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Summary
Garlic ( Allium sativum ) is bursting with luscious flavor and is a delightfully savoury option for domicile Captain Cook who enjoyvegetable gardening . Garlic thrive in zones 4 to 9 , prefers full sun with six or more hour per day , and enjoy soil with a pH of 6 to 8 .
Growing garlicin yourhome gardenis a delicious project . However , it does require plan . It ’s best toplant Allium sativum in the fall , three to four weeks before thefirst fall frost(September or October ) . Then , you must look until next year before you canharvest garlic ! you could tell it ’s ready when a ⅓ of the bottom foliage changes from light-green to yellow or brown ( late July or early August ) .
It take patience and tending tocultivate ail . Mulching helpsgarlic plantswithstand abrasive wintertime temperature , so you may relish the reward of abumper garlic cropafter patiently tending your garden . Find out the skillful types of mulch for garlic and get tips on how to apply it .
Benefits of Mulching Garlic
Garlic shoots prefer temperature of 20 degrees Fahrenheit or affectionate . Once it bewilder cold and drops to 10 degrees Fahrenheit , the polar air can damage or kill garlic foliation and electric-light bulb . So , although you should plant ail in the fall , it ’s good to protect plants with mulch because it lowers the risk offrost damage .
Mulch also steadies soil temperature during seasonal changes in winter and saltation , shelter works from harmfullate spring frostthat could freeze youthful garlic shoot . Plus , mulchdeters weedsfrom shoot in the garden , and competing with your ail for nutrients and sun .
1. Straw
Dry straw is a top choice for mulching garlic plants because it offers excellent protection from winter atmospheric condition precondition . Althoughstraw mulchusually has blue total of seeded player than hay , it may still have some . So , ideally , you should look for cum - free stalk mulch to prevent weeds in the spring .
Avoid using hay instead of straw . Hay is a type of grass that feed livestock . It ’s tricky to cut down without go out seeds . If you utilize it as mulch , the seeds can bourgeon in your garden and work into sess . Straw comes from grains like pale yellow after harvesting consider place . So , there are few heads of seeds on straw , and it ’s less likely to grow sess in your garden than hay .
2. Shredded Leaves
Shredded leaves are an eco - favorable and cost - effective choice for mulching ail . Instead of taking out yourgarden rakeand gather your fall parting in a hatful , plough them into mulch!Use a lawn mowerto mow theautumn leavesresting on your lawn . You might need to cut down them a few times to all rip up them into small pieces . As more foliage falls , you may continue mowing leaves in your backyard , until you have enough to equally cover your garden .
Garlic prefers 4 inches of constituent mulch , so keep shredding leaves until you have the proper deepness .
3. Chopped Cornstalks
If yougrow cornin your vegetable garden do n’t toss out the stalk afterharvest clip . corn stalk are an in force mulching option for covering plants during wintertime . So , after you garner your corn cobs , and the foliage start up to turn pale xanthous or ironical , exchange the cornstalks into mulch . Chop or rip up them until they are in tiny pieces about 1 to 2 inches in size . Then , apply them as an organic mulch over your garlic plant .
4. Grass Clippings
Drygrass clippingsare nitrogen - fertile and make an excellent mulch for cover garlic industrial plant to screen them from frost . When garlic miss nitrogen it inhibits emergence , turn foliage yellow , and scale down the payoff at harvest home metre . So , mulching with grass clippingsis a great budget - friendly way to infuse your soil with nitrogen while offering wintertime protection .
Dry lawn clippings before practice them as mulch on garlic . After pout , rake them into a thin layer and get the sun dry out the blade of sens . Then , circularise the ironical clippings over the garden bed as a mulch .
Mulching Tips for Garlic
Mulch After Planting
Apply mulch in the fallafter you implant your garlic . loosely , it ’s best to mulch Allium sativum within five weeks of planting . mulch seasonably will help you forfend the jeopardy of frost damage as temperatures dunk throughout the fall .
Apply an Even Layer
Whenapplying mulchlike wheat , sliced leaves , cornstalks , or grass clippings , create an even layer over the surface of the soil . all cover the rows where you are set your garlic with between 3 and 4 inches of mulch . A layer that is up to 4 inch deep will also help inhibit Mary Jane in spring by shorten the amount of sun that reaches the soil .
Uncover Garlic Shoots in the Spring
Garlic shoot favor temperatures that are systematically above 20 degrees Fahrenheit . Wait for the last spring icing to go past , then , put on yourgardening gloves . Next , give the shoots a helping hired hand and cautiously loosen the mulch around the green shoot that are sprouting up from the ground . loosen it around the shoots encourages growing while still deterring weeds in your garden .
Mulch for Magnificent Garlic
Mulching garlic is an skillful way to cut back frost risk , protect plant during winter , and reduce pesky weeds , so you could enjoy a bumper craw . The best type of mulch for garlic include straw , chopped leaves , chopped corn stalk , and lawn clippings . After choosing your mulch , apply it within five weeks of planting , and open a 3 to 4 - column inch bed over the land . Then , following the last outflow freeze , loosen the mulch around unripened shoots to advance growth . The mulch that still cover the ground will also assist preclude weeds .
