Why does garlic turn yellow in the garden.

Any gardener who cares about his health and about the taste and quality of dishes on his table will definitely plant a bed of garlic. This surprisingly useful product is used as a prophylaxis for colds, during illness, with the help of garlic, you can improve shaky health, it is added to many dishes and is used for preservation in pickles and pickles. Garlic is unpretentious in the growing process, you just need to correctly carry out a number of preparatory work and planting. But even unpretentious cultures sometimes feel uncomfortable and lose their attractive appearance. If your garlic turns yellow, and there is still a lot of time before the end of the growing season, then you urgently need to determine the cause of the discomfort and, if possible, help the plant, then there is every chance to save the crop.

Violation of the terms and rules of boarding.

If your winter garlic turns yellow, then you need to remember the exact dates of planting and the weather last fall. Garlic, like bulbous flowers (lilies, tulips, daffodils), are planted in such a way that the cloves have time to take root, but at the same time do not have time to release the greens. If you planted the garlic too early, and the greens appeared on the surface of the earth, then it was probably caught in the autumn frost, and therefore it began to turn yellow. If this is the reason, then in the current season it will not be possible to eliminate it, but for the future it is necessary to more accurately determine the planting dates, which in the middle lane usually fall in October, in the southern regions in November, and in Siberia and the Urals, planting garlic is better spend in September.

Sometimes the reason the garlic leaves turn yellow may be because you didn't plant the garlic cloves deep enough. Even for an unpretentious culture, agricultural techniques must be observed. If you plant the cloves too deep, the plant will spend a lot of energy making its way to the surface and this will reduce the quality of the crop. And if you do not deepen the planting material enough, then in winter it will freeze and the result will be a light green and gradually yellowing color of the leaves.

The recommended planting depth of garlic should be at least six centimeters; for additional insulation, it is necessary to mulch the soil from above using any available material: compost or humus, peat, dry fallen leaves, straw or sawdust. Lay a layer of mulch at least 6-8 cm, and in spring, as soon as the snow melts, the mulch must be removed immediately so as not to interfere with the growth of garlic. So if your garlic turns yellow due to shallow planting and freezing, then you can only recommend taking care of the plants, and in the future adhere to agricultural techniques and plant at the desired depth.

Another reason for the yellowing of garlic can be the wrong location for the crop. When deciding what and where to plant, it is necessary to adhere to the rules of crop rotation: never place a crop in one place for two years in a row, move the plantings every year, carefully choosing predecessors and placing unwanted neighbors away. If you have incorrectly identified the predecessors of garlic, then the harvest will be extremely poor, there is an additional risk of disease and pest damage, and there is also a lack of nutrients, which also affects the quantity and quality of the crop. Plants of the pumpkin family are good precursors for garlic: cucumbers, squash, pumpkin or squash.You can also plant garlic after tomatoes, peppers, or eggplants. But it is not recommended to plant garlic in the garden where onions or root crops (carrots, turnips, radishes) grew before.

Any culture can be returned to its original place not earlier than in four years.

Return frosts.

garlic turns yellow

During the spring months, you should keep a close eye on the weather forecast. Even if it is already warm enough during the day, sometimes there may be recurrent frosts at night, which can harm the young greenery. In this case, planting can be saved by mulching or temporary shelters with plastic wrap or geotextiles. If you still did not have time to take precautionary measures, and the greens are caught in the frost, then you can use growth stimulants (Epin, Zircon), which improve the immunity of plants and their resistance to adverse weather conditions.
If you are planning to plant spring garlic, then it is better to take your time and wait for consistently warm weather in order to surely protect the plants from recurrent frosts.

Soil quality: soil acidity and lack of fertilizers.

Like most garden and horticultural crops, garlic does not tolerate acidic soil, preferring neutral or slightly acidic soil. Before breaking up a garden, determine the level of acidity of the soil using a special device or folk methods (for example, table vinegar). If the soil turns out to be acidic, then before proceeding with the planning of plantings, it will be necessary to carry out work on liming the soil, adding slaked lime, chalk or dolomite flour to it. It is necessary to carry out such work in advance, preferably in autumn, then by spring the quality of the soil will become better and the chances of a good harvest will increase.

In addition, a lack of nutrients can be the cause of the discoloration. Any crop for full growth requires complex fertilizers containing potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as many other trace elements. Most often, discoloration of leaves, their wilting or drying out, is a symptom of insufficient nutrient soil. In the early stages of development, plants may lack nitrogen, later a lack of magnesium or potassium may appear, since the need for these substances manifests itself in the second half of the growing season - in this case, the garlic turns yellow. If the reason is a lack of nutrition, then it is quite simple to eliminate it: you need to carry out root or foliar feeding and make up for the lack of the necessary substance. Fertilizers are best applied in liquid form, so they are quickly absorbed by the roots of the plant and begin to exert their effect.

In spring, the yellowness of the leaves indicates a lack of nitrogen, and in this case, you can use both mineral fertilizers and nitrogen-rich organic matter. Organic fertilizers include manure and poultry droppings, which must be diluted with water and watered at the root. You can also make a green manure from weeds, such as nettles. Such an infusion is prepared for several days (this is its only drawback), but it is a very effective means and, in addition to enriching the soil with nitrogen, it serves as a growth stimulator.

As mineral fertilizers, you can use ammonium nitrate, as well as the complex preparation Kristallon. You can also use urea as a fertilizer, but the effect of it does not come immediately, so it is better to choose another fertilizer to solve the problem as soon as possible.
With a lack of potassium, phosphorus or magnesium, the leaves of garlic first become lighter, and then gradually begin to dry. This can be avoided if you use one of the following substances in a timely manner: "monopotassium phosphate", "potassium magnesium", "potassium sulfate". Or use organic fertilizer: dissolve two glasses of wood ash in a bucket of hot water, wait for the solution to cool and strain it.Then water the garlic under the root.

If it is not possible to prepare a solution, then scatter the ash over the surface of the garden bed and then pour warm water over the soil.
It is important to understand that any fertilizer should be used in a strictly prescribed dosage, not to exceed the norm, wishing to help the plants. An overdose of any element in the soil can be no less detrimental to the plant than its deficiency. And if all the fertilizers necessary at this stage of the growing season are applied in a timely manner, then the problem of insufficient nutrient soil will not arise at all.

Incorrect mode and amount of watering.

It is important to maintain a balance not only in fertilization, but also during irrigation of crops. Garlic leaves can turn yellow both with a lack of moisture and with excessive watering or with heavy rainfall. It is enough to water the garlic once every seven days, if it is not raining heavily. Garlic needs the most moisture in the first half of the growing season, starting in July, watering should be moderate. The culture tolerates a short drought better than waterlogging. After watering or rain, you need to carefully loosen the soil so that a dense crust does not form on it, which impedes the access of air to the roots.

Invasion of pests and plant diseases.

If, after analyzing all the stages of plant care and weather conditions, you still have not found the cause of the yellowing of the leaves, then perhaps the fact is that the garlic is sick or damaged. parasites.

Examine the plants, as most diseases are not only manifested by discoloration of the leaves. Gently move the soil away from the base of the stem and inspect both the stem and the bulb, chances are you will find signs of root rot, which usually occurs with excess moisture. If you are ill with powdery mildew, you will find a whitish bloom on the plant. The presence of pests (onion flies or nematodes) can also be detected by visual inspection. You will have to cope with the problem with the help of fungicides and insecticides, preparing the solution strictly in accordance with the instructions. And in the future, in order to avoid such problems, it is recommended to treat the soil and planting material with Fitosporin, solutions of manganese or copper sulfate. The development of fungal diseases can be prevented if you follow all the rules for caring for the plant, which means you do not have to use chemicals and eliminate the consequences of the disease.

Conclusion.

There are several reasons why garlic leaves can change color and turn yellow in spring or early summer. With the necessary knowledge, you can find and fix the problem. And initially, following all the rules for growing garlic, you most likely will not encounter yellowing of the leaves, and as a result, you will reap a rich harvest.