Grow Garlic

How to Grow Chinese Garlic

Abstract

This article introduces typical method used in China to grow garlic. Soil
selection, planting season, fertilizer application and diseases and pest control
ways are discussed too.

Keywords: garlic, grow garlic, Chinese garlic

About Author:  Mr. Gao Lifeng is expert for many years in growing and
shipping garlic , and manager of major Chinese garlic exporter Yafod
International Limited ( http://www.prettygarlic.com ).

Chinese garlic should be planted in fertile, loose sand soil with good
water drainage ability. Planting period should be chosen between mid-August to
mid September. If it is for the purpose of growing green garlic sprouts, garlic
seed should be sowed before mid-August. If it is for the purpose of growing
garlic bulbs and stems, seeds may be sowed at end August or early September. 
Before sowing, you should spread enough base fertilizer. Normally, for each mu
(666m2) you should spread 2000+ kg of well-composted pig/sheep/duck or other
livestock wastes, 30kg of acid phosphate, 5kg of potassium sulphate. For acid
soil you should also spread 50-70 kg of caustic lime in order to adjust the PH
value of the soil.   After ploughed fallow, make soil smooth with a rake. Then
make small plots of farm land with the raked soil. Each plot width with the
ditch is 1.4m. Before sowing, use 100g of 50% prometryn powder solved in water
to get rid of weed.

Normally green garlic sprouts can be collected between October and next
March. Garlic stems can be collected between March and April. Garlic bulbs can
be collected between April and May. Each mu you may sow about 50-70kg of garlic
seeds. You need to grade the garlic cloves from big to small, so that garlic
sprouts can grow uniformly. Distance between each row and each column should be
10x15cm, and garlic cloves depth in the soil should be just letting the soil
covering the seeds. After sowing, you should cover with pig manure or rice
haulm, and spread with diluted human wastes. Later on, water should be poured to
preserve the moisture of the soil and help sprouts to grow. Seedling emergence
normally takes only 10-15 days.

Garlic needs a lot of fertilizers. Top dressing should start as soon as
sprouts reach 3-5cm. Each 15 days, each mu need to apply 1000g human wastes or
10g of urea. Such spreading should last 3-4 times. 2 months after sprouting, you
may start to collect green garlic sprouts time after time until March. Normally
you can get more than 1000g green sprouts each mu. Each time you collect green
sprout, you should  make one top dressing. In early March and end March, you
need to make a big spread of 15kg urea accompanied by water pouring in order to
improve the garlic stem and bulb grow.

Major garlic diseases are white rot, leaf blight and purpura. Once it
happens, you may use 70% thiophanate methyl or 50% carbendazim mixed in water to
pour into the ground. Major garlic pests are garlic maggot, onion thrips and
others. You may use 50% phoxim 500 times solution to pour the roots to prevent
garlic maggot. For onion thrips, you may use 40% dimethoate or 80% DDVP to
prevent.

From April to June, when garlic bulbs begin to expand, you should spread
fertilizers and pour water appropriately until late stage of garlic bulb
expanding. Then you should pay attention to filed drainage to prevent open bulbs
caused by rotten garlic skin. Garlic stems can be collected once it outgrows the
leaf sheath for 10cm. Normally each mu you may collect 200kg or so of garlic
stems. When garlic leaves turn withered and yellow, you may choose a sunny day
and pull the complete stool off the ground, bundle them into beams, hang them
at  shady and cool place waiting for sale.

For more details of garlic and garlic planting, please visit http://www.prettygarlic.com

Garlic Field and Harvesting Pictures