Detailed Explanation of Key Points in Purple-Skinned Garlic Cultivation Techniques

Garlic is one of the seasonings we often use in daily life. According to color, its quality can be divided into red-skinned garlic, white-skinned garlic and purple-skinned garlic. Today Qinnong.com wants to introduce one of them——purple-skinned garlic. From the outside, purple-skinned garlic and white-skinned garlic differ only in color, so are there any differences in their cultivation methods? Below, Qinnong.com will take everyone 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 too early 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 may be appropriately earlier, while in warm regions it may be appropriately delayed.

II. Cultivation Density

For mainly harvesting garlic scapes and garlic bulbs, the usual cultivation density is 50,000-60,000 plants per mu, with a sowing rate of 120 kg per mu. Dibbling is recommended for sowing. According to test results, appropriately deep sowing can increase the rate of single-clove garlic, so after sowing the soil cover depth should be kept at 4-8 cm. For garlic after rice and for relatively heavy clay soil, the soil cover should be shallower.

III. Fertilizer and Water Management

The garlic root system is shallow, not drought-tolerant, and not waterlogging-tolerant, so irrigation should be timely according to soil moisture and plant growth conditions. Garlic has a long growth period and a high fertilizer requirement. Generally, 3,000-4,000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure is applied per mu; especially in continuous cropping fields, more organic fertilizer should be applied. For the application of inorganic fertilizers, the n, p, k ratio is: urea 40-60 kg, ordinary superphosphate 30-50 kg, potassium sulfate 15-30 kg. Farmyard manure and ordinary superphosphate are applied once as a base fertilizer, while urea and potassium sulfate are applied twice, at the mother-plant degeneration stage (4-6 leaves) and the bulb swelling stage (9-10 leaves). At the mother-plant degeneration stage, the fertilizer amount accounts for 60%, and at the bulb swelling stage, 40%.

IV. Pests, Diseases and Control

1. Diseases:

The main diseases of garlic include leaf blight, purple blotch, rust, white rot, sclerotinia rot, etc. Control should be based mainly on agricultural control, 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 the focus at the peak period of disease onset. For chemical control agents, choose 10% difenoconazole powder at 1500 times, or 25% prochloraz emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times, or 25% junweimei emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times. Apply once every 7-10 days, for 3-4 consecutive applications, and the control effect reaches more than 90%.

2. Insect pests:

The main insect pests include leafminers, Allium vinealis moths, thrips, aphids, etc. At the 3-4 leaf stage of garlic, spray 1.8% abamectin emulsifiable concentrate at 10-15 ml per mu, or 1.8% avermectin emulsifiable concentrate, or pyrethroid pesticides for control, which can effectively control the harm of this pest 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, carry out a one-time foliar treatment, 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 more than 90%, and it is safe and effective for garlic production.

V. Harvesting

Harvesting of garlic scapes: garlic scapes can be harvested when the bract leaves of the scape inflorescence extend 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 “nine yellow, ten harvest”; if harvested too early, the bulbs are tender, have high moisture content, and the garlic skin wrinkles after drying; if harvested too late, the garlic skin changes color and easily splits, giving poor marketability and reducing product quality. Single-clove garlic and divided garlic should be harvested in batches. Harvest when the leaves turn yellow 20-30 days after harvesting the garlic scapes. When harvesting, remove the mud, trim the root fibers, cut off the tops, and avoid mechanical damage.

The above is the purple-skinned garlic cultivation technique brought to you by Qinnong.com. It can be seen that the cultivation techniques for garlic are actually not very different. In a fundamental sense, purple-skinned garlic and white-skinned garlic are both garlic, so what exactly is different between them? Everyone should first master the cultivation technique for purple-skinned garlic, and afterward Qinnong.com will also provide relevant introductions regarding their differences.