Garlic has high healing properties, the presence of which is due to the exceptional chemical composition. It contains more than 26% carbohydrates, a large amount of protein, ascorbic acid and arsenic compounds. When combined with raw garlic, they have a therapeutic effect. In addition, its bulbs have a pronounced phytoncidal effect.
There are three types of this garden crop: winter (shooter and non-shooter) and spring garlic. Growing and caring - the processes are simple, but have some features. On how to get a high yield of garlic, read on in the article.
Winter varieties of garlic
- Danilovsky local - non-shooting hot garlic. The bulb is large with 6-11 cloves; the hiding scales have a purple hue.
- Gribovsky-60 - spicy shoot garlic, forming a large onion with 7-11 cloves. The color of the hiding scales is red-purple.
- Gribovsky jubilee - cold-resistant shoot grade garlic. The weight of the bulb is about 40 g, the number of cloves is exactly 11, the hiding scales have a purple color.
- Komsomolets is a cold-resistant winter variety with a sharp taste, darting. A large bulb consists of 7-11 cloves, covered with pink opaque scales with a purple hue.
Varieties of spring garlic
The classification of garlic is based on when to plant garlic in open ground. Winter crops are planted in autumn, and in early spring - spring. The first species is most popular among gardeners. However, there are very good and proven varieties of spring garlic.
- Demidovsky is a variety of Ural breeding recommended for cultivation throughout Russia. Bulb weighing up to 47 g, cloves 16. The color of the covering scales is cream. The taste is semi-sharp, the shelf life is excellent - up to 10 months.
- Elenovsky is a productive variety resistant to a nematode, with good keeping quality. Bulb mass - up to 23 g, 16 cloves are formed. The taste is peninsular. The color of the hiding scales is white.
- Nugget - a variety of large spring garlic with a bulb weight of up to 67 g, forms 19-23 cloves. The flesh of the peninsular taste, white, hiding scales has a white color.
Winter garlic: planting dates
As mentioned above, winter garlic is planted on beds in the fall. Shooting varieties, the most common, form, in addition to the underground bulb, an inflorescence, on which bulb bulbs then develop.
Before you learn how to process the garlic before planting, you should find out how soon it should be planted. Just note that there is no specific date. Departure times depend on climatic conditions. Focus on the fact that you need to do this about 1-1.5 months before the cold snap. During this time, the teeth should take root and develop a good root system, which will penetrate 10-12 cm deep, but not “release” the leaves. In regions with a cold climate, the planting period begins on September 20, in the more southern - on October 14. If you plant the garlic earlier, then it will germinate, if later - it will freeze.
Preparing planting material
Preparing garlic for planting begins with an inspection of the planting material. Use the crop of the current year. Select well-dried, healthy onions for this. If excess moisture is present in them, they will quickly germinate. Carefully divide them into separate teeth, avoiding damage to the peel. Then calibrate them to size large, medium and small.
It is necessary to disassemble the bulb into the teeth just before planting, otherwise the bottom can dry out, and this will greatly delay the formation of roots.
Processing of garlic before planting can be carried out in various ways, some of which we will consider later. Despite the differences, they all have one goal - to help young cloves to winter and protect them from possible diseases. The following processing methods are considered the most effective: a solution of wood ash, potassium permanganate, salt and copper sulphate, nitroammofoski.
Processing of garlic before planting in saline and copper sulfate
Rinse the planting material in brine (concentration: 3 tbsp. L. Salt in five liters of water) for a couple of minutes. To make it more convenient, you can put all the cloves in a rag bag, or wrap them in a cotton section and tie ends like a bag.
The second stage is treatment with copper sulfate. To do this, dilute in ten liters of water 1 tbsp. l preparation and dip in garlic solution for another minute. After that, without washing the teeth, plant them on the bed. Such treatment of garlic before planting with copper sulfate is mainly aimed at preventing the development of various diseases. It can be used for both winter and spring varieties.
When landing, follow the calibration. Do not mix large and small tines, so you will achieve friendly seedlings.
Soaking in a solution of wood ash
Quite often you can meet the question of whether it is worth soaking garlic before planting. The answer depends on which variety you choose. If we are talking about winter garlic, then it is better not to do this. The main purpose of soaking is to help the teeth hatch faster. Therefore, it is relevant in the case of spring garlic. It is recommended to keep it in the refrigerator for a month beforehand.
Soaking in ash is perhaps the oldest and most budgetary way. Ash is formed in sufficient quantities in the bath. Just during the winter it should be collected. To prepare the solution, pour two cups of wood ash with two liters of hot water. It is necessary to wait until the finely divided mixture is divided into layers. By this time, the solution should have cooled, drain its bright part into a separate container. It is in it that you should soak the garlic cloves for one hour.
Soaking garlic in a solution of potassium permanganate
Processing garlic before planting with potassium permanganate is also a very common method. In the case of winter varieties, it must be done short-term. It is enough to lower the teeth for 1-2 minutes. in a slightly pink solution. If we are talking about spring garlic, soaking is practiced for 10-12 hours.
In addition, complex processing can be carried out. To do this, the cloves of garlic are initially soaked in a weak solution of nitroammofoski (1 tbsp. L. Preparation per ten liters of water). After a day, the planting material is placed in a slightly salted solution for 20 minutes. At the end, the garlic is lowered for another 20 minutes. in a solution of copper sulfate. The concentrations are the same as described above.
Growing winter garlic
If the preparation of garlic for planting was carried out correctly, like the planting itself, and the seeds are good and strong, then in the early spring, as soon as the snow comes out on the bed, shoots will appear. At this moment, in order to prevent the formation of a crust and to provide oxygen access to the roots of the plant, it is necessary to loosen the earth to a depth of 2-3 cm.
Watering of garlic is carried out from May to the first decade of July. Stop it about twenty days before the intended cleaning. The amount of water used depends on the air temperature. It is approximately equal to 10-12 liters per 1 m 2. Watering frequency - once every ten days (during very hot summer it is reduced to 5-6).
Top dressing
Watering garlic can be successfully combined with fertilizer. Let's talk about how to feed winter garlic for its better growth. In general, feeding is best done in three stages as the plants develop.
As soon as 3-4 real leaflets form in the garlic, pour it with a urea solution from a watering can or by sprinkling. The concentration of the solution is 1 tbsp. l fertilizers for 10 liters of water. This volume is enough for the entire garden, as the flow rate is 2-3 liters per 1 m 2 .
Before feeding winter garlic a second time, wait two weeks after the first treatment. To prepare a nutrient solution in ten liters of water, a nitroammophoska or nitrofoska and Agricola or Fertility are diluted. Consumption is 4-5 liters per 1 m 2 .
The third top dressing is aimed at "supporting" the plant during the formation of the bulb, and it falls on the second half of June. Shredded superphosphate (2 tbsp.) Is diluted in ten liters of water. The flow rate of the solution is 4-5 liters per 1 m 2 .
Spring garlic: cultivation and care
The agricultural technology of spring garlic is no different from its winter counterpart. For the plant, prepare fertile soil with pre-applied mineral and organic fertilizers. The height of the beds can vary from 12 to 15 cm, the width should not be made more than 90 cm.
Conduct the garlic on one of the above methods before planting. Then plant the teeth on the bed at a distance of 6-8 cm to a depth of 2-3 cm.
As soon as the seedlings appear, the plants must be fed with fertilizer containing nitrogen. Use urea or mullein for this. Further care for garlic is timely weeding and loosening of the soil, watering. In May, the soil must be constantly kept moist. The frequency of watering at this time of the year is once a week.
When the bulbs begin to form, garlic must be fed with phosphorus-potassium preparations. It can be potassium chloride, potassium sulfate or superphosphate. Strictly observe the dosage indicated on the package. In the period between top dressing, sprinkle simple wood ash in the aisle at the rate of one glass per 1 m 2 .
Spring garlic begins to be harvested after the mass drying of the leaves of the lower tier, as well as lodging and yellowing of the upper leaves. Bulbs are well dried and laid for storage.