Often, for growing garlic, a technology is used that provides for planting before winter. But the harvest does not always meet expectations, which is due to non-compliance with the bait schedule. The culture, although considered unpretentious, requires some attention, especially in matters of fertilization at the beginning of the season, in anticipation of the period of increased growth. You need to know how to feed a vegetable in spring, planted before winter.
In addition to chemistry, you can fertilize winter garlic with folk remedies - yeast, chicken droppings, and so on. Spring and winter garlic need different feeding in the open field. Also, seedlings in May and April must be cared for properly.
Do I need feeding for garlic planted before winter
Garlic after waking up needs a good stimulant, which makes it possible for young shoots to get stronger and resist diseases and pests. The growing season on a nutritious soil enriched with trace elements useful for the plant proceeds faster, which ensures a good harvest.
A well-groomed culture develops better, since when it ripens, it selects from the soil all the nutrients that are necessary for normal vegetation.
In an empty area, it will not be possible to collect high-quality root crops if you do not water them with top dressing and fertilize them properly. This means that at best it will be possible to dig out small heads with small teeth from the ground. In addition to the underdeveloped size, the fruits have a low taste quality.
Spring bait is characterized by the activation of plant growth, therefore it is appropriate to use nitrogen fertilizers... Also, for the vegetative process, phosphorus and potassium supplements are needed. The introduction of organic matter or minerals strengthens the immunity of garlic to various diseases, in particular fungal.
Diseases and pests affect, first of all, weak shoots, so you should not ignore the schedule for processing the beds.
For all the usefulness of fertilizers, they should not be abused... An excess of nutrients provokes the growth of tops, and the heads are small in size with low taste.
What can be fed in spring
In addition to the planned introduction of fertilizers, dressing is used when growing garlic. That she is needed plant itself prompts.
Young shoots may turn yellow or lethargic. It is necessary to carefully study the symptoms, because the signs of a lack of trace elements are sometimes similar to the nematode and other diseases.
In the spring, gardeners feed garlic thrice... The first procedure is carried out immediately after the snow melts. At this time, the plant is experiencing a deficiency of minerals necessary for vegetation. The second complementary food should be introduced no earlier than 2 weeks.
The exact timing and composition of the nutrient mixture is determined depending on the degree of plant formation and characteristics.
- The beds with dying plants are fertilized ammonium nitrate.
- When lightening feathers, use potash baits... Sprinkle wood ash over the soil before watering.
- Greens may turn yellow due to soil acidification. In such cases, the soil is enriched before planting. dolomite flour or crushed limestone.
- Slow growth of greenery indicates nutritional deficiencies. As a top dressing, solutions are used: based on urea (1 tbsp. L. Per bucket of water), mullein (1 cup per 10 l of water) or bird droppings (1 tbsp. Per bucket of water).
Wood ash for garlic is both a prophylactic agent against diseases and a source of nutrition.
When to fertilize for a good harvest
An important point when growing winter varieties of garlic is fertilizing the soil before planting... Spring work on the beds depends on the quality of the preparatory work.
- As soon as the snow melts, you can plan your first bait. This period occurs in each region at different times, so you need to focus on the established positive daytime temperature.
- The second stage of soil enrichment with nutrients is performed two weeks after the first feeding. During ripening, the root crop pulls all nutrients from the soil, so it is not worth shifting the fertilizer introduction schedule.
- The third bait (mid to late June) falls during the head formation period, which is important for a good harvest.
- Additional baits are introduced only if there are signs of micronutrient deficiency on the plant.
The third groundbait must be applied strictly during the formation of the head. If the procedure is performed earlier than mid-June, then all trace elements will be spent on the development of feathers and arrows.
What to feed in the open field
Before planting garlic (for a week or two) in the fall, the soil is preliminarily enriched with a nutrient mixture, which consists of organic matter or mineral fertilizers.
Organic fertilizers and folk remedies
The plant reacts most favorably to organic fertilizing, which is due to the large amount of humus in the soil and its rich composition. Often, on non-depleted soils, one but full-fledged fertilizer in the fall is enough to provide the crop with all the necessary trace elements during the growing season.
One of the popular dressings is considered manure... It is scattered over the beds and carefully dug up. Some gardeners increase fertility with fresh manure, but experts advise against using this method. Also beware of using large quantities of poultry droppings, it can simply burn the shoots.
With the onset of spring, efforts should be made to stimulate the growth of culture. For this purpose, a solution is prepared from 7 parts of water and 1 part of mullein. The resulting composition is poured over the beds, trying not to touch the greens that have made their way.
Appropriate for soil enrichment compost... Anything will do, but garlic responds well to fertilizer from food waste.
Other time-tested foods include:
- wood ash (sprinkled between the beds or watered with a solution based on water 10 liters and ash 200 gr.);
- salt (poured with a solution prepared from water 10 liters and 3 tablespoons of salt);
- ammonia (spray the plants with a composition based on 25 ml of ammonia and a bucket of water).
Mineral
Mineral-based fertilizers are used independently and in combination with organic.
As practice shows, many areas are significantly depleted from annual exploitation.
It is not always possible to replenish the balance of nutrients with organic matter. Moreover, there is another factor that affects the yield - the climatic features of the region.
Consumption rates depend on the degree of soil fertility, therefore, in each case, you need to make the calculation individually.
The most super popular are the following mineral dressings:
- urea (1 tbsp. per 10 liters of water);
- nitroammofoska (60 g per 10 liters of water);
- superphosphate (50-60 grams per bucket of water);
- urea (1 tbsp. in a bucket of water);
- nitrophoska (2 tbsp. on a bucket of water).
Some components it is appropriate to combine to obtain a more effective remedy... For example, nitrogen introduced into the soil together with phosphorus (proportion 1: 1.5) promotes the development of greenery and the accumulation of nutrients in the head.
After watering or rain, it is appropriate to sprinkle the beds with a dry mixture, which includes: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (proportions 8:15:35).
When determining the amount and composition of fertilizers, important factors should be considered:
- the degree of soil fertility, its acidity;
- climate (precipitation, probability of spring frosts);
- area illumination;
- what crops were grown before garlic (preference should be given to such predecessors as zucchini, cereals, squash);
- features of the crop variety (ripening period, preferred growing conditions).
Garlic feeding scheme
Garlic planted before winter gives its first shoots in spring. In order for the vegetative process to proceed without disturbances in summer, it is recommended to process and introduce top dressing 3 times... The schedule is drawn up taking into account the following rules.
- Excessive moisture for an early culture is considered dangerous, therefore it is necessary to introduce the first complementary food combined with watering procedure... Urea or carbomide is ideal to stimulate the growth and development of shoots. In order to prepare a solution, it is enough to dilute a tablespoon of fertilizer in 10 liters of water.
- Feed the plants a second time 2 weeks after the first procedure... As a working solution, water (9 l) and 2 incomplete spoons of nitrophoska or nitroammophoska are used. The fertilization rate for the beds is 4 liters per 1 m2.
- The third top dressing is aimed at stimulating the growth of heads, therefore, it is introduced during the formation of root crops - mid-end of June. Superphosphate is used as food (2 tablespoons of the product are taken for 10 liters of water). The consumption rate is 4-5 liters per 1 m2.
As additional nutrition, you can use the method of spraying young shoots with special compounds.
This method refers to foliar feeding, therefore, during the preparation of a product from mineral components, it should be noted that the consumption rate should be halved... Spraying is often combined with regular watering of the beds.
It is worth remembering that the rate of liquid per bush should not change due to the use of a special solution.
What fertilizers should not be used to process
Enriching the soil for better plant maturation does not mean using everything. Each crop responds better to one type of fertilizer or another.
So garlic accepts organic matter well, but at the same time it will be extremely difficult to cope with fresh manure. Therefore, a rotted mass is used for fertilizers.
Experienced gardeners definitely recommend combine organic nutrition with minerals... In the opposite case, from an excess of natural humus, the planting material will rot in the soil, or the crop will not have a long shelf life.
When choosing mineral baits, you should pay attention to the period of their use. Nitrogen-containing ones are appropriate only during the development of the feather part. Such nutrition would be inappropriate during head formation.
Compliance with the bait regime and consumption rate guarantees the receipt of large root crops. And the grown crop throughout the cold season will complement different dishes with its aroma and taste, and fight pathogenic bacteria.