Topic: rust on garlic

[Ninnyscrops.]

I've lifted a couple and most have okish bulb sizes, not hugely big, but fine. one or two out of 6 have just been singles, so that makes me believe that there is still time for them to develop. with them all covered in rust and most have almost yellowed or leaves dying off, shall i lift them all (I've about 80 of both hard and softneck varieties).

The single ones are best used, as if planted later in the year, they will throw up individual shoots next year and no good for storing.

Ninnys

[goodlife]

My rusty garlic is up and luckily they got it late stage so the bulb size wasn't effected. I've lifted this unknown variety up about 2 weeks earlier than I would normally do.
Other varieties that are still maturing only have odd spot of rust..those can stay in and grow on.

[gwynnethmary]

I notice that your garlic is coloured.  Mine is white.  Is it just the variety or has something gone wrong?

[goodlife]

It is the variety.. ;D
This particular variety has deep purple skin. I've got white and creamy skinned ones too.

[irridium]

goodlife: your garlic looks great - what variety are they? i've lifted about 10 more today and i'd say some of them were singles, so  i think they're a certain variety that haven't done so well (either thermidrome, marco, cristo and lastly but unlikely, music). the others i'd say are just smaller than yours, with some around the same size. so all in all, not such a bad crop for it's first season on the lotti.

ninny: thanks for the tip about the singles. i shall use them fresh then..

i don't think i'll get much success with the shallots tho' as i haven't seen much division of bulbs forming.

[Ninnyscrops.]

My English is white and my French is red.

Ninny

[goodlife]

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goodlife: your garlic looks great - what variety are they? i've lifted about 10 more today and i'd say some of them were singles
I don't know what variety they are. I've grown them for 'donkey's year' and that info got lost. I used to grow soooo many varieties and those sort of 'self selected' themselves for being best of the 'bunch'.
I'm getting back into old habbit now and slowly building up the variety numbers.. ::) Trying to keep labels 'glued' on this time.

Where you 'late' with you garlic planting last year? Often those that didn't get sufficient winter temperature exposure...or had too short growing season for other reasons produce single 'bulbs'...the clove need certain amount of cold to tricker into division. Or other common reason for 'bulbing' is that if the planted clove is been 'too' small..they need to reach certain size first before they are mature enough for division. That's why you 'hear' the mantra 'plant the largest cloves from the bulb'. You can plant every single clove but the smallest ones will need grown 'twice' before they make big divided bulbs.
There is nothing wrong with the large 'bulb cloves' and you can plant them again in autumn they just need extra time for completing the bulbing.
Same happens to little bulbils that grow into 'flower' heads.. they often develop for just single large 'bulb clove' in their early stages.

[irridium]

They were all planted out on 7th Nov. and it was Marco that came up first on 2nd Dec. (the others took their time). I've planted all the smaller cloves out knowingly at the time, it wasn't advisable ::) but have forgotten since then..! When I was buying seed stock at prices of £3 for two bulbs, I wouldn't want to waste them, did I?! Now I've learnt and shan't be doing that again!

I have intentions of saving all my stock for seed for next year, but am unsure as to which variety was which. Isn't softneck the ones that doesn't keep as long as the hardneck? or are they're both good for storing? I've noticed you and another poster have shown pics of theirs washed. shall I do the same to mine if I intend to save them?

[goodlife]

Mine are not washed..I just shake the excess soil off roots and wipe the surface off from the worst 'mud'.
They are now in GH on old plastic bread tray drying out. Once they are dry I cut the roots (and tops, though often  not ) down with secateurs and if in need I remove the first papery layer from the bulb that still look dirty. Usually if it the garlic is for my use I don't bother tidying up the 'skin but those for 'display' or given away I pruce up looking very 'polish'... ;)
Other than that...after drying out they get bundled up or bagged in net bags and hung up in frost free place.
For long storage is better the less you damage the papery outer layers. Those will keep the cloves from drying out prematurely..that's why it is better to leave the bulbs intact and not splitting the cloves for planting until just before the job... ;)

Generally softnecks are said to store better..however..depending of variety of hardneck and how you store you garlic (what ever the type), even the hardnecks should store fine well into next year. This particular variety that I showed on photo usually last for me until March-April.

[Alex133]

Last season I planted some Marco in spring rather than previous autumn, most of them came up as single bulbs. Planted out 5 of them last autumn and they have grown into normal, very early clove laden bulbs. Not knocked out by flavour but the early cropping is useful.

[irridium]

i'd like to add an jpeg image, but don't know how to do this...i've clicked on the picture icon, but it just comes up with image brackets in the message box.. ::) sorry, being a ditz again!

[staris]

i've just taken up my garlic due to rust it's not as big as last years crop but big enough to eat ,it's about the same size as supermarket garlic.

i've got elephant garlic which was next to it with no signs of rust.

[irridium]

here's the garlic as promised. it's not done v well as i didn't have a camera, so used my webcam on my Mac instead ::) (hence, the brightness of the white bulbs.. sorry!)

[goodlife]

Hey!...photo is a photo and it doesn't matter how you did  it..it worked!... ;D
As for your garlic...they look fine. You've got few whoppers there..well done.. ;)

[irridium]

thanks! was meant to go down with DD but it was chucking it down earlier, and there's no point in going as it'll be too wet to dig (if you look at the other pic (on The Shed - Good News) you'll see how scruffy my lotti is, and there's still a lot to do!

glad I dug most of the garlic now. think I have around 40 bulbs (at least half were v good size) and again the same in singles. thinking back about the singles theory, i think they're all from a red-skinned variety, altho' not sure out of the ones i've bought - either Cristo, Marco, Thermidrome or Printador. Some of them tho' did bulb up, but mainly were all singles.

[goodlife]

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you'll see how scruffy my lotti is, and there's still a lot to do! My view is that it doesn't matter what the lottie looks like..as long as you are able to grow crops on it. Allotments are not ' Chelsea show gardens'..  ;)...and there is always lot to do ..never ends.. ::)
Now that we've had few dry days I've put some serious hours to get my lotties under control. I'm not even near there yet...but it does make you feel better when you have short moment having all unnecessary growth tamed..oh, as I'm typing it started to rain  ::)..tamed..ha..you turn back and it will be all back with vengeance.. ::)                                                                   

[artichoke]

I agree, none of my elephant garlics have rust, and they are surrounded by sad rusty normal garlic.

[Ninnyscrops.]

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Allotments are not ' Chelsea show gardens'..  ;)...and there is always lot to do ..never ends.. ::)
[/quote]

Not a truer word printed Goodlife!

Ninny

[Alex133]

Had to dig up Lautrec (French-type hard neck) last night as leaves completely rusted away. All bulbs very small and well disappointed. Hoping Solent Wight will be a bit better, at least there was still a bit of green in them. Visions of a happy garlic munching year ahead fading fast.

[irridium]

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you'll see how scruffy my lotti is, and there's still a lot to do! My view is that it doesn't matter what the lottie looks like..as long as you are able to grow crops on it. Allotments are not ' Chelsea show gardens'..  ;)...and there is always lot to do ..never ends.. ::)
Now that we've had few dry days I've put some serious hours to get my lotties under control. I'm not even near there yet...but it does make you feel better when you have short moment having all unnecessary growth tamed..oh, as I'm typing it started to rain  ::)..tamed..ha..you turn back and it will be all back with vengeance.. ::)                                                                   

well, i suffer from a bit of inadequacy from a few seasoned lotti ppl (the older ones with their decades toiled, well-structured/landscaped plots) and some non-gardening friends who've not given me much praise/positive acknowledgment upon their initial visits to the plot, so i'm always a bit dubious about how it's perceived by others.. to me the lotti's fine. it could do with more effort on my part, but there are days when i don't fancy doing much, just potter around, doing bits here n' there... i don't do massive bouts of energetic digging thesedays (did in the winter) as weather's been up n' down.. hate it when it's too hot as i get too drained otherwise..

thanks anyway for your support..

so glad the majority of the garlics lifted up (left some behind purposefully as DD has come up and thought she'd like to dig the rest - she's recently got into gardening when she's chanced upon my plant porn catalogues!) when that storm came yesterday..

drat, it's raining again this morning! hope it'll clear at some point at the w/e...