Garlic cultivation time and method

Garlic is a versatile ingredient that not only plays an important role in cooking, but also has a wide range of applications in the fields of health and medicine. In addition to fresh garlic, there are various processed garlic products on the market, such as dehydrated garlic, garlic paste, garlic powder, etc. Let’s learn about the cultivation time and methods of garlic.

1. Garlic cultivation time

Garlic prefers cool climates, and its seedlings have strong cold resistance. Garlic can start to sprout and root at 3 to 5 degrees Celsius, and the most suitable temperature for its growth is 12 to 16 degrees Celsius.

Generally speaking, it is suitable to sow garlic in late autumn, that is, from the end of White Dew to the beginning of Autumnal Equinox (approximately late September to early October).

If the sowing time is too early, the seedlings may grow too fast before wintering and consume too much nutrients, which will weaken their ability to overwinter and may cause them to grow again in spring, affecting the quality of the garlic. On the contrary, if the sowing time is too late, the seedlings will be smaller, the tissues will be more tender, the root system will be underdeveloped, the accumulated nutrients will be less, and the cold resistance will be weaker, which will increase the mortality rate during the winter. Therefore, the sowing time of garlic must be accurately grasped.

2. Garlic Planting Method

1. Select good varieties

It is important to select the appropriate garlic variety depending on the intended harvest site. Garlic can be divided into large clove garlic and small clove garlic according to the size of the cloves. If the main purpose is to harvest garlic sprouts , you should choose early-maturing small-petal garlic varieties, such as white-skinned garlic. These varieties have a short growth cycle and can be put on the market early.

If you mainly want to harvest garlic stalks and garlic bulbs, you should choose large-clove garlic varieties, usually purple-skinned garlic varieties. In order to ensure yield and quality, you should choose garlic seeds with uniform clove size, no rot, and healthy stems. Before sowing, some of the garlic skin should be peeled off and small cloves should be removed.

2. Sow seeds at the right time

Sowing too early may cause the garlic to germinate slowly because it is still in a dormant period. After germination, due to the high temperature in the early stage and excessive growth before winter, the garlic seedlings' ability to resist cold will be significantly reduced. In the later stage of growth, the lower leaves of the plant are also prone to withering and premature aging.

If sowing too late, the growth period of stems and leaves will be shortened and the number of leaves will be reduced. Although the maturity period of garlic is the same as or slightly later than that of early sowing, the garlic will be smaller and the yield and quality will be affected.

3. Seeding density

For planting mainly for harvesting green garlic (garlic sprouts), the plant spacing should be 2 to 3 cm, the row spacing should be 13 to 17 cm, and the sowing rate per mu should be 250 to 350 kg.

For planting mainly for harvesting garlic stalks and garlic bulbs, the plant spacing should be 7 to 8 cm, the row spacing should be 14 to 17 cm, and the sowing rate per mu should be 150 to 200 kg.

Reasonable density of planting can ensure both yield and quality.

4. Sowing method

Before sowing, the garlic can be dried for 1 to 2 days. To prevent mildew after sowing, the garlic seeds can be treated with chemicals and soaked for 4 to 6 hours. The sowing depth should be controlled between 3 and 4 cm. Too deep or too shallow will affect germination.

5. Land preparation and sowing

Garlic should not be planted continuously, as it will cause the disease to become more serious year by year, and cause an imbalance in the nutrient ratio in the soil, affecting yield and quality. It is recommended to implement crop rotation in sections and fully rotate crops every 2 to 3 years. After the previous crop is harvested for autumn-sown garlic, the diseased and damaged leaves, weeds, etc. in the field should be cleaned up in time, and 5,000 kg of fully decomposed organic fertilizer , 40 kg of diammonium phosphate, 25 kg of urea, and 25 kg of potassium sulfate should be applied per mu. Spread the fertilizer evenly on the ground surface, plow the land more than 25 cm deep to evenly distribute the fertilizer in the soil, then level and harrow the land to make ridges in preparation for sowing.

3. Management of garlic from germination to wintering

1. Reasonable irrigation and diligent tillage

Irrigation should be controlled from the time the seedlings emerge until the soil freezes to prevent the soil from being too moist, which would cause the garlic to rot prematurely and affect root development. If the soil is dry, water it frequently in small amounts to avoid flooding. After the ground is slightly dry, deep hoeing should be carried out in time to increase the ground temperature, promote the root system to penetrate deep into the soil, and ensure that strong seedlings are cultivated before the soil freezes.

2. Add mulch to ensure the safety of garlic seedlings over the winter

As the temperature gradually drops after the "Minor Snow" solar term, in order to ensure the safety of the garlic seedlings over the winter, covering materials such as leaves, weeds, and corn stalks should be added to the bed surface in batches to keep warm. The initial covering amount should be small, and as the temperature drops, gradually increase the covering thickness. Generally speaking, the thickness of the covering material should be more than ten centimeters. To prevent the plastic film and cover from being blown away by the wind, you can press some soil or stones on them.

The above is an introduction to the cultivation time and methods of garlic. It is soon time to sow garlic. We must seize the opportunity, neither too early nor too late.