Detailed Garlic Cultivation Techniques: Management Methods from Sowing to Harvest
1. Land preparation: Choose fertile soil with good sunlight and a thick soil layer, plow deep and harrow level, then open furrows for fertilizer. The fertilizer furrow is 35 cm wide, 30 cm deep, with a row spacing of 50 cm. Apply 4 cubic meters of high-quality farmyard manure and 80 kg of quick-acting nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer per mu. Apply the fertilizer in the furrows, mix thoroughly with soil, and fill level.
2. Sowing: Giant garlic has a longer growth cycle than ordinary garlic and needs early planting and late harvest. Open a sowing furrow 6 cm deep in the middle of the fertilizer furrow, irrigate, then sow, placing one garlic clove per hole, with a plant spacing of 30 cm. After sowing, cover with soil and level the furrow.
3. Seedling separation: Because giant garlic cloves are relatively large, a very small number of cloves are formed by two cloves merged together; some garlic bulbs also contain two or more bud embryos, which leads to the phenomenon of one clove producing double or multiple plants after sowing. Use a flat-headed knife to cut vertically downward through the middle of the merged plants, leaving 1 plant, and dig out the excess plants for transplanting elsewhere. Seedling separation and transplanting can be carried out 30 days after sowing.
4. Management: Before emergence, water about once every 5 days to keep the soil moist and favor emergence. After full emergence, hoe shallowly once, and afterward water appropriately as needed. After winter begins, in cold northern regions, add a cover of rice straw, corn stalks, etc. for cold protection. It is best to add a layer of sheep, cattle, or horse manure underneath, then cover with straw. This protects against cold and also increases soil fertility. After spring begins, promptly fertilize in combination with watering, and do a good job of clearing field weeds. Shallow hoeing after watering can raise ground temperature and accelerate garlic growth.
5. Harvest: Giant garlic should not be harvested too early, so as not to affect yield and quality; it is best to harvest when the leaves turn yellow. After harvesting, dry it promptly and store it in a ventilated, dry place for seed saving or eating.