Many summer residents grow the royal seasoning for food and a spicy vegetable - garlic - in their garden plots. Gardeners who are of the opinion that garlic does not require any care cannot count on a bountiful harvest of large and juicy bulbs, especially if the soil on the site is depleted or uncultivated.
Compliance with cultural agricultural technology guarantees the production of marketable garlic heads, the pulp of which contains the maximum amount of biologically active substances, including sugars, vitamins and microelements. At the same time, properly grown, promptly harvested and well-dried garlic can be stored cold for up to 12 months.
The main agricultural practices that affect the yield of onion crops include:
- soil cultivation in the fall or several weeks before planting in the spring (digging to a depth of a spade with a simultaneous application of organic and mineral fertilizers - phosphorus-potassium in the fall and nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium in the spring);
- autumn application of soil acidity regulators (dolomite flour, fluff lime, chalk) in case of increased soil acidity in your area;
- compliance with the planting pattern (the distance between furrows is at least 20 cm, the distance in the planting row is 10 cm);
- deep watering of plants in dry times (every 5-7 days);
- shallow loosening of the soil after each rain and watering;
- removal of weeds, especially at the beginning of the growing season;
- applying fertilizers under the roots and along the leaves according to a certain scheme.
How to properly fertilize garlic in the beds?
Fertilizing winter and spring garlic has a beneficial effect on the condition of plants, the processes of bulb formation and the size of marketable heads. According to experts, the optimal number of root dressings for garlic during the entire growing season is three.
The first time the crop is fertilized with compounds with a predominance of nitrogen in the spring - 12-15 days after the appearance of mass shoots. If there are obvious signs of nitrogen starvation (too light color of feathers, stunted growth, yellowing of leaf tips), a few days after root application, garlic is additionally sprayed over the leaves with solutions containing nitrogen. For foliar treatments, you can use a solution of ammonia (20-30 ml per bucket of water).
The seedlings are fertilized a second time after 2 weeks, again using organic matter and mineral compounds saturated with nitrogen. And the third time the soil under the bushes is enriched with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers at the beginning of summer, at a time when the bulbs are intensively forming.
What fertilizers are best to use for garlic in spring?
Most often, summer residents who adhere to the principles of biological farming use green fertilizer (fermented infusion of grass) or a solution of slurry (1:8), mullein (1:10), horse manure (1:12), bird and rabbit droppings for the first two feedings (1:25).
Those gardeners who are not afraid to use mineral fertilizers when growing vegetables feed garlic in the spring with a solution of urea (urea) or ammonium nitrate (20 g/10 l of water), as well as nitroammophoska (25 g/10 l of water).
Professionals apply specialized modern fertilizers to the bushes, which, in addition to the full NPK complex, contain chelated microelements, humates and other substances beneficial to plants: “Agricola for onions and garlic”, “Fasco. Onions and garlic", "Agros. Complex fertilizer for onions and garlic", "OMU for Onions and Garlic", "Gumi-Omi. Onion-garlic", "Leafdrip onion-garlic", etc. Their application is carried out strictly according to the instructions on the packaging.
What fertilizers increase garlic yield when applied in summer?
During the growth of the underground part of the seedlings, garlic requires additional doses of phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and potassium salts. It will not be superfluous to receive microelements involved in all biochemical processes: iron, manganese, copper, molybdenum, cobalt, zinc, etc. That is why for the third or summer feeding of garlic it is recommended to use formulations with a minimum amount of nitrogen substances.
The simplest and most budget-friendly means for feeding garlic in June is vegetable ash.
The ash left after burning grass, plant tops and natural (not treated with paints and varnishes) wood contains potassium, phosphorus, and other useful macro and microelements. At the same time, the product does not contain chlorine, which is harmful to plants, and nitrogen, which is no longer required at this stage of the growing season.
Ash can be applied to garlic bushes in two ways. The first option is to plow the product directly into the soil by shallow loosening (1 cup per linear meter).The second option is to water the plants with ash infusion, prepared at the rate of 2 cups of ash per standard bucket, leave for at least 12 hours. Before watering the seedlings at the root level at the rate of 5 liters per square meter, the nutrient liquid must be shaken vigorously.
In addition to ash, garlic at the beginning of summer can be fertilized with ready-made compounds with a predominance of potassium and a sufficient amount of phosphorus salts (Ecoplant, Kristalon brown, Plantafol 5.15.45) or a mixture of granulated superphosphate and potassium sulfate, 30 g and 15 g, respectively for every square meter of planting.
Just three feedings of garlic during the growth of the bushes help increase the yield of the vegetable by up to 50%. Easy work for you in your garden beds every season!
