Why does garlic turn yellow and what to do?

Many summer residents are faced with such a problem as yellowing of garlic in the garden. This ailment is not spared by either winter garlic or spring garlic. Such a problem cannot be ignored, otherwise there is a high risk of losing the crop. We will tell you below about what causes garlic to turn yellow and what you can do about it.

It is possible to detect such a problem as the yellowness of garlic both in the spring (after germination or in May) and by the end of June - beginning of July. At first, as a rule, the tips of the leaves turn yellow, but over time, the yellowness spreads along the garlic feathers and arrows, completely capturing the stem, after which the planting begins to dry, and its growth begins to noticeably slow down.

There are many reasons why this can happen. Most often, garlic turns yellow due to mistakes that were made in the care. This can include a lack or, conversely, an excess of moisture, low temperatures or frosts, as well as a deficiency of useful elements, among which nitrogen and potassium are especially important.

Lack of nitrogen is usually expressed not only in the yellowness of the tops of garlic leaves, but also in the lethargy and smallness of young shoots. If the plant does not have enough potassium, then, in addition to yellowness, it will be possible to observe the drilling of the edges of the leaf plate, as well as stop the growth of garlic.

Planting errors can also cause the garlic to turn yellow. This includes soil that is too acidic, which is absolutely not suitable for growing garlic, the wrong planting depth, which should not be less than or more than 5-7 centimeters, as well as the wrong planting dates.

The yellowing can also be caused by various putrefactive diseases and harmful insects, as well as early planting.

If the garlic tops begins to turn yellow during the second half of summer, closer to harvesting, then this indicates only the maturity of the plant - in this case, you should not worry.

To properly care for garlic, you must always remember that it is a moisture-loving plant that requires abundant and regular watering. Overdoing it with the amount of water, of course, is not worth it. So, if it rains well, irrigation can be postponed. In general, in the summer, if there is no severe drought, garlic needs to be watered at intervals of a week. In severe drought, this should be done every 5 days. In winter, you don't need to water the garlic.

After watering, mulching is recommended to improve the condition of the plant. Do this in dry weather in order to prevent moisture from evaporating too quickly. Plus, mulching helps inhibit the growth of weeds.

It is worth paying attention to the hilling of the plant. This will help accelerate the growth and development of the garlic heads, protect the plant from freezing in winter, and in summer, make it so that moisture remains in the soil longer.

It is worth considering the fact that garlic absolutely does not tolerate acidic soils. Neutral soil is best suited for growing it. However, acidic soils can be deoxidized, and then they will be suitable for growing garlic. This is easy to do; for this you need to add lime, dolomite flour, or wood ash to the soil. 1 square meter of land will require about 500 grams of funds. Its amount can be reduced if the soil is not acidic.

Sometimes, to solve the problems associated with the yellowness of garlic, it is enough just to fertilize it. Timely feeding can strengthen the plant's immunity, and also make it more resistant to the attacks of many harmful insects, will have a beneficial effect on the growth and development, and subsequently on the quality of the crop. The lack of certain elements, on the contrary, will negatively affect the state of the plant: it will begin to turn yellow, wither and noticeably slow down in growth. And therefore, one cannot do without dressing in any case.

So, during the period when the active development of the aerial part of the garlic, that is, the leaves and the stem, takes place, the plant needs nitrogen, which contributes to the rapid recruitment of green mass. In order to feed the plant at this time, you can use not only specialized fertilizers from the store, but also folk remedies, including manure and bird droppings, urea, and green grass tinctures. Such fertilizers must be applied to the root zone of the plant, before that, carefully supplying it with water.

When garlic heads begin to form, the plant needs a whole range of nutrients. These include potassium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron and boron. All these substances have a beneficial effect on the growth and development of the root system, contribute to the formation of a high-quality and large garlic head and its subsequent good storage. During this period, garlic should be supplied with fertilizers such as wood ash, superphosphate, potassium salt, potassium sulfate and iodine infusion.

Please note that during the formation of the garlic head, it is not recommended to apply fertilizers that contain nitrogen. Otherwise, this may negatively affect the harvest, since the green mass will begin to grow actively, and the garlic will spend all its energy on maintaining it.

Particular attention should be paid to feeding if the plant has been damaged by unexpected frosts. In this case, a folk solution of 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide and a liter of water can save garlic. However, please note that it is not worth getting carried away and making the solution too strong, as this can negatively affect the condition of the plant.

An ash solution can also save a plant after frost. It's easy to make: you only need a glass of ash and 10 liters of water, if you plan to do root dressing, and 0.5 cups of ash and 10 liters of heated water in the event that you are going to spray the plant.

It is diseases and harmful insects that cause the most harm to the plant throughout its growth and development. If you do not fight them in a timely manner, then you can not even dream of a good harvest.

To begin with, it is worth mentioning the diseases of garlic, which can provoke yellowness. There are many such diseases: fusarium, rust, pernosporosis, rot and powdery mildew. The most dangerous of them are viral diseases, since they cannot be treated, and therefore it is necessary to take care in advance that they do not appear. With fungal diseases, the situation is simpler, they can be treated with the help of special fungicidal preparations. However, before starting treatment, it is required to correctly identify the disease.

So, if the garlic has become infected with rust, then on its feathers you can notice yellow lines or yellow round spots that first affect the upper leaves, and then move to the lower ones. If you notice similar symptoms, then the plant should be treated with copper sulfate or one of the special fungicidal agents, among which the most common are "Hom" and "Kuproksat". In this case, the affected foliage should be cut off, and the soil in which the garlic is grown should be watered with Fitosporin.

If we are talking about downy mildew or downy mildew, then in this case you can observe yellowing, which begins from the top of the stem. Over time, the disease progresses, and the stem of the plant begins to dry out and turn pale, while the planting itself noticeably weakens, its leaves also turn yellow and begin to deform. Fight this fungal disease with the help of "Polychoma" or Bordeaux mixture.

With a fungal disease such as fusarium or fusarium rot, you can observe how the foliage and stalks of garlic begin to actively turn yellow or dry, which usually occurs from the very tops. Often, the stems with this disease begin to become covered with brownish streaks, and the garlic heads become soft and gradually begin to rot. If you do not prevent the development of this disease at the very first stages, then it will destroy the plant in a rather short time period and deprive you of a rich harvest. To combat this disease, liming of the soil should be carried out, in addition, you can also use drugs such as Switch, Maxim, Uniform and Quadris.

Now let's move on to the possible pests of garlic. There are many of them: thrips, onion fly, stem nematode, onion miner, onion leaf beetle, root or garlic mite, onion flea and many others. All these parasites, as a rule, multiply very actively, and therefore are able to destroy a large number of plantings in a short time period. To prevent this, you need to regularly check the plants that you grow. Basically, each of the pests can be seen with the naked eye.

You can fight harmful insects with the help of chemistry and folk remedies.

For the most part, summer residents prefer to avoid chemicals in the fight against parasites. Such means, as a rule, are very effective and are capable of completely and permanently eliminating pests in a small amount of time. However, they also have their drawbacks, and significant ones. So, chemicals are distinguished by their increased toxicity and tend to accumulate in the fruits of plants. In addition, many of them have a negative effect not only on parasites, but also on insects that pollinate plants.

Often, chemical preparations are used by summer residents only in advanced cases, when no other means can help anymore. Among such drugs, Fufanon, Karbofos, Dachnik, Aktellik, Vidat are especially distinguished. It is required to use all of the listed funds according to the instructions, clearly observing the dosage indicated on the pack.

Traditional methods of dealing with garlic pests are less toxic. In addition, they are easy to use and do not require large financial investments. Each of the folk recipes can be made at home from the simplest ingredients. However, it should be borne in mind that such compositions, as a rule, are effective only in the first stages, when the pests have not yet had time to breed. Otherwise, it is best to resort to more radical methods to save the plants.

So, if there are not so many parasites, you can use nettle tincture. To make it, you need a kilogram of the main component and a bucket of water. All this should be infused for 5 days. Next, the solution must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 40. After that, the resulting mixture can be sprayed on the plants.

A decoction of tansy can also help fight off parasitic insects. To prepare it, you need 3 kilograms of tansy flowers and 10 liters of water. All this must be mixed, boiled and cooled. After that, you can process the plants. In a similar way, you can also prepare decoctions based on potato tops, chamomile or dandelion. They can also help control pests.

Another effective remedy is tobacco broth. To prepare it, you need 500 grams of dried tobacco and a bucket of water. All this must be thoroughly boiled, cooled and diluted with 10 liters of water. After that, you can start processing the garlic beds.

In order for the plants to be healthy and ultimately happy with a good harvest, it is necessary to follow preventive measures that will help strengthen the immunity of plantings, as well as protect against diseases and parasites.

So, Keeping the garlic in the garden in good condition requires paying close attention to the beds before planting. This means: the obligatory digging of the soil, the introduction of the necessary dressings, as well as, if necessary, deoxidation of the soil.

In order to prevent the plants, it is required to treat in advance with special preparations that can protect them from the occurrence of fungal and viral diseases. Treating garlic from pests will also not be superfluous.

Besides, plants need to be given good and complete care. Regularly inspect the garlic, so that if something happens, you can quickly deal with a particular problem, supply it with the necessary amount of water, get rid of weeds in a timely manner, and do not forget about making the necessary dressings.

For information on why garlic turns yellow in the garden, see the next video.