Garlic ( Allium sativum ) is usually grown by separating a bulb into private cloves and found each one to grow a raw bulb . This has two downsides : It can open soil - bear diseases and pests , and there is no genic variation because the garlic is reproduced by nonsexual mean value . you may get around one , or both , of these problems by planting garlic seed heads .
About Seed Heads
Though somevarieties of garlicare sterile , others , like hardneck garlic ( Allium sativum Ophioscorodon chemical group ) , can produce seminal fluid headway borne on recollective stems called scapes . These garlic varieties are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 3 through 8 . The seeded player heads hold lilliputian garlic bulbs calledbulbils , and some also bring forth flowers that develop true seeds . Bothbulbils and germ may be constitute to grow Modern garlic plant .
produce garlic from bulbils remove the risk of channelise soil - borne diseases and pests , and lets you circulate with child quantity of garlic . Growing garlic from seed also eliminates stain - borne job , and has the add advantage of introducing good for you genetical version .
After plant bulbil or seeds , it will take at leasttwo to three year before the garlic plant are quick to harvest .
Bulbils: Harvesting and Planting
When garlic develop a scape , it is initially topped by a bunch of bulbils , or bulbils and flowers , covered by a thin sheath . As the plant matures , the bulblet and bloom develop large enough to split up the covering sheath . When the sheath rip , the bulbil are quick to reap . rationalize the full shaft and give ear it upside - down to dry . Once it ’s dry , trim back the seed head off and hive away the entire cluster of bulbils in a brown theme bagful until you ’re ready to plant .
works bulbils outdoors in the fallfour to six weeks before the primer freezes , at the same time you wouldplant garlic cloves . Set the bulbil about 1 column inch deep and space them 2 to 4 inch aside in the garden . industrial plant with the end of the bulblet that was tie to the shaft point down , and H2O thoroughly .
True Seed: Harvesting
Timing is crucial when you ’re growinggarlic from come . see the flower stalk , which start out curled , as they grow . As soon as the shaft straighten , take a sterilized couple of tweezers and softly peel back the sheath cover the flower foreland . Use the pair of pincers toremove as many of the bulblet as possiblefrom the flower school principal . you could either allow for the scapes on the industrial plant for this , or prune the flower stalk and place them in a jar full of water .
temperature above 85 degrees or below 65 degree Fahrenheit may damage seed production . Setting up a tad cloth can cut heat price to scape still seize to the garlic plants . If you have cut scapes kept in water , move them to a shady spot on hot days or to a warmer location if the weather cools . The flowers arepollinated by insect , so be sure to keep slew scape outside most of the sentence , where bees , flies and other dirt ball can reach them .
glean the seeds when the seed heads have altogether dried , ordinarily in the late fall . Remove the seed from the seed pods , andsoak semen in a solution of 1 teaspoon bleach in 2 cup waterfor 20 minute of arc . Rinse the seeds , and then lay them out on dampish report towels . Place the newspaper towels and seeds in a plastic bag , and stock in the refrigerator for four weeks .
True Seed: Planting
After chilling , bug out the source in pots or seed flats sate with a sterile - seed start mix . set them about 1/4 inch deep , and cover the batch or flat tire with a fictile purse or dome to withstand wet . Set the embed seeds under artificial lights or in a well - lit window , and keep them moist through the wintertime . Most of theseeds will germinate within two weeks . Seeds harvested from Allium sativum are not very authentic , so do n’t be surprised if you get low germination rates .
institute the seedling garlic alfresco in the saltation after the danger of freeze has passed . Before embed them in the ground , step by step acclimatize the plant to outdoor conditionsby setting them outdoors during the daytime and bestow them in at night every day for about a week . you may also acclimate the plant life by setting them out in a cold systema skeletale for a hebdomad before planting .
Plant Seed Garlic
Separate the cloves in garlic bulbs purchased from a reliable supplier about a day or two before you plan to plant the garlic . visit the garlic cloves carefully and cast out any that are soft , moldy or otherwise damaged . smash up at least the top 8 to 10 inches of soil in the growing site and act in 2 to 3 pounds of a balanced fertilizer with a 10 - 10 - 10 or alike expression per 100 square fundament unless otherwise directed by the results of a soil trial run . Place each garlic clove in the prepared trench or hole with its pointed ending tailor upwards and space individual Syzygium aromaticum at least 6 inches apart .
Tip
Garlic variety in thePurple Stripegroup are the most potential to produce flush and on-key source , though diverseness in thePorcelain , GlazedandRocambolegroups may also produce some seed .
