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Garlic

NeeNee Posts: 1
in Fruit & veg

I have recently harvested my garlic and it is looking good but on several of the plants there is an extra bulb about 5 cms above the main one, in the stem! Why is this?

Posts

  • LoganLogan Posts: 2,532
    Hi nee can't find anything on the web so can't say why. Maybe it's to plant for next yearimage
  • Zoomer44Zoomer44 Posts: 3,267

    Don't know why that happened. My bulbs split this year but some of the cloves divided from the main bulb and had their own shootsimage.

    The bulbs weren't very big either.

  • green fingered finchgreen fingered finch Posts: 278

    Harvested ours yesterday, they are disappointingly tiny image What did we do wrong??

  • Bushman2Bushman2 Posts: 548

    Garlic is very fussy about the ground its in and the amount of water it needs. too high or low a ph really effects the growing cycle too much water and they split or rot too little can cause them to be small. i'm not saying this is the cause of all your problems but it could be. Also many people plant garlic they have bought in the supermarkets to use in the kitchen. I gave up with garlic not worth the hassle.

  • green fingered finchgreen fingered finch Posts: 278

    Oh, I planted cloves from garlic I bought in Waitrose! Didn't realise there was any other way image

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138
    Nee wrote (see)

    I have recently harvested my garlic and it is looking good but on several of the plants there is an extra bulb about 5 cms above the main one, in the stem! Why is this?

    Ours did this last year. 

    "... In late spring some garlic varieties produce flower stalks that have small bulbils. Cut these stalks off. This will insure that all of the food the plant produces will go into the garlic bulb itself and not the clusters of bulbils..." extract from http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/garlic/garlic-article10268.html


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Bushman2Bushman2 Posts: 548

    Its a common mistake. Supermarket garlic isn't the thing to plant try elaphant or purple garlic. you can buy both online

  • green fingered finchgreen fingered finch Posts: 278

    Thanks Bushman I will have a look 

    image

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,138

    There's lots of interesting varieties you can try, that do well in the UK climate https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/vegetables/garlic?type=v


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • ClaringtonClarington Posts: 4,949

    I brought my garlic from a local small garden centre. Unfortunately after planting life got busy and the poor devils were left on their own without feed, tlc, or weeding. They are somewhat smaller than last year (hardly surprising) but I am amazed at how many of them had bulbs coming off the roots or around the edge of the main bulb. 

    Do you think these off shoots will grow if they are popped back in the ground this autumn?

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