[DadBear]

Greetings  Dear Friends, I have some garlic in my garden which I planted early in february when it was cold and frosty. it has grown pretty well but now the stems appear to be going dry, yellow and wrinkly! I am hoping that this is normal, and not that the plants have died, any observations welcome. Ps if I could master the picture thing I would put a few on...Regards, DB

[WG.]

The stems??  Tips of the leaves going yellow is quite normal but stems and main part of the leaves should be fresh & green for another 6 or 7 weeks.

Have you a history of white rot in onions on your patch?

[DadBear]

The stems??  Tips of the leaves going yellow is quite normal but stems and main part of the leaves should be fresh & green for another 6 or 7 weeks.

Have you a history of white rot in onions on your patch?

This is the first year I have cultivated anything in the patch, which previously was a shrub border. It's very strange, and the best way of describing how they look is 'withered'. I have onions growing nearby, which are fine and healthy. I wonder if the garlic didn't get enough cold?, regards, DB

[corndolly]

I put Garlic in last autumn and it is looking good ,the elephant garlic especially . Perhaps February was the wrong time to plant ?

[Heather_S]

How much drought is there where you are and did you enrich the soil with lots of organic matter before planting? I think my alliums are just hanging on due to the large amounts of well rotted manure I put in the bed when double digging it over. Onions and their relatives like to be watered quite a bit.

[DadBear]

How much drought is there where you are and did you enrich the soil with lots of organic matter before planting? I think my alliums are just hanging on due to the large amounts of well rotted manure I put in the bed when double digging it over. Onions and their relatives like to be watered quite a bit.

Its been pretty dry here and I'm ashamed to say I just bunged it in.....On the other hand, i've watered my onions quite well and they are doing well...oh dear...

[WG.]

Its been pretty dry here and I'm ashamed to say I just bunged it in.....On the other hand, i've watered my onions quite well and they are doing well...oh dear...

I never water garlic.  It develops much deeper roots than any other allium.  Granted I plant in Aug/Sep/Oct.

You haven't replied to the question about manuring.  Garlic likes a good feed.

Why not post a close-up picture for us?  (Of the garlic, that is, not of yourself).  

[DadBear]

Its been pretty dry here and I'm ashamed to say I just bunged it in.....On the other hand, i've watered my onions quite well and they are doing well...oh dear...

I never water garlic.  It develops much deeper roots than any other allium.  Granted I plant in Aug/Sep/Oct.

You haven't replied to the question about manuring.  Garlic likes a good feed.

Why not post a close-up picture for us?  (Of the garlic, that is, not of yourself).  

Ha Ha .. A picture of me, far too shy!! Will ask wifey how to do it and one should be here soon...its an interesting phenomena...

[DadBear]

IMG]http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w163/dadbear/garlic1.jpg[/IMG]

this is the sickly garlic i was on about... what do you all think?

Ps i didnt dig any manure in before i planted the bulbs....cringe!!!

[WG.]

this is the sickly garlic i was on about... what do you all think?

Ps i didnt dig any manure in before i planted the bulbs....cringe!!!

Yeah, I think it is just hungry.  Not a lot wrong with it but the shrubbery will have depleted the soil.  Although, next year, don't grow it on its side !!  

Give it a feed with some compost tea or whatever chemical garbage you permit yourself!    

[DadBear]

I'll give it a wee dram of tomato feed then...I didn't think about the shrubs depleting the soil... good point that... thanks WG

[Zak the Rabbit]

i pulled a small one of my garlics just to see how it was doing (ive 50+ growing), not showing much of a bulb yet (more like a spring onion) but the smell was fantastic!!!

[WG.]

I'll give it a wee dram of tomato feed then...

Maybe summat with more nitrogen.  Dried blood is organic but Growmore is cheaper!  

[DadBear]

ok, i'll give em some blood fish and bone....with a bit of water....

ps ive put a pic of my thin onions on the thread from a few days ago!!

[WG.]

i pulled a small one of my garlics just to see how it was doing (ive 50+ growing), not showing much of a bulb yet (more like a spring onion) but the smell was fantastic!!!

For anyone who doesn't know, the garlic clove which you plant completely rots away.  The head of garlic which you harvest is formed "from scratch" by the new plant.

I had a quick count Zak - I figure that I've got approx 4500 garlic plants this year.