I know the cost of garlic meat for planting can seem high, buy please don't plant grocery store garlic or other garlic not strictly meant for planting. Garlic meant for planting is tested for disease. There's a real risk of introducing white rot into your soil planting untested garlic and it not only kills your garlics, it'll kill all the other alliums too, and it stays in the soil for decades even if you don't grow alliums.
The cost of garlic meant for planting might seem high, but it's an one time investment. Your soil is worth that investment. From next year on you can use your own garlic.
Why do I care so? I rent a garden allotment. The soil has white rot in it. It's devastating. Of course I didn't know when I rented it. Then I had a good healthy seedstock and by far the highest, healthieist tops in the area, passers by stopped to ask me what those high things are so early in the season, can't be garlic surely… I was so proud. Until around midsummer when the soil gets warm enough for the fungus to activate. Everything just started dying. Pulling the garlics up, the bulbs were underdeveloped, and there was a gross white foam like fungus around them.
I tried different locations in the allotment but it's everywhere. It travels with water in the soil. I don't even try to grow alliuns anymore, not even green onions because they get affected too, except I'll try and see if I can get away with a daffodil under some gooseberries. Wish me luck.
Please be a good steward for your soil. Don't ruin it for yourself and whoever else grows things in it after just to save a bit of money once.
by Ancient-Patient-2075
14 Comments
It can be very easy to cross contaminate soil. My sister’s husband manages a charity garden. He borrowed a disc harrow one year, and forgot to clean it first. It introduced a disease that now limits what they can grow.
He’s also told me about diseases in which the only real cure is to dig out the soil and heat it thoroughly. The internet says to at least 120, and better to go up to 160.
I always use garlick from the supermarket. I do look where it comes from. I get the Spanish as thats in Europe too.
Never had problems or diseases.
Doing so for 30 yrs, if I dont have enough garlick left from previous harvest ofcuz.
Maybe supermarkets have better garlick here? I dont know.
I plant them in October and fertilize only once after winter. I dont do anything more only harvesting when they’re ready.
You have to tell yourself- “buying seed garlic is an investment”. You should be able to grow enough over a year or two to use for cooking and to save some for planting.
I plant grocery store garlic every fall and have great crops every spring. I buy organic and I only plant cloves that look good, healthy, well filled out. I rarely have any failure
I’m using a grow bag for mine.
What does the farm that the garlic came from do about this if they can’t grow garlic any more?
I have read that you can eventually get rid of it by repeatedly watering the area with a strong garlic solution. Do not grow alliums that year.
Supposedly the compounds in the garlic cause the spores to activate, but when they then can’t find a plant to infest they die.
I haven’t successfully tested this myself, so I can’t vouch for its effectiveness. But it feels plausible to me.
Would local garlic ok? I bought some local garlic at the farmers market and grocery store and saving a few to plant.
We’ve had white rot in our garden for over a decade but never seem to lose more that. 10-15% of the 100+ garlic’s we plant and so far it has never bothered the onions.
I’m not sure why it doesn’t get worse but I’m very grateful!
I’m in zone 6b but in an area where the ground freezes for at least a couple of months. Approx 1200 sq ft/110 m2 garden
The best way to get rid of it is soil solarization. I had this crop up in one of my beds. I yanked out and burned the garlic, then covered the bed with plastic for 6 weeks during the summer to “cook” the spores in the bed. It worked.
I was about to plant grocery garlic, THANK YOU!
You might want to try solarizing the soil. Put plastic sheets on it and let the sun bake it.
So the commercial farmers growing the garlic that get sold in grocery stores don’t take steps to prevent white rot in their soil?
The sclerotia form on infested garlic bulbs. They are extremely small, and can survive decades. I’ve had to replace the soil in some of my raised beds twice already. It began with a few plants, then spread throughout the bed. Be extremely careful of adding soil to your bed if you don’t have it already. You never know if the new soil is infested unless its been properly sterilized.