When and why should you tie garlic leaves?

To get quality garlic, gardeners use the old "grandfather" trick. Garlic leaves, a few days before harvesting, are tied, imitating a kind, not very tight knot. Such nodules of garlic tops can often be found in the garden of grandmothers, who believe that after such a procedure, the bulbs will be better stored. There is no scientific evidence on whether it is possible to extend the shelf life of garlic in this way. But knitting garlic before harvesting remains a tradition that can be easily explained.

Important! Due to biological characteristics, garlic grows a feather even during the period of bulb formation.

Why tie garlic?

Such techniques have a logical explanation. Why waste energy on a useless process? Perhaps, initially, in this way, they tried to protect the bulb from infection during the period of its active formation. As a result, the quality of the tied garlic was higher. The bulbs were stored better. This result is quite understandable.

Unlike onions, in garlic, the transition of substances from the aerial part to the bulb is much slower.

The dying off of leaves is not so intense. The process of formation of cloves and bulbs for some time goes along with the continued growth of the feather. By tying garlic in knots, they affect the green part of the plant, which is responsible for a number of important functions, including photosynthesis. Biological stress triggers an intense outflow of nutrients to the bulb. The leaves begin to dry out quickly, from which protective scales are formed. The bulb is a storage organ of the plant; it loses its ability to germinate, but acquires the ability to long-term storage.

Of course, the quality and size of the bulbs are influenced to a greater extent by the composition of the soil and proper care. But a simple and completely free admission has a right to exist. And whether it is necessary to spend additional efforts on its implementation, everyone has the right to decide independently.

Note! Terms of harvesting winter and spring garlic are significantly different.

When to tie garlic?

It is customary to tie the tops 3-5 days before the harvest. Therefore, the cleaning time must be determined for yourself as accurately as possible. Why is this so important?

1. This is due to the fact that spring and winter garlic differ in terms of planting and harvesting. It is the moment of harvest that determines when to tie the garlic leaves. The winter species ripens in the first half of July, and the spring species, depending on the variety, a few weeks later. In late-ripening spring varieties, the growing process can last until the end of September or the first days of October.
2. There are situations when there are several varieties with different ripening periods on the site, what to do in this case. You need to understand that garlic, if not harvested on time, outgrows and divides into slices.So you need to approach the harvesting process taking into account the characteristics of the variety. Collect the bulbs as they ripen, without waiting for massive feather lodging.
3. Also, the beginning of the harvest is affected by abnormal weather conditions. What to do if summer is rainy or dry? Elevated temperatures or extended periods of rain will alter the growth rate and quality of the bulbs. So in case of abnormal situations, it is better to remove the garlic earlier than to be late with the harvest.

Take a look also

How to properly store garlic at home after digging up?

The main signal for collection is the yellowing of the feather tips and cracking of the husk on the inflorescences. All these signs indicate that the process of bulb formation has begun, you need to prepare for harvesting.

Note! Timely removal of flower arrows increases the yield of bulbs by 3 times.

How to tie garlic?

Before tying the garlic feather, pay attention to the flower arrows. If your garlic is throwing away flower shoots, then the question arises whether you need to trim the arrows, which by this time become very tough. Of course, the arrows are removed, and ideally not before cleaning, but much earlier. About a couple of months after germination, the garlic begins to form flower arrows. The hard stem should be cut as early as possible at a level of 2-3 cm. If you did not have time to do this, you will have to remove the arrows at this stage. This procedure applies to winter varieties. Spring cultivars do not produce arrows.

After removing the arrows, the garlic tops are easily tied into any knots.

1. The procedure is simple, but it is advisable to tie the garlic with work gloves. By the final stage of growth, the feathers of garlic become tough. It is easy to injure hands with hardened feathers. Fresh juice is quite toxic and can burn the skin.
2. At the first stage, for plants with a flowering arrow, remove it in any convenient way. The arrow is hard enough. The stem can be simply broken off with your hands, but not pulled out. As a result of a careless break, the bulb can simply be torn out of the ground, but what is worse - damage its integrity. I cut the stems with pruning shears, but garden shears or a sharp knife are suitable for pruning.
3. After you have trimmed the stalk of the stalk, start tying the feather. Grasp the garlic foliage with your hands and twist it slightly to form a bundle to avoid breaking individual feathers when tying. Proceed carefully, the leaves do not need to be crumpled. Tie the feather cord into a regular knot.
4. If feather height is not enough, twist the leaves into two bundles and tie them in a straight knot. Too high a feather from neighboring plants can be tied together for speed of work. In the case when the feather turned out to be too short, I just knitted a pigtail from it.

Take a look also

Why garlic can grow small, not divide into cloves and grow in one head

It is clear that there are many ways to dress. In each case, the most suitable node is used. When the procedure is completed, the associated plants are left as they are until harvesting. During harvesting, the plants are buried in, carefully pulled out of the ground and folded under a canopy to dry. The feather is not cut off, as the bulb is still ripening. Only after the leaves are completely dry, the roots and the remnants of the feather are trimmed.

Of course, with a large area of ​​plantings, it will not be possible to tie a feather in all plants. But in a small area, this is quite possible. It is customary to loosen the soil shortly before harvesting and to shake off the soil from the bulbs. It is convenient to do this after the feather is tied in a knot and does not interfere with the processing of the aisles. Of course, such work requires additional time. Here everyone has the right to make a choice. After all, no one can give guarantees that the garlic after such pre-harvest preparation will become of better quality and will be stored longer.