When to remove arrows from winter garlic?

Novice gardeners are often worried about the question: when to remove the arrows from winter garlic and should it be done? Shooting is a natural process for culture. Some varieties are more prone to it, others less.

Garlic releases arrows in order to form seeds in them later. The plant takes a lot of energy to do this. If you do not need to get your own seed, the arrows must be removed.

Why do garlic arrows cut off?

Winter garlic ripens earlier than spring garlic. The crop can be harvested as early as mid-July. Arrows on plants appear much earlier. In May, active feather growth occurs, and in early June, in the garden bed, you can see the first arrows growing from the center of the bulbs.

Each arrow is nothing more than a peduncle, on which an inflorescence later appears. After flowering, bulbs are formed that can be used for planting. If you let the shooting process take its course, garlic does not receive enough nutrients and, as a result, the harvest will be poor.

To avoid this, you must remove the arrows from the garlic before flowering. This is the only way to ensure the normal development of fruits. In addition, harvesting due to arrows will have to be postponed for several weeks, as the heads of garlic will ripen later.

Experienced gardeners are advised to leave arrows on at least 2 plants to determine the degree of maturity of the culture. When the heads are finally ripe, the seed capsule cracks - this serves as a signal to start harvesting. The air bulbs ripened on the peduncle can be used for planting.

When is the best time to delete?

Agricultural experts recommend cutting off the arrows immediately after they appear. Then the damage to the culture will be minimal, shooting will not affect the development and growth of the bulbs. However, in this case, after some time, the shoot begins to germinate again and you will have to repeat the procedure. With this approach, you have to cut off the arrows on the garlic several times during the growing season.

You can wait a little and carry out the manipulation when the peduncles begin to twist in a spiral. In this case, it will be possible to avoid re-germination of arrows, but the plants, nevertheless, will slow down their growth for some time.

It is better to try to remove the flowering shoots before they have time to grow 15 cm in length, then the damage to the garlic will be minimal. Each gardener practices his own method, doing what is most convenient for him. The main thing is to prevent flowering from happening.

How to cut the peduncles correctly?

It is important to pick the garlic arrows off correctly. If you do this inaccurately, the stem will be damaged, soon turn yellow and begin to dry out. Therefore, it is impossible to abruptly pull out the peduncles, moreover, with this technique, you can completely pull the plant out of the ground.

The fabric of the arrows is rather fragile, you can simply pinch off the shoot with your fingers at its base. Some consider this method to be harsh and stressful to the plant. Those of the same opinion can use the right equipment.

Garden shears or pruning shears are fine for removing arrows. Young flowering shoots are easier to cut, over time they become tough.

It is better to do work in the morning. Until the evening, the wounds will have time to dry out, which will reduce the risk of stem rot.

The cut is made at a distance of 1 cm from the base, you need to leave a small stump.

What to cook with garlic arrows?

Young, juicy arrows of garlic can be added to salads, sauces and sandwich pasta. Hard stalks are not suitable for fresh food; they are pre-stewed or fried. These arrows can also be pickled.

Stewed and fried shoots can serve as a separate dish, usually used as a side dish. In the cooking process, add only salt, black pepper, vegetable oil. Such a side dish does not contain a large number of calories and is suitable for the menu of those who are struggling with excess weight.

Garlic arrow dishes have a piquant taste and mouth-watering aroma. During the stewing, tomatoes, carrots, onions are added to the main ingredient. Optionally, you can put a little tomato paste or sour cream, fresh dill, sesame seeds.

Seasoning from garlic arrows crushed in a blender with the addition of a small amount of vegetable oil, salt and pepper is frozen in portions and used in the winter season for making soups and main courses. In the refrigerator, such a product is stored for 2-3 weeks in an airtight container.

In order for the yield of garlic to remain at a height, it is necessary to remove the arrows from the plants. The summer resident can determine the timing for this procedure at his own discretion. It is better to do it at the very beginning of shooting, but it is possible to do it a little later. There is no waste after removing the garlic arrows - the greens can be used in cooking with health benefits.