Wild garlic is a popular wild vegetable because of its essential oils that smell like garlic cloves. In Germany, its distribution extends over the central and southern regions. Many gardeners like to plant the plant in the garden.
Wild garlic roots are delicious and healthy
growth
Wild garlic develops elongated bulbs two to six centimeters long, which are slender. These form from the base of the two leaves. A whitish to yellowish skin protects the rhizome in the initial phase. With age, the membranous coat is reduced to a few bristles. The herbaceous herb develops a main root and rarely secondary bulbs.
spread
The leek plant propagates primarily via seeds that are spread with the water or by mammals. This factor explains the clumpy and patchy appearance of the perennial. It rarely develops underground stolons with daughter bulbs. Therefore, vegetative propagation does not play a major role.
The typical picture of a vegetation community with wild garlic is nevertheless characterized by a mass occurrence of the plant. The reason for dense carpets of wild garlic leaves is the high seed production. A wild garlic stand with an area of one square meter produces 9,000 seeds per year.
use
The leaves turn yellow two to three months after sprouting when the upper soil layers warm up considerably. They draw their energy from the leaves and store it in the bulbs. This process is important for the plants to sprout again next spring. After the leaves have completely withered, you can dig up the rhizomes and use them in cooking, similar to garlic cloves or as a substitute for capers.
Wild garlic in the garden
Fresh tubers are planted out in the garden promptly because of the high risk of drying out. The planting season extends from spring to autumn. In order for the perennial to grow healthily, it makes sense to improve the soil with compost. Wild garlic prefers fresh to moist conditions.
Plant properly
Wild garlic is offered in pots in spring. After the planting date, no more frosts should occur, because they damage the foliage. Wait until the ice saints in mid-May to plant. Meanwhile, you can get the potted plant used to the outdoor climate during the day.
How to plant wild garlic bulbs:
- with the tip up
- about four inches deep
- with a distance of 15 centimeters
Are root barriers useful?
Since wild garlic spreads uncontrollably, you have to contain the stocks if necessary. The frequently recommended barriers in the substrate do not have any effect, since the plants mainly spread via seeds. In favorable locations, the leek plant can appear like a carpet.
multiply by division
If the stand is growing too dense, dig up the bulbs after they have been planted. Thin out the clumps by cutting off and digging up the plants. These can be easily divided by hand and either planted elsewhere or processed in the kitchen.