How to Separate Garlic Cloves for Planting and How Deep to Plant?
Garlic is a very handy vegetable of winter season in our garden. Like other vegetables it also have specific procedure to plant. in this post I am sharing with you its most fundamental and important steps of planting garlic. Its complete structure is called bulbs and this bulb has many cloves which are surrounding in circle. All cloves are tight together with the help of a thin cover around them. The first step towards planting the cloves is to separate the cloves. Later on after growing the clove, Each clove will turn into a separate bulb of garlic.
How to Separate Garlic Cloves for Planting?
Following are the main steps to separate Cloves:
1. Hold the garlic bulb with your left hand with bottom downward and head of garlic bulb should be upward.
2. Put your right hand’s finger at the top of the bulb. Push your finger hard enough to break the thin cover which is holding cloves together. In this stage, we should careful about the cloves that we should not damage or crush the clove. Gently, separate all upper cover and get the cloves separate one by one.
3. The thin layer around each clove should remain as it is. Only tear the outer layer of the bulb.
4. In separated cloves, use only big cloves for plantation purpose. Break or damaged cloves should not be used as they are more likely not grow.
5. Keep the separated cloves for a long time is not recommended. Because, it becomes rot after passage of sometime.
How Deep Do You Plant Garlic?
Garlic clove should be in vertical position when planted. Clove’s top should be in upward director and base should be downward. Sow the clove 2/3 part deep below the ground level (approximately 1 inch) and 1/3 part above the ground level. Because if you did not follow the above directions make less part down the ground there is chance that water will flow away the cloves. Or less part above the ground can push whole clove into ground and as a result it does not grow.
Plant garlic cloves in a row with a distance of 10cm (approx. 4 inches). Because when garlic bulbs created after maturity there should be enough space that can be occupied by the bulbs. This distance is useful for removing un-necessary weeds from the field. This crop also need regular digging of soil among the plants. This task usually performed before the irrigation of the field.
Summary
In this article we have learned that garlic cloves should be separated carefully by your hands from bulb. cloves outer layer should not be damaged only outer thin layer should be teared. Plant the cloves immediately after separation. Plant the clove approx. 1 inch deep below the earth surface. Plant the cloves in a row 4 inch apart for each other. If you follow these startup instructions during the plantation of the garlic I hope you will yield the more healthy crop of the garlic from your garden.
James Robinson is an experienced gardener with over 15 years of gardening experience in different environments. He has planted successfully many plants and trees with passion and zeal.