Garlic Watering Schedule: Do You Need to Water Every Day After Planting?

SummaryGarlic does not need to be watered every day throughout its entire growing period; watering just 4 times is enough. Generally, after planting garlic, you need to water to help the mulch film adhere; around early April or when the soil temperature is above 15°C, you need to water to strengthen the seedlings; when the garlic scapes begin to emerge, you need to water to promote scape emergence; after pulling the garlic scapes, you need to water to promote bulb expansion.

I. When to Water Garlic

1. Watering garlic during the seedling stage and early growth stage requires care. Generally, 7 days after sowing, the seedlings emerge uniformly. At this time, a single application of "uniform seedling fertilizer" is generally needed. If the field soil is relatively dry, one irrigation is needed to help promote seedling growth.

2. The seedling stage is an important period for the differentiation and formation of garlic's vegetative organs. Do not water unless the soil is dry. Avoid flood irrigation, and pay attention to timely drainage of the field after autumn rains. If drainage is not timely, it can easily cause garlic to die during the seedling stage.

3. When garlic is in the middle and late seedling stage, it can be irrigated once more to help promote vigorous seedling growth. At the same time, one application of organic fertilizer can be combined with watering to help promote thickening of the garlic pseudostem. Then, before the soil freezes, sufficient winter watering should also be applied to help ensure the seedlings survive the winter safely.

4. Because garlic's root system has a relatively weak ability to absorb water and fertilizer, during the seedling stage, some biological bacterial fertilizer and an appropriate amount of quick-acting fertilizer need to be applied in a timely manner to avoid nutrient deficiency that causes yellowing of leaf tips. Generally, after garlic seedlings emerge uniformly, one application of nitrogen fertilizer can be applied, but urea should be avoided to prevent burning the seedlings.

5. After temperatures rise in early spring, the seedlings will begin to grow. At this time, watering the garlic field should be flexibly managed according to soil moisture conditions. If soil moisture is good, watering can begin in early March. In early spring, watering should not be too early, the frequency of watering should not be too frequent, and the amount of water should not be too much, to avoid lowering soil temperature due to watering, which affects early growth of garlic.

6. After April, garlic enters its peak water demand period. At this time, garlic's water needs must be met. The soil needs to be kept moist frequently, and watering can be stopped 5-7 days before harvest.

7. Therefore, garlic's water demand throughout the entire growing period generally requires watering 4 times.

8. Mulch film water: After garlic is sown, it needs to be watered in a timely manner, watered sufficiently and thoroughly, without missing a single plant. Each mu can be watered with 100 cubic meters. Watering not only meets the needs of garlic planting, but also provides convenience for covering with plastic mulch film.

9. Seedling-strengthening water: Water around early April or when the soil temperature is above 15°C.

10. Scape-emergence water: Water when the garlic scapes begin to emerge.

11. Bulb-expansion water: Water after pulling the garlic scapes.

II. Precautions for Watering Garlic

1. After garlic is sown, relatively high soil moisture needs to be maintained. If the soil is too dry, it needs to be watered in advance, which helps sowing at suitable moisture. Before winter, irrigation is not needed, which can promote root development and restrain seedling growth.

2. After applying green-returning fertilizer to garlic in the second year, the first irrigation is needed. This is the key to increasing the yield of garlic scapes and garlic bulbs.

3. During the garlic seedling stage, the soil needs to be kept alternately dry and wet, which helps promote root development and growth.

4. After the garlic seedling stage, the demand for soil moisture begins to increase. During the scape-emergence stage and bulb expansion stage, the demand for soil moisture reaches a relatively high peak.

5. In the late stage of garlic bulb development, water demand gradually decreases. At this time, watering needs to be controlled, which helps promote bulb maturity and improve the storability of garlic bulbs.