Key Technical Points for Cultivation and Management of Garlic Sprouts in Greenhouse Rack Beds
Garlic sprouts, also called green garlic (garlic yellow when not exposed to light). The garlic scape consists of two parts: the flower stalk (scape stem) and the spathe (scape bract). The spathe is the bract at the top of the garlic flower stalk, containing an underdeveloped inflorescence. Good-quality garlic sprouts should be tender, with a plant height of about 35 cm, fresh green leaves that are neither yellow nor rotten, white fibrous roots that are not withered, and a relatively strong pungent flavor.
They are the young seedlings of garlic that have developed to a certain stage. They grow in farmland and have the spicy aroma of garlic, with their tender garlic leaves and leaf sheaths used for consumption. Garlic sprouts are rich in vitamin C as well as nutrients such as protein, carotene, thiamine, and riboflavin. Their pungent flavor mainly comes from the allicin they contain, which helps reduce food stagnation. In addition, eating garlic sprouts can effectively prevent diseases caused by environmental pollution such as influenza and enteritis. Garlic sprouts have a certain protective effect on the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems, can prevent the formation of blood clots, and also protect the liver. They can grow in all regions, with high yield and good quality. Places such as Linyi in Shandong and other areas grow them on a large scale, with considerable economic benefits.
Growth Habits of Garlic Sprouts
They prefer warmth and have strong cold tolerance, and are best planted in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Geographic distribution: garlic is widely distributed across China, mainly in North China, Northwest China, and Northeast China.
How are garlic sprouts cultivated and managed in greenhouse rack beds?
Rack Bed Setup for Garlic Sprouts in Greenhouses
The rack beds are built with wood, straw, plastic film, wire, and red bricks. The greenhouse is low at the front and back and high in the middle; 2 tiers of rack beds are set up at the front and back sections, and 3 tiers in the middle section. A 10 cm high wall is built with single bricks, with a wall spacing of 1.2-1.6 m, and then wooden poles are used to build rack beds 1-3 m wide and of unlimited length, with a pole spacing of 20-30 cm. On the basis of the first tier, at 80-100 cm from the first tier surface, wooden poles are bound into beds 80-90 cm wide. Each tier is covered with a layer of plastic film, and on the film is placed 5-6 cm thick sandy loam soil, which is then tamped firm. During the setup of the rack beds, they must be buried firmly and tied tightly to prevent the rack beds from collapsing.
Cultivation and Management of Garlic Sprouts in Greenhouse Rack Beds
Garlic seed selection: choose varieties with large and numerous cloves, high yield, short dormancy period, and fast emergence and growth.
Soaking garlic and removing stems: soak the garlic seeds in warm water at 30°C-50°C for about 30 hours to make the garlic bulbs absorb water and swell. Then remove and drain, pile and cover for about 12 hours, and then remove the garlic stems. If the sowing area is large and the amount of soaked seeds is large, sowing can also be done one week in advance without removing the stems.
Arranging garlic and pressing soil: place and bury about 15 kg of garlic cloves per 1 sq m. The tighter the cloves are arranged against each other, the better; fill larger gaps with smaller cloves. After the cloves are arranged, cover with 3 cm thick fine sandy soil and tamp firm.
Water management: water the garlic sprouts with water at a temperature not lower than 15°C. After planting to the early growth stage, water heavily; at the middle stage when the seedlings are about 15 cm tall, water moderately; at the late growth stage 3-4 days before harvest, water lightly. The number of waterings should depend on the dryness and moisture of the soil on the rack beds. Temperature management: keep the greenhouse film surface clean to improve light transmittance so as to obtain more light duration. The temperature requirements for the rack beds are: before full emergence, 24°C-26°C during the day and 20°C-22°C at night; after full emergence, 22°C-24°C during the day and 18°C-22°C at night; when the seedlings are about 15 cm tall, 16°C-22°C during the day and 16°C-18°C at night; at harvest, 18°C during the day and 12°C at night.
Timely harvest: when the garlic sprouts grow to a height of about 35 cm and the leaves are slightly leaning, this is the suitable harvest period, and they should be harvested in time. After the first crop of garlic sprouts is harvested, use the same management methods as above, and new garlic sprouts can grow again after 20 days. When the new garlic sprouts grow to about 30 cm, they can be harvested and sold again. With such cyclic management and harvesting, 3-4 crops can be harvested continuously.