Detailed Guide to the Steps of Hydroponic Garlic Growing

SummarySelect fresh garlic bulbs of a superior variety with large cloves as seed. Before sowing, peel the bulbs and separate the cloves, then spread them in the sun to sterilize. Choose a hydroponic container with a filter layer for growing, and a small amount of nutrient solution can be added to the container. When the garlic has grown to 5-6 leaves, carry out growing; at this time its cold resistance is relatively strong, which helps it overwinter. In the later stage, the hydroponic garlic needs plenty of sunlight, and the nutrient solution should be replenished in time.

1. Selecting a Variety

Choose red-skin or white-skin garlic that is suitable for hydroponics, with strong stress resistance, robust growth, strong cold tolerance, a high bolting rate, good storability, excellent quality, good yield performance, and large market demand.

2. Seed Treatment

Choose fresh garlic bulbs that are large, with large, uniform and neatly arranged cloves of bright color as seed; generally a 100-clove weight of more than 400 grams is required. 1-3 days before sowing, peel the garlic bulbs and separate the cloves, remove the stem plate and basal plate of the bulbs, then grade them by seed size, which helps achieve uniform emergence after hydroponic growing. 1 day before hydroponic growing, spread the garlic cloves evenly and place them in the sun to dry; sun-drying can effectively kill pathogens and is beneficial for rooting and sprouting.

3. Choosing a Hydroponic Container

Since garlic cloves are relatively small, it is necessary to choose a hydroponic container with a filter layer to avoid all the garlic cloves being submerged in water, which would lead to a low survival rate. In addition, the water used for hydroponic garlic is a nutrient solution, not ordinary water; the nutrient solution contains various nutrients needed for garlic growth and can be recycled in place of soil.

4. Sowing at the Right Time

1. Sowing can be carried out before overwintering when the garlic has grown to 5-6 leaves; at this time the plants have relatively strong cold resistance, which helps them avoid freezing to death in winter and lays a good foundation for the garlic to successfully pass vernalization.

2. If sowing is too early, it will lead to a low emergence rate and is prone to producing multi-clove garlic; if the seedlings grow too vigorously before overwintering, they will consume nutrients and reduce overwintering ability, and may undergo vernalization again, lowering the quality and yield of the garlic. If sowing is too late, the growth time before overwintering will be short, the seedlings will grow weakly before overwintering and accumulate relatively few nutrients, and cold resistance will be reduced, resulting in a high mortality rate during overwintering, thus affecting the quality and yield of the garlic.

5. Later-Stage Management

Generally, seedlings emerge 7 days after sowing. After emergence, you only need to give the hydroponic garlic plenty of sunlight and regularly replenish the nutrient solution.

6. Points to Note

The suitable growing temperature for garlic is between 10-25°C. During cultivation, the nutrient solution needs to be changed regularly, and it can be placed in a spot with sufficient light for care, which encourages the garlic leaves to grow greener and taste a bit more delicious. Generally, it can be harvested after about 30 days of growth. When harvesting, you only need to cut off the garlic leaves, so that the continued growth of the garlic will not be affected. If any garlic cloves shrivel or rot during this period, they should be dealt with promptly.