Many domestic gardeners practice the cultivation of garlic. At first glance, there is nothing intricate in this action. But I want to make the result better and surprise my friends with its size. Some agricultural practices that contribute to this will be discussed in this review.

Spring and winter garlic: differences

The difference between winter and spring crops is that spring varieties are planted in spring and winter varieties are planted in autumn.

Important! A mistake in choosing a sowing date will cost a crop loss.

Winter garlic contains several small, even cloves converging to the central rod. The spring vegetable does not have such a trunk, but its teeth differ in size.

Taking into account the harvest quality, the spring wins: its fruits are preserved for a long time. They are consumed all winter and spring, and if optimal conditions are provided, then garlic will not lose its characteristics until next spring.

It is advisable to consume winter varieties immediately after harvesting. You can also store, but the safety is not always good.

The winter vegetable has its advantages: the yield is much higher than that of the spring. But there are enough problems when growing such a crop. Winter varieties are quite problematic to adapt to different climatic conditions. Therefore, so that efforts are not wasted, special attention is paid precisely to the selection of seed material.

You should take only quality varieties that have high rates in terms of parameters:

• keeping quality;
• frost resistance;
• fertility;
• precocity.

How to plant garlic

For a decent harvest, you need to consider several important points: soil type, location, material selection and air heating during crop sowing.

Did you know? Garlic plantings have their advantages: they are not affected by insects and most animals.

The timing

Planting time depends on the variety taken:

• winter landing. It is carried out from the end of September until the first frost, so that before the frosts are established, the sprouts can grow stronger, but not rise to the surface. Only under these conditions, the plant will be able to withstand frost and yield in spring;
• spring. Grown immediately after the snow has fallen (April). This garlic tolerates cold well and can germinate when the soil warms up to + 6 ° C. A good crop is obtained with early planting, and the head should develop before the onset of heat, otherwise it will be medium-sized.

Choosing a place to land

Equally important is the place of cultivation. It should be bare, well-lit and even. If the garden is in a lowland, then for the garlic beds you can make a hill - so you can avoid moisture retention. Not very good if the plot is on a slope. Then there is the likelihood of leaching the land, which negatively affects productivity.

As for the soil, it should be sandy loamy soil with a neutral degree of acidity.

Experts in the field of agricultural technology argue that garlic can not be grown on the same territory for more than two consecutive years. The reason for this is the good survival of many pathogenic bacteria that damage the culture.

Well, if earlier on the site such crops were grown:

• zucchini;
• peas;
• early varieties of cabbage;
• Beans
• cucumbers
• cauliflower.

It is not recommended to place garlic rows after onions, carrots, potatoes or garlic - common pests and infections remain in the ground. In such an area, you can grow a vegetable no earlier than after 4-5 years.

Important! The proximity of peppers and tomatoes positively affects the development of garlic.

Bed preparation

The key step after choosing a site is to prepare the soil for planting. If you plan to grow winter varieties, the preparation should be carried out at least 14 days before the start of sowing. If spring cultivation is planned, then the soil is prepared in the fall. At least 1-2 days before planting, the site will have to be dug up again.

The landing zone must be dug up (deep, with the whole bayonet of a shovel) and fertilized. At the same time, the remains of plants and weeds are removed. As a result, a good landing area should be leveled, loose and clean.

If the site is not fertile, optimal conditions can be created independently. Acidic soil should be liming (1 glass of lime per 1 sq. Meter). To improve drainage characteristics, peat, sand and sawdust are mixed into the soil.

To increase the nutritional qualities of the soil, rotted manure (1 bucket per 1 sq. Meter), litter (1 liter per 1 sq. Meter), ashes are introduced into it. Instead of droppings, it is allowed to use phosphorus fertilizer at the rate of 30 g per 1 sq. meter and potassium salt (20 g per 1 sq. meter).

Important! The beds for winter varieties are fertilized in September, and for spring ones in early March.

Selection and preparation of planting material

50% success in growing depends on the right material. The main indicators of the high quality of the upcoming crop is its dryness and firmness.

When choosing planting bulbs, you should know:

1. The material should contain large heads. At the same time, they should not have any damage or signs of spoilage. Ideal - cloves of the same size.
2. It is not advisable to take heads with 3-4 cloves, since this may indicate a degeneration of culture. It is better to plant heads with five or more teeth.
3. When choosing winter garlic it is worth paying attention to violet-striped species. They are more frost-resistant and not so demanding on growing conditions.
4. Do not chase new varieties. It is better to give preference to a zoned species that is already adapted to local conditions.
5. Do not take burnt onion bulbs. There should also not be cracks below, which indicate signs of infection.
6. Large cloves will not grow from small cloves. But from them you can grow young greens.
7. Sifting through the planting material, take the largest bulbsand small ones set aside. Damaged, rotten, wrinkled, with yellow spots or rotten discarded.

Did you know? From ancient times, garlic was considered a useful plant, and in ancient times it was used from snake bites and many diseases (cholera, plague).

To enhance the growth force, lobules are placed in warm water or a low concentration nitroammophos solution before planting. Soaked bulbs should not be kept for a long time - one night is enough.

In order to disinfect and increase resistance to infections, planting material can be treated with salt, copper sulfate (1%) or potassium permanganate (1%) for 20-30 minutes. No less effective is a solution of wood ash and water (0.3 kg per 2 liters). The composition is boiled, cooled, the light part is drained, in which the teeth are soaked for an hour.

Basic rules for the preparation of seed:

• 30 days before planting it is placed in a cool (-3- + 2 ° C) room;
• taken out and disinfected per day;
• for 12 hours placed in a growth stimulator ("Potassium humate", "Epin").

To spring varieties sprouted faster, they are germinated. For this, the bulbs are placed in a cloth moistened with water, which is wrapped in polyethylene and left for 48 hours.

Did you know? Garlic began to be cultivated in Egypt more than 5 thousand years ago, where it was necessarily included in the diet of workers involved in the construction of the pyramids. And in Greece it was used as steroids for the Olympians and warriors.

Landing process

Garlic has no developed roots; it needs a small area of ​​nutrition.

Since the same heads are taken for growing large heads, they need to be planted widely. The optimal distance between the bulbs is 10-12 cm, and between the beds - 20-25 cm. Smaller ones can be planted denser.

When planting, take into account the following points:

1. Winter varieties are instilled deeply (at least 5 cm), and spring varieties are dipped 1-2 cm. During spring planting, great depth significantly delays the process of cultural ascension (hence, delays their growth and formation).
2. The teeth are lowered down. It is from this part that roots are formed in the future.
3. Soil should not be compacted after planting. Spring varieties are not advised to press into the ground, as this will inhibit the growth of the root system. Ideally, prepare in advance vertical grooves along the row, where you can lower the bulbs and gently fill with earth.
4. Water the soil after sowingbut if the earth really lacks moisture.

In areas with a cold climate, winter varieties are additionally covered. Use straw, twigs, hay, sawdust or special materials.

Video: How to get a large crop with winter garlic

Follow-up care

A proper fit does not guarantee a good result. Garlic should be properly looked after. This culture does not cause much trouble. Care consists in performing several manipulations.

Watering

In standard weather, garlic is watered infrequently, every 10 days. If the weather is hot, watering is quickened up to 5-6 times a month. In a high humidity plant needs only during a period of intensive growth.

Important! If the season is rainy, the garlic is not moistened. Excess moisture leads to fungal diseases, rust, rotting of the roots.

To irrigation was effective, after irrigation, the soil is made loose and mulched. This is especially true in hot times, when the soil dries quickly.

As soon as the maturation of the heads begins, they switch to maintaining the moisture content of the soil or completely cancel the irrigation. They also control that the earth is not dry - it takes away moisture from ripening teeth.

Water should be warm, settled in the sun. Type of watering - sprinkling (irrigation) and drip.

Top dressing

Before planting all varieties of garlic, the soil needs to be replenished. For this, humus, garden compost and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are used.

For 1 square. meter requires the following amount of fertilizing:

• 1-2 buckets of organic fertilizer;
• 30-40 g of concentrated phosphorus fertilizer;
• 10-15 g of potassium salt;
• 0.5 l of ash.

In spring, the soil is fed with nitrogen top dressing (ammonium nitrate). At the beginning of the season, at the start of the growing season, instead of mono-fertilizing, you can use complex nitroammophoska (20 g per 1 sq. Meter).

Important! An excess of minerals negatively affects the taste of garlic.

To activate growth, 14 days after the mass shoots have risen, they are watered under the root with diluted urea (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water). So fertilize after another 14 days. Winter varieties are fed in April, spring varieties in May.

During the formation of the bulbs, the plant also needs recharge. This time, phosphorus and potassium top dressing will be required. As a rule, superphosphate is prepared in a nutrient suspension (30-40 g per 10 l of water) and potassium sulfate (15-25 g per 10 l of water). Such top dressing is one-time, and is carried out for winter species in June, for spring - in June-July.

Mineral dressing can be replaced by furnace black or vegetable ash. These products are rich in potassium, phosphorus and a number of useful trace elements. When the stalks of garlic grow to 12-15 cm, carry out the following procedure: they dig the soil from the bulbs, sprinkle with ash and return the earth back. The same top dressing is duplicated after the appearance of peduncles in the arrowing winter species.

Weeding and cultivation

Getting large garlic is unrealistic without soil care. Since the culture loves light soils, the roots should provide access to air and water.

The first cultivation is carried out after the ascension of seedlings. Also dig up the soil after each watering.

Secrets of growing large garlic

There are many tricks, thanks to which you can get a large version:

1. Timely landing. For the winter, choose a period so that the bulbs have time to harden before frost, and in the spring - so that they develop before the onset of heat.
2. Crop rotation. Do not cultivate in one area for more than 2 years, but it is better to change the place every year.
3. Illumination. Sunlight should be enough.
4. Soil quality. Well-drained nutrient soil with neutral acidity is ideal for large garlic.
5. Seed quality. Only select varieties for your area, discarding sick and sluggish teeth.
6. Delete arrows. Certain varieties produce shoots with seeds. If they are not removed in a timely manner, then the plant directs all forces to the maturation of new bulbs.
7. Sufficient landing depth. Spring people need it a little in order to have time to hatch, and in winter - vice versa (in order to winter).
8. Landing frequency. If the distance is chosen incorrectly, the teeth will be shallow.
9. Regular loosening. Allows roots to receive oxygen and water.
10. Proper watering. High humidity during growth and moderate during ripening.
11. Mulching. It allows you to retain moisture in the soil, protects the teeth from burnout.
12. Actual and competent feeding. Whatever fertilizer is used, the main thing is not to overdo it.

How to get large garlic? It is only necessary to take into account some agricultural practices and biological characteristics of the varieties. Adhering to the rules described, getting a good crop will be very simple.