How to Propagate Elephant Garlic From Corms and Bulbils

Elephant garlic plants are perennials that produce bulbs every year, preferring temperate climates and protection from harsh winter conditions.

Elephant garlic, a relative of leeks and onions, has milder flavour than true garlic and can be harvested either in fall or spring for harvesting. Spring planting takes around 90 days while fall-planted garlic may take up to eight months for maturity.

Planting Corms and Bulbils

Bulbs and corms are more susceptible to disease than seedlings, making soil preparation key to their success.

Remove six to ten inches of soil from your bed and store it separately. If burrowing rodents are an issue in your area, consider lining the bed with fine-gauge wire mesh or another material to keep them out.

Bulbs, cormels & rhizomes are three plant structures used to store and grow food. True bulbs (daffodils, tulips and hyacinths, etc) consist of modified leaves with miniature flower or sprout at their centers; corms are short squat stems filled with food storage tissue; some corms even produce bulblets which can be separated out into new plants by breaking apart cormlets; Alocasias form thick rigid roots known as rhizomes that produce similar structures at their terminal ends as well as at other nodes along the rhizomes known as rhizomes; these roots produce “corms” at their terminal end as well as nodes along the stolon.

Once ready to plant your bulbs, take the following steps. Remove them from their bag or box and plant in well-draining soil that is looser than where they were grown previously. Add organic matter as necessary for enhanced texture or added nutrition and then mix in special bulb fertilizer according to its label directions.

Soil Preparation

As with all plants, elephant garlic requires loose, fertile soil. Add organic matter to your garden beds in order to maintain this loose environment during its long growth season. Use a spading fork or garden hoe to loosen topsoil while clearing away rocks, debris and weeds as you go – then add sufficient organic material so as to raise its level by 6-8 inches from its initial texture.

Heavy clay soils benefit from adding compost. Lighter soils require only minimal amounts of organic matter or green manures like clover. Before planting, take the time to conduct a soil test to ascertain its type and levels of nutrients; the results can reveal whether your soil needs supplementing, is adequate, or contains excess nutrients.

After your leaves turn yellow and dry up, harvest your garlic. Depending on humidity levels, it may need to be cured for 3-8 weeks prior to storage – this process helps develop tough outer skins with full flavor development in each bulb.

Watering

Like other kinds of garlic plants, elephant garlic requires well-draining soil and lots of sun. An area sheltered from extreme weather conditions would be optimal. As bulbs sprout and expand into bulbs, organic materials may need to be added; just be careful that too much heavy material doesn’t bury its roots!

Bulbs should also be watered regularly to encourage their growth, yet avoid becoming waterlogged – overwatering can lead to fungal disease and rot of bulbs, so using light soil that drains well would be ideal. Once annually it’s also recommended fertilizing with light organic matter like compost instead of inorganic sources like urea.

As with regular garlic, elephant garlic produces flower stalks known as scapes in springtime. Although you can harvest these as edible scalions-esque options, to get larger bulbs you should remove all scapes so all their energy goes toward bulb development instead. Once harvested, these bulbs should be stored in an ambiently cool and dark location with good air circulation for three to eight weeks to allow curing before use.

Fertilizing

As with all garlic varieties, elephant garlic requires rich, fertile soil. Clay soils should add lots of compost prior to planting while lighter soils should incorporate cover crops or other forms of organic matter to loosen up the earth for easy root development during its long growing season. It should be watered regularly without overwatering during its growth period while fertilization should occur according to soil test results but should cease once bulbs start forming – over fertilizing can hinder their progress!

Elephant garlic, like true garlic, is a biennial plant. Cloves planted in autumn produce large bulbs the following summer; those sown in spring produce round onions sans cloves.

Plants may be harvested when their flower stalks (scapes) reach 8-9 inches tall and become edible; similar to scallions and chives, these scapes taste mild with a hint of garlic. To foster larger bulbs, clip seed stalks as soon as they reach this height – otherwise energy from your plant would go to producing seeds instead of bulbs! To cure bulbs properly hang them up somewhere cool and dark with good air flow for curing purposes.

Harvesting

elephant garlic resembles regular garlic in both its growth habits and flavor profile, producing long, flat leaf stalks with purple flowers that must be removed before being sold at market. Additionally, its cloves possess large size cloves with mild onion-like aroma.

As soon as your plant begins producing scapes, trim them off so all its energy can go toward producing a large bulb. This should usually happen around 90 days post planting date if planted in spring; fall-planted bulbs need time to mature through winter before becoming ready for harvest the following summer.

Keep in mind that bulbs require three to eight weeks of curing in a cool, dark place with sufficient air circulation before they can be stored for use. Curing helps prevent mold and rot while creating an impenetrable outer skin to protect them during storage; additionally, this process also serves to enhance flavor mellowment.