Garlic Chive (Blanched Garlic Sprout) Planting Methods and Cultivation Techniques
Garlic sprouts, of the lily family and genus Allium, are produced by softening cultivation of garlic bulbs under dark conditions. The leaves are waxy yellow, the base is tender white, and the pungency is mild. They are grown throughout China and are a vegetable commonly planted and enjoyed. Soilless-cultivated garlic chives are not sprayed with any pesticides or fertilizers and can be washed and eaten directly. Washing can remove harmful microorganisms remaining on the surface of garlic chives; the residual cleaning water is alkaline and can promote the degradation of acidic pesticides.
Garlic chive cultivation techniques:
1. Production season and site
Garlic chives have a short growing period and a wide temperature adaptation range, capable of growing at 12-30°C. Therefore, they can be produced in autumn, winter, and spring, and can be grown in open fields, protected areas, and ordinary homes. When seed garlic is in sufficient supply, sowing can be done in stages according to actual needs to meet holiday or occasional demand. However, within the suitable temperature range for sprouted seed garlic, the higher the temperature, the faster the growth; therefore, when planting, the growing site should be reasonably arranged according to the production season and changes in outside temperature to regulate the microclimate for garlic chive growth. Generally, for production in the high-temperature season of August to September, it is best to choose a shaded outdoor area or a cool, ventilated indoor site; in winter or early spring when outside temperatures are low, the planting site should be chosen in a sunny, wind-sheltered, warm place or inside a protected area to maintain a relatively high temperature.
2. Facilities
Garlic chives are produced by softening cultivation of garlic bulbs under dark conditions. Therefore, light must be blocked for garlic chive production. For open-field production, first make planting beds 1 m wide by conventional methods, then use wooden stakes or bamboo poles to build small frame structures 50-60 cm high on the beds, and cover the frames with black film or straw mats to block light. Black film is preferable as a covering, as it both blocks light and prevents rain, but for protected-area or indoor production, various opaque materials such as straw mats can be used to cover and block light. For small-scale household planting, local materials can be used, with various waste materials blocking light; for potted plants, a waste bucket can also be inverted over the planting pot, which is both simple and practical. To make full use of space, protected-area or indoor production can also use multi-layer bed frames according to specific conditions to expand the planting area. Each layer of the bed frame is about 80 cm apart, and the base is a planting bed 20 cm high. The bottom of the bed is spread with sorghum stalks and waste film, and on top a 10-12 cm layer of ordinary garden soil or sandy soil is spread.
3. Seed garlic
The nutrients needed for garlic chive growth mainly come from the garlic bulbs, so seed garlic must be selected from excellent white-skinned garlic varieties with large bulbs and few cloves. At the same time, care should be taken to select bulbs that are robust, plump, free of pests and diseases, and free of mechanical damage as seed. For early production in late summer and early autumn, attention should also be paid to selecting varieties with a short dormancy period.
4. Seed garlic treatment
Garlic bulbs have a certain dormancy period. To break dormancy and promote germination, treatment should be carried out before sowing. The method is to remove the outer skin of the bulb, the basal stem plate, and part or all of the skin of the garlic cloves to facilitate water absorption and gas exchange. Seed garlic sown early in August should also undergo low-temperature treatment at 0-4°C. Experiments show that seed garlic treated at 0-4°C for 20 days, when sown in late August in the Wuhan area, emerged 20 days earlier than the control. In addition, before sowing, the seed should be soaked in clean water for one day and night so that the seed garlic absorbs enough water and germination is accelerated.
5. Sowing
Garlic chives are mostly produced in protected areas or indoors. To make full use of the land and increase yield per unit area, dense planting should be used when sowing. When planting, place the garlic cloves one next to another tightly in the bed, leaving as little space as possible between cloves. Generally, about 14-15 kg of seed is used per 1 m. After planting, immediately cover with 3-4 cm of fine sandy soil, water thoroughly once, and at the same time cover well with light-blocking covers.
6. Management
After sowing, strictly control the temperature of the cultivation room, keeping the temperature between 18-22 degrees. It will soon sprout and emerge. After the young shoots emerge, promptly cover with a curtain to block light, softening the garlic leaves and ensuring the quality of the garlic chives. Covering with a curtain to block light must be timely; if light blocking is too late or not thorough, it will affect the quality of the garlic chives. During the day, maintain the temperature at 25-28 degrees, and at night maintain the temperature at 18-20 degrees. Also, irrigate promptly to ensure sufficient moisture; generally, irrigate once every 2-3 days, and strengthen ventilation to avoid the accumulation of large amounts of toxic gases, which can cause the garlic chives to die.
7. Harvest
Under suitable temperature and humidity conditions, 15-20 days after planting, when the garlic chives are 30-40 cm tall, the first cutting is made. Each 1 kg of seed garlic can yield 0.6-0.8 kg of garlic chives. After an interval of 15-20 days, a second cutting can be made, and 2-3 consecutive cuttings are possible. However, the second yield is only 60-70% of the first yield, and the third yield is even lower with poorer quality. Each 1 kg of seed garlic can yield a total of 1.2-1.5 kg of garlic chives.