How to prepare garlic beds for the winter: step-by-step instructions for novice farmers and advice from experienced colleagues
Who doesn't dream of a rich harvest on their site? It rarely happens that the gardener almost does not have to make an effort for this. Often, only fruitful work leads us to the expected result. And if the gardener has set himself the goal of growing garlic, it is worth taking care of this in the fall. By doing everything right, you will have a good harvest in the middle of summer.
Consider what is the preparation of the garden for garlic in the fall.
The content of the article
Preparing the land and beds for autumn planting of garlic
The basic conditions for a plentiful and high-quality harvest of garlic are the right choice of a place and adherence to agricultural technology in the preparation of the beds and soil... Before preparing the soil, you need to choose a place for the future bed and determine the acidity of the soil. It is important to understand if additional soil preparation is needed before planting.
Determining the landing site
Ideal for a garden of winter garlic - a sunny section of the garden, preferably on a hill, so that the spring melt water does not flood the culture. The correct location of the beds is in the north-south direction.
Attention!An important point is the fertility of the soil and the level of its acidity. Garlic is planted only after certain crops.
If you plant a culture without knowing this rule, you can get a small, weak and sick crop.
Determination of soil acidity
In an acidic environment, plants cannot assimilate minerals vital for them., and it often happens that novice agronomists, even with strict adherence to all the rules, do not get the expected result. What is soil acidity? Soil with a lack of lime and an abundance of hydrogen ions is unsuitable for the growth of plant crops.
To determine the acidity of the soil, use an acid meter... To do this, make a small depression in the ground, free a fragment of the site from debris, stones, branches and roots. Distilled water is poured into the well. As soon as the water turns to the color of the soil, the dipstick is lowered into it for 60 seconds. After that, the display will show the acidity level of the soil. The normal acid-base balance of the soil is 3.5-5.5 units. A higher value indicates that the soil is unsuitable for planting crops.
Important! To determine the acidity of the soil with an acid meter, only distilled water is suitable, since it is this water that has a neutral environment. Do not touch either the acid meter probe or the water in the depression with your hands, as this will distort the result.
If there are no special devices at hand, the acidity level of the soil is determined by other methods:
- several black currant leaves brewed with boiling water;
- on the most common weeds;
- using table vinegar.
If there is increased acidity on the site, it makes no sense to wait for a good harvest... The soil will have to be deoxidized - lime. This is done in several passes. When deeply digging a site, dry calcium hydroxide ("fluff"), chalk, dolomite flour, wood ash, green manure or slaked lime are added to the soil every two years. With each subsequent treatment, the concentration of the additives is reduced.With uneven acidity of the soil on the site, deoxidation is carried out zonally.
Planting dates for winter garlic in autumn
Planting period crops in the ground depends on the expected landing depth:
- If you plan to plant garlic 3-5 cm (which is most often done), then sow 2-3 weeks before the first frost. In the central European zone of Russia, this period, as a rule, falls on the end of September - beginning of October, and in the southern regions - a month later.
- Garlic, planted 10-15 cm deep, takes root better and tolerates cold more easily. In the middle regions, it is planted already from the end of August, and in the south, respectively, in a month.
Tillage
Before planting garlic for the winter, the soil must be properly prepared in advance.
Algorithm:
- Soil preparation... In the period from the second half of August to mid-September, the soil is fertilized. For every 1 sq. m beds apply a mixture of 10 kg of humus, 2 tbsp. wood ash, 1 tbsp. chalk, 2 tbsp. l. sodium sulfate and 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate. The mixture is evenly distributed over the selected area, then the soil is dug to a depth of at least 2/3 of the shovel bayonet. This depth will allow the soil to be well saturated with useful minerals.
- Garden bed formation... Its optimal size for winter garlic is up to a meter wide. The site must be raised 20 cm above the level of the site so that excess moisture does not enter the roots, which can cause rotting of the culture.
- Must be given time for soil shrinkage after digging... With a small amount of precipitation, the garden bed is watered several times.
Council.Do not rush and plant garlic on a freshly dug garden bed. When the soil settles, the sown material ends up deeper in the soil and takes longer to germinate in the spring.
The next stage in the preparation of the beds is the treatment of the soil from pests... Disinfection is carried out after soil shrinkage.
Soil disinfection
The earth is treated with a solution copper sulfate (1%). Dilute 1 tbsp. l. substances in a bucket of water and water the garden. For 1 sq. m of the garden is enough for half a bucket of solution. After that, cover the soil with a film.
1-2 days before the expected planting of the culture on the surface of the garden, you need to scatter urea with the calculation of 15-20 g per 1 sq. m plot and water the soil with water.
Different preparations are used to disinfect the soil.... "Fitosporin" and "Topsin-M" effectively resist the formation and spread of fungus. Such insecticides with an antiseptic effect as "Acrobat" and "Ridomil Gold" disinfect the soil from many pests, but they need to be used in combination with other drugs.
It will be interesting:
How to cover garlic for the winter, how and when to do it
To treat the soil before planting garlic, the following solutions are suitable:
- Copper sulfate solution... A bucket of water is bred 2 tbsp. l. substances. This amount is enough for 2 sq. m beds.
- Strong solution of potassium permanganate... Manganese crystals are gradually poured into a bucket of water and mixed thoroughly. Manganese is added until, with the dissolved crystals, the color of the liquid turns crimson. It is important not to overdo it with crystals - an excess of the substance will ruin the soil.
- Bordeaux mixture. Dilute 100 g of the substance in a bucket of water (this is about 5 tbsp. L.). This amount of solution is enough for 1.5-2 sq. m beds.
- Multi-component solution... For its preparation, 10 g of copper sulfate and the same amount of boric acid are diluted in a bucket of water. Manganese is added until the solution acquires a light crimson hue.
- Complex solution based on copper sulfate... Dissolve 1 tbsp in a liter of hot water. l. copper sulfate, poured into a bucket. Additionally, 1 tbsp is dissolved in the same amount of already cold liquid. l. soda and the same amount of ammonia.This solution is poured into a bucket with a solution of copper sulfate, cold water is added to make the bucket full.
Disinfecting solutions are evenly applied to the surface soil with a watering can.
Fertilizers when planting
Planted seeds must take root before winter comes... For this they need phosphorus and potassium. Tilling the land before planting a crop consists in adding fertilizers while digging.
Use compost, humus or mineral mixtures:
- wood ash diluted with water with the calculation of 1 liter of substance per bucket of water;
- phosphate rock (used no more than 1 time in 3 years);
- superphosphate solution with water (the mixture is prepared according to the instructions on the label).
Along with the compost, it is allowed to apply mineral fertilizers... In order for the soil to be better saturated with nutrients, it is better to use fertilizers in liquid form.
What kind of manure to apply under garlic
Do not use fresh humus for garlic., since the ammonia contained in it is dangerous for the developing root system. It is better to apply compost in combination with wood ash, phosphorites or two-year-old humus. But here it is also important to observe proportions so as not to harm. 1 liter of the complex mixture is diluted in a bucket of water and spread over 2 sq. m beds.
Mineral fertilizers for garlic
When choosing mineral fertilizers, it is important that the nitrogen coefficient is not exceeded.... Superphosphate contains 8% nitrogenous substances, so it can be used.
The following complex mixtures are also used:
- "Nitroammofosku";
- two-component mixtures with a predominance of potassium and phosphorus;
- "Azofosku" winter type.
Under the garlic, it is better to fertilize the ground with a liquid composition.
How to prepare garlic for planting in the fall
Winter garlic propagates in three ways: seeds, teeth and bulbs. Only teeth are suitable for autumn planting. During the winter, the planting material takes root, and large heads grow by July.
Seed preparation algorithm:
- Calibration. The largest dried heads not affected by rot and other diseases are selected from the available winter garlic.
- Selection of teeth. Carefully divide each head of garlic into cloves, choosing only the largest ones for planting. If there is little planting material, the available teeth are sorted by size. Subsequently, they will also need to be planted - in groups. This is necessary for the uniformity of seedlings. If there are 3 or 4 cloves in the onion, even if they are the largest, it is better to leave such a head for food. This pathology indicates the degeneration of culture. Also, do not leave the affected teeth for planting.
- Preparing the cloves... The bottom is removed from each tooth for rooting. This must be done as carefully as possible so as not to damage the clove shell, immediately before the next stage of preparation.
- Seed treatment... A week before the intended landing, the prepared teeth are soaked for 24 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Ash liquor or copper sulfate is also used for this purpose.
Pre-soaking of planting material strengthens plant immunity against fungal infections and other microorganisms.
Immediately before planting, the seed is soaked in saline (3 tbsp. L. Substance for half a bucket of water) for 2-3 minutes. Then the garlic is kept in a solution of copper sulfate (1 tbsp. L. Per bucket of water) for 1-2 minutes in order to disinfect the material.
Reference.The vitriol solution is then used for the pre-planting treatment of the beds.
Instead of copper sulfate, a manganese solution, ash infusion or Fitosporin-M. In such solutions, the cloves are kept for at least half an hour.
Planting winter garlic
The planting time of garlic depends on how deep the prongs are placed in the ground.... The timing is quite flexible, the main thing is to have time to do everything 40 days before the first frost. This period is quite enough for the garlic to take root and then successfully endure the winter cold.If you plant a crop earlier, it can germinate before frost and the future harvest will be spoiled.
To begin with, prepare a bed for garlic before winter... The sites for planting crops are designated on the site. Grooves are made, the depth of which depends on the planting of the culture. This is about 5-6 or 13-15 cm. The distance between the grooves should not exceed 20 cm, and from the sides of the bed - 5 cm. A small layer of a mixture of ash, potassium salt and superphosphate with coarse sand is poured into the furrows. Then the bed is spilled with a slightly boring solution of potassium permanganate.
More about garlic:
Planting winter garlic to a depth of 10-15 cm
In the middle lane, where winter conditions are more severe, garlic is planted to a depth of 10-15 cm... This depth allows the culture to build up a good root system in order to safely transfer the cold. The teeth are placed in the ground with the sharp top at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, slightly deepening into the ground.
Council.You can place the prongs on the barrel when landing. There is an opinion that this way garlic will winter better.
After 1-2 weeks after disembarkation, humus is applied to the garden or peat no more than 2 cm thick.
Planting garlic before winter at a depth of 3-5 cm
This method is practiced in the southern regions of the country.... This depth will be enough for the garlic to take root and endure the winter cold. The planting material is placed in the grooves with the bottom down, slightly deepening each clove. The distance between the teeth is 12-15 cm.
Further steps for both landing options are identical... The beds are buried with rotted compost. The peculiarity is that simply filling the grooves and leveling the bed is not enough. It is necessary to create a dense layer of soil, since the loose earth will quickly be washed out by precipitation. Buried beds should be tamped a little.
In the northern regions and the middle lane, mulching of the beds is mandatory... This procedure is necessary for warming the crop and further feeding the soil. The layer of mulch is about 10 cm. For this purpose, pine needles, peat, leaves, humus, wood ash, a mixture of soil with sawdust or dry manure, in general, any plant waste, are ideal.
Reference.In the southern regions, it is not necessary to mulch the beds.
The last stage is winter garlic insulation... This is done at sub-zero temperatures. Snow is considered the best "blanket" for winter crops. If the site is well ventilated, you can put temporary fences around the perimeter of the garden so that the snow is not blown away by the wind. The beds are covered with spruce branches, spunbond or dry branches.
What vegetables can be the precursors of garlic
Winter garlic needs a soil rich in organic fertilizers. Prior cultures provide this.
It is better to plant garlic after:
- cucumbers;
- tomatoes;
- legumes;
- early cabbage;
- pumpkins;
- zucchini.
It is not recommended to plant garlic after potatoes, turnips, radishes, carrots or onions.
Useful Tips
To get a quality crop, follow all recommendations... Novice summer residents often make elementary mistakes, due to which, in the end, they do not get the expected result.
Common mistakes:
- The location of the garden bed below. Due to excess moisture, the heads will rot.
- The landing date is one of the key points. The crop should be planted when the nights are cold and the days are warm.
- Insufficient insulation. If the garden bed is not covered with enough snow in winter, the garlic will freeze.
- The arrows must be removed, otherwise all the nutrients will not remain in the head, but go into the air bulbs.
- In spring and summer, do not forget about watering and feeding.
Conclusion
Garlic is considered one of the most unpretentious crops, and if all planting and care recommendations are followed correctly, then by the summer you will get a bountiful and high-quality harvest. And clearly about how to prepare the beds for planting crops, how to cultivate the land and how to grow garlic correctly - further in the video.