Garlic is not grown from Seed like other Allium members such as Onions. This makes it abit technical to start a garlic plantation. However, garlic is known for its super high returns to those who decide to grow the crop. Garlic is easy to grow on a small scale but technical on largescale and produces numerous bulbs after the growing season. It is frost tolerant. Beyond its intense flavor and culinary uses, “the stinking rose” is good in the garden as an insect repellent and has been used for centuries as a home remedy.
Garlic is a high value horticultural crop in the onion family. Farmers are getting interested in growing garlic due to its reported high returns and the readily available local market. This book gives the guidelines you need to become succesful in garlic cultivation.
NAME: GARLIC CULTIVATION GUIDE
TYPE: SOFT COPY
DOWNLOADS: 020 Copies
PRICE: KES 1550/-
About this book
INTRODUCTION TO GARLIC CULTIVATION
Garlic herb growing is suited for medium to high altitudes of 500-2000M. High temperatures of 30ºC are necessary for optimum bulb development. Cooler temperatures in the early stages are required as they favour vegetative growth required for plant establishment. Optimum temperatures for growing the crop are 12-24ºC. Excess rainfall and humidity are detrimental to the plant’s vegetative growth and bulb formation. Growing of garlic herb is carried out in low rainfall areas where irrigation can be used in the early stages when water requirement is highest.
The plant requires well drained fertile soils. Avoid clay soils as they may result in malformed bulbs. Soil Ph should be 5.5-6.8.flavour development of garlic herb is best in sunny weather. Deep land preparation is required to ensure adequate rooting depth. Individual cloves are used for growing of garlic herb which is carried out vegetatively. Bulbs for sowing from the previous crop should be stored at 10ºC and a relative humidity of 50-65%. Stored bulbs should be fumigated if mites are present and inspected periodically for storage rots. Garlic herb growing is carried out on raised seed beds, on ridges at a spacing of 30cm between rows and 15-20cm between plants, giving a plant population of 150,000-200,000 per hectare. The cloves should be sown 2.5cm deep in well firmed soil. The seed clove requirement is 500-700kg/ha.The crop responds well to organic manure and 20tons/ha can be ploughed into the soil before planting.
