful to loosen the soil.
Top dressing is pre-applied only if the soil is not suitable for the plant in composition. The acidity of the earth can be reduced by traditional liming.
Care
It is recommended to apply nitrogen fertilizer immediately after germination. You don’t need to delete all the arrows. Leaving a few of them, it will be possible to estimate the timing of the development of culture. To make the plant healthier, it is regularly rejuvenated with air bulbs. When planted in the fall next year, you can already get full-length bulbs from them.
Garlic loves the introduction of ash. You can also use slurry. One share of manure is dissolved in 6 parts of pure water. The ground should be constantly moist, but not wet – this line is very important. Watering is usually carried out in the absence of precipitation. Thrown arrows break off or cut off.
Reproduction
Most often in gardens and orchards, garlic propagates by using cloves. The best result is given by the cloves of winter varieties, which were planted and grown in strict accordance with the technology. It is hardly necessary to trust the purchased planting material to the same extent. It is advisable to check the health and general condition of the bulbs used. It is useful to disinfect them in a strong solution of table salt.
You can also consider the method of reproduction with the help of bulbs. Their readiness is achieved against the background of the full formation of garlic inflorescences. A sure sign is the beginning of film cracking. The inflorescences are cut off along with the arrows and carefully dried. Until spring, bulbs need to be stored in a perfectly dry state.
If the option is chosen with their planting before winter, then drying should go on for 35-38 days. Then the optimum condition will be reached. The bulbar method is more attractive than the usual one in terms of the preservation of varietal qualities. The plants themselves will be healthier and with better tone. The set of winter varieties in the frosty season is preserved without any problems, but in the spring it will begin to develop noticeably more slowly.
Diseases and pests
Immunity in different types of garlic is not the same. Fungal infections of this culture can be suppressed by Bordeaux mixture. Rust treatment is also carried out with conventional preparations. But when infected with Fusarium, all that remains is to burn the plants themselves. Neck and white rot are well defeated when treated with copper sulphate and other fungicides.
In addition to these ailments, viral mosaics and dwarfism, insect pests can also pose a threat to garlic. It’s about:
- onion moth;
- onion thrips;
- garlic nematode;
- root mites;
- aphids.
They are controlled with common insecticides.
Collection and storage
The timing of garlic harvesting is determined by its species and varietal affiliation. You also need to take into account the current weather conditions. The cleaning itself is carried out in the morning or in the evening. Otherwise, the heads will dry out and lose their juiciness. Winter garlic is ready for harvest if:
- inflorescences will begin to burst on the arrows;
- the foliage dries up below, and begins to turn yellow from above;
- excavated specimens show purple scales.
Spring garlic can be harvested when the leaves have turned yellow or have fallen. The scales of mature heads during trial digging are thin and dry. Overripe fruits crack. It is very important to prevent the onset of seasonal rains. Dig carefully so that all the fruits remain intact, since any damage can open the way for infection. Dug garlic is advised to dry under a canopy in a draft. In dried specimens, the tops are cut off. The largest heads should be used for landing. Humidity during storage of the crop is from 50 to 80%. Spring varieties are kept at 16-20, and winter varieties – at 2-4 degrees.
You can keep garlic in glass jars or other glass containers. They put it in a dry cabinet. Roots are recommended to be burned on an open fire. Burnt bulbs are also often stored, sprinkled with flour. It is allowed to put them in boxes, dipped in paraffin in advance.
