When is the right time to plant garlic?

Garlic is an extremely important daily condiment . It is rich in sulfide and protein and has extremely high edible and medicinal value. Garlic prefers cool climates and can tolerate cold. Let’s learn below about when is the best time to plant garlic?

When is the right time to plant garlic?

The best time to plant autumn garlic.

my country has a vast territory and great differences in climate. When planting garlic, it is best to let the garlic seedlings grow 5 to 6 leaves before wintering, so as to ensure the garlic seedlings can safely overwinter.

According to the Gregorian calendar, late September to mid-October each year is the suitable sowing period for garlic. The folk saying goes, "If you don't plant garlic before the ninth lunar month, the garlic will grow alone." This means that the latest time to plant garlic should not exceed the ninth lunar month (that is, the sowing should be completed before the tenth lunar month). If garlic is planted too late, the vernalization period will be shortened, resulting in the bulbs not being able to fully develop and easily forming single-headed garlic.

If you want to grow single-headed garlic, in addition to sowing it later, you can also use the garlic's "aerial bulbs" for reproduction. If you use aerial bulbs for planting, single garlic will be formed in the same year. You can use the single garlic as seeds the next year and harvest high-quality split clove garlic.

Garlic Planting Depth and Density

When planting garlic, it is important to control the sowing depth and density. If the seeds are sown too deep, the germination rate and speed will be reduced; if the seeds are sown too densely, the bulbs will not be able to fully expand.

The agricultural proverb "plant onions deep and garlic shallowly" means that when transplanting onions, they should be planted deeply and covered with soil multiple times to increase the length of the onion whites, thereby improving the quality of the onions; while when planting garlic, the seeds should be sown shallowly, with furrows of 3 to 4 cm, the plant spacing controlled at about 10 cm, and the soil covered to 1 cm thick. After sowing, water according to soil moisture.

Importance of Fertilizing and Watering Garlic

1. Fertilization

When planting garlic, you can apply 1,000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure and 30 kg of triple compound fertilizer as base fertilizer per mu in combination with land preparation; half a month after emergence, apply 10 kg of urea as seedling-raising fertilizer per mu in combination with tillage and weeding; during the growth period of garlic stalks, apply 20 kg of triple compound fertilizer per mu; after the garlic stalks are harvested, spray 400 times potassium dihydrogen phosphate foliar fertilizer to promote bulb enlargement.

Pay special attention to the following 3 types of fertilizers :

Uncomposted farmyard manure: Uncomposted farmyard manure will continue to ferment after being applied to the soil, and the high temperature generated can easily lead to root burn.

Chlorine fertilizer: Garlic contains a large amount of sulfide, so it is advisable to apply sulfur-containing fertilizers, such as potassium sulfate or sulfur-containing compound fertilizers.

Ammonium bicarbonate: This fast-acting nitrogen fertilizer tends to produce irritating ammonia gas, which can easily lead to root burn and dry tips and yellow leaves.

2. Watering

If the soil is dry when sowing, watering must be done to promote root development; water once before wintering; water once after the plants turn green again next year; and necessary watering is done after the garlic sprouts are harvested to promote bulb development.

There is an old saying that goes "If you don't harvest garlic during Grain Full, the garlic will rot in the ground." The latest harvest date for garlic planted in autumn should not exceed Grain Full, so as to avoid the bulbs rotting and turning black due to excessive soil humidity.

In summary, garlic is a crop that many people like to grow. As long as you master the planting methods and the best planting time, you can easily grow high-yield and high-quality garlic.