Topic: When to plant bulbils/offsets of serpent (hardneck) garlic

[Vinlander]

I've just harvested dozens of large bulbils from the (wrongly named) "flower heads" of my serpent garlic.

There were probably more bulbs than flower buds up there even before I got rid of them.

Despite what most info sites say, this is quite different from the hardneck garlic I usually grow - the bulbils are much bigger - the size of a VERY large fresh pea, the stems or scapes really do occasionally loop the loop, and the underground cloves seem smaller - which doesn't surprise me since the collective weight of the 'head' is nearly a quarter  the weight of a normal garlic bulb.

Anyway, my main question is - when to plant the bulbils?

Although they are relatively large and some are developing a skin, I have no confidence that they won't dry out before the normal late winter planting date.

One more thing - the consensus seems to be that they take 2 years to produce a normal bulb - but will I get a singleton bulb after one year? In other garlics these are usually bigger than a single clove and so are actually a timesaver in the kitchen. It would be nice to get them but I certainly can't risk planting the bulbils later in spring like I would to get this effect from ordinary garlic...

Also, I can't be sure my 'normal' hardneck isn't the odd one out - can anyone comment?

[realfood]

I usually plant the hardneck garlic bulbils in the Autumn. If I have left them unplanted in a shady damp spot, they start to grow in the Autumn and I have to rush to plant them.
The size of the bulbils may be controlled by the number of bulbils in the group. Which variety of hardneck garlic do you have.
I have one head of Music (porcelain garlic) where the bulbils have started to grow of their own accord, while still high in the air!! It may have something to do with the damp weather we have had for the last few weeks. I await with interest to see what hapens next!

[Vinlander]

Thanks Realfood - I can see that keeping them in a damp shady spot can remove my worries about them lasting to autumn - and also give them a chance to root for moisture if they need it.

I suppose slug pellets are a good idea?

Unfortunately I was given the original bulbils a few years ago so I don't know what variety they are, except for the fact that some of them loop the loop..

The bulbils average about 7mm in diameter.

What makes a hardneck a porcelain? what could I look for?

Cheers

[chriscross1966]

Ooh... I've got them too... though I'm trying other things for singletons next year I'll have a go with the serpentine hardneck too.... The other ones I've got are currently sown 4 bulbils per module in a 12-drop tray....

chrisc

[realfood]

Hardneck porcelain garlic, variety Music, is the one that "Really Garlicy Company" grows on their farm near Nairn in the North of Scotland, and now supplies to shops in the UK. It seems to be particularly hardy and suited to conditions in the North of the UK. It has a white skin and a few large cloves. After our last hard Winter, it has outperformed my other hardneck and soft neck varieties.
There are a few different types of hardneck garlic, such as Porcelain, Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple Stripe, Glazed Purple Stripe, and Rocambole, many with different variety names.

[lavenderlux]

My Garlic (don't know the name as I save and plant the best cloves from my harvest and have been doing so for around four years now) has also produced lots of scapes this year - very strange as I haven't noticed it before, perhaps it was the hard winter.   I have already planted my 'mini' bulblets into cell trays - just to see what happens! 

[chriscross1966]

I put some bulbils into modules (4 bulbils per 15-drop) and they seem to have started already after only a few days.... \\the plan is to get half of them into the ground outdoors for the winter and the other half will be keot above freezing .... I want to find out if the single-clove bulb thing is obligate behaviour or not.....

chrisc

[galina]

Vinlander

the bulbils last really well, certainly until planting out time.  On the other hand, plant now and they will have a bit more growing time to develop a good root before winter cuts the top growth down.  All hardnecks want a good bit of winter cold.

There are huge differences in hardneck garlic bulbil count.  Some have large pea sized bulbils and probably only 9 and others can have 200.  I have a variety with few too (Spanish Roja) and these will grow either a single 'round' or a small bulb, but with divided cloves.  On the other hand tiny bulbils mostly disappear unless they are mollycoddled.  I think size is the overall determining factor.  If the bulbil approaches clove size, the resulting garlic is a large round or divided.  Tiny bulbils produce a bit of 'grass' hardly any bulb, and that's all.

[realfood]

Another observation re "Serpent garlic". After the scapes have done the "loop the loop", they straighten out to finish vertical again. I do not know what advantage this has for the plant.