Content
Garlic is an undemanding crop that can grow on any soil. But in order to get a truly luxurious harvest, you need to know the rules for growing garlic, using fertilizers and applying them in your beds.
Preparing the beds
Preparation rules garlic beds and the application of fertilizers to them is the same for both winter and spring planting of garlic.
For planting garlic, you need to choose a bright area with fertile soil, in partial shade it develops slowly, often gets sick. The plant does not tolerate stagnant water, therefore it is necessary to build a good drainage system.
Garlic grows best on light, nutritious sandy soils with neutral acidity. If the soil characteristics in the garden are far from ideal, you can try to improve the indicators in order to get a good harvest.
Heavy clay soils slow down the development of garlic, it grows later, the cloves are small. Winter garlic suffers most of all from such soil, clay soils often do not conduct water and air well, cloves quickly rot in conditions of high humidity and low temperatures.
You can improve the soil structure in garlic beds using the following additives, they can be combined or applied separately:
- Sand;
- Sawdust;
- Humus;
- Peat;
- Rotted manure.
Sand is added during soil digging, most often in the fall. Add 1-2 buckets of sand per square meter of soil, you can use river or obtained in quarries. The sand is evenly scattered over the garlic bed, after which the soil is dug up.
To improve the structure of the soil, sawdust can be added, any, except for oak, are suitable, since they contain substances that can inhibit the root system of plants. It is advisable to use well-rotted sawdust, as a rule, they are dark brown or black in color. Fresh sawdust during rotting in the soil uses a lot of nitrogen, the plant will be deficient in this substance.
Humus and peat will perfectly improve the soil in garlic beds, in addition, they will enrich it with nutrients, they can be used as nitrogen fertilizers. 2 buckets of humus or peat are evenly scattered over a square meter of garlic beds, after which the soil is dug 20-25 cm.
Manure on garlic beds must be applied carefully, excess content can damage the garlic harvest. In small doses, it will be a good fertilizer. Poorly rotted manure can be a source of fungal spores that can cause fungal diseases in the plant and infect the soil in the garden. It is advisable to treat the manure with fungicides before applying it to the soil. No more than half a bucket of manure is applied per square meter of the garden.
In this case, the recommended dosage of finished fertilizers is halved.
The high acidity of the soil does not allow the root system to fully absorb nutrients from fertilizers, the plant develops very poorly, and the harvest will be poor.To avoid this, during the preparation of the garlic beds, substances are added along with fertilizers that can reduce the acidity of the soil. You can use dolomite flour, lime.
Before digging the garlic beds, it is advisable to apply a complex fertilizer in order to avoid a deficiency of trace elements in the soil. Fertilizer must contain potassium, phosphorus, boron, calcium and nitrogen. The recommended doses of fertilizers are indicated in the instructions for the preparation.
When planting, a complex fertilizer for garlic is chosen based on the reputation of the manufacturer and your own preferences. Can't buy fertilizer for garlic in random places, inaccuracies in storage can significantly degrade the performance of the product.
Planting material processing
Before planting, the head of garlic is disassembled, large, dense, without stains and mechanical damage, cloves are selected. The softness of the cloves can be a sign of a bacterial or fungal disease; they will not give a good harvest.
The varieties recommended for planting in spring can freeze out even under cover. Preference is given to zoned garlic varieties.
Selected garlic can be soaked for several hours in a solution of fertilizers and stimulants, this will help increase the supply of nutrients in the cloves, therefore, the seedlings will be stronger, with good immunity. Fertilizers should include increased doses of potassium and magnesium, which accelerate photosynthesis, respectively, seedlings will appear earlier.
To soak 1 kg of chives, you need a tablespoon of honey.
In addition to fertilization, it is advisable to use disinfectants before planting garlic. When planting, the teeth can be injured; treatment can help avoid infection with fungal and other diseases.
Fertilizers during growth
The first feeding with fertilizers is carried out when 3-4 feathers appear. This is a time of intensive growth, the most important trace elements are nitrogen and phosphorus, which contribute to the development of the root system and green mass. For winter garlic, it is necessary to apply magnesium fertilizers, they will help it winter better.
The second feeding is carried out two weeks after the first. Nitrogen fertilizers are not applied this time, it is necessary to choose fertilizers that contain phosphorus, potassium and boron. You can use watering with fertilizers at the root, or spraying the green parts of the plant. Spraying with a fertilizer solution is carried out in dry, calm weather, in the early morning.
The third fertilization is carried out three weeks after the second. This time it is necessary to add: nitrogen, potassium, boron, magnesium, phosphorus and other trace elements. You can use ready-made complex fertilizers for garlic, all the components in them are in the correct proportion.
Further fertilization is carried out if necessary, focusing on the appearance of the garlic. If there are no signs of nutrient deficiency, fertilization can be discontinued.
For these purposes, you can use wood ash. To speed up the absorption of a chemical element, a solution is used; 5 tablespoons of wood ash will be required for 2 liters of water.
Signs of micronutrient deficiency
The lack of trace elements can be determined by the appearance of the plant.
Nitrogen
This chemical contributes to the growth of garlic.
If there is not enough nitrogen in the soil, the growth of the plant stops, the formation of the bulb stops. Garlic ends the growing season ahead of time, the heads of garlic are very small.
Outwardly, a lack of nitrogen can be seen by a change in the color of the leaves - they lose their color intensity, noticeably lag behind in growth.
Potassium
Affects the keeping quality of garlic.
Lack of potassium delays the growth of garlic, decreases resistance to drought and other unfavorable factors. Leaves with a deficiency of potassium brighten, starting with the veins, gradually the spots spread to the entire leaf. The tips of the garlic dry out, and the whole leaf begins to dry gradually.
Phosphorus
Promotes the formation of a bulb, the development of the root system, an improvement in the ability to resist adverse factors.
Lack of phosphorus causes a stop in the development of the root system, and garlic stops growing. The lack can be seen by the dark green leaves, sometimes with a bronze tint, the roots of the garlic are small, underdeveloped.
Magnesium
Promotes metabolic processes in garlic, growth and immunity. The lack of this trace element reduces the plant's ability to winter, slows down the development and formation of cloves.
The deficiency is characterized by reddish leaves, veins may remain green. It starts from the lower leaves.
Boron
Participates in all growth processes, promotes seed formation.
The deficiency is expressed in the chlorosis of young leaves, which are closer to the middle of the plant. Later, the edges and tops of the leaves dry out.
Conclusion
The rules for growing garlic are simple, careful use of fertilizers and adherence to the recommendations will help to grow a rich harvest of garlic, regardless of the vagaries of the weather.
