Well it's not hay but... It's actually my ornamental grasses. They are thick and I hope they are hurting my garlic. Like real thick, wheh do you normally remove a covering from garlic? If it's to early, we are definitely not out of winter here yet, I could go take off some of it. I'm worried the cover is choking it out. It is growing undrneath and it has the green to white look, like it's not getting enough light. I would hate to loose any.
Thanks
- gixxerific
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5889
- Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
- Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B
- gixxerific
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5889
- Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
- Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B
- applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30543
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
If you think the garlic greens are getting choked and light starved by the grass, I would pull the grass away from the greens so the garlic greens are in the well, then drop some grass back, crisscross so there is plenty of wiggle room and light filtering through. Having the grass overhead will help catch any frost and protect the greens from freeze-drying.
I waited at least until I was ready to plant peas -- I.e. The ground had thawed for good -- to start thinning the mulch.
Note too that any mulch touching the greens will serve as bridge for the slugs.
I waited at least until I was ready to plant peas -- I.e. The ground had thawed for good -- to start thinning the mulch.
Note too that any mulch touching the greens will serve as bridge for the slugs.
-
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 6113
- Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2010 11:43 pm
Garlic is very cold tolerant. I don't think the cold now will harm the plants.
My garlic always begins growing in November and December. They send up a few leaves and sit until February. None of the leaves die from the cold and we have temperatures in the lower 20s and teens several times a year. This year we had single digits one night as well. I don't mulch garlic either. In fact, I don't mulch any of my freeze tolerant plants and they all live through the winter.
My garlic always begins growing in November and December. They send up a few leaves and sit until February. None of the leaves die from the cold and we have temperatures in the lower 20s and teens several times a year. This year we had single digits one night as well. I don't mulch garlic either. In fact, I don't mulch any of my freeze tolerant plants and they all live through the winter.
- gixxerific
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5889
- Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
- Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B
My experience with Garlic is similar to yours.TWC015 wrote:Garlic is very cold tolerant. I don't think the cold now will harm the plants.
My garlic always begins growing in November and December. They send up a few leaves and sit until February. None of the leaves die from the cold and we have temperatures in the lower 20s and teens several times a year. This year we had single digits one night as well. I don't mulch garlic either. In fact, I don't mulch any of my freeze tolerant plants and they all live through the winter.
I do mulch my garlic, usually with 2 to 3 inches of grass clippings. My Garlic is planted in the Fall... I mulch the entire Garlic bed, but leave the green tops of the plants exposed above the mulch.
From what I understand, the reason (well, one of them, at least) to mulch your garlic with hay, straw, etc. is to insulate the ground and protect the bulbs from the freeze-thaw cycle.
However, I think it wouldn't hurt if you removed enough so that some of the tops were sticking out. The nice thing about garlic is that if some of the tops freeze, it won't kill the plant.
Gix, with your mucky garden, I'm sure that garden BEDS are starting to look good about now. I know they do for me in spring after everything thaws out .
However, I think it wouldn't hurt if you removed enough so that some of the tops were sticking out. The nice thing about garlic is that if some of the tops freeze, it won't kill the plant.
Gix, with your mucky garden, I'm sure that garden BEDS are starting to look good about now. I know they do for me in spring after everything thaws out .
- gixxerific
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5889
- Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
- Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B