Bay of Plenty
November
Q.
I’ve grown garlic and the green tops gave all died off. I pulled the garlic and not a single bulb formed cloves. What did I do wrong?
Lynne
A.
Hi Lynne, the most common reason for garlic bulbs not forming is inconsistent watering, if the soil became water logged for a long time or was dry for a long period it will cause this outcome. Alternatively, if the cloves were planted to close to the surface the results can be the same. Aim to plant garlic from late autumn through into June or July in well worked rich soil. Only chose the best possible cloves to plant, and ideally not garlic from the supermarket.
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Why have my garlic bulbs not formed? Comments
My garlic looks more like leeks, there are no bulbs.
Paul
Hi Tui, my garlic looks more like leeks, and has no bulb, can you help?
The Tui Team
Hi Paul, there could be several reasons for your garlic not forming bulbs. One is time, were they planted in June and have they had enough time to develop; were the cloves planted deeply enough, if they are near the surface they probably won't develop properly; inconsistent watering and weather extremes can cause poor bulb formation, they need the cooler nights for the bulb to form, planting deeper helps with this too; poorly drained soils, garlic do not thrive in heavy clay soils; was fertiliser added to the soil at time of planting, the soil may be lacking in phosphorus which helps the formation of bulbs and stimulates root growth, dig in a balanced fertiliser that contains superphosphate, such as Tui Vegetable Food at the time of planting. The other considerations are were they planted at the right time, and have they had enough time to develop?