By cutting off the
If you don't cut your scapes and leave them on the plant, the bulbils turn into flowers and seeds. Even if you don't intend to eat your garlic scapes, it's still a good idea to snip them at the base of their stalk so that all the energy can go back into growing the bulb underground.
Drooping Garlic Plants
The first reason is that the plant is nearing harvest time. The leaves wither and turn brown then droop over the plant. That's your cue to get ready to harvest your cloves. Other reasons have to do with drought, poor soil, insects, and lack of sunlight.
Temperature or drought stress can significantly harm growth if occurring at critical periods. Plant density and spacing are essential to determine onion and garlic bulb size and number. Yields are higher where early leaf cover is produced and then maintained for a long period prior to bulb formation.
By far the biggest mistake that people make is overwatering. Too much water is a detriment to the plant, and will cause the bulb to rot. It's best to allow the soil to dry a bit between waterings, but never let it dry out completely. Check the moisture level by sticking a finger at least one inch into the soil.
Fertilize garlic in the early spring by side dressing or broadcasting with blood meal, pelleted chicken manure or a synthetic source of nitrogen. Just before the bulbs begin to swell in response to lengthening daylight (usually early May), fertilize lightly one more time.
The key to proper curing is providing good air circulation between the bulbs. Don't spread them out in the sun. Garlic is susceptible to sunburn and can literally cook under the sun, which deteriorates flavor. So you want to minimize the amount of direct sunlight it gets during the curing process.
Those green sprouts you might find in garlic cloves indicate that the garlic is old. Whether the garlic has formed this green sprout or not, the flavor of the germ is strong and imparts a bitter taste to food— remove it before using.
Garlic has been reproduced clonally- by the separation of cloves- for hundreds if not thousands of years. Scapes, the leafless flowering stem rising directly from a bulb seen in hardneck garlic, was removed to deter the plant from sinking energy into the bulbils and instead divert the energy into the cloves.
Deadheading helps the bulb to enlarge as energy which could have been spent producing seeds is diverted to the roots. I will have to find time to water these garlic plants. The soil in the vegetable garden dries out quickly as the beds are raised. Maybe one more watering before the harvest in a few weeks.
The garlic scapes — the round, bulbous, center stem-like part of the plant — are now curling into loops. That's a big sign for gardeners that their garlic bulbs will soon be ready for harvesting, perhaps within a few weeks.
Usually, you can simply trim the sprout and cut away any bad spots, but the arguably stronger taste can be off putting to some. In either case, the freshness of your garlic is gone, and you should probably just buy a new head if you don't need garlic immediately.
If left in the ground too long, the over-mature bulbs can split open, leaving them susceptible to molds and dehydration. Perhaps somewhere there are soils loose and loamy enough to enable garlic to be pulled out of the ground by the tops without tearing or breaking any stems.
Garlic loves rich organic soil, so make sure you dig in well-rotted manure or blood and bone. The soil should also be light, airy and friable.
Fork through some compost, or cow manure or other organic manure before planting. Some organic fertiliser such as concentrated manure pellets helps to get the garlic off to a good start. Once the soil is prepared then WAIT for a couple of weeks before planting.
Soil pH and fertility
Garlic grows best in well-drained, moisture-retentive soil with pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Improve your soil's organic matter content by adding well-rotted manure or compost in spring or fall.
Garlic does best in consistently moist soil, however, if the soil stays too wet this can cause rotting and droopy leaves. Wet soils are prone to fungal diseases such as White Rot - which can also cause droopy leaves (see Common Pests & Diseases of Garlic).
Garlic is ready to harvest around seven to eight months after being planted, says Foxx. "Some signs include the green leaves turning brown and the flower stems will get soft," she says.