How to Grow Purple-Skinned Garlic? The Latest Cultivation Technique Tutorial

Garlic is one of the seasonings we use most often in daily life, and by color its varieties can be divided into red-skinned garlic, white-skinned garlic and purple-skinned garlic. Today Qinnong Network will introduce one of them——purple-skinned garlic. In appearance, purple-skinned garlic and white-skinned garlic differ only in color, so is there any difference in their cultivation methods? Below, Qinnong Network will walk you through the cultivation techniques for purple-skinned garlic.

I. Sowing time for purple-skinned garlic

When garlic is sown at the right time, it sprouts early and grows quickly, the garlic scapes bolt early, and the returns are high. But if sown prematurely out of season, the incidence of garlic leaf blight is high and the plants are prone to premature aging. The suitable sowing period is generally from late August to late September. In cool regions, sowing can be appropriately earlier, while in warm regions it can be appropriately delayed.

II. Cultivation density

When the main purpose is harvesting garlic scapes and garlic bulbs, the usual cultivation density is 5-6 million plants per mu, with a seeding rate of 120 kg per mu. Dibbling is recommended for sowing. Test results show that appropriately deep sowing can increase the rate of single-clove garlic, so after sowing the soil covering depth should be kept at 4-8 cm. For garlic after rice and for relatively heavy, sticky soil, the soil covering should be shallower.

III. Fertilizer and water management

Garlic roots are shallowly distributed and are neither drought-tolerant nor waterlogging-tolerant, so irrigation should be done at the right time according to soil moisture and plant growth conditions. Garlic has a long growth period and a high fertilizer requirement. Generally, 3000-4000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure is applied per mu; especially in continuous cropping fields, more organic fertilizer should be added. For the application of inorganic fertilizers, the N, P, K ratio is: urea 40-60 kg, ordinary calcium superphosphate 30-50 kg, potassium sulfate 15-30 kg. Farmyard manure and calcium superphosphate are applied once as a base fertilizer, while urea and potassium sulfate are applied in two split applications, at the mother-plant decline stage (4-6 leaves) and the bulking stage (9-10 leaves). At the mother-plant decline stage, the fertilizer amount accounts for 60%, and at the bulking stage, 40%.

IV. Pests and diseases and their control

1. Diseases:

The main diseases of garlic include leaf blight, purple blotch, rust, white rot, and sclerotinia rot. Control should focus mainly on agricultural measures, with chemical control as a supplement. The key to chemical control is at the early stage of disease onset (after the 5-leaf stage), with emphasis during the peak incidence period. For chemical control, choose 10% difenoconazole powder at 1500 times dilution, or 25% prochloraz emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution, or 25% Junwei emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution. Apply once every 7-10 days, for 3-4 consecutive applications, with a control efficacy of over 90%.

2. Insect pests:

The main insect pests include leafminers, leek moths, thrips, and aphids. At the 3-4 leaf stage of garlic, spraying 1.8% abamectin emulsifiable concentrate at 10-15 ml per mu, or 1.8% Aifuding emulsifiable concentrate, or pyrethroid pesticides can effectively control the harm these insects cause to garlic. For weed control, 20-25 days after sowing, at the 3-4 leaf stage of garlic seedlings and the 2-3 leaf stage of grass weeds, a one-time foliar treatment can be carried out, using 110 ml of 40% Suancaoling per mu or 300 g of 20% chlorotoluron per mu diluted with water for spraying. The one-time weed control effect reaches over 90%, and it is safe and effective for garlic production.

V. Harvesting

Harvesting garlic scapes: garlic scapes can be harvested when the spathe of the scape inflorescence extends 13-16 cm out of the leaf sheath. When harvesting, choose a sunny afternoon or a cloudy day after the dew has dried. Harvesting garlic bulbs: garlic generally requires “harvest when nine-tenths yellow, harvest at ten-tenths”. If harvested too early, the bulbs are tender, hold too much water, and the skin wrinkles after drying; if harvested too late, the skin changes color and easily splits, the marketability is poor, and product quality is reduced. Single-clove garlic and divided garlic should be harvested in batches. Harvest when the leaves turn yellow, 20-30 days after the garlic scapes are harvested. During harvesting, remove the mud, trim the roots, and cut off the tops, avoiding mechanical damage.

The above is the cultivation technique for purple-skinned garlic brought to you by Qinnong Network. As you can see, the cultivation techniques for garlic are actually not very different. In the most fundamental sense, purple-skinned garlic and white-skinned garlic are both garlic, so what exactly is different between them? First master the cultivation technique for purple-skinned garlic, and afterward Qinnong Network will also provide relevant introductions on their differences.