Topic: elephant garlic bulbils

[philistine]

Grew some elephant garlic last which produced quite a few bulbils which I removed and saved
In order to increase my stock has any one had any success in growing from these
and getting them to germinate I've been trying for over a month with some and so far
nothing

[galina]

Grew some elephant garlic last which produced quite a few bulbils which I removed and saved
In order to increase my stock has any one had any success in growing from these
and getting them to germinate I've been trying for over a month with some and so far
nothing

Do you mean the little bulblets that hang off the elephant garlic cloves?  They are in yellow/brownish very hard casings with a sharp point?

Yes they do germinate eventually, but usually it takes a long time for the cases to rot away. 

[lottie lou]

Mine are just starting to show in the greenhouse.  However when I found that they formed a hard shell, I peeled them and bunged them into pots of damp compost to over summer, then transferred them to trays in the autumn.

[gavinjconway]

Mine are just starting to show in the greenhouse.  However when I found that they formed a hard shell, I peeled them and bunged them into pots of damp compost to over summer, then transferred them to trays in the autumn.

I did the same - peeled and plonked in seed compost... a month or so now without any showing yet.

[Ian Pearson]

They take a very long time. It's probably best not to let them dry out when you collect them.