Do I need to tie the garlic in a knot in the garden and when to do it?

Sometimes, looking into someone else's garden, you are surprised to notice a tied feather of growing garlic in the garden. As a rule, this is done by people of the older generation, but the ancestors were wise and for some reason invented a similar procedure. It remains to find out why this is needed and whether we need to adopt the method.

Tying garlic leaves (feathers) is a laborious and tedious procedure. To what extent it is justified, there is no scientific evidence. At the disposal of gardeners only disputes between supporters and opponents of the method, which have moved from the field of word of mouth to the vastness of the network. Fans argue that in this way the garlic bulb becomes larger, it exhibits the ability for long-term storage and loses its ability to germinate.

Opponents say that observance of agricultural technology, provision of culture with everything necessary give the same results as braiding. Therefore, there is no need to engage in such a thankless task, to waste time and energy.

It remains to try to figure out in more detail what still happens after tying or braiding a feather, what processes are running and what effect they have on the bulb. One of the most important factors that determined the development of plants is their ability to photosynthesis. Violation of this process leads to oppression and cessation of growth. Violation of the structure of the sheet plate just leads to the failure of the natural course of this process. The flow of life-giving forces and substances ceases to flow into the tops and, changing direction, rushes to the bulb. It should be understood that the ripening process in the garlic bulb and feathers is uneven. The transition of necessary substances from the aboveground part to the underground one proceeds slowly, as well as the dying off of the leaf. Due to this, division into teeth and their covering with scales occurs in the bulb, all this proceeds simultaneously with the growth of the feather.

It is believed that braiding changes the algorithm. A kind of biological stress occurs: the leaves begin to dry out, and protective scales are formed. Agricultural technology plays an important role, along with photosynthesis, in the efficiency of growth and fruiting, therefore to hold such an event or not, everyone decides for himself. After all, why not experiment and try it out. To do this, you just need to tie feathers on parts of the plantings after the arrows have broken off, wait for the harvest and compare the results.

As already said, the feather is braided or tied three or five days before harvest. Such a short time interval obliges to know the timing for a particular culture as accurately as possible. Winter and summer varieties have differences in planting and harvesting garlic. Only accurate knowledge of this information will allow you to determine the time for the procedure. Winter varieties ripen in the first and early second decade of July, spring varieties, as expected, a few weeks later. More precise terms give the characteristics of the variety. Among late-ripening species, the growing season can drag on until the last decade of September - early October.

Sometimes several varieties are planted on one site, therefore, you need to know exactly where which one is located, and carry out activities in accordance... This is necessary, because the properties of garlic force the bulb to divide into cloves when overgrowing, and missed deadlines deprive the gardener of the opportunity to enjoy the round, single onion head. It is most correct not to postpone harvesting for mass, monitor the behavior of the garlic after cutting off the arrows and dig it out as it ripens.

Under abnormal climatic conditions, it will be more correct to collect the garlic earlier than delaying it.... In order not to be mistaken, you should carefully observe the behavior of plants. The yellowing of the tips of the leaves and the stratification of the scaly shell on the inflorescences signal that the process of bulb formation has started. Everyone knows - to increase the yield, the stems with inflorescences must be removed. If the gardener's plans include a leaf tying procedure, it is better to leave 1-2 inflorescences for each variety as a signal beacon.

A few more visual clues to identify the time of harvest:

• beginning lodging of tops;
• untwisting spirals on arrows;
• disclosure of seed pods at the tops.

As an example of time intervals for tying a feather, we can cite the terms adopted for planting in the Moscow region:

• spring (summer) - planting in spring, harvesting in mid-August;
• winter (planted before winter) - planting in the fall, the harvest is harvested in July.

Growing garlic seems easy at first glance. However, not all gardeners know that it is precisely the delay in the timing that provokes the launch of processes that reduce the ability for long-term storage. Moreover, due to the increased residence time in the ground, the vegetable significantly loses its taste, aroma, and immunity. Planting material received late becomes susceptible to disease.

Before tying the garlic into a knot in the bed to form the heads, you should pay close attention to the peduncles. During this time, the arrows become harsh and rough. Many people have a question whether it is worth ripping them off, because this should have been done much earlier.

Garlic begins to form flower stalks about two months after germination. These stems are cut at a height of 2-3 cm from their base. If time is lost, then even thick hard arrows still need to be removed. After removing the peduncle, tying or braiding the garlic tops will be much easier. This can be done even while the tying process is being started. A characteristic feature of the culture is that spring varieties do not tend to form peduncles.

Despite the simplicity of the operation, the absence of pollen, the procedure is fraught with the danger of cuts, since the hard and sharp edges of the sheet plate cut the skin as easily as a sow thistle. The released sap of the leaves has increased toxicity and can cause burns on the skin surface.

All manipulations must be carried out with gloves.

• Remove the flower arrow in any way - it can be broken off or cut off with scissors, pruning shears. But you can't try to pull it out, pull it out. The peduncle holds firmly to the base and can pull the bulb along with it, violating the integrity of the shell.
• The next stage is the direct tying of the leaves:
  • cover a bunch of garlic leaves;
  • then twisted like a tourniquet;
  • bent with a ring and pass the top of the tourniquet through it.
• In the case when the feather is short, it is twisted in several pieces and tied with a simple knot.

For some, it is more convenient to weave pigtails altogether, which is in no way forbidden. On leaves that are too long, sometimes two knots are made. Leaves can be collected together, tie them without twisting, it is only important that they are tightly closed.