In order not to be left without a harvest of winter and spring garlic, planting material must be thoroughly disinfected before sowing. We are talking about the disinfection of teeth, which are obtained after disassembling whole heads. There is no need to sanitize aerial bulbs or bulblets, as well as single cloves grown from them this season, since, due to the morphological characteristics of garlic, the accumulation of dangerous phytopathogens in them does not occur.
But before planting, it is advisable to soak the cloves in any suitable fungicide solution, especially if you use garlic that you grew yourself, received from neighbors, or purchased at the market. Processing of the seed fund is carried out regardless of whether you cultivate winter or spring garlic. If you neglect this procedure, then there is a high risk that the garlic will turn out small and rotting, and all your work in caring for the plants will be wasted.
Benefits of Sodium Chloride for Garlic
There is a time-tested, environmentally friendly, effective and practically free fungicide for treating garlic before sowing.This is a solution of ordinary table salt (sodium chloride, NaCl), which has powerful disinfecting properties. As a result of using salt infusion, seedlings develop healthy throughout the season, and the bulbs form much larger than usual.
Table salt solution recipe
Dissolve one tablespoon (without top) of coarse rock salt in three liters of warm, clean water and pour the resulting liquid over the garlic cloves for 10 minutes.
After the slices have dried a little in the fresh air, and this process takes about an hour and a half, you can begin planting. During this time, you can fully prepare the beds by cutting grooves or making planting holes in the soil in the rows using a peg with a limiter.
Advice from an experienced vegetable grower!
It is recommended to separate the bulbs into separate fractions immediately before planting to avoid drying out the root base.
Never pour the salt solution remaining after soaking garlic or seeds of other crops onto the beds, as even small doses of sodium chloride can lead to salinization of the soil. Throw the liquid into the sewer or septic tank, where, on the contrary, it will be useful for destroying pathogens.
All the best to you and excellent harvests!
