Why does garlic turn yellow in the spring? What to do? Why winter garlic turns yellow in spring and what to do
In early spring, the first crop that pleases the summer resident is winter garlic. But sometimes this joy is overshadowed by the sudden yellowing of the garlic feathers. Let's try to figure out together why this is happening and what measures need to be taken urgently.
There are the main and most common reasons why garlic turns yellow.
Garlic turns yellow due to frost
It is necessary to strictly adhere to the recommended planting dates for this vegetable crop. In regions with a warm climate, garlic is planted in November, and in other areas in September - October. If you do not follow these deadlines and plant garlic too early, it will have time to produce green feathers even before the onset of cold weather. It goes without saying that this garlic foliage will freeze during frosts and turn yellow with the arrival of spring.
There are exceptions even when planting deadlines are met. Sudden very coldy winter or unexpected spring frosts after sustained warming - this will also lead to yellowing of young green feathers.
You can protect garlic from such weather problems using a layer of mulch. Planting garlic in autumn time, immediately mulch the garlic beds with falling leaves. The thick leaf layer will not allow any frost to reach this healthy vegetable crop.
If it was still not possible to protect the garlic from frost, then you will need to spray with biological products. The solution should fall directly on the frozen leaves of garlic. Anti-stress drugs (for example, Epin, Zircon, Energen) should come to the aid of plants.
Garlic does not tolerate too much or too little moisture. In case of prolonged absence of precipitation and hot weather, it is recommended to water the garlic every other day. In average spring weather, watering is carried out 2-3 times a month. And if spring brings constant and prolonged rains, then you can forget about watering, since excess moisture will significantly harm the plant.
Garlic plants that are under a reliable layer of mulch will not require watering.
If possible, it is necessary to maintain a water-air balance favorable for garlic, even if it is disrupted due to the vagaries of the weather.
Garlic turns yellow due to diseases or pests
Very often, gardeners use garlic in joint or mixed plantings to protect themselves from pest invasions or the appearance of various diseases. But there are “troubles” from which garlic cannot protect itself - these are common vegetable diseases (for example, rot or powdery mildew) or numerous harmful fauna (for example, mites, onion flies or nematodes). With their appearance, the crop begins to hurt, and the garlic leaves turn yellow.
The first thing to do is to find the cause of the yellowing garlic feathers. Dig up one of the heads and garlic and inspect it carefully. Any changes appearance garlic (for example, plaque Pink colour on the bottom), the presence of damage (for example, the appearance of mold or rot on the roots and cloves) or larvae indicates the presence of harmful insects.
Infectious and fungal diseases you can win with the help of various chemicals. You can destroy the onion fly by watering with salt (100 grams of salt per 5 liters of water). But it is impossible to defeat the nematode. Therefore, you should always remember about timely preventive measures:
- Before planting garlic in the autumn, it is recommended to soak its cloves in a disinfecting manganese solution for twelve hours.
- Seed material should be renewed as often as possible (at least once every three years).
- It is necessary to change garlic beds annually.
- Use mixed plantings(eg garlic and calendula or marigold). Only the roots of these flowers will not allow the nematode into the beds with garlic, since they are poisonous to it.
a lack of nutrients in the soil can also cause yellowing of garlic. There is only one way to solve this problem - to apply the necessary fertilizing on time.
Of course, you need to start with preventive measures at the beginning of spring. While the ground has not yet completely thawed, it is enough to fertilize the garlic beds at least once and there will be a shortage of garlic plantings chemical elements and microelements will not be in danger.
It is recommended to water with a special liquid fertilizer, which consists of ammonium nitrate and potassium sulfate (5-6 grams each), superphosphate (10 grams) and 10 liters of water. This amount of feeding should be used for one square meter land area. Usually it is enough to apply fertilizer once, but to consolidate the result, you can repeat this procedure after a month.
Adherents organic farming You can get by with natural fertilizers. Garlic is watered with various herbal infusions with the addition of wood ash.
If the garlic feathers have already begun to turn yellow, then first generously spray the vegetable plantings with any liquid complex fertilizer, diluted according to the attached instructions. And the next feeding should be applied at the root, after about 7-8 days.
Why does garlic turn yellow (video)
Often the feathers of garlic that has begun to grow turn yellow. If measures are not taken in time, there will not be a good harvest.
The leaves can turn yellow on any garlic, no matter whether it is spring or winter. It’s bad when garlic turns yellow in the spring or at the height of summer, but by the time of harvesting, yellowing and drying of the tops is normal. What to do if the garlic begins to turn yellow at the wrong time and how to treat it will be discussed below.
Causes
Typically, yellowing - chlorosis - begins at the ends. Gradually the yellow color spreads and development is delayed. As a result, the heads will grow small.
There are several reasons for this phenomenon:
- damage by diseases and pests;
- lack of macro- or microelements;
- improper water regime;
- cold weather.
You can determine what caused the yellowing in different ways.
Garlic planted last season turns yellow
When winter garlic turns yellow in early spring, it means that the plants have been frozen.
Garlic turns yellow in warm weather
Remove a few heads and look at the roots. If they are nibbled or the bottom is covered with mold, then the reasons for the poor condition of the plantings are diseases and pests.
Yellowing is caused by two diseases to which lilies are susceptible: fusarium and bacterial rot.
Fusarium
Fusarium or bottom rot manifests itself in that the tips of the garlic turn yellow, the leaves and stem dry out quickly, starting from the end. A pinkish coating appears in the sinuses, then the aerial part becomes covered with brown stripes. If you dig up an onion, you will immediately notice that its roots have almost disappeared, and the bottom has become soft and watery.
The disease is common in southern climate, but also gardeners middle zone in hot years they encounter it. Crop losses due to fusarium can reach 70%.
Bacterial rot
Bacterial rot affects bulb crops. The disease manifests itself as brown dots on the surface of the teeth. Subsequently, the heads take on a “frozen” appearance and smell unpleasant. The garlic feathers turn yellow, then the leaves and arrows dry out and die, starting from the ends.
The sources of the disease are bacteria living in the soil. Microorganisms enter the plant through damage caused by onion flies, mites, nematodes and thrips.
Nematode
Stem nematode is a microscopic pest that lives in the soil. The plant affected by the nematode brightens, the garlic leaves turn yellow, then the feathers curl and the bulb rots.
How to recognize a nematode: looking at the roots with a magnifying glass, you can see small worms no more than a millimeter long. Without a magnifying glass, they look like a pinkish coating on the surface of the bottom.
What's wrong with garlic?
Sometimes garlic in the garden turns yellow due to lack of nutrition. More often, the vegetable experiences a deficiency of nitrogen and potassium. The situation can be corrected by feeding.
Garlic responds well to mulching with humus. You can even use chicken droppings, but it must sit in a pile for at least 2 years.
Mulching with organic matter is an excellent way to feed. If garlic turns yellow in beds filled with humus, then the cause of chlorosis is not a nutritional deficiency, but something else.
Those who prefer to fertilize their garden with mineral water can use urea and potassium sulfate to prevent yellowing of garlic leaves. The latter fertilizer also contains sulfur, which is useful for garlic.
The chemical industry produces specialized fertilizers intended for garlic: Agricola 2, Kemiru Fertika. The fertilizer is dissolved in water and watered over the planted plants or scattered over the surface of the soil before digging.
You can spend foliar feeding. The procedure is useful if the leaves of young plants have turned yellow. Urea or potassium sulfate is diluted in a concentration of a teaspoon per liter of water. The leaves are sprayed with a fine spray. Droplets of the working solution that fall on the leaf blades will be absorbed and the yellowness will disappear.
All onions love feeding with ash, as it contains a lot of potassium, which promotes the growth of bulbs and increases resistance to pests. The powder can be sprinkled on top of the bed if it is not mulched with organic matter. Mixing ash and humus is not recommended, as this leads to the disappearance of nutrients from fertilizers.
Ash is added when digging the beds or a water concentrate is prepared for foliar feeding according to the following recipe:
- Sift 300 g of ash.
- Pour boiling water over and heat for 20 minutes.
- Strain the broth and dilute with 10 liters of water.
- Add a tablespoon liquid soap for sticking.
A common cause of yellowing of garlic feathers is lack of water. Chlorosis is caused not only by a lack of moisture, but also by an excess of moisture, as plant roots suffocate due to lack of oxygen.
When the water regime is disrupted, they are the first to dry out. lower leaves. Mulching with humus or peat will help solve the problem of a lack of irrigation water.
It is more difficult to help if the garlic is flooded. To prevent this from happening, in regions with high rainfall, vegetables are planted on raised beds. So that the roots can breathe, the surface of the soil is loosened after each watering, preventing the formation of a crust.
What to do if garlic turns yellow
Depending on what is the cause of the pathology, chemical, folk or agrotechnical measures will come to the rescue.
Ready-made products
Garlic diseases are easier to prevent. To do this, before planting, soak the teeth in potassium permanganate diluted until pink or in the Maxim preparation. Fitosporin is suitable, in which the cloves should be soaked for 15-25 minutes. Can be disinfected without planting material, and the soil by spilling the bed with a solution of one of the preparations.
Spray leaves caught by frost with growth stimulants: Silk, Epin, Succinic acid. Stimulants increase plant immunity and promote the appearance of new leaves.
Silk contains triterpene acids produced coniferous trees. It is a natural regulator of plant growth and development that has a fungicidal effect.
Epin enjoys well-deserved love experienced gardeners. The drug contains an adaptogen, which has a pronounced anti-stress effect. Epin activates the plant's immunity at full capacity. As a result, garlic reacts less to frost, drought, and temperature changes.
The drug stimulates shoot formation, so young leaves quickly grow in place of dried leaves. Garlic damaged by frost or heat is sprayed with Epin once a week. Treatments are repeated until the plant recovers.
For spraying take rainwater, not hard tap water.
Epin contains the phytohormone Epibrassinolide, which domestic scientists managed to synthesize. The drug is almost never used abroad, but in Russia most agricultural crops are treated with it.
Succinic acid is a product of amber processing. Universal medicine for onions and garlic. It not only stimulates growth and improves immunity, but also serves as a source of microelements. Plant treated with stimulant:
- becomes immune to major diseases;
- quickly recovers from pest damage;
- tolerates cold and drought.
It is important that it is impossible to overdose on a stimulant. Plants take only the required volume of the substance from the solution.
First, prepare a concentrated solution by diluting a gram of acid in a small volume of heated water. The concentrate is poured into a 10 liter bucket filled with clean water, and obtain a working solution suitable for spraying leaves and watering.
YAK can be purchased not only in gardening stores, but also in a regular pharmacy, since the product is an adaptogen and immune stimulant not only for plants, but also for humans.
Insecticides are used against harmful insects: Fufanon, Karbofos, Actellik.
Traditional methods
If small worms can be seen at the base of yellowed leaves, this means that an onion fly has laid eggs on the garlic. Getting rid of the pest is not difficult. A glass of table salt is dissolved in a bucket of water and the tops are sprayed. Afterwards the worms will disappear.
For each plant, use 1 glass of saline solution. The next day the bed is watered plain water and feed the garlic with ash.
But it is useless to fight the nematode using traditional methods and even “chemistry”. Crop rotation also does not help, since worms can remain in the garden bed without food for many years. But it is known that the pest lives only in acidic soils. If the bed is infected with a nematode, you need to add lime or dolomite flour before planting garlic.
Tagetis and calendula sown between rows will help protect garlic. Pests do not like plants, as their sap is poisonous.
To scare away onion fly use shag mixed with lime 1:1. The beds are covered with powder during the first and second emergence of pests.
Prevention of yellow garlic
Prevention of garlic diseases is a properly designed crop rotation. The crop is planted in its old place no earlier than after 3 years. During this time, spores of bacteria and fungi in the soil lose their harmfulness.
Another way to prevent chlorosis is to use correct agricultural technology, because yellowing can be caused by serious violations:
- Shallow planting leading to freezing. The feathers do not turn yellow at the ends, but grow back chlorotic.
- Premature landing. Early planted spring garlic is exposed to spring frosts. Winter varieties in the middle zone are planted no earlier than October, trying to time the planting so that the clove has time to take root in the soil, but does not throw out its leaves.
- Soil acidification. Onions prefer a neutral pH. In overly acidic soils, it is necessary to add deoxidizers - lime, ash, dolomite, chalk, eggshells, cement.
To protect garlic from diseases caused by microorganisms, you need to ensure that the planting material is healthy. Do not plant cloves with rot spots or traces of mold, or use fresh manure when planting garlic, as it contains pathogen spores.
So, garlic can turn yellow for many reasons. Before starting treatment, be sure to diagnose and identify the cause of the problem. Only then take measures to eliminate the pathology.
May turn yellow different stages plant growth, but most of the complaints from midland gardeners occur at the beginning of the season - from early spring to June. Let's look at the signs and possible reasons this phenomenon and talk about ways to prevent it.
Be careful: if the garlic leaves simply turn yellow, this is a cause for alarm, but in most cases the situation can be corrected using the recommendations from this article. But curling of the leaves, drying out, deformation, the appearance of spots and rot at the base indicate a serious disease or pest damage. In this case, it is necessary to take urgent measures: treat the beds with special preparations and remove heavily infected plants.
Winter garlic quickly turned yellow
Often the cause is planting too early. In the central region it is recommended to plant in early October. During this time, before the onset of persistent cold weather, the teeth take root, but do not begin to grow. If a little earlier, it will not only take root, but will also go into the winter with leaves. The green leaf falls into unfavourable conditions overwintering: lack of light, presence of snow cover and negative temperatures may damage it. It is clear that a damaged leaf of garlic will quickly turn yellow when the plant begins to grow. The garlic itself will not die from this, but maximum yield will not give.
To prevent garlic from turning yellow after winter, follow the planting dates for your area as accurately as possible. If it happens that you planted garlic at the wrong time and its feathers turn yellow in the spring, take care of the plantings as usual, not forgetting about timely watering and fertilizing. Over time, the plants will regain their strength.
The leaves of young garlic are growing yellow or their tips are turning yellow.
The second most common reason for yellowing of garlic leaves in the spring is planting too shallow. If you don't plant the garlic cloves deeply enough in the fall, they may freeze. As a result, in the spring, garlic will immediately throw leaves with yellow tips or completely yellowed to the surface.
To avoid this, monitor the planting depth: it should be 4-6 cm from the neck of the clove to the soil surface. Autumn mulching of winter garlic plantings with humus also works well (layer thickness - 4-6 cm).
If the garlic bulbs are still frozen and it turns yellow, try to provide the garlic beds with intensive care: the plants can recover.
Garlic turns yellow after frost
In the climate of the middle zone this is not uncommon. It happens that the garlic overwintered well, the first leaves after emerging above the soil surface were green, but after some time they turned yellow. Then remember what the weather was like this week. Was there any frost or significant cold after germination? If so, then the plants could be damaged by them.
If the garlic has turned yellow due to cold weather I, it can be treated with: “Epin” or “Zircon”.
Garlic grows poorly, the leaves have turned yellow
This may be caused by a lack of nutrition. This often happens in early spring, when the soil at depth is not yet warmed up enough, the roots grow slowly and do not provide the plant with enough nutrients. At other times, yellowed garlic leaves or their tips can signal a nitrogen deficiency, and when grown in poor soils, also a potassium deficiency.
The consequences of growing garlic on unsuitable soils: too heavy or too heavy, manifest themselves in a similar way.
Garlic that has turned yellow from lack of nutrition can be processed urea (carbamide) or carry out liquid fertilizing. Fertilizing with urea is done at the rate of 1 Matchbox per 1 sq.m. with embedding into the soil. You can carry out liquid fertilizing with urea: dilute a matchbox in 10 liters of water and water the beds at the rate of 3-3.5 liters per sq.m. But it is best to quickly provide the plant with nitrogen by foliar feeding (spraying on the leaves). Working solution for foliar feeding of garlic when leaves turn yellow: 25-30 g of urea per 10 liters of water. At first, we will provide the plant with a sufficient amount of nitrogen. But you shouldn’t relax: after 1 - 1.5 weeks, when the soil warms up enough and root system will cope with the growth of leaves, it is necessary to additionally fertilize with complex mineral fertilizer, preferably combining it with watering.
For garlic growing in poor soils, foliar feeding with potassium sulfate will also be useful: 1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water, spray on the foliage. You can add potassium with irrigation: 15-20 g of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water.
If the garlic feathers turn yellow due to unsuitable soil, in the fall or early spring, apply it between the rows, loosening it into the soil. Or prepare a solution of ash (1 glass per 10 liters of water) and pour it over the area with garlic. The effect will not be immediate, but these measures will still improve growth conditions and increase the quality of plants. If it is not possible to fill the heavy soil, add at least sand or so that oxygen can better penetrate to the roots of the plant.
Yellow garlic leaves can be a sign of excess or lack of moisture. If there is little rain during the period of active leaf growth (May - June), garlic should be watered once every 1 - 1.5 weeks, and in hot weather once every 5 days.
When standing high groundwater on the site the plant suffers from waterlogging, especially in early spring. This problem can be solved in the only way: by planting garlic in raised beds.
Why do garlic leaves turn yellow? in the spring and what to do to grow it properly. This phenomenon affects many summer residents and, as a rule, the garlic leaves turn yellow at the tips. After some time, the yellowing increases and the plant's development begins to slow down and the bulbs will eventually grow smaller.
The main reasons for yellowing of garlic leaves in spring
Typically, the leaves of winter garlic begin to turn yellow in early spring. At this time, the garlic is subject to severe frosts, and the leaves may turn yellow.
The bulb can also become infected with various diseases. You can determine the cause of the phenomenon yourself - pull out the onion and look at the roots to see if they have turned black or if mold has appeared on them.
The cause of yellowing leaves may be acidic soil or lack of nitrogen, magnesium and potassium in it. Additionally, garlic needs regular watering, so don't forget about it.
Diseases and pests of garlic
Fusarium, white rot, bacterial rot and black mold - disease data may cause leaves to turn yellow. To prevent these diseases, it is recommended to water the beds with a solution of table salt (use 2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water) or soak the cloves in a manganese solution before planting.
There is also a stem nematode, and to get rid of it, many gardeners advise sowing plants such as mint, calendula, marigolds, hyssop, coriander, savory in the rows, all of which will help you repel the pest.
Soil influence
If your soil is too acidic, then you need to reduce its acidity. To do this, add lime of any kind before autumn digging. After adding lime, the soil is dug up and the beds are prepared for planting.
If there is a lack of potassium, you need to use potassium sulfate at the rate of 15-20 g per 10 liters of water, and if there is a lack of magnesium, you can use foliar feeding magnesium sulfate at the rate of 120-180 g per 10 liters of water.
If there is a lack of nitrogen in the soil, apply nitrogen fertilizers to the soil during the period of active growth - in early spring. You can use ordinary humus or urea, as well as other nitrogen-containing mixtures.
In the spring, many summer residents are disappointed to find yellowed leaves of their garlic planting. And this is not only an unpleasant effect, but also a sign that the agricultural technology for growing winter crops has been violated. After all, following the yellowing of the leaves, the plant stops growing altogether, and the cloves rot. Why does it turn yellow? winter in spring and what to do, we will consider in this article.
Low temperature in spring
First of all, the foliage of winter garlic turns yellow in the spring due to low temperatures. And this is the main reason.
Snow no longer covers the plant, and it becomes vulnerable - the roots weaken, and energy for development is taken from the leaves. 
Basically, deep planting causes garlic to freeze. Therefore, to avoid the appearance of yellow leaves, it is advisable to plant this crop at a depth 5-7 cm. You can prevent the appearance of yellowness in the spring by covering the young seedlings with film.
Did you know? You can avoid freezing of winter garlic by correct landing in autumn - 10-20 days before the onset of frost.
Low acidity of soil for growing
In order for garlic to please you with its harvest, it should be planted in a neutral climate. If the soil on your site is highly acidic, it needs to be lowered. To do this, during autumn digging, add to the soil lime.
With high acidity, the norm of lime per hundred square meters is 50-70 kg, for acidic ones - 35-45 kg, for slightly acidic ones - 30-35 kg. After applying lime, the area must be carefully dug up.
Nitrogen deficiency
A lack of certain nutrients, including, also causes yellowing of the foliage and the appearance of a reddish tint. 
If you notice that the tips of the leaves of winter garlic are turning yellow, the first thing to do is to urgently fertilize the soil with manure or urea (). In this case, it is recommended to water the plant directly over the leaves with urea.
Important! Fertilizers applied in the fall are washed out of the soil over the winter.
Insufficient watering of the plant
Garlic plantings love moisture, so the soil should be loose and well-moistened - so it is enriched with oxygen.
Watering is especially important at the beginning. 
It would be a good idea to use highly effective additives that help loosen the soil and structure it, increasing the degree of absorption of moisture and nutrients.
Important! Excess moisture for garlic is more destructive than its lack.
Potassium deficiency
Potassium deficiency can also be harmful young plant. In most cases, yellowing of leaves for this reason is observed in cold spring. 
In this case, the roots do not receive sufficient nutrition from the soil and begin to take potassium from the leaves. Potassium deficiency can also be determined by the uneven growth of leaves, they droop and become thin.
Did you know? An ash solution well compensates for the lack of potassium - a glass of wood ash and 2 tablespoons of salt per bucket of water.
Diseases of winter garlic and yellowing of leaves
The most common diseases accompanied by yellowing of garlic leaves are are:
- White rot. The leaves of the plant first turn yellow and wither, the bulbs become moldy and rot. The plants die one after another, and a fluffy whitish coating is visible on their surface. Most often, the disease occurs in the spring, with nitrogen deficiency.
- Basal rot. Although this type of fungus is present in almost all soils and does not cause any special problems if the plants do not experience stress. It manifests itself as yellowing of the leaves, which moves downwards. In principle, the symptoms are no different from white rot, only the plant rots more slowly. You need to combat this problem in advance by treating the planting material with a disinfectant solution (for example, “Tiram”).
- Aspergillosis or black mold. Most probably dangerous disease, which most often affects immature plants. Symptoms - the bulbs become soft, the leaves turn yellow.
- Fusarium. The source of this disease is excess moisture. The leaves begin to turn yellow on top already in the process of ripening. This disease is characterized by brown stripes on the stems. If winter garlic turns yellow due to fusarium, the first thing to treat the plant with is a solution potassium permanganate.
- Penicillosis or blue mold . It mainly affects the plant after harvest as a result of careless handling. The garlic gradually turns yellow and dies.
- Rust. Loves high humidity. It appears as yellowish spots and specks on the leaves. Over time, the foliage turns orange and brown. Fighting method- treatment of cloves before planting.
Garlic often turns yellow from fungal diseases. Of course, fusarium and bacterial rot It's easier to prevent than to treat. Therefore, before planting, it is advisable to disinfect the plant cloves with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or Maxim and preparations, pouring the solution over the planting material for 15-30 minutes. Even if you did not do this before planting, you can already water the beds with the solution.
For prevention, you can also disinfect the soil by treating it with a solution (copper sulfate) or saline solution. When the first signs of damage to the plant appear, it is urgent to treat the garlic plantings
