How to Grow Garlic? All the Key Planting Techniques Are Here

Garlic was introduced to China from the Western Regions during the Qin and Han dynasties. Through artificial cultivation and propagation, it has anti-cancer properties and is widely loved as a food. Garlic grows vigorously, has strong cold resistance, a high bolting rate, and stores well, making it suitable for autumn planting. I. Growth Habits

Garlic has string-like fibrous roots; its ability to absorb water and nutrients is relatively weak, and since the bulb grows and swells in the soil, garlic should be cultivated on plots with loose soil, good drainage, and rich organic matter. Although garlic has wide adaptability, sandy loam is still preferred. Sandy loam is loose and suitable for root development, with early greening, early bolting, large bulbs with a strong pungent flavor, and easy harvesting.

1. Temperature: Prefers cool conditions, with a suitable temperature range of -5-26°C. Garlic seedlings have the strongest cold resistance at the 4-5 leaf stage, which is the most suitable seedling stage for overwintering.

2. Light: Garlic that has completed vernalization begins differentiation of flower buds and bulbils under long-day conditions of more than 13 hours and relatively high temperatures; under short-day and cool conditions, it is only suitable for stem and leaf growth.

3. Water: Prefers moisture and is afraid of drought

4. Soil and nutrition: Not strict about soil requirements, but fertile loam rich in organic matter, loose and breathable, with strong water retention and drainage performance is more suitable. II. Planting Preparation

After the previous crop is harvested, the garlic plot should be plowed and sun-baked immediately, and before sowing, the land should be prepared again and beds made. Base fertilizer should be applied before plowing. Because garlic has a long growth period, high population density, and high fertilizer demand, generally apply 5000-8000 kg of high-quality organic fertilizer such as manure or barnyard manure per mu; along with 20-30 kg of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Organic fertilizer must be fully decomposed; if raw fertilizer is used, it will burn the garlic roots during fermentation and also cause underground pests, especially severe onion maggot outbreaks.

1. Land preparation. The plowing depth is generally about 20 cm. It should be finely plowed, leveled, and compacted, with no obvious clods, achieving "level, loose, fine, clean." Determine the length of the beds according to the water source; beds can be 80-100 m long and 4.2-4.4 m wide; beds can also be 40-50 m long and 4.2-4.4 m wide.

2. Seed selection. Manually peel and separate the cloves, remove the tray and stem plate of the garlic, and grade by large, medium, small, and central cloves. Small cloves are handled according to specific circumstances. Seed selection requirements are pure white with no red streaks, no wounds, no sugaring, and no smooth skin. In principle, each clove should weigh about 5 g. Seed size is the key to obtaining high yield.

3. Timely sowing. Garlic should be sown at the right time. The planting time is from the end of White Dew to the beginning of Autumn Equinox (late September to early October), when the temperature is about 17°C. Before sowing, sun-dry the garlic cloves for 1-2 d.

4. Reasonable close planting. Generally, row spacing is 20 cm, plant spacing is 16-17 cm, and about 20,000 plants per 667 square meters. The method is to open furrows with a rake or furrow opener, with a furrow depth of about 5 cm. After planting, cover the garlic with about 1 cm of soil. Remember to water when planting. Li Wei, Feng Zhaojing