When and whether it is necessary to trim garlic shoots, what causes tearing and what to feed after

If garlic is grown for the purpose of harvesting garlic bulbs, the flower stalks must be removed. Otherwise, all the plant's strength and energy will be lost to blooming, and the cloves will develop small, deformed, and have tough flesh. When should garlic flower stalks be removed to avoid these consequences?

Why do you need to remove garlic stalks?

The natural purpose of flower stalks is propagation. The plant directs all its energy and strength into future seeds. The growth of the stalks halts and slows the development of the garlic fruit—the bulbs. When growing garlic, it's important to remove the stalks promptly. Removing the flower stalks gives the plant more energy to develop the underground part.

How do arrows affect garlic yield?

When garlic "goes into bloom," the quality and quantity of the harvest are significantly reduced. The flavor of the garlic cloves deteriorates—the fruits become hard and dry. This garlic stores poorly and quickly mummifies.

In what cases should the procedure be abandoned?

The tendrils on garlic beds are not torn off in two cases:

• Garlic is grown for seeds.
• Garlic is grown for its greens; the presence of tendrils is allowed depending on the variety.

Many gardeners begin removing flower stalks immediately after they emerge. This approach isn't entirely correct. The stalk continues to grow, but it no longer has a head. You should wait until the stem reaches a height of 12 centimeters before safely removing it. Otherwise, the flower stalks will need to be trimmed twice.

How to understand that it’s time to remove flower stalks: timing

Depending on the variety and growing region, the first flower stalks of garlic appear at the end of June and can form until the end of July.

Note! The main sign that it's time to remove flower stalks is the curling of the stems. At this point, they are about 12-15 centimeters long.

For winter garlic

Winter garlic produces its stalks earlier, in early June, and these stalks need to be removed. This is because the vegetable is fully ripe by mid-summer.

For spring

For this type of garlic, the timing shifts slightly. Sometimes, for spring crops, the tendrils are pruned twice.

The main signs of crop maturity

Experienced gardeners never remove all flower stalks from the entire bed. It's recommended to leave two or three stalked plants in the garlic rows. These stalks can be used to determine the exact time of garlic bulb ripening.

The fully ripened seeds of the remaining garlic plants will signal the harvest's maturity. On average, garlic grows for about a month after the stems are removed.

Removal rules

There are two proven methods for high-quality removal of flower stalks:

• Pinching or breaking off a shoot manually.
• Trimming with pruning shears or garden shears.

Flower stalks are quite fragile, easily broken, and can be easily removed. However, the disadvantage of the first method is that the cut edges remain uneven, which can cause the plant to become diseased. The stalks should not be pulled out, as this can damage the garlic's root system. This problem is avoided when using pruning shears. This option is considered optimal and correct.

When cutting a young shoot, leave 1 centimeter of flower stalk on the stem. It's best to trim the tendrils in the evening or on cloudy days.

How to care for garlic after

Removing tendrils is a painful process for plants. The plant's vitality must be maintained by its acquired immunity. To prevent fungal diseases during the healing period, it is recommended to treat the garlic with fungicides and insecticides. Folk remedies include wood ash and mustard powder.

What to feed garlic after removing the arrow?

To restore strength after pinching, garlic plants are fed with a nutrient mixture of superphosphate and potassium salt. To prevent leaf yellowing, nitrogen fertilizers are added as a supplement. The plants can be fed with a solution of water and ammonia; spraying and watering with whey are often used.

Do I need to water it?

Watering after pruning is essential. It's recommended to add a weak solution of potassium permanganate or brilliant green to the water. After watering, sprinkle the plants with wood ash. This ensures moisture and fertilizer are supplied to the plant, and prevents diseases and insect pests.

How to use arrows?

After removing the stalks from garlic plants, don't rush to throw them away. The flower stalks have found their use in cooking. The shoots are used to create various infusions to combat insect pests. In folk medicine, the tendrils are used to make compresses and as a remedy for colds.

In cooking

Flower stalks have found culinary uses. The seed shoots have a rich chemical composition, including various microelements: potassium, magnesium, iron, and others.

Various cuisines around the world include savory appetizers made with garlic scapes and aromatic seasonings. The shoots can be fried, pickled, stewed with meat, or eaten fresh, lightly salted.

Garlic seasoning

When preparing a seasoning using garlic scapes, the seed pods must be removed. Only the stems themselves will be used. Ingredients:

• 1 kilogram of flower stalks;
• 1.5 tablespoons of salt;
• 2.5 tablespoons of sunflower or olive oil.

The shoots are finely chopped or minced. Salt and oil are added to the resulting pulp, the mixture is left to steep in a saucepan for 24 hours, then transferred to jars and refrigerated. This seasoning can be added to soups, appetizers, main courses, or salads.

Salad

You can add variety to your diet by making a vitamin-rich salad with garlic scapes. Ingredients:

• 500 grams of garlic shoots;
• 600 grams of pork;
• 1.5 tablespoons of starch;
• dill, ginger, black or red ground pepper to taste;
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce;
• fresh lettuce leaves.

The pork pieces should be fried in a frying pan, the scapes chopped with a knife, and added to the frying pan. The pork and garlic shoots are simmered together for about 7 minutes, then the soy sauce is added to the pan and simmered for about 5 minutes more. The starch is diluted with water and poured into the pan in a thin stream. The final step: arrange the lettuce leaves on a plate, and remove the resulting garnish from the pan.

In the fight against pests

A proven folk remedy for controlling insect pests is spraying bushes with an infusion of garlic shoots. This method effectively eliminates aphid colonies, spider mites, and carrot flies. The solution ratio is 500 grams of chopped shoots per 3 liters of water. The treatment should be done on a calm, clear day.