The process of growing garlic is complex, but if you want to master all the nuances, even a novice gardener can. Not many people know that obtaining a “marketable” crop depends not only on a person’s experience and weather conditions, but also on the time of planting. Therefore, this criterion should be approached more responsibly and find out when it is better to plant garlic for the winter. It is also important to know how to save the situation if you have not met the deadlines.
When and how to plant garlic for the winter?
It is quite difficult to grow large winter garlic in your own garden, as this crop is very picky and demanding. The plant gives preference to loose soils that have a neutral acid reaction and are treated with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. But the requirements for the site - this is not the main thing, the crop also depends on when to plant garlic for the winter. If the teeth are in the ground too early, then they will have time to let out sprouts and will not be able to survive the winter, if it's too late, then they will simply freeze.
Landing time
It is impossible to specify the dates on which this winter crop needs to be planted in the ground, since it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the climatic conditions of each region. Moreover, in recent years, the weather is characterized by special variability, therefore, many cannot understand when it is better to plant garlic for the winter. That is why experienced gardeners began to use folk signs based on long-term observations. For example, if summer was preceded by late spring, then autumn will be the same. In such a year, it is better to plant garlic at the end of the first decade of October, then it will have time to take root in the soil before frosts come. The conditional term for planting crops ranges from September 25 to October 10-12.
The consequences of an early landing
It is not recommended to plant this crop earlier than September 25, even if autumn comes early. Early planting will lead to the fact that the plant in warm days has time not only to take root well, but also releases green shoots. Do not think that when it’s too early to plant garlic in the winter, it will get stronger faster and will easily tolerate frosts. No, he can survive the cold winter only on condition that frost will be preceded by heavy snowfall. Otherwise, at the first frost, the green shoots will simply freeze. This will cause the death of their root system. From the same plants that still manage to survive, do not expect a good harvest.
What is fraught with late landing of teeth
Those gardeners who missed the “good” planting time or simply don’t know how to plant garlic properly risk not getting a crop at all, since the teeth that fell into the ground even at the end of October, not to mention November, can simply freeze. For weakly rooted plants, a minimal drop in temperature can cause death.
What to do if “favorable” landing dates are missed
Life is rich in "surprises", so skipping time for landing is easy. But even if this happened, do not refuse to plant garlic at all. It will just be necessary to accelerate the germination of plants artificially. To do this, you need to lower the teeth for 3 hours in warm water or a humate solution. Then the sawdust is moistened with the same liquid in a wide tank, and only then planting material is placed in them. Such an artificial greenhouse should be placed in a secluded place for 2 days so that root buds are formed as soon as possible. Sprouted plants can be planted even in slightly frozen soil, but after removing its top layer.
In the ground pre-watered with warm water, it is necessary to carefully place the teeth and cover them with a layer of sawdust with the ground. Next, a section with garlic is covered with a film until the first snow, under which it takes root in a comfortable climate. This method of planting allows you to get a good harvest. But we already talked about when to plant garlic for the winter on time, and it is better to adhere to these recommendations.