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Hi all,my elephant garlic( 1st time of growing it ) has what i asssume are flower bulbs forming.Should i cut these off or just leave them?

QuoteShould i cut these off or just leave them?

Yes! Just nip the bud off with your thumb & forefinger, no need to cut off the stem.

To do sow creates the potential for water to sit in the hollow stem and rot the bulb.

thanks tee gee

They're quite ornamental, but you'll get appreciably bigger bulbs if you take them off.

sorry to go (slightly)off topic,but would the same apply to onions?im getting the odd flower forming on ours (overwintering onions)
thanks in advance
rach

Quotebut would the same apply to onions

Yes!

 ;D ta!

I pull onions up if they're going to seed, just eat them  ;D

If they try to bolt they won't store, so use them first. The same doesn't apply to garlic.

My elephant garlic is not showing any sign of life unlike the other garlic which was planted at the same time. Should I pull it up or leave it a bit longer.
Janet

What do you mean "not showing signs of life" - no shoots at all ?
Mine aren't doing a great deal they are  just pootling along, and from what I remember I don't expect to start pulling them until after June. So I'd leave them for a while yet (but am no expert !!)
1066

No signs of life, nothing. I meant pull them out to dispose of not to use.
Janet

Mine probably went in late - April(mid) - and they are only about 2" above the surfave.

As they aren't taking up that much space I'll just do the "wait and see" thingy

What a shame, sounds like they have rotted, why not have a poke around?

Quote from: 1066 on May 14, 2009, 08:18:14
What a shame, sounds like they have rotted, why not have a poke around?

The same seems to have happened with mine.... went into pots in February (I didn't have the plot at the time) but although there's the odd root at the bottom there's no top growth at all..... :(.... And I killed all my normal garlic (or nearly all of it) with spraydrift from some weedkiller I was using on a path :( :(

chrisc

Mine's well over a foot high. Definitely dig around and see what's happening!

Panted mine in November.... looking great at the moment. (",)