Shoots of winter garlic appear very early, immediately after the snow melts. It was at this time that the foundation was laid for the future harvest of this healthy and unpretentious vegetable - a fragrant seasoning and a storehouse of vitamins and minerals necessary for our body.
Spring Garlic Care
The success of growing garlic is the timely and proper care. The first thing to do in early spring is to remove the protective shelter from the beds. It is impossible to be late with this event, otherwise young green feathers of the plant may be damaged, sprouts can be spoiled.
The beds with winter garlic are covered for the winter in order to protect the plant from the cold and prevent it from freezing
First feeding and pest treatment
When growing garlic, it is important to provide the plant with the necessary nutrients from the very initial stages of vegetation. In the spring of vegetation, the crop needs nitrogen fertilizers that will positively affect leaf growth. For the first feeding, it is best to use urea, 1 tablespoon of which is diluted in 10 liters of water. The solution is used for root dressing at the rate of up to 3 liters per 1 square. m Watering with nitrogen fertilizer is carried out early, as soon as the plant releases 3-4 leaves.
In rainy weather, to fertilize garlic, it is better to use not an aqueous solution of urea, but a granular composition.
Dry feeding of garlic is carried out in furrows up to 2 cm deep, which are then sprinkled with earth
For the second spring feeding, which is carried out 2-3 weeks after the first, experienced gardeners recommend the use of nitroammophoska, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of which are dissolved in 10 liters of water. The rate of flow of the solution is the same as with urea. Fertilizing with phosphorus fertilizer significantly affects the beginning of the formation of the head of garlic.
Garlic also responds well to fertilizing with organic fertilizers, with the exception of fresh manure.
In the spring it is recommended to carry out preventive treatment of garlic plantings from pests and diseases:
- watering Fitosporin, Maxim, 1% solution of copper sulfate will protect garlic from fungal diseases;
- treatment with Epin, Zircon activates the protective functions of the plant, increase its immunity;
- dusting the beds with ash, tobacco dust is a good protection against insect pests.
Ash will not only scare away pests, but also nourishes garlic with essential trace elements
Loosening and weeding
Garlic responds well to the loosening of the soil, which is necessary for good air circulation. This procedure should be carried out regularly, after each irrigation or rain, avoiding the formation of a dense crust on the soil. The first cultivation is organized early, in April, as soon as young shoots appear on the surface of the soil. Its depth should be no more than 2-3 cm. In subsequent treatments, the depth of cultivation is increased by about 1 cm, bringing to a maximum of 10-12 cm - this is the level where the formation of garlic heads occurs.
On light sandy and sandy loamy soils, where the roots are provided with oxygen, loosening can be done less frequently, and on heavy loamy soils, it is necessary after each moistening
For young shoots of garlic, an equally important procedure is the removal of weed grass, which begins to run amok in the spring. Weeds, which grow very quickly, not only obscure the garlic seedlings, but also take away the necessary nutrients from them, and contribute to the spread of diseases and pests. Cleaning of the beds is carried out manually with the removal of both the aerial part of the weed grass and its roots.
Garlic does not like weeds and weeding has to be done several times as soon as the weed begins to appear
On clean beds, the heads of garlic grow larger and healthier, as they get enough nutrition and light.
Soil mulching
Weeding and cultivation are labor-intensive procedures. To reduce their number, it is recommended to mulch garlic plantings with peat, rotted manure, straw, sawdust, dry grass. Besides the fact that through the mulch it is more difficult to break through the weeds, this procedure has a number of positive aspects:
- when using peat and humus as a mulch, the culture receives additional nutrition;
- if the mulching is carried out after the first loosening, then the moisture from the garden will not evaporate so quickly; accordingly, a hard crust will not form on the surface, which prevents good air exchange;
- The mulch will rot during the season and will be an excellent fertilizer for new cultivated plants.
When mulching with straw, its layer should be about 10 cm
Mulching will give a positive effect only if the features of the use of various compositions for coating the soil are taken into account:
- the layer thickness when mulching with mowed grass should not exceed 2 cm. A thicker layer can lead to the formation of a mucous mass;
- straw used as mulch can attract mice, slugs;
- dry grass contains a large number of weed seeds;
- sawdust, as well as pine needles, have an acidifying effect on the soil, so they are recommended to be used only on soils with a neutral or alkaline reaction.
Rules for watering and saline treatment
Garlic loves moisture. With its deficiency, it does not die, but forms small heads, begins to turn yellow and dry ahead of time. It should be borne in mind that excess moisture leads to the development of putrefactive diseases, a deterioration in the taste of the cloves (they will be watery), as well as to poor stamina of the heads. When organizing irrigation, one should be guided by the weather and soil condition. Determine the need for soil moisture as follows:
- dig a hole about 10 cm deep on a bed with garlic;
- take a handful of earth from the bottom of the pit and squeeze it in the palm of your hand;
- if a lump of earth does not crumble when unclenched, garlic does not need watering. A crumbling handful indicates the need for hydration.
The need for irrigation is not determined by the state of the upper soil layer, it must not be allowed to dry out at the depth of head formation and growth
Watering is best done in the evening. During the day, moisture partially evaporates, and during the night it is completely absorbed into the soil and moisturizes it as much as possible. An example irrigation scheme may look like this:
- if the spring is rainy, damp, then watering the planting is not necessary;
- in moderately hot weather with a small amount of natural precipitation, watering is carried out every 7-10 days;
- in a hot dry spring, watering is organized after 4-5 days with a consumption rate of at least a bucket of water per 1 sq. km. m
Frequent watering with a small amount of water for garlic is undesirable, since moisture, wetting only the topsoil, quickly evaporates
In the spring, the flight of the main garlic pest, the onion fly, begins. To scare it off, a preventive spraying of garlic plantings with saline is carried out:
- 1 cup of table salt is dissolved in 10 l of water;
- using a spray gun, the solution is applied to the green garlic shoots. The specified amount is used for processing at least 3 square meters. m;
Preventive treatment is carried out when the leaves of garlic reach a height of 10-12 cm
- it is advisable to carry out the treatment in the evening, and in the morning sprinkle the garlic with plain water and water the garden.
Additional treatments with saline are carried out only if there are signs of damage to the garlic by pests: seedlings begin to turn yellow, become brittle and stunted. In this case, spraying is carried out twice more with a break of 10-15 days, while the concentration of the solution should be the same as with the preventive treatment.
Please note that sodium and chlorine contained in salt water can disrupt the ecology of the soil, deplete it, slow down the growth and development of plants. Saline solution can destroy and scare away not only pests, but also beneficial insects, so you need to use it deliberately. If after two or three treatments a positive effect is not observed, then other pest control methods should be used.
Video: spring garlic care
If the garlic does not sprout
Sometimes, on the bed with garlic, instead of the expected friendly shoots, only individual sprouts appear. In this case, experienced gardeners are advised to dig out a few planted cloves and evaluate their condition:
- if the clove is lively, strong, the roots begin to grow in it, then it is necessary to water the garden bed, add dressing and after a while such garlic will germinate. The reason for the delay is most likely a too deep or late landing;
- if the dug clove became soft, it has no rudiments of roots and there are signs of decay, then it froze and will not rise.
Freezing garlic can occur for several reasons:
- winter garlic was planted early (in September-early October). In the fall, he managed not only to take root, but also to germinate;
- the fit was too shallow (less than 5 cm);
- the garlic bed is organized in the shade, therefore, in severe frosts, the ground on it froze earlier and deeper;
- plantings were not covered for the winter with spruce branches, fallen leaves or other available material.
In this case, planting spring garlic, which is carried out in late April, will help to save the situation. Winter garlic planted in the spring most often gives a single-tooth bulb that will not be stored for long and should be immediately recycled.
Spring garlic care is standard and uncomplicated, but in order not to forget to carry out all the necessary activities, it is recommended to schedule a feeding and treatment. It will help you provide the plant with nutrients in a timely manner and prevent diseases and pests.
