How to deal with garlic seeds before sowing (how to deal with garlic seeds before sowing)

Garlic is a vegetable of the genus Allium in the Liliaceae family with a large cultivation area in my country and a variety of edible methods. In production, rapid emergence of garlic seedlings after sowing and their uniform and strong seedlings are the basis for obtaining better cultivation benefits.

To achieve this, garlic seeds need to be properly processed before sowing, which can be divided into the following 5 steps:

① Seed selection

For autumn-sown garlic, you should choose white-skinned garlic, which has better cold resistance, high yield and long growing period. For spring-sown garlic, you should choose red-skinned or purple-skinned garlic, which has a short growing period and relatively low yield .

The garlic cloves should be free of damage and disease spots, and should be plump without any signs of water loss or softening. The garlic skin should remain dry.

White-skinned garlic has more cloves, and the sizes of the cloves vary greatly, the size uniformity is poor, and the taste of white-skinned garlic is spicier, but the garlic heads are heavier, which is suitable for high-yield garlic cultivation.

Red or purple garlic has relatively fewer cloves during the growing period. The cloves are of moderate size and good uniformity. They taste crisp but relatively less spicy. The growing period is relatively short and the yield is relatively low, but they are put on the market early and have certain price advantages.

The size of garlic cloves for sowing should be about 5g. Garlic cloves that are too small will germinate slowly after sowing. In addition, the resulting garlic seedlings will be thin and weak, and the yield of garlic seedlings, garlic stalks, and garlic heads will generally be low. Garlic cloves that are too large will have a strong growth potential.

Before wintering, it often grows too vigorously, resulting in excessive growth and reduced cold resistance. In addition, the garlic formed in the second year often does not enter a dormant period and undergoes secondary growth.

② Petal

Break the garlic cloves apart at the heel , taking care not to damage the cloves themselves.

The garlic heel is the shortened stem where the garlic cloves grow. Fresh and dried garlic often has the cloves and garlic seeds tightly combined.

When dividing the cloves, the base of the garlic clove is often broken and part of the bulb remains on the heel of the garlic. This part of the tissue at the base of the garlic clove is the key part for the garlic to take root after sowing.

If the garlic root system cannot be kept intact, it will significantly reduce the growth of the garlic root system, which will in turn affect the germination speed of the garlic and the uniformity of the seedlings in the entire field. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid damaging the base of the garlic cloves during the division process.

③ Drying seeds

Spread the selected garlic cloves flat in the sun for 1-2 days. This operation can promote the garlic to break dormancy through the stimulation of higher temperatures, and improve the activity and germination ability of the embryo.

After sowing, not only will the germination speed of garlic be accelerated, but the uniformity of the garlic sprouts will also be better.

When drying the seeds, it is best to place them on a wooden board or the ground. If they are on a metal or concrete surface, the garlic cloves may be burned due to the high local temperature.

④Soaking seeds

Soak the dried garlic seeds in room temperature water or the supernatant of lime water that has been filtered out for 1-2 days to speed up germination after sowing and improve the germination rate and germination potential (uniformity).

The volume of the supernatant of normal temperature water or lime water should be 3-5 times the volume of the seeds. The role of soaking seeds in clean water is to promote the rapid absorption of water by garlic cloves. In addition to promoting the rapid absorption of water, soaking seeds in lime water can also play a role in sterilizing and disinfecting garlic.

⑤ Germination

After soaking, drain the surface moisture, then put them into woven bags or sacks with good air permeability and place them in a cool environment at 18-20℃ for germination.

A commonly used method is to place them in wet sand. The specific method is to place a 3 cm thick layer of wet sand between each layer of garlic cloves, and finally cover them with straw mats to keep them moist.

Alternatively, place the garlic seeds in a cave or sweet potato cellar, and then cover the outside with a breathable matrix such as wet sand, wet sawdust, etc. to keep them moist.

This method can further increase the germination speed of garlic. At the same time, it can also help break the dormancy of new garlic that is still dormant when harvested that year as soon as possible.

【 Summarize 】

Before sowing garlic, you must first choose the appropriate variety type according to the cultivation purpose and time, and then select full garlic seeds of appropriate size.

This is the basis for planting garlic according to local conditions and achieving better cultivation benefits. By removing garlic heels, drying seeds, soaking seeds, and germinating seeds, the foundation can be laid for shortening the germination time after sowing and ensuring that the seedlings are uniform and strong.