Garlic with yellow tips

gixxerific · Wed May 11, 2011 7:04 pm

Is this a sing of anything my garlic is growing huge probably 3 1/2 feet or so. It is still healthy it seems and grwoing fast with new shoots showing up all the time, but the tips have been yellow for a month or more. I did put down some organic nitrogen a week or so ago lightly and the watering is about right as of late.

Inailum · Wed May 11, 2011 7:32 pm

gixxerific wrote:Is this a sing of anything my garlic is growing huge probably 3 1/2 feet or so. It is still healthy it seems and grwoing fast with new shoots showing up all the time, but the tips have been yellow for a month or more. I did put down some organic nitrogen a week or so ago lightly and the watering is about right as of late.

I'm anxious to receive info on this as well. My garlic is doing the same exact thing. I'm not sure its a sign that its growing huge or not. I cheated and dug down into the dirt a little to see what was happening down there and to my surprise the garlic was only as big around as my thumb. I just wasn't sure because everything I have read said to harvest it when there were two dead shoots and two healthy shoots but mine have more then four just like yours do. So I'm guessing we just wait longer. lol I like sneaking a peak though, I do it to my radishes all time.

Des_WA · Wed May 11, 2011 8:14 pm

From what I understand and have observed, the yellowing of the tips of leaves in alliums is related to too much water. In western Washington we've had an overabundance of water (not as bad as some, but still way more than usual) and all my garlic and shallots plants have yellow tips.

Not a whole lot to be done about it other than trying to put up the plastic around the hoophouse they are in, but I'm too lazy to deal with putting it back up every time it gets windy.

hit or miss · Wed May 11, 2011 10:24 pm

Mine are doing the same thing, the onions next to them too. Thanks Des for the info! We're in an incredible drought here and it looks like I'm overdoing it on the water.

Inailum · Wed May 11, 2011 10:59 pm

hit or miss wrote:Mine are doing the same thing, the onions next to them too. Thanks Des for the info! We're in an incredible drought here and it looks like I'm overdoing it on the water.

See I don't about the watering here where I'm at. I only water once a day right now while its still cool (80's) and all my onions are doing great. I'll do some research and let you know what I find out.

DoubleDogFarm · Thu May 12, 2011 12:07 am

All this talk about yellow tips, I had to run out and take a picture.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Vegetable%20Garden%20plants/DSC03359.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Vegetable%20Garden%20plants/DSC03360.jpg[/img]
I also have a few yellow tips but not bad. You can see the standing water in the picture. It rained again today.

I'm not to concerned about a few yellow tips, it's rust I'm worried about. Last year leaf rust was bad and I harvested a little earlier then normal. They were good size bulbs anyway.

2010 Garlic Rust
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/DSC02332.jpg[/img]

Eric

applestar · Thu May 12, 2011 8:05 am

Eric, does that start out as streaky leaves? I have light colored streaky leaves on some of my garlic that has been worrying me....

soil · Thu May 12, 2011 10:29 am

my garlic thinks it wants to be done early this year, scapes are already coming up and yellowing has begun. still going to be a great harvest of 700+ garlic.

gixxerific · Thu May 12, 2011 10:42 am

Here are mine they are a bit more yellow than yours. But we did have WAY WAY more snow and rain that normal. If the excessive water has something to do with it.

[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/Gardening/DSC05193.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/Gardening/DSC05192.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/Gardening/DSC05194.jpg[/img]

Inailum · Thu May 12, 2011 11:50 am

soil wrote:my garlic thinks it wants to be done early this year, scapes are already coming up and yellowing has begun. still going to be a great harvest of 700+ garlic.

See I think mine wants to be done now too! I only planted 4 plants but they are not near as perky as everyone else shows in their pictures. Its my first real garden so I just decided to plant a little of everything. lol I'm wondering how much longer I should leave them in the ground. I dug down and took a peak and they bulbs are not that big.
[img]https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64/inailum/Garden/DSC03664.jpg[/img]

DoubleDogFarm · Thu May 12, 2011 12:12 pm

I only planted 4 plants but they are not near as perky as everyone else shows in their pictures.

Looking at the picture, I think you planted 5.

The back left plant, in the photo, looks like 2. They look good, I would wait.

Apple, Never really thought about it, but I think your right. Pale yellow streaks and then rust.

Dono, Your garlic looks good to me. Not sure how much nitrogen you should be applying. Will it give you all tops and small bulbs? I've been using a organic complete 6-4-4.

Eric

Inailum · Thu May 12, 2011 12:39 pm

DoubleDogFarm wrote:
I only planted 4 plants but they are not near as perky as everyone else shows in their pictures.
Looking at the picture, I think you planted 5. The back left plant, in the photo, looks like 2. They look good, I would wait.

Apple, Never really thought about it, but I think your right. Pale yellow streaks and then rust.

Dono, Your garlic looks good to me. Not sure how much nitrogen you should be applying. Will it give you all tops and small bulbs? I've been using a organic complete 6-4-4.

Eric

Naw, I only planted four. Those are green onions on the back left there. You had me thinking there for a minute. haha I think I should wait too. Thanks for your help!

DoubleDogFarm · Thu May 12, 2011 5:18 pm

Naw, I only planted four. Those are green onions on the back left there. You had me thinking there for a minute. haha I think I should wait too. Thanks for your help!

I see the large group of onions, but I also think I see double stems on two of your garlics. So know I see 6.

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Garlic.jpg[/img]

Eric

GardenRN · Thu May 12, 2011 7:48 pm

Mine are yellowing on the tips as well, have been like that for a long time. But it's not going farther than that so I figured it was part of the process.

I think something may be stealing bulbs though. Squirrels?? I would doubt it but I was sure I had more than I do now. I should have counted. Guess next year I'll pay more attention.

Inailum · Fri May 13, 2011 2:05 pm

DoubleDogFarm wrote:
Naw, I only planted four. Those are green onions on the back left there. You had me thinking there for a minute. haha I think I should wait too. Thanks for your help!
I see the large group of onions, but I also think I see double stems on two of your garlics. So know I see 6.

[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Garlic.jpg[/img]

Eric

Holy cow you are correct Doubledog! As soon as I read your post I ran out side to check! So funny!

Thank you! So now I have a question, should I try to split them so they have more room or should I just leave them be?

DeborahL · Sat May 14, 2011 12:16 am

What ae garlic scapes? Do onions have scapes?

gixxerific · Sat May 14, 2011 8:24 am

DeborahL wrote:What ae garlic scapes? Do onions have scapes?

They are the flower/seed head stalk of hardneck garlic. They are highly prized in cooking while young. They curl up when young though straighten up when more mature. They are also more tender and better used for cooking when young thus more tender. A lot of people pick them to eat as well as concentrating more energy to bulb formation.