How to grow garlic sprouts (blanched garlic) by soilless culture? Latest technique and method tutorial
Garlic sprouts are a green, pollution-free vegetable produced by forcing garlic bulbs to grow softened under dark conditions. They have a bright color, a rich aroma, are tender and tasty, and are highly nutritious. They have a strong sterilizing effect and excellent therapeutic and health benefits. As a popular appetizing and health-promoting vegetable, growing garlic sprouts not only adds a delicious dish to people's tables, but also opens up a road to prosperity for farmers.
Construction of garlic sprout cultivation facilities
1. Site selection for the cultivation bed: The requirements for choosing the site of a garlic sprout cultivation bed are as follows. First, choose a place with a convenient water source to guarantee garlic sprout production. Second, choose a place with convenient transportation; garlic sprout production requires transporting raw materials and products, and only a place with convenient transportation can ensure unimpeded transport. Third, garlic sprouts can be grown in the open rows between trees or in courtyards, without occupying arable land.
2. Construction of the cultivation bed: The size of the cultivation bed can be determined according to actual conditions. If the site area is large, several beds can be built, which not only makes operation easier but also allows sowing in succession and harvesting in stages to meet market demand. Generally, the bed is 10 m long and 2 m wide, and it is usually best to build two beds together. Use bricks to build the middle wall to a height of about 80 cm, and the surrounding walls to a height of about 60 cm, then use cement to seal the gaps in the walls to prevent draft. Leave a water inlet and a water outlet at the two ends of the bed, and the bed bottom must have a certain slope (that is, the water inlet end should be about 1° higher than the water outlet end) to help excess water drain out of the bed and avoid rotting of the garlic seed.
3. Laying of plastic film: After the cultivation bed is built, stretch 3 steel wires lengthwise along the bed at equal distances and fix them well to support the covering on top of the bed. Before sowing the garlic seed, lay a relatively thick layer of plastic film on the bottom of the bed. The film should be slightly wider and slightly longer than the bed bottom. Use nails to fix the edges of the film to the surrounding walls so that it does not leak water and becomes a hydroponic cultivation bed inside the pool. The garlic seed is planted directly on the film, which is both clean and convenient.
4. Building supporting facilities: Garlic sprouts require a relatively large amount of water, so a well should be drilled to provide irrigation. Well depth varies by region, and generally the depth reaches more than 15 m. After the well is drilled, install an electric water pump on it, connect the water supply pipe, and once the power is connected, it can supply water to the garlic sprout cultivation bed.
Sowing techniques for garlic sprout cultivation
1. Selection of garlic seed: The growth of garlic sprouts depends entirely on the nutrients stored in the garlic cloves, so the yield of garlic sprouts is directly related to the quality of the garlic seed. Choose garlic heads that grow vigorously, are plump, free of pests and diseases, and free of mechanical damage. Generally, white-skinned garlic and red-skinned garlic with about 10 cloves per head can both be used as garlic seed.
2. Sowing time: Garlic sprouts have a wide temperature tolerance and can grow under conditions of 10-30°C. Except during severe winter and the dog days of summer, they can be produced in early spring, early summer, autumn, and early winter. Each year, May is the garlic head harvest period. This coincides with the high-temperature summer period, when temperatures are often above 25°C. The garlic heads are in a dormant state, and if they are sown directly after harvest without treatment, they will not sprout and grow. Therefore, if garlic seed is sown before September, its dormancy must first be broken so that it can sprout normally. The specific method: store the garlic seed in a dark environment at 0-5°C for 1 month before sowing.
3. Soaking the garlic seed: On the day before sowing, soak the garlic packed in woven bags in a 20000-fold gibberellin solution for 3-4 hours. Although the soaking step is simple to carry out, it is indispensable. Otherwise, after sowing and watering, the garlic seed absorbs water and swells, pressing together into clumps on the cultivation bed, which is unfavorable for garlic sprout germination and growth.
4. Sowing technique: Sowing is also called arranging the garlic, that is, planting the soaked garlic seed on the plastic film inside the bed. Starting from the water inlet end of the bed, place the garlic seed directly, arranging it by hand, with the head facing up and the root plate facing down, pressing head to head tightly, and scattered garlic can be placed in the gaps. The entire bed surface must be filled, and pressed level by hand. Generally, 15-19 kg of garlic seed is needed per sq m.
Management techniques for garlic sprout cultivation
1. Preventing lodging: Lay a large-mesh net flat inside the bed at 30-35 cm from the bed bottom, and fix it well around the bed to ensure the garlic sprouts grow upright. At the same time, heat preservation for garlic sprouts is very important. Place 4-6 bamboo poles at equal distances below the steel wires above the bed, lay black plastic sheeting flat on the steel wires, and fix it firmly around the edges. Lay a layer of straw matting on the plastic sheeting to provide heat preservation and shade. To keep the straw matting from getting wet from rain and snow, lay another layer of plastic sheeting above the straw matting, fix it around the edges, and press it down with heavy objects on top to prevent it from being blown off by the wind. In this way, the temperature inside the garlic sprout bed is guaranteed, laying the foundation for normal growth of the garlic sprouts.
2. Timely watering: Watering should follow the principle of a small amount of water in the early stage and a larger amount of water in the later stage. The reason is that in the early stage the garlic roots grow slowly, and if watering is too heavy, the garlic heads will float up and some will crowd together, causing garlic rot due to lack of oxygen. In the middle and later stages, the garlic roots grow densely and spread like felt, forming a continuous layer. At this time, garlic sprouts grow more actively and need more water and heat, so the number of waterings should be slightly more than in the early stage, and the amount of water should be slightly larger. Generally, for the first 10 days, water 1-2 times per day, and for each 20 sq m cultivation bed, each watering should not exceed 5 minutes and the water volume should not exceed 0.5 cubic meters. After 10 days, each watering can reach 7-8 minutes, with a water volume of about 0.7 cubic meters, and watering can reach 2-3 times per day. According to the market conditions for garlic sprouts, the time to market can be artificially controlled through the number of waterings. To bring them to market earlier, water 1-2 more times per day in the middle and later stages of garlic sprout growth; to delay bringing them to market, water 1 fewer time per day.
3. Regulating temperature and humidity: To promote early sprouting of garlic buds, the temperature should be raised at the initial stage after planting garlic, with the average daily temperature controlled at 25-27°C. After sprouting, as the garlic sprouts grow, the room temperature should gradually be lowered to 18-22°C. Reduce the temperature 5-6 days before harvest, to 18-20°C during the day and 13-15°C at night. If the temperature is too high, garlic sprouts grow quickly, the plants become thin and weak and lodge easily, thereby reducing their yield and quality. Temperature regulation is mainly achieved through ventilation and uncovering or covering the straw matting. After planting the garlic, maintain indoor air humidity at 85-90%. In the middle and later stages of growth, the garlic leaves grow densely, so humidity should be reduced to prevent the plant cluster from rotting. Before harvest, to reduce water loss and wilting of the product, indoor humidity should be maintained at 75-80%.
4. Timely harvest: Generally after 20-25 days, when the garlic sprouts have grown to 35-45 cm, they can be cut. When harvesting, cut with a sickle close above the garlic cloves. After harvesting, use a small iron rake to remove the excess garlic cloves at the base of the garlic sprouts, tie them with plastic strips, and make the bottom neat and the top upright and golden yellow. The bundled garlic sprouts can be rinsed with clean water to cool them down, because garlic sprouts grow at a relatively high temperature, and if placed directly outdoors after harvest, they are prone to rotting. After rinsing, the garlic sprouts should also be covered well with plastic sheeting to avoid strong light. After harvest, the cultivation bed should be given 1 thorough watering, and every 7 days spray once with 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate or 0.2-0.3% urea solution, which can increase yield. After an interval of 15-20 days, they can be harvested again. Generally, after garlic sprout cultivation has been harvested for 2 crops, the residual garlic heads in the bed can be cleared out, and after disinfection a second sowing can be carried out.