How, when and how to feed garlic after winter - advice from experienced gardeners to get a rich harvest

The healing properties of garlic have been used for centuries in everyday life and medicine. There is no better vegetable than one grown on your own in your own garden. In order for large, healthy heads to form, the plant needs support during the growth process. In the spring, when nature wakes up, this is most relevant.

How and how to feed garlic after winter in order to preserve the medicinal benefits and not harm your health? Read more about this in the article.

Fertilization time for garlic in spring

In the spring, at the beginning of the growing season, garlic needs stimulation in order to grow stronger and resist diseases and pests.

As soon as the snow melts, and the earth warms up and does not have time to dry out completely, it is recommended to carry out the first feeding of winter varieties.

Why fertilize

The combination of organic matter with mineral fertilizers increases yields and strengthens the immunity of garlic to various diseases, protects it from pests. However, you cannot overdo it: overfeeding garlic is categorically contraindicated.

An excess of mineral fertilizers accumulates in the pulp of garlic heads in a form that is toxic to humans. Excessive organic matter in the soil causes rotting of the planting material.

Features of fertilization of winter and spring garlic

The nutrient application method is the same for all plant species. The difference is when to feed winter garlic and when to feed spring garlic.

Winter varieties form a root system in the fall, and in the spring they immediately begin to build up green mass.

Spring plant is planted in spring, after warming up the soil in the upper 15 cm layer to 5-10 degrees. At this temperature, the teeth begin to grow more actively, the development of the root system proceeds faster.

During the growing season, the need for nutrients changes depending on which parts of the plant are developing. Potassium and calcium predominate in the leaves, nitrogen and phosphorus in the inflorescences, and in the roots we find a large percentage of phosphorus and magnesium.

The need also varies depending on the growing season. The standard rule is that young plants need mainly nitrogen to ensure the growth of green mass. Potassium and calcium intake is gradually increased until the vegetative growth phase. Phosphorus intake is generally uniform throughout the growing season, except for a slight increase during flowering and seed formation.

How to feed yellowing garlic

Leaves turn yellow in different ways:

• the leaf plate between the veins has turned yellow or whitened, while the color of the veins themselves does not change: not enough iron, most often occurs on acidic soils;
• the lower leaves drooped, deformed, the color of the leaf plate between the veins turned yellow along the edge, the color of the veins did not change, spots of tissue death appeared: lack of magnesium;
• lethargy of leaves, especially the upper ones, delay and arrest of the growth of new shoots, white spots at the tip or throughout the leaf plate: lack of copper, often on soils with an excess of peat;
• the appearance of individual yellow spots on the leaves, primarily the lower ones, with the subsequent death of tissue in these areas, new leaves with a yellow speck: zinc deficiency, most often found on marshy or sandy acidic soils;
• the color of the leaves changes to light green, the edges curl, the veins darken, break when bending, the upper shoots are affected, up to death: a lack of boron occurs on swampy, calcareous and acidic soils;
• a large number of brown spots on the lower leaves, but the veins remain green, the leaf surface is swollen, the edges are twisted, over time, mottling appears on young leaves: there is not enough molybdenum;
• the upper leaves on the sides between the veins first acquired a light green, and then yellow color, less pronounced than with iron chlorosis, the veins remained green, as the leaves age, the yellowness spreads: lack of manganese;
• thin and sluggish shoots, stunted growth, poor development in general, yellowing of the veins, and then the entire leaf: lack of nitrogen;
• leaves and shoots turn bluish, continue to develop, but look oppressed: lack of phosphorus;
• pronounced marginal leaf burn - deformation of the leaf edge with subsequent drying, the appearance of brown spots on the leaf plate, the veins look pressed into the leaf plate, manifests itself primarily on the lower leaves: lack of potassium;
• brown spot, twisting, curvature and dying off of young shoots: a lack of calcium, leads to a violation of the assimilation of other elements, therefore, it can be accompanied by signs of potassium, nitrogen and magnesium starvation.

So that the heads are large

For the heads to be large, the plant needs a lot of sun. Garlic growing in partial shade can be fed with yeast.

During the ripening period of the garlic bulbs, you should not overfeed the garlic with nitrogen.

When signs of a lack of phosphorus, potassium and magnesium appear, additional feeding is introduced.

Garlic feeding scheme

Spring is the time for the growth of green mass. The plant needs nitrogen fertilization during this period.

In summer, they compensate for the lack of nutrients for the formation of the bulb.

In the fall, fertilize the soil before planting:

• for winter garlic for normal wintering and good germination;
• under the spring, so as not to dig up half-frozen ground in the spring.

Attention! A third of nitrogen and half of sulfate-potassium fertilizers are applied during pre-planting cultivation.

Number of dressings

During the growing season, garlic is fed 2 times, additional fertilizing is introduced if the plant has signs of micronutrient deficiency.

Top dressing is planned taking into account the vegetative phases, or growth stages.

There are two signs that help determine the beginning of the first and second stages:

1. The first - the appearance of 3-4 green leaves, indicates the need for nitrogen fertilization. Previously, the plant does not need them, since the reserves from the planting clove are used and there are not enough leaves that need nitrogen.
2. The second - the appearance of 6-8 green leaves means the beginning of the stage of bulb ripening. From this point on, they stop feeding garlic with nitrogen fertilizers due to the risk of deformation of the bulb.

Attention! Garlic does not like waterlogging, so top dressing is combined with watering.

What kind of soil should be fertilized?

Garlic is picky about the soil:

• winter varieties like neutral sandy loam;
• spring plants prefer slightly acidic loam.

Having determined the quality of the soil on the site, it is easy to provide the plants with conditions for comfortable growth.

The mechanical composition of the soil determines its density, water and air permeability, moisture capacity.

According to the mechanical composition, the soil is divided into:

• heavy: clayey;
• medium-heavy: loamy;
• light: sandy and sandy loam.

Heavy soils are rich in mineral elements in a form inaccessible to plants, but quickly compacted, after rain the surface is seized by a crust.Water often stagnates on them, plant roots suffer due to waterlogging.

Microorganisms do not work well in them and organic matter slowly decomposes, there is a nutritional deficiency. In spring, areas with such soil warm up longer, melt water leaves later, planting is started with a delay.

To remedy the situation, loosening components are introduced - for example, sawdust or sand. Sowing siderates is effective: choose crops with a strong root system that penetrates deep into the ground.

Light soils provide full air exchange and quickly warm up in spring, but do not retain water, losing nutrients along with it.

Moisture capacity is increased by introducing clay or large doses of organic matter.

Attention! Peat should be treated with caution: it increases the acidity of the soil and does not contain nutrients.

To roughly find out the composition of the soil, pour a lump of dry earth with vinegar (alkaline earth will make noise) or rinse the sample with distilled water and then dip a litmus paper into it (with an acid reaction, the paper will turn red, and with an alkaline one, it will turn blue).

Under natural conditions, it is possible to draw a conclusion about the acidity of the soil for some plants. For example, on acidic soils, horsetail, pickulnik, mint, buttercup, plantain, etc. usually grow, on neutral soils - coltsfoot, wild or field radish; Indicator plants such as chamomile, white creeping clover, and mustard will tell us about the alkaline reaction of the soil.

Acidity is expressed in terms of pH - a measure (ie decimal power) of the reciprocal of the concentration of hydrogen ions (H +), in units from 0 to 14. A pH value of 7.0 means neutral, higher - alkaline, lower - acidic.

The acidity of the soil is taken into account before planting to protect the plants from disease, starvation, impaired development or death.

In acidic soils (pH 4.0-5.5), iron, aluminum and manganese are in the forms available to plants, and their concentration reaches toxic levels. At the same time, the intake of phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, molybdenum into plants is difficult. On acidic soil, there can be an increased loss of plants without external causes - soaking, death from frost, the development of diseases and pests.

On the contrary, in alkaline (pH 7.5-8.5) iron, manganese, phosphorus, copper, zinc, boron and most trace elements become less available to plants.

Reduce acidity by liming. The need for soil deoxidation arises less often. Dolomite flour, lime and chalk, wood ash are used.

Increased acidity can be reduced by adding lime to the soil, and increased alkalinity by adding acid fertilizers: superphosphate, sulfates. Different types of soils also have different capacities to maintain a constant chemical reaction. We can say that most of the soil tends to gradually oxidize.

At the same time, sandy soils, unlike clay soils, are difficult to maintain the constancy of chemical properties. Lime should be added to them in small portions, but often, while heavy soils will tolerate higher doses.

If the leaves of the garlic are deformed, discolored, or their development has stopped, the plant is fed.

How to prepare formulations for feeding

The composition of fertilizers is determined taking into account:

• the degree of soil fertility, its mechanical composition and acidity;
• climate, amount of precipitation, probability of frost;
• area illumination;
• precursors of garlic and its neighbors;
• features of the variety, ripening period.

The composition of the mixture can be calculated based on all these conditions in each specific case.

For example, if the soils are acidic and heavy, a spring variety with a long growing season of green mass is planted on a garden bed in partial shade, during soil preparation it will be necessary to add potassium sulfate and feed it twice with a nitrogen-containing fertilizer with an interval of at least 2 weeks, supplementing with organic matter in the form of a bait or foliar fertilizer ...

Mineral fertilizers to strengthen garlic planted before winter

Nitrogen starvation helps plants survive frost damage. When the first shoots of the winter variety appear, the soil has not yet thawed, the bacteria in the soil have not activated, therefore nutrients are not available to the root system.

In spring, plants need nitrogen, they consume it in huge doses. However, it is necessary to control the amount of fertilizer and choose the right one for the site.

Urea or Carbamide - a valuable source of nitrogen, can be hazardous in alkaline soils, where it quickly decomposes into carbon dioxide and ammonia.

Ammonium nitrate is useful for alkaline and neutral soils; on acidic soils it is combined with calcium carbonate in a proportion of 0.75 g per 1 g of nitrate.

Superphosphate is useful when there is a lack of phosphorus in the soil. A sign of a shortage is a change in the color of the leaves to dark green or even blue, the appearance of a rusty hue.

Potassium sulfate is added to the soil before planting, it helps the plants to overwinter and nourishes them in the spring. In heavy clay soils and loams, it poorly passes into the soil composition and is locally locked in the place of application.

Kalimag is suitable for light soils, peaty - in combination with liming. When buying, pay attention to the origin of the raw materials: depending on the place of extraction of potassium chloride, the radiological background may be increased. An excess of potassium and magnesium weakens the root system.

Nitrophoska: the amount of the main elements of fertilizer - nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium - can vary, which is indicated on the label, 16:16:16 is suitable for garden plants. An easy-to-use fertilizer that is effective on all types of soil.

Nitroammophoska is rich in all substances necessary for a plant at different stages of life. It is used for pre-sowing application, top dressing and foliar top dressing, saves time and money, but provokes the concentration of nitrates in the soil, easily ignites and explodes.

Organic fertilizers and folk remedies

The combination of organic nutrition with minerals is favorable for garlic. Full fertilization of the soil in the fall is often enough to provide the crop for the entire growing season.

Attention! Garlic does not tolerate fresh manure and unripe humus.

Fresh manure, enriching light soils, is applied under the culture preceding the garlic at the rate of 7-10 kg per square meter. m., chicken droppings - 2 times less. Semi-decomposed manure can be applied in the fall when preparing the site for the spring planting of spring varieties.

Raw humus is useful for the first deep cultivation, it oxidizes the soil.

Mulching with mature organic matter does not overload the soil, and spraying and feeding with organic infusions gives an immediate effect - however, it can attract pests to the garden. Compost is a favorable environment not only for worms, but also for pests such as the bear and May beetle, which leave their offspring in the compost.

Siderata are classified as organic fertilization methods. However, their effect covers the entire spectrum of land reclamation: they replenish the composition of the earth with minerals, including nitrogen, promote the decomposition of poorly soluble phosphorus compounds, reduce the loss of moisture and mobile nutrients in the soil, improve its agrophysical parameters, and reduce weediness.

Some have a phytosanitary effect by suppressing the proliferation of garlic pests. Siderata are planted before or at the same time as garlic.

Foliar dressing

Spraying fertilizer on the stalks and leaves of garlic increases the absorption of nutrients by the plant, but does not replace soil preparation and basic feeding.

Mixtures with a lower concentration are used, they are both mineral and organic. Sprayed in the evening or in cloudy weather.

Attention! The method is used when there are signs of a lack of essential substances.

Folk remedies for feeding garlic

The list of dressings for garlic is not limited to traditional agrochemicals - thanks to the ingenuity of domestic gardeners, a number of other effective dressings are used.

Chicken droppings

Such droppings contain nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, increases resistance to bacterial and fungal infections, eliminates mold on the soil surface and helps plants survive drought. Accelerates the maturation of the compost.

In the soil intended for planting garlic, it is recommended to add 3-3.5 kg per square meter before planting the previous crop. m.

For feeding, dissolve 1-1.5 kg in 15-20 liters of water, the consumption is 3-4 liters per 1 sq. m. Water between rows of garlic. The solution should not come into contact with leaves and roots.

Attention! It is unsafe to work with fresh droppings without gloves and a mask due to the large number of helminth eggs and the high content of pathogens for humans.

Hydrogen peroxide

The atomic oxygen contained in hydrogen peroxide will help garlic to get gas on heavy soils. The bactericidal properties of peroxide will protect against rot and fungal diseases.

Instead of ordinary water, pour a solution in the proportion of 1.5-2 tbsp. l. for 1 liter of water.

Wood ash

The chemical compounds of calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium contained in ash nourish plants and help fight diseases.

When the edges of the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry, the ash is scattered under the plants before watering.

Attention! Contraindicated in alkaline soils.

Yeast

They activate the activity of microorganisms in the soil, contributing to a change in the composition and activating the production of nitrogen and potassium. Increase plant endurance in low light conditions.

Feeding with yeast will not replace a full-fledged complex of fertilizers, but it will become an additional growth stimulator. There are many recipes for yeast dressings, they are used depending on the composition of the soil.

Ammonia

Aqueous ammonia with a high nitrogen content. In combination with organic ingredients, it avoids soil acidification. Spraying with a mixture of soapy water and ammonia protects against pests.

Attention! Ammonia poisoning occurs through the skin, mucous membranes and respiratory tract. When using ammonia, be sure to use rubber gloves, a respirator, goggles and a nonwoven apron.

Why Garlic Precursors Should Be Considered

Garlic is sensitive to its predecessors and neighbors.

So that an unfavorable neighborhood does not inhibit the process of plant growth and does not lead to the degeneration of the seed, follow a few guidelines:

• plant the garlic well after legumes, cabbage, melons, cucumbers, lettuce and green manure;
• bad - after onions, potatoes, a tomato;
• coexists next to salad, beans, tomatoes, parsnips and kohlrabi;
• does not like the neighborhood with radish, beets, carrots, asparagus and spinach.

Conclusion

The decision on how to fertilize garlic is made based on capabilities, productivity requirements, and personal preference. An indicator of the fruitfulness of efforts is the plant itself, not only after collection, but also in the process of growth. Constant cultivation of the soil, control of the amount of fertilizers used and all types of baits will not slow down to affect the quality and tasty harvest.