Yellowing leaves are a sign that the garlic is ready for harvest. But withering leaves at the beginning of the season indicates that garlic is unhealthy. And, probably, the causes of yellowing are hidden underground.
Did you know? Garlic comes from Central Asia. In total, there are more than 450 varieties of this plant in the world.
Why does garlic turn yellow in spring?
If the leaves of winter garlic die too early, then it is possible:
- the plant does not receive enough nutrients;
- the bulb stunted due to pest damage;
- weather conditions: low temperature, high humidity, lack of sunlight;
- the plant is sick.
Garlic treatment for diseases
Garlic diseases are associated with excess moisture and are bacterial or fungal in nature.
The most common are:
- peronosporosis of garlic;
- bacteriosis;
- rust;
- black mold;
- Fusarium
With overexposure, the upper part of the leaf turns yellow and plant growth slows down. The fight against this fungal disease is prevention. Before sowing, it is recommended to warm the cloves of garlic in the sun for 2 days, ensuring a temperature of up to +40 ° C.
In the same way, the harvest collected from the garden is processed. If fungal spores are present in the soil, then it is treated with a solution of “Feniturama” (3 kg per 10 l of water) or “Polycarbocin” (40 g per 10 l of water).
Garlic bacteriosis appears as yellow spots on the tubers, on which later mucus appears. Prevention consists of the introduction of phosphate fertilizers and the processing of seed material "Formalin".
Rust is expressed as yellow stripes on the stems of winter garlic. As the disease progresses, the entire plate becomes yellow. It can also appear as rust-like stains.
For prevention, before sowing, the cloves are treated with 40% Formalin solution for 2 hours, and the beds are treated with Fitosporin-M (15 ml per 10 l of water) before planting the garlic.Mildew is manifested in the form of rotting of the bulb and withering of the ends of the leaves. Poor ventilation and high humidity (over 80%) during storage, as well as high humidity during planting, contribute to the development of black mold after winter.
The fungus survives in air, soil, and infected plant debris. Disputes can spread by air and soil. Prevention measures include storing garlic at low temperature and moderate humidity, as well as planting only healthy plants and observing crop rotation.
Before harvesting, the beds are sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid 3 weeks before harvesting the garlic.
Fusariosis also appears as yellow leaves. The conditions for its development and distribution are the same as for black rot. If the leaves have just begun to turn yellow, you can treat the plants with Quadris, an antifungal fungicide.
You will need 80 ml of solution per 10 liters of water. Consumption will be 0.2 liters per hundred square meters of cultivated area. If the problem persists, then the treatment is repeated after 2 weeks.
Important! Quadris is toxic! Water that is used to wash the sprayer after work cannot be used to water plants.
Pest control
Garlic pest larvae feed mainly on young bulbs. After the bulb is infected, the plant begins to die and yellow leaves become a sign of wilting. So that it does not turn yellow it is necessary to fight pests by observing crop rotation, processing garlic before planting and monitoring the condition of the soil.If an infected plant is found, it is dug up and destroyed.
Pest | Ways to fight |
Onion Fly (Delia antiqua) |
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Thrips (Thrips tabaci, Frankliniella occidentalis) |
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Root tick (Rhyzoglyphus spp., Tyrophagus spp.) |
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Four-horned garlic tick (Aceria tulipae) |
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Stem Nematode (Nematoda) |
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How to feed garlic
Plant nutrition should be carried out before planting and in the phase of intensive growth, if the soil is depleted in certain minerals.
For normal growth, garlic is fed:
- nitrogen;
- potassium;
- phosphorus.
It can be both industrial mineral mixes and organic fertilizers. If you are unsure of how to till the soil, then start with industrial fertilizers. The release of such drugs is based on the results of scientific work and cannot show "poor" performance.
Organic fertilizer
Most drugs are supplied in granules or powders. For use, they are diluted in 10 liters of water and sprayed on the soil. The consumption of solutions is 10 l of the active solution per 2 m² of area.
"Nitroammorphosque" is a complex drug, which is bred in a dosage of 2 tbsp. tablespoons per 10 liters of water. The composition of the drug includes nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur.
If it is necessary to feed only one mineral, apply urea or superphosphate, as well as other drugs.
Urea is a source of nitrogen. The solution is prepared at the rate of 1 tbsp. urea in 10 liters of water.Superphosphate is a source of phosphorus. For feeding, dissolve 2 tbsp. tablespoons of the drug per 10 liters of water.
Important! All fertilizers should be stored away from children and animals at room temperature and without contact with direct sunlight.
Mineral fertilizers
Industrial preparations can be replaced with natural organic fertilizers:
- manure containing nitrogen;
- ash - it contains potassium and phosphorus.
Manure is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 7 and poured into the root zone of plants.
Ash is poured in the aisles or directly to the place of planting before the plants are planted. Calculation - 0.5 l of dry ash per 1 m² of soil. Later, the plants themselves can be showered with ash - this is also a means of controlling pests.
Folk remedies
If it seems to you that the soil is not nutritious enough, then there are simple options for watering the garden. Feeding is carried out with yeast - they contain the necessary amino acids to increase the endurance of plants.
For feeding, a solution is prepared at the rate of 200 g of yeast per 1 liter of water. The solution is infused for 1 day, then diluted with water to 10 l and introduced into the root zone.
Also, the bed can be mulched (covered) with humus.This method improves soil fertility. The only condition for proper humus mulching is the absence of leaves affected by the fungus in the harvested mass. Humus also helps improve soil structure during digging.
Did you know? Garlic is the oldest seasoning. Archaeologists find confirmation that it was used in this capacity already in Neolithic times more than 7000 years ago.
Basic watering rules
Watering is mandatory during the growing season - in May and June. And then during the development period of the bulbs - in July. Frequency of watering - as the soil dries. Water consumption - 12 l / m². If the soil is wet from rain or after the previous watering, then additional watering is not required to avoid the development of fungi and rot.
How to prevent yellowing of garlic
So that garlic does not turn yellow, the correct technique for growing crops and observing the requirements for planting characteristics are also important.
Among them:
- crop rotation to control pests and diseases;
- planting garlic deeper than the freezing zone, if there are frosts on the soil;
- before planting, the soil needs to be well loosened;
- control the acidity of the soil - it should be neutral;
- increase soil nutrition by fertilizing with minerals;
- control the appearance of pests and take timely measures to destroy them;
- observe the storage conditions of garlic (humidity about 60–65%, low temperatures (–2 ... + 2 ° С);
- process the material before disembarkation;
- control the moisture content of the soil - it should not be either excessively dry or excessively wet.