Understand the fertilizer requirements of garlic to grow high-yielding garlic
Garlic is a bulb crop with a high fertilizer demand that is also fairly tolerant of fertilizer. It is suitable for cultivation in sandy loam soil rich in organic matter, with a loose and fertile topsoil, comprehensive nutrition, and good water and fertilizer retention and aeration. According to research: for every 1000 kg of fresh garlic produced, 4.5-5 kg of nitrogen, 1.1-1.3 kg of phosphorus, and 4.1-4.7 kg of potassium are required, with a ratio of 3:1...
Garlic is a bulb crop with a high fertilizer demand that is also fairly tolerant of fertilizer. It is suitable for cultivation in sandy loam soil rich in organic matter, with a loose and fertile topsoil, comprehensive nutrition, and good water and fertilizer retention and aeration. According to research: for every 1000 kg of fresh garlic produced, 4.5-5 kg of nitrogen, 1.1-1.3 kg of phosphorus, and 4.1-4.7 kg of potassium are required, with a ratio of 3:1:3. Therefore, on the basis of fully understanding the growth characteristics and fertilizer requirements of garlic, implementing scientific fertilization is the key to achieving high-quality and high-yield garlic.
According to the growth characteristics and fertilizer requirements of garlic, in garlic fertilization, the principles of giving priority to organic fertilizers with chemical fertilizers as a supplement, giving priority to base fertilizer with topdressing as a supplement, applying coarse fertilizers carefully and chemical fertilizers skillfully should be adhered to, so as to maximize the satisfaction of garlic's needs for nutrient elements during its growth and development.
(1) Apply sufficient base fertilizer: Because garlic has a shallow root system and few root hairs, its ability to absorb fertilizer is poor, so the quality requirements for base fertilizer (especially for the purpose of harvesting garlic scapes and garlic bulbs) are relatively high. It should mainly consist of decomposed manure or cake fertilizer, combined with a certain amount of phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer. Generally, apply 5000 kg of high-quality organic fertilizer per mu, 100 kg of cake fertilizer, and 25-35 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer.
(2) Apply seedling-promoting fertilizer early: Applying seedling-promoting fertilizer early helps promote rapid root development and seedling growth after emergence, and improves the overwintering performance of autumn-sown garlic. The seedling-promoting fertilizer should be applied about 15 days after emergence. Except for those with relatively high fertility and sufficient base fertilizer, where seedling-promoting fertilizer may be omitted, generally 15-20 kg of urea can be applied per mu.
(3) Increase the application of green-returning fertilizer: The green-returning fertilizer is generally applied in spring when the temperature rises and the heart leaves and root system of garlic begin to grow, and 20-30 kg of urea per mu is appropriate.
(4) Apply heavy fertilizer for scape emergence: It should generally be applied when the differentiation of scale buds and flower buds is complete and the garlic scape is forming. Because this is when the plant enters the vigorous growth period, and both the growth amount and fertilizer demand reach their peaks in succession, heavy application is generally required, accounting for about 40%-50% of the total topdressing, with 25-30 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer applied per mu.
(5) Skillfully apply bulb-strengthening fertilizer: The bulb-strengthening fertilizer should be applied 25-30 days after the scape-emergence fertilizer. The bulb-strengthening fertilizer should be mainly nitrogen fertilizer, combined with a small amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, to meet the nutrient needs of garlic scape and garlic bulb expansion. Generally, about 15 kg of high-nitrogen compound fertilizer is applied per mu.