How often and how to water my garlic?

As garlic is a species that develops underground in the form of bulbs, the issue of irrigation is one of the most delicate to consider.

Water scarcity or waterlogging will have a definitive impact on the structure of the plant and, of course, on its edible part.

For this reason, people who are dedicated to their cultivation spend a lot of time checking the conditions to give them the exact amount of water.

Do you know what these conditions are and how to handle risks safely? If the answer is negative, do not worry because here we will tell you everything.

Important points when watering garlic:

• Irrigation frequency: once a week in the first stage, almost every day in the second and suppress them when the harvest time is approaching.
• Irrigation method: the most recommended method is drip irrigation.
• Optimum time of day for irrigation: it is preferable in the early hours of the morning.
• Identify excess water: Rot in the bulb.
• Identify lack of water: dryness in the leaves and in the substrate.

What irrigation needs do garlic have?

The irrigation needs of garlic vary depending on the stage of development that the species has from the moment of planting.The normal thing is to start with spaced watering while the plant settles after planting.

Later, the requirements increase as the bulb grows to end up being completely suppressed in the days close to harvest.

How can we detect the lack of irrigation in garlic?

The main manifestation that the garlic is lacking in water is noticeable in the substrate, which will appear dry.

However, you need to check in depth that this is the case because the roots are capable of obtaining water from the deepest layers.

So, when you see that the substrate is a bit dry, the ideal is to dig a little to check if the innermost part is dry too. If so, you have to apply an irrigation.

If not, you can wait a few more days to move forward with greater security.

How often should we water the garlic?

Three phases can be considered here:

1. The first three months, watering has to be spaced, at a rate of 1 time per week, approximately.
2. The following month, which is when the bulb is clearly growing, the watering will have to increase until reaching daily watering, if the plant is kept in a more or less dry environment.
3. Towards the end of the productive stage, when the harvest days are getting closer, the irrigations have to be suspended.

The idea of ​​suspending irrigation when the end of the productive stage is nearing, 3 weeks before harvesting, is to ensure that the bulbs dry out. When this action is not taken, the extraction is complicated because the bulbs tend to dismember and may even rot.

What is the best way to water garlic?

Irrigation of garlic is recommended through the drip technique because it makes it easier to have exact control of the water you are providing. Here, you will simply have to direct the water source towards the base of the plant, taking care that there are no puddles around it.

To avoid these drawbacks, it is advisable that the garlic be planted in land with a high level of drainage that allows water to flow quickly.

How do we detect excess water in garlic?

The excess of water in the garlic will culminate in rotting that will initially cover the bulb underground. It is very important to have control over this care because perhaps when the leaves show that something is wrong, it will be too late to recover the health of the garlic.

This exception does not apply in the last weeks, since the bulbs tend to mature inside the soil and the leaves begin to dry. It is important to note that if the garlic is planted during the spring season and there is rain, it will not be necessary to apply irrigation on those days.

And although this methodology is the most usual to apply, the specific conditions where you have planted your garlic have a lot of influence. For example, in sandy soil, water drainage is faster, so watering should be more frequent.

However, clay soils retain more moisture and are easily flooded, so the amount of water should be much less. Knowing these details and applying the logic to your particular case, it is most likely that you will soon establish the correct amount and frequency of water.

And this, of course, will give you a harvest of high-quality garlic in optimal conditions.

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