How to grow garlic to get high yield?

Garlic prefers cool environments and is usually planted outdoors in autumn. Similar to winter wheat in the north, it needs to go through a winter growing period. The best time to plant garlic is generally around September to October, when the temperature remains around 20 degrees Celsius. Since garlic has a shallow and underdeveloped root system, it has a higher demand for nutrients during the bulking period. So how can we grow garlic to achieve high yield?

1. Choose garlic seeds

High-quality seed garlic is a key factor in determining yield. You should choose garlic cloves that are bright in color, free of rot, pests and damage. Larger garlic cloves usually contain more nutrients and are beneficial to increasing yield. Before dividing the cloves, you can air the garlic for 1-2 days, then divide and clean them, and remove the small cloves.

2. Land preparation and basal fertilizer application

Since garlic has a shallow root system and a weak ability to absorb nutrients, you should choose moist sandy loam with loose soil and good drainage. Before turning the soil, apply about 4,000 kg of high-quality organic fertilizer and 40 kg of phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer per mu to ensure that the organic fertilizer is fully decomposed to avoid root burn and the occurrence of pests and diseases. After applying fertilizer , till the soil and harrow it.

3. Sowing Techniques

There are two ways to sow garlic: hole sowing and furrow sowing. Furrow sowing is suitable for large-scale planting and is faster. When sowing, make sure the tip of the garlic clove is facing upwards, the sowing depth is about 5 cm, the row spacing is about 20 cm, and the plant spacing is 7-8 cm, which can be adjusted appropriately according to soil fertility. After sowing, cover the garlic cloves with soil to avoid exposing them.

4. Film covering technology

Mulching helps retain moisture and heat in the soil and inhibits weed growth, thereby promoting high garlic yields. The ground film should be covered immediately after sowing, and the film should be broken in time after the garlic seedlings emerge. Careful inspection should be made to ensure that all garlic seedlings can grow smoothly.

5. Management before wintering

For garlic covered with plastic film, if the soil is moist in the early stage and the base fertilizer is sufficient, watering is temporarily stopped after the seedlings emerge. Before the soil freezes, you can water the garlic once to enhance its cold resistance.

6. Topdressing and watering

The growth cycle of garlic sown in autumn is longer, usually taking 220 to 280 days, so late topdressing management is crucial. Top dressing of garlic can be divided into two stages: the spring garlic stalk stage and the garlic bulb swelling stage. Watering is required after top dressing.

7. Types of topdressing

Garlic topdressing should choose appropriate fertilizer according to its growth cycle. In the early stage, nitrogen fertilizer is the main fertilizer, supplemented by phosphorus and potassium fertilizers; in the expansion period, high potassium fertilizer is the main fertilizer, appropriately combined with phosphorus fertilizer, and foliar spraying can be combined to promote the plant to quickly absorb nutrients and improve yield and quality.

In summary, as long as you pay attention to the above links during the planting process and ensure that each step is properly handled, garlic planting can be expected to achieve bumper harvests year after year.