How often to water the garlic outdoors and until when?
Experienced gardeners know that the harvest is multiplied by the right irrigation system. In addition, it creates a beneficial microclimate for plants. Garlic is undoubtedly good for your health. However, this plant has its own characteristics. Namely: the requirement for a high level of soil moisture and a weak root system. This imposes its own technique of growing garlic, be it industrial cultivation or home cultivation, on the backyard.
How to water garlic correctly?
In order for garlic to grow with the right regimen, you need to understand the main points of its moisture intake. They are as follows:
- Irrigation is excluded when the average daily temperature drops below 13 degrees.
- Irrigation water should have a temperature of about 18 degrees.
- Early morning or late evening after sunset are good periods for irrigation.
- After each irrigation procedure, the soil must be loosened to a depth of two centimeters.
- After rain, you don't need to water the garlic.
These are the rules, the observance of which will ensure the correct irrigation regime for garlic.
Watering after planting
The initial phase of growth is the period from descent to the formation of cloves. The peculiarity of the period is the moisture requirements. Excessive moisture can also harm, but for this period this is not critical. How often to water the garlic after planting:
- Abundant soil moisture.
- Moisturizing depth - up to 30 centimeters.
- Humidification mode - once every 7-8 days.
- The first watering is done with top dressing, regardless of time.
Ripening period
Should garlic be watered at the time of ripening? It is necessary, but not as intense. When garlic sprouts in May, in July, the beginning of ripening of the bulbs. The period ends in August. Moisture delays the formation of bulbs and reduces the amount of minerals in them.
Based on this, watering of the plant should be stopped by August. Otherwise, the crop will be spoiled. Natural rainfall in summer is not so bad. But it is advisable to have grooves on the beds into which the precipitation will be diverted.
Stop watering when cleaning ahead
The garlic has grown, and the acquaintance with the results of painstaking work is ahead - harvesting. Do I need to water the garlic? The answer is no, before this event it is necessary to achieve the cessation of the flow of moisture into the soil. The date of irrigation stop depends on the purpose of growing the crop:
- For harvesting for storage - 20 days in advance.
- Processing - in 7 days.
The choice of harvest time depends on the growing region. Natural precipitation also contributes to the suspension of the irrigation period.It is advisable to check the preliminary weather forecast before harvesting if the garlic grows in the open field.
Irrigation methods
Delivery of water to the roots of plants is divided into several types. They are used depending on the gardener's abilities and the amount of garlic grown.
Manual irrigation
The first of them is the well-known hand irrigation. A primitive method without the use of mechanization. Disadvantages:
- Physical stress on the gardener, especially when you have to take care of a large area of plantings.
- The plantations require walking.
- The amount of moisture is dosed to the eye.
Advantages:
- The cheapness of the method.
- Does not require water supply to plantings.
- Independent of electricity.
The method is relevant for a small area of crops. This is how most summer residents water home garlic in the open field.
Sprinkling
Advantages:
- Precise distribution of water over crops. You just need to know how much water is needed for a certain stage of growth.
- Mechanical method.
Disadvantages:
- Dependence on electricity or water pressure in the system.
- If the system does not automatically shut down, the soil may become saturated with moisture. This can lead to salinization.
Note! The main disadvantage of the system is that it can provoke an increase in garlic diseases. A large amount of fumes will rise from the soil surface, and dangerous microbes with water vapor will fall on the feathers of the garlic.
Sprinkling is best done in small amounts. If possible, it is best to use a different watering method. Experienced summer residents stop watering in this way.
Drip irrigation
The drip irrigation system is recognized by the agricultural engineering community as the most effective. The reasons for this:
- Water flows exactly to the roots of the plant.
- Care with an even distribution of moisture.
- Precise regulation.
The only drawback of the system is the high cost of equipment. However, on a personal plot, it is possible to use a homemade drip irrigation system, which will be no worse than factory counterparts. Do I need to water the garlic from homemade systems? Yes, they only require adjustment.
Measuring soil moisture
Garlic needs moisture when the soil saturation drops below 70%.
The number of optimal moisture should be remembered and not allowed to fall during the season until the beginning of the ripening period. To measure soil moisture, it is advisable to use a device - a moisture meter. The accuracy of the measurements will allow for proper plant care.
But not all gardeners have it. Besides, some people feel sorry for the funds to buy the device. Is it possible to measure soil moisture in another way? Yes, for this they use the old-fashioned, manual method of measuring the moisture content of the earth. It is only required to take a handful of earth from a depth of about 10 centimeters. You need to squeeze a handful, and then open it. The results will be according to the following characteristics:
- 80% or more - liquid comes out of the computer.
- 75–70% - a lump is a formed ball that crumbles when pressed.
- 70% - there are outlines of fingers on the lump.
- 60% - the lump crumbles.
The correct moisture content is important during the ripening stage. This will help you know when to finish watering.
Outcome
By taking a note of how to water your garlic, you can grow a quality garlic crop. It is required to strictly observe the irrigation regime, while paying attention to natural precipitation. It is extremely important to monitor them during the ripening period. So that the soil is not oversaturated with moisture from rains - make a drainage system on the ridge.
It is optimal to use drip irrigation system. Watering garlic outdoors with such a system is simple and effective. It is easy to make it yourself from improvised means, even for small plantings. The manual method does not provide high accuracy, and because of this, the soil may be oversaturated with moisture.The drip system will bring water directly to the roots.
When to stop watering the garlic? Before ripening, reduce the amount of moisture, by the end - do not water at all.
