Garlic cultivation can be practiced for personal use as well as for commercial purposes. A high quality product is invariably in high demand in the autumn-winter period. At the same time, the preparation of planting material plays a very important role: if you do not pay enough attention to this, the crop will turn out to be inconspicuous and small.
Need for preparation
Preparation of garlic heads for autumn and spring planting is the main stage of pre-sowing activities. The fact is that this culture reproduces vegetatively, so all bacteria, fungi and other pathogenic microflora that remain on the parent vegetable will certainly be present on the planting cloves. Heads selected for planting often fall prey to garlic rot. To keep them in good condition and subsequently get high quality bulbs and arrows, garlic must be decontaminated.
The greatest effect is given by industrial fungicides, as well as copper sulfate and potassium permanganate. Many summer residents prefer salt, ash liquor and other folk recipes. If pre-sowing treatment is not carried out, then with a high degree of probability the winter will be difficult for the seedlings. Many of them will rot, and in the spring, the rot spores that multiply will destroy the remnants of the seedlings, so the bed simply will not rise.
Pathogenic microorganisms tend to spread rapidly. This problem can only be solved by sorting, calibrating the material and disinfecting it.
Seed selection
For autumn planting, varieties of winter garlic are used, for spring – spring. Before placing in the ground, the heads should be carefully inspected and sorted according to several criteria.
- Bulb size. Small heads are unsuitable for planting, since the crop will fully inherit the original parent size. Therefore, it is advisable to lay only dense and large bulbs.
- Weight of teeth. When growing garlic for the purpose of selling it, the principle factor is to obtain heads of approximately the same size. In this case, it is better to take the teeth approximately corresponding to each other in weight. If there is no obvious need to get the same fruits, then this item can be safely excluded.
- visual characteristics. The parent fetus should not show signs of rot, damage and other pronounced diseases. The teeth must be hard, and even if there is an infection on one of them, then the entire head is considered sick. Such material for planting is unsuitable.
- Skin density. In healthy garlic, the skin should be strong, without cracking, and fit snugly against the body of the fetus.
After calibrating and sorting the heads, it is necessary to disassemble them and examine each clove individually. Seedlings with spots, deformations and damage are not suitable for planting. Pay attention to the bottom: young roots should be visible on it. If there are none, such a clove is most likely not viable, it will not germinate.
Experienced gardeners usually choose planting material that has been grown and harvested in the climatic zone of the gardener’s region. Such fruits will be fully adapted to the characteristics of the soil and weather factors. If you take imported varieties for planting, then there is a high risk that the new conditions will not suit the plant. It will not rise, or it will rise, but will soon die.
Before placing the plant in the ground, it is necessary to carry out the hardening procedure at a temperature of 0 to +5 degrees. To do this, you can simply put the heads in the refrigerator for 25-30 minutes. This treatment is carried out 2 months before the planned date of planting garlic in the ground. After that, the bulb is divided into separate cloves: this must be done as carefully as possible so as not to damage the integrity.
If only seeds are available, they must also be cold treated before planting. The difference lies only in the timing: the seeds are kept in a cool place for 1 month. This procedure ensures the rapid formation of young sprouts and allows the garlic to grow large heads. In addition, such a vegetable will not be afraid of winter frosts.
An alternative way to prepare the teeth is to dry them in the oven. To do this, the oven is heated to 40-42 degrees, a baking sheet is lined with a sheet of parchment and garlic cloves are carefully distributed over it. Drying is carried out for 9-12 hours, turning the teeth from time to time. At the same time, the oven must be left ajar to ensure ventilation. If you do not follow these rules, then the garlic will bake in its own juice, lose its vitality and will not germinate.
Beginning summer residents often ask if garlic requires cleaning before planting. Everything is very simple here. By nature, each clove in the head is covered with its own individual shell: this is important in order to maintain the health of the seedlings at the stage of maturation in the ground. If you remove this shell, then the teeth will be open to fungi, insect pests and viruses.
In addition, by removing the protective layer, you can damage the bottom of the root system, then the teeth will not be able to start new roots.
Ways of processing
Depending on the preferences of the site owner, chemical or folk methods are used for soaking. They allow the seedlings to take root faster and protect the future crop from parasites.
Chemicals
Garlic seedlings can be disinfected with fungicides, insecticides, and growth accelerators. Copper sulfate is widely used, and the popularity of this fungicide is due to its high disinfectant properties. Soaking the seed material in a solution of copper sulfate allows you to quickly destroy all pathogenic microorganisms that inhibit the growth of the vegetable. To prepare a working solution, 5 g of crystals are mixed in a liter of water until completely dissolved and garlic cloves are soaked for 10-15 minutes. After that, the seedlings are taken out, blotted with a dry cloth and dried in the air. Important: after drying, a light bluish coating will remain on the cloves. No need to clean it off: it creates protection against diseases and pests.
Potassium permanganate is one of the most powerful antiseptic drugs that have a destructive effect on most fungi. In addition, permanganate saturates the skin of seedlings with potassium, which is very important for the full growth and development of the plant. For processing, prepare a pale solution and mix thoroughly. The presence of undissolved crystals in it is not allowed: they can burn the seed.
The minimum soaking time is 10 minutes, the maximum is 1 hour. After that, the cloves are left to dry in the open air.
Fungicide “Maxim” – This is an industrial preparation that has proven itself as an effective means of preventing fungal pathologies in vegetable crops. The solution is sold in ampoules, diluted in a liter of water in strict accordance with the instructions. The cloves are placed in the nutritional composition for half an hour. Tip: the resulting liquid can be used for additional soil treatment immediately before planting garlic.
“Fitosporin” has a detrimental effect on bacteria and fungi. Processing garlic cloves in it helps prevent root rot, rust, powdery mildew, as well as late bacterial infections. The composition contributes to the accelerated growth of vegetable crops. Fitosporin should be diluted according to the instructions, the treatment is carried out for 30 minutes, after which it is naturally dried.
Fundazole has become widespread not only as a prophylactic, but also widely used to treat diseases. However, it is toxic to humans, so it should be used with the utmost care. The solution is prepared at the rate of 10 g of the drug per 0,5 liter of water, the cloves are soaked for a day.
Folk methods
Some gardeners prefer folk remedies. Most often they use a saline solution. Salt is an affordable tool, it is available in the kitchen of every housewife. At the same time, few people know that it can not only change the taste of cooked dishes, but also has pronounced disinfectant properties. To process garlic cloves, a concentrated composition is prepared based on 2 tablespoons of salt and a liter of water, and for maximum effect, you can add a teaspoon of soda. The solution is thoroughly mixed, after which the garlic is soaked in it for 15-30 minutes. Penetrating inside, salt destroys all fungi and bacteria.
Ash gives a good effect. It is best to obtain fly ash from buckwheat, rye straw, corn stalks, and pine and birch firewood. The ash is crushed to a dusty state and dissolved in water. Such a solution is rich in calcium and potassium hydroxides, which give an alkaline reaction and thus protect the garlic cloves from damage by pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, ash is a mineral supplement, promotes improved growth and development of plants. To prepare the composition, three glasses of fly ash are diluted in 3 liters of water, heated over a fire, brought to a boil, and then cooled. Once the water has cooled to room temperature, you can place garlic in it for one and a half to two hours.
Effective protection of the emerging fruit from decay and the appearance of onion flies is provided by tar. It is 100% safe for the environment and people. To prepare a disinfectant solution 1 tsp. tar is dissolved in a liter of water, stirred and garlic cloves are placed for half an hour. Processing is carried out immediately before planting in open ground. Slightly less commonly used ammonia.
If you pay special attention to sorting, sizing and properly prepare the garlic before planting, then the vegetable will easily endure the winter cold., and with the advent of spring will be resistant to fungi, bacteria and insect pests. It is pre-sowing preparation that becomes the key to obtaining a rich harvest. With high-quality processing of cloves, strong hardy fruits are obtained, which will produce equally productive bulbs next year.
Preparation does not take much time and effort. By following fairly simple recommendations, you will be satisfied with the volume and quality of the harvest.
