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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jul 4, 2014 12:36:16 GMT -5
The seeds that these bulbs were grown from were obtained from Ivan. I suppose this represents about 35% of the seeds that were planted. I couldn't keep them watered reliably in their pot so they went into hibernation. I wonder what to do with them now? Try to replant them now and try to take advantage of the remaining growing season. Or wait till fall. Garlic seem like a cool weather crop. I wonder if they would increase bulb size if planted now or wither away?  + to + = 1 cm. |
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Post by richardw on Jul 4, 2014 14:09:14 GMT -5
Looks like the one in the middle is keen to grow
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Post by blueadzuki on Jul 4, 2014 14:49:46 GMT -5
It sort of depends on how hard the winters are where you are, or, more accurately how cold it gets, and, probably more inportantly how quickly the temps change when it gets there. In my experiance, garlic needs at least some stored up food to make it through a winter outside even if they are dormant. What you don't want is for the cold to come at a point when the bulbs you have are totally exausted. On the other hand, any extra photo time you can catch is always to one's advantage, the more time, the bigger the bulbs get, and the faster you get to the goal of them reaching a size when you can 1. test to see how they taste (if this is already the result of a cross) and 2. get them to send up thier flowering scapes; so you can increase your seed and or do your cross breeds.
Actually assuming that those are all/nearly all of the bulbs you have, what I would probably do is get a big (16' or more) pot and plant them there, widely spaced (at that bulb size any growth they'll put on in a year will be WELL within the capacity of a 16 inch pot. That way you can leave them out the rest of the year to get as much grow time as they can and, if the temps turn nasty at a time that is inconveniant for the plants, you can always load the pot on a dolly or a wagon and move it to your barn/garage/somewhere where the temperature is above killingly cold. Best of both worlds. You can always take them out them out next harvest when they are bigger and put them directly in the ground then.
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Post by steev on Jul 6, 2014 22:33:36 GMT -5
Given that conditions aren't deadly, my assumption is always that any plant that makes bulbs/corms/tubers thinks they will stay in the ground/planted/potted.
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Post by richardw on Jul 11, 2014 18:59:41 GMT -5
The damaged garlic is looking a lot better now  |
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Post by philagardener on Jul 11, 2014 19:32:00 GMT -5
Great news! A small wire cage might help fend off a repeat attack.
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Post by richardw on Jul 12, 2014 0:21:59 GMT -5
Great news! A small wire cage might help fend off a repeat attack. Yes i must get something over it |
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Post by kazedwards on Jul 17, 2014 11:36:29 GMT -5
What do you think Joseph, Is the ovary swelling? Any chance of getting true seed?  Keep in mind I don't really know what I am looking at or looking for. I think the green is the ovary, the purple are stamen, and I don't see the stigma or style. I think I accidentally removed those when I opened the flower. Let my know if I am wrong, and I don't really think I have a chance of getting seed. At least not until I have learned a lot more in the years to come. |
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Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Jul 17, 2014 13:46:03 GMT -5
kazedwards: Based on the recent photos, I would say that these flowers haven't opened yet. So it's premature for the ovary to be swelling due to being pollinated. Ovaries can get as large as 1/4" in diameter after pollination, and they turn green. Unpollinated flowers just dry up. Not that I have been tremendously successful with this project, but I have come to associate purple flowers and purple anthers with being more likely to at least go through the motions of producing seed. Also the plants and scapes still have a lot of green in them, which is a good sign because it means that the plants might actually have enough life in them to last long enough to mature seed. I haven't even got close to seed on scapes with only a few bulbils (rocamboles)... Your plants look like they may be marbled purple striped which tends to offer the most hope for obtaining true seeds. This is about the stage that I remove bulbils. I pop them out with my thumbnail. The reasoning behind removing bulbils is due to speculation that the expanding bulbils crush the flower pedicels so they can't get nourished properly.
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Post by kazedwards on Jul 17, 2014 14:08:36 GMT -5
Well I am not prepared or skilled enough to try a project like TGS but I can dream. Did I at least get the plant parts right?
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Post by philagardener on Jul 17, 2014 21:12:01 GMT -5
kazedwards , Great start! The stigma/style should extend from the top of the green ovary. I think the white thread-like structures are the anther filaments, and that they were detached when you tore open the bud.
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Post by kazedwards on Jul 18, 2014 11:30:37 GMT -5
Noticed pollinators on the garlic today.   |
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Post by raymondo on Jul 19, 2014 7:22:01 GMT -5
Impressive head of garlic flowers there. I can't see any bulbils at all. I've only ever had a few flowers on a head at a time. Nice colour too. I don't remember the colour on mine but I suspect they were boring white.
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Post by richardw on Jul 19, 2014 14:22:50 GMT -5
Same here too Ray and again only a few flowers on mine,but you can just make out some bulbils in Zach's photo
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Post by kazedwards on Jul 20, 2014 0:54:30 GMT -5
There are many bulbis in the heads but they are hard to see in the picture. They are the darker almost red spots. That gives me a lot of hope in the future. Maybe one day I can get true seed but right now I'm just watching to see what they do. We have had a cooler summer so far with a good consistent rain once a week. I have only had to water once and that was mid-May to test the soaker hose and sprinkler for the house sitter.
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