Collecting and planting garlic seeds

Garlic is a very common plant that is present in almost every garden or garden plot. Garlic is grown in different ways, one of the most popular is growing from the so-called bulbs.

Landing of this type has its own characteristics, while there is nothing complicated in the procedure. The main thing is to take into account all the nuances, learn the rules and basic mistakes when growing garlic in this way.

What it is?

Propagating winter garlic is easier than spring garlic. For the method of growing from bulbs, it is winter garlic that is used. In the process of growth, arrows are formed on it, which, developing, later open like a flower. Large petals on the arrow that are formed are bulbs, that is, garlic seeds. They look like very small cloves, the number on each stem can include about a hundred pieces. Bulb – “air” visually resembles a seed, it is it that is used in the seed method of propagation and planting of garlic. Three opened arrows are quite enough to get about one and a half hundred cloves for planting.

The seed method of cultivation has its advantages and disadvantages. Among the advantages are the following:

  • air cloves are not affected in any way by pests or diseases contained in the soil;
  • you can very quickly breed a rather rare variety, since there are a lot of “air” cloves, in comparison with a head of garlic;
  • garlic grown in this way has a stronger immune system and resists diseases well.

But there are also disadvantages, the main of which is the harvest time. You will collect a full amount of fruits two years after planting, that is, in the second season. During the first period, one-toothed bulbs are collected – bulbs from one clove, the diameter of which varies from 1 to 2,5 mm. And only by planting a single tooth, you can count on getting a full-fledged crop of garlic heads. In addition, gardeners believe that it is more difficult to sow bulbs than cloves, since the size of the “air” is extremely small. It is problematic to place them, observing the necessary landing pattern. There is also a risk that the seeds will freeze in the winter if adequate cover is not provided. Thus, this method can be considered appropriate for breeding rare varieties or when the seed material needs to be renewed.

Collecting and planting garlic seeds

Collecting and planting garlic seeds

Collection Features

Since the time period for the ripening of a plant depends entirely on climatic conditions, when it is necessary to collect seeds, it is determined individually in each region. It is optimal to focus on the appearance of the arrow:

  • at first it twists in a spiral manner;
  • then it becomes straight, this is the time to take the seed.

To get a rich high-quality harvest, it is necessary to remove the “air” on the overall stems. They are left for further disembarkation, you can get rid of others. The selected arrows must be fully mature without missing the picking time. Bulbs quickly fall off after maturation and become unsuitable for reproduction.

The average number of seeds in an inflorescence may vary, from 20 to 130 pieces is considered normal.

Collecting and planting garlic seeds

Preparation for sowing

Deadlines

The planting period is also an important point; garlic is planted both in spring and autumn, before winter. Spring landing is the same as autumn, but there are differences:

  • the optimal landing time is the beginning of March, but often the ground has not yet warmed up and is too hard;
  • after the shoots appear, it is necessary to organize competent care – feed, water, protect from pests, diseases;
  • in order to better prepare the soil, the procedure begins in the fall, the beds are formed, mulched and covered with polyethylene.

Since garlic tolerates cold well, frozen soil in early spring will not kill the plant. The soil at this time is qualitatively moistened, which means that the seeds will take root much better, and the harvest will be plentiful.

Autumn planting is used more often, the optimal period is the first half of November, but the climate of the region is also taken into account. For example, if November is a rainy season in your area, it is better to plant garlic earlier. The air temperature can serve as a reference point, the level of which should not fall below +5 C.

Collecting and planting garlic seeds

Collecting and planting garlic seeds

Tools and planting material

Despite the fact that the process of planting garlic with bulbs is carried out in almost the same way as other vegetables, there are ways to simplify the process and mechanism. For example, you can prepare a seeder designed for onions. It is great for measuring the distance between plantings. On an industrial scale, special machines are used for planting, which allow covering large areas in a short time.

Before sowing bulbs, it is necessary to properly prepare them for planting. After collection, the material is not separated, storage is carried out as a whole. They need to be kept wrapped in gauze, which is pre-soaked in a solution of manganese and dried well. The material is suspended in gauze while it undergoes ripening. During this period, all the necessary nutrients from the arrow go into the cloves. And only when the stem dries up, you can take out the seeds and detach from each other.

After that, you can either store further or plant immediately. For sowing, cloves from 4 to 5 mm wide are suitable, it is from these that an excellent large-sized single-tooth will grow. Do not forget that you need to carefully calibrate the seeds, get rid of everything unhealthy. The teeth are stored in a cool place, basement, cellar, refrigerator, the optimum temperature is from +2 to +5 C. Such hardening will strengthen the immunity of the material.

Before planting bulbs in the spring, it is better to soak them in water for a couple of hours to speed up the germination process. Autumn planting is done dry.

Collecting and planting garlic seeds

Collecting and planting garlic seeds

Site Selection

To grow a decent crop of bulbs, you need to take care of the condition of the soil and choose a good place. Before planting, it is necessary to process the soil, level the area. As for the choice of site, you need to be guided by the same principles as for other methods of growing garlic:

  • the site is chosen even, with excellent access to sunlight, not shady;
  • the soil should not be littered with grass;
  • the soil is preferably loose, fertile type;
  • since varieties with this type of reproduction are updated, it is necessary to take care of the health of the soil;
  • you can safely plant bulbs in places where legumes, tomatoes, any kind of cabbage, green manure, pumpkin were previously grown;
  • keep in mind that after growing garlic, onions, this zone cannot be used for planting cloves for at least 3 seasons;
  • the soil is dug up before the procedure, fertilized.

For one square meter you need to make:

  • 4-6 kg of compost, maybe a little more or less;
  • ash or bone meal – 300 gr.

Collecting and planting garlic seeds

Collecting and planting garlic seeds

How to plant?

Planting garlic with bulbs has its own characteristics, the biggest plus of this method is the improvement of the material, the improvement of varietal qualities and the saving of seeds, the increase in the storage period of the crop. You can plant garlic in this way both on a small garden bed and on a huge area on an industrial scale. The differences will be only in technical means (manual type seeders or machines) and time costs. The seasonality that the gardener chooses also does not affect the planting process. Step by step, this procedure is as follows:

  • first, the material is sorted by size, and several groups are formed, at least three;
  • the average amount per square meter is from 30 to 40 bulbs of the smallest size;
  • if the size is larger, then the amount of area increases;
  • the optimal sowing depth differs in planting time – in the spring it is about 3,5 cm, in the autumn – about 10 cm;
  • the length of the beds can be any without restrictions;
  • seed material is sent to the wells, which is covered with a layer of humus, then it needs to be at rest.

As mentioned above, the crop is harvested only for the second season after sowing, but there are exceptional cases when the fruits ripen the next year. It is strictly forbidden to grow garlic in one zone for two years in a row, as pathogenic microbes and a fungus accumulate there.

Not suitable for growing and land after cucumbers, carrots, onions.

Care

To grow a decent crop from bulbs, plants need to be properly looked after. It is allowed not only to grow in open ground, but also at home. There are a number of agrotechnical procedures that are necessary for the formation of a good harvest.

  • Moisturizing. Seedlings of the plant are quite sensitive and demanding to moisture. Therefore, it is recommended to loosen the soil between the rows regularly, as well as to destroy weeds. If there is no rain, you need to moisten the soil at least once a week, but it is better to increase the number of waterings to two.
  • Mulching. Planting aisles can be mulched using bark or fine straw. This makes it possible to keep water in the soil longer, and also saves plants, or rather their root system, from overheating in the open sun. Mulching is carried out after the seedlings are at least 10 cm long. It is optimal to form a layer 5 cm thick.
  • Formation. In the summer, arrows can form on the sprouts, you need to track this and break the formations before the seed ovary process. If the bulbs have time to form, then the development of garlic will be slowed down, and the single tooth will eventually turn out to be very small in size.
  • Fertilizer. A plant planted with bulbs requires top dressing, on average it is 2 or 3 procedures per vegetative period. First, fertilizer with nitrogen-containing substances is required, seedlings are fertilized to increase the growth of greenery. You can use either 10 g of carbamide per 5 liters of water, or 50 g of bird droppings solution per 1,5 liters of water. Feeding method – watering between rows so that the seedlings are not affected by substances. In July, you need to feed with compounds with potassium and phosphorus. To do this, dilute potassium sulfate (15 grams per 10 liters) and superphosphate (30 grams per the same amount of water). Replace mineral top dressing can infusion of ash in the proportion of 200 grams per bucket. You can also insist banana skins and water the soil. The last stage of fertilization is carried out at the very end of summer, when the soil is fed with various compounds. Both potassium sulfate and potassium nitrate are suitable. Experts recommend trying this method: when sowing, apply complex fertilizer in granules into the recesses. Special formulations with a prolonged principle of action are sold. In this case, you can not fertilize the garlic at all during the entire growing season.
  • Disease protection. This method of growing garlic provides it with a good level of immunity, so diseases and pest attacks are rare. But sometimes, in a long-term damp period, it is necessary to spray the plants with a Bordeaux mixture in order to prevent the appearance of fungus.
  • Harvesting and storage of single-tooth. Single-toothed digging is done when the arrows begin to turn yellow. In this case, do not wait until the foliage is completely dry. If the stems are brought to a state of dust, but the root will go into the soil very deep and it will be difficult to dig it out. it is better to already harvest an unripe crop and dry it in a place where it is dry and cool. Single teeth need to be tied up, hung in a ventilated area, while the temperature should not be lower than +17 C. After about a month, the plants ripen and the tops can be removed. Single teeth are stored in the basement, cellar, refrigerator, and the next season they are planted to obtain a full-fledged harvest.
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Anna Evans

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