8 Amazing Garlic Growing Stages: The Complete Life Cycle
You guys know that garlic is an essential and delicious ingredient in many dishes in our country. However, some are aware that garlic is not only a delicious dish but also a beautiful plant to grow in your garden. So, it is necessary to understand garlic growing stages. Because each stage requires special attention and care to get the best outcome, through this article, you guys will get complete knowledge about eight garlic growing stages, then, you can start growing garlic in your garden and will enjoy its benefits and taste.
Garlic growing stages
The different garlic growing stages are:
- Planting bulb
- Germination of the garlic
- Spring garlic stage
- Scaping garlic stage
- Young garlic bulb stage
- Maturing garlic bulb stage
- Flowering garlic plant stage
- Harvesting stage
Planting Bulb
It is one of the essential stages of garlic growing stages. You have to select carefully the garlic cloves which have to be planted in the soil prepared. You have to break the bulb into individual cloves, then, remove the covering on the outer part and leaves.
This stage mainly occurs during the fall season. Cloves have to be individually taken and placed in the soil by covering them with mulch to protect them from harsh climatic conditions in this one of the important garlic growing stages.
Cloves must be planted in the soil at the proper distance and depth to ensure healthy growth.It is the first stage of garlic life cycle.
| Feature | Range |
| Planting | Fall or early spring |
| Growth rate | Slow in the beginning, then medium |
| Leaf colour | Dark green |
| Leaf shape | Long and narrow |
| Flower size | No flowers yet |
| Flower timing | No flowers yet |
| Flower colour | No flowers yet |
| Soil needs | Well-drained fertile soil with the pH between 6.0 and 7.0 |
| Fertilization requirements | Nitrogen-rich fertiliser is needed in the early growth stage |
| Water requirements | Consistently moist soil, not soggy |
| Temperature requirements | Cool to mild temperatures between 60-75 degrees F( 15-24 degree Celsius) |
| Sunlight requirement | Full sun for 6 hours per day (at least) |
| Pest and disease susceptibility | Prone to fungal diseases and pests such as onion maggots and thrips |
| Time passed at this stage | 2-3 months |
Germination of the Garlic
It is the initial stage of growing garlic, where the garlic bulb starts sprouting and develop roots. In this stage, the garlic bulb will absorb the water and the nutrients from the soil, which stimulates the shoot growth from the top of the bulb and root growth from the bottom.
Until they reach the soil surface, the shoots and roots will continue to grow. Then, at this point, the garlic plant will enter the green or spring growth stages and form the bulb.
The garlic bulb should get proper soil moisture and temperature, to ensure healthy plant growth.Now, you went to know about garlic growth stages.
| Feature | Range |
| Planting | 7-10 days |
| Growth rate | 1-2 inches per week |
| Leaf colour | Dark green |
| Leaf shape | Long and narrow |
| Flower size | No flowers yet |
| Flower timing | No flowers yet |
| Flower colour | No flowers yet |
| Soil needs | Well-drained soil along with OM |
| Fertilization requirements | Well-drained soil, along with OM |
| Water requirements | Consistently moist but not soggy soil |
| Temperature requirements | 60 -80 degrees F ( 15-27 degrees C) |
| Sunlight requirements | Full sun for 6 hours per day at least |
| Pest and disease susceptibility | Pest like Onion maggots, thrips and nematodes and Diseases such as White rot, Downy mildew and Botrytis leaf blight |
| Time passed at this stage | 1-2 months |
Spring Garlic Stage
The spring garlic stage is one of the important garlic growing stages. In the early vegetative stage, the garlic plant is going to just emerge from the soil and will be in the process of forming bulbs. Leaves have characters such as short, bright and light green colour in this stage.
Then, the garlic plant will start forming the cloves which will mature and form bulbs in the summer months. In the vegetative stage, the garlic plant will produce leaves and roots. It mainly occurs in winter and early spring. Every garlic growing stage has its characteristics. The characteristics of this stage are the emergence of garlic plants from the soil and, the formation of cloves, then it will mature and form the bulb during the summer months.
| Feature | Range |
| Planting | Early vegetative stage |
| Growth rate | Just emerging from the soil |
| Leaf colour | Bright, light green colour |
| Leaf shape | Short leaves |
| Flower size | No flowers yet |
| Flower timing | No flowers yet |
| Flower colour | No flowers yet |
| Soil needs | Well-drained soil |
| Fertilization requirements | Fertilize with nitrogen-rich fertilizer at the beginning of |
| Water requirements | Regular watering, but do not overwater |
| Temperature requirements | Can tolerate cool temperatures but not frost |
| Sunlight requirements | Full sun for 6 hours a day at least |
| Pest and disease susceptibility | Susceptible to pests like aphids and diseases mainy rust and white rot |
| Time passed at this stage | A few weeks to the couple of months |
Scaping garlic stage
The scaping garlic growing stages mostly occur in late spring and early summer. In this garlic growing stage, the garlic plant forms the scapes or flower stalks. Scapes have small or miniature bulbs and they can grow up to 1-2 feet long. One of the essential things in garlic growing stages is harvesting the scapes as it always encourages additional bulb growth.
When we harvest scapes before the flower is opened, which means when they are tightly curled, the energy which has gone into the flowering or seed production stage would come back into the bulb itself, which gives itself into a healthier bulb. Scapes can be used in different ways. So, we have to pay more attention to this stage.
| Feature | Range |
| Growth rate | Rapid growth rate |
| Leaf colour | Dark green |
| Leaf shape | Long and narrow |
| Flower size | No flowers yet |
| Flower timing | No flowers yet |
| Flower colour | No flowers yet |
| Soil needs | Well-drained soil with organic matter |
| Fertilization requirements | Nitrogen-rich fertilizer in every 2-3 weeks |
| Water requirements | Consistent moisture but not waterlogged |
| Temperature requirements | Cool to mild temperatures, around 60-70 degrees F |
| Sunlight requirements | Full sun light to partial shade |
| Pest and disease susceptibility | Very susceptible to the aphids, thrips, and the fungal-diseases |
| Time passed at this stage | Around 2 to 3 weeks before the bulb begins to sprout |
Young Garlic Bulb Stage
It is the crucial stage in garlic growing stages. It happens after the plant emerges from the soil and when the first leaves appear. The characteristics of this stage are the garlic bulb emerges and the stems and leaves of the plant elongate. The duration of the early bulb stage is usually 4-6 weeks, where the plant mainly focuses on its energy on bulb formation.
The bulbing garlic growing stages follow the early bulb stage, in this stage, the garlic plant will stop the production of leaves and always focus on the production of the underground bulb. This stage of garlic growing stages mainly occurs in the spring season and on this stage, the bulb will reach its full size and the cloves will be fully formed. This stage has characteristics of firm cloves, dry, papery outer layers and this time, easy-to-peel garlic which can be used for cooking. Now, you are more excited towards learning, stages of garlic growth or garlic life cycle.
| Feature | Range |
| Young garlic bulb stage growth rate | 4-6 weeks |
| Leaf colour | Bright, light green |
| Leaf shape | Narrow and elongated |
| Flower size | No flowers yet |
| Flower timing | No flowers yet |
| Flower colour | No flowers yet |
| Soil needs | The well-drained and fertile soil with the pH range of 6.0-7.0 |
| Fertilization requirements | Apply nitrogen-rich fertilizers every 3-4 weeks |
| Water requirements | Regular watering. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged |
| Temperature requirements | The optimum temperature range of 60-75 degrees F. Garlic can tolerate temperatures between 50 -90 degrees F. |
| Sunlight requirement | Full sunlight to partial shade |
| Pest and disease susceptibility | Susceptible to pests like onion maggots and diseases like white-rot |
| Time passed at this stage | After the garlic plant emerges from soil and the first leaves have begun to appear |
Maturing Garlic Bulb Stage
Maturing garlic bulb stage in garlic growing stages, garlic will reach its full size and cloves will be fully formed. The outer layers of the bulb will become dry and papery when the cloves become firm. In this stage, it is easy to peel the cloves and will make the garlic ready for cooking. Garlic can be harvested in the mature bulb stage itself. So, understanding garlic growing stages is essential for good cultivation
| Feature | Wide Range |
| Maturing garlic bulb stage growth rate | 4-6 weeks |
| Leaf colour | Yellowing, eventually turning brown |
| Leaf shape | Elongated |
| Flower size | Small |
| Flower timing | Flowering stage |
| Flower colour | White, pink or purple |
| Soil needs | Well-drained, fertile soil |
| Fertilization requirements | Nitrogen-rich fertilizer every 3-4 weeks |
| Water requirements | Consistent moisture, but avoid overwatering |
| Temperature requirements | Cool to mild temperatures, around 60-65 degrees F |
| Sunlight requirements | Full sunlight |
| Pest and disease susceptibility | Susceptible to fungal diseases and pests like thrips and the nematodes |
| Time passed at stage | It is time to harvest until leaves begin to yellow and brown |
Flowering Garlic Plant Stage
The flowering garlic growing stages mainly occur on the tenth-month mark, which means the end of the growing cycle. Garlic plants have a long stalk containing small white flowers on this stage. After the plant reaches maturity, the stem elongates and curls at the top in this one of the important garlic growing stages.
The plant already has mature bulbs at this stage and now the focus is to produce the bulbils. The bulbils are miniature cloves which can be planted to grow the new garlic plants. The bulbils are miniature cloves which can be planted to grow new garlic plants. Bulbils are formed at the base of the flower, and when the plant has flowered, it can be harvested for planting.
Take more attention and care for harvesting the bulbils to avoid the damage or the loss of bulbils. So, the flowering stage is one of the important garlic growing stages.
| Feature | Wide Range |
| Flowering garlic plant stage | Flowering stage is the last garlic growing stage |
| Growth rate | Slow |
| Leaf colour | Green |
| Leaf shape | Long, narrow and flat |
| Flower size | Small ( around ½ inch in diameter) |
| Flower timing | Late spring to early summer |
| Flower colour | White or pink |
| Soil needs | Well-drained, loose as well as fertile soil |
| Fertilization requirements | No fertilization is required during this stage |
| Water requirement | In the flowering stage Garlic plants require moderate level of watering |
| Temperature requirement | The ideal temperature for the garlic flowering stage is between 60-75 degrees F ( 15.5 -24 degree Celsius) |
| Sunlight requirements | Garlic plant requires full sunlight to produce flowers |
| Pest or disease susceptibility | Garlic plants are less susceptible to pests or diseases in the flowering stage |
| Time passed at the stage | Depending on the growing conditions, the flowering stage typically lasts 2-4 weeks |
Harvesting Stage
The harvesting stage is the critical part of garlic growing stages b/w late July and early October. Garlic bulbs can be harvested at the stage when the bottom leaves start to dry and turn brown. In this garlic growing stage, to make the production maximum, sure that garlic is harvested at the right time. After harvesting, garlic should be dried and cured for storage. This is the last stage of the garlic growing stages which marks the end of the garlic growing cycle.These are the stages of garlic growth.
| Feature | Range |
| Harvesting stage growth rate | Slows down during the harvesting stage |
| Leaf colour | Yellow to dry out during the harvesting stage |
| Leaf shape | Long & narrow |
| Flower size | Produce small, six petaled flowers during flowering stage |
| Flower timing | Typically flower in the hot summer day, around June or July |
| Flower colour | White or pink |
| Soil needs | Garlic plants well -well-draining soil with the pH between 6.0 and 7.0 |
| Fertilization requirement | Application of Balanced fertilizer during planting and growing |
| Water requirements | The plant requires regular watering, keeping the soil moist but not water-logged |
| Temperature requirements | Prefer cooler temperature, ranging from 60-75 degrees F during the growing period |
| Sunlight requirements | Requires full sun exposure, with 6 hours of direct sunlight daily at least |
| Pest and disease susceptibility | Susceptible to diseases like garlic rust and pests like onion maggots and thrips |
| Time passed at the stage | Typically occurs 7 to 8 months after planting, depending on the variety and growing conditions |
Conclusion
Now, we discussed 8 amazing garlic growing stages. You know that all parts of garlic are edible like leaves, stems and bulbs. You are aware guys, right, that garlic plants have so many purposes. Now, you know that the garlic plant has so many advantages. So, for that, you have to know about 8 garlic growing stages. So, go, through this article guys.
