In the article we presented material about an unusual culture that is of genuine interest to vegetable growers. Elephant garlic is an amazing plant that has a lot of names. Sometimes it is called Spanish garlic, Egyptian onion, etc. And in Western Europe, the culture is known as rocambole. Elephant garlic is unpretentious in cultivation and has a large size. The unusual taste has made it very popular among vegetable growers.
Peculiarities of culture
Elephant onion-garlic is native to the Balkans. Large garlic is a type of leek. A feature of culture is an unusual taste. On the one hand, it resembles a leek, and on the other hand, it has a pleasant garlic aroma. Its taste is spicy, but not as spicy. The main value of elephant garlic is a large head, but the stem is also used in cooking. The very name of the culture already characterizes the size. The head of garlic is so large that it can hardly fit in a man's palm.
Rocambole is indispensable in cooking. Hisactively used in folk medicine. Gardeners are especially attracted by the unpretentious nature of the crop, which can be grown without much hassle.
Elephant garlic: benefits and harms
Useful properties of culture have long been used by people. Garlic contains the following elements: riboflavin, thiamine, pantothenic, ascorbic and folic acids, vitamins K and E. In addition, the plant is rich in minerals such as iron, manganese, calcium, magnesium, copper, selenium, zinc, potassium. It contains essential oils and phytoncides.
Regular consumption of elephant garlic has a beneficial effect on the human body. It brings the greatest benefit to the cardiovascular system. Rocambole strengthens the walls of blood vessels and thins the blood. It is recommended to use it as a prophylactic that prevents the formation of blood clots. With regular use of garlic, you can lower blood cholesterol levels due to the allicin contained in it.
The culture is also indispensable for gastrointestinal problems. But it must be consumed in moderation. Seasoning improves appetite and stimulates the production of gastric juice. Garlic can have a positive effect on minor changes in the digestive tract. The culture is useful for the intestines and has an antihelminthic effect. Thanks to garlic, you can remove toxins from the body.
The juice of the plant allows you to cope with pustules and acne on the skin. In addition, garlic is a good antiviral agent. Very often, people who regularly use rocambole,have excellent immunity. Garlic essential oils help relieve nasal congestion.
Despite all the useful properties of the plant, there are contraindications to its use. Do not use garlic for people with diseases of the gallbladder, kidneys, with gastritis and ulcers. Nursing mothers should use garlic with caution. And children should not give it before the age of three.
Place to land
Growing elephant garlic is a simple matter. An unpretentious culture does not require special conditions, so even a beginner can grow it. For planting in open ground, it is necessary to choose the optimal place, given the fact that garlic loves sunlight very much. Growing the crop in partial shade will result in smaller heads. For landing, you should choose the most illuminated areas.
Ground
Planting elephant garlic is best done in fertile and loose soil. Culture prefers loamy and sandy soil. It is very good if zucchini, cucumbers, cabbage or legumes grew in front of the garlic on the site. But planting garlic in the place where potatoes grew is strongly discouraged.
Site preparation
How to plant elephant garlic? You can plant a crop in spring and autumn. Vegetable growers recommend autumn planting, which will allow you to get very large heads.
If you intend to plant garlic in the spring, then the beds for it must be prepared in advance by digging them up in the fall. During the winter, the soil will be compacted and filled with usefulsubstances.
A few weeks before planting, the soil must be loosened to a depth of 20 centimeters. Decomposed compost or manure should be added to the soil. Fertilizer is applied at the rate of ½ bucket per square meter. It is also worth adding 2-3 cups of ash. This composition of the soil will allow the garlic to develop rapidly.
How to prepare seed?
Seed should be prepared before planting. To do this, the garlic is peeled, divided into cloves. Planting material is sorted by size. This will allow you to form beds with equally developing plants.
One day before planting, soak the peeled cloves in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Gardeners often use fungicides for disinfection. When planting in spring, garlic is placed in the refrigerator in advance and only then disinfected.
Fitting technology
If you plan to plant garlic in the fall, then this must be done in mid-October, then it will have time to take root before the arrival of frost. In the spring, landing can be done in mid-April. In more northern regions, it is quite possible to postpone the planting dates to the beginning of May.
For culture, beds are formed at a distance of 30 centimeters from each other. The cloves are planted in moist soil, deepening them by 6-10 centimeters, focusing on the size of the seed. Between plants should maintain a distance of about 20 centimeters. The beds must be mulched with peat, sawdust or humus. In northernregions for the winter, plants can be covered with spruce branches so that the garlic does not freeze out.
Care
Elephant garlic is said to be easy to grow. However, to get large heads, you will have to work a little. The main element of care is the regular loosening of the soil after the next rain or watering. This will prevent the formation of a crust on the surface of the soil, which blocks the access of oxygen to the roots.
In addition, it is recommended to carry out regular weeding to protect plants from weeds that draw trace elements and nutrients from the soil. Grass can shade seedlings, resulting in reduced yields.
Irrigation
Garlic needs regular watering. It is very important to moisten the soil at the stage of head formation. The soil should not dry out, otherwise the lack of moisture will affect the size of the crop. For irrigation, it is better to use warm water from the tank. Directly supplying water from a well is not worth it, as this causes a fungal infection.
Feeding
The crop must be fertilized at least three times. The first dressing is applied a couple of weeks after germination. At this stage, nitrogen fertilizers should be applied. For example, urea or ammonium nitrate may be recommended.
The plants are fertilized for the second time after 3-4 leaves appear on them. To do this, use bird droppings or a solution of mullein. After fifteen days, you can add nitroammophosphate.
Last feedingdo during the formation of bulbs (at the end of June). For this, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are used - potassium sulfate, superphosphate, wood ash.
Diseases and pests
Garlic often affects Fusarium. A fungal disease is usually the result of improper storage, cultivation of a crop, or non-compliance with agricultural technology. Sometimes insects or nutrient deficiencies are the cause of Fusarium.
The appearance of the disease can be judged by the brown stripes that appeared on the foliage. The disease should be treated, as it can affect the head itself. At the beginning, the lower part of the bulb rots, after which it completely disappears. During storage, Fusarium manifests itself in the form of mold.
Leaves should be removed on damaged plants. Next, the beds must be treated with copper sulfate, Bordeaux liquid or fungicides ("Champion", "Fitosporin"). Crop rotation is recommended as a measure to prevent the occurrence of ailments. Garlic should be planted in the same area no more than once every three to four years. Before planting, it is recommended to treat the cloves with fungicides.
Garlic can be attacked by the onion fly. Its caterpillars are very dangerous and can destroy crops. They eat heads from the inside. It is very good to grow garlic near carrots, the smell of which repels the onion fly. If you still notice pests in the beds, it is worth treating the plants with Aktara or Aktellik.
Crop propagation
Where can I get seeds? elephant garlicinitially you will have to purchase in a specialized store. In the future, you will learn how to propagate the culture yourself. Garlic produces arrows with inflorescences, on which numerous seeds ripen. But they cannot be used for reproduction, because they are barren. For planting, you can use only teeth or children. The latter appear on perennial bulbs. They are planted in the same way as ordinary seed, after being cleaned from the husk. In the first year, an onion grows, not divided into teeth. They dig it up in the fall, and plant it in the ground again in the spring, after which they get a full-fledged garlic.
According to summer residents, culture reproduces very simply. Yes, and care for her is quite simple. At minimal cost, you can get a great harvest.
