Garlic is used in several dishes, and it can instantly uplift the taste of any meal. Since it is a commonly used vegetable in many kitchens, garlic is grown in home gardens worldwide.
If you have ever grown this tiny, nutrient-filled food at your home, you would have faced several questions regarding it, and one of the most common questions is – why is my garlic plants falling over?
Although garlic is a fairly easy plant to grow and nourish, there could be quite a few reasons why your garlic plant is starting to droop and fall over.
Before you begin to solve this issue, you need to get to the root of the problem. So, keep reading to know the answer to your question – why is my garlic plants falling over?
Why Is My Garlic Plants Falling Over?
The garlic plant is fairly simple to grow and doesn’t require too much fuss to thrive. It is a warm-weather crop and will grow better in a sunny environment. It takes about 240 days for the garlic plant to reach maturity.
Several things cause the plant to become droopy and fall over during growth, such as lack of nutrients, inadequate watering, and weather changes.
You need to solve this problem before moving on to restoring the shape of your garlic plant. If you are ready to tackle this issue, let’s answer your question – why is my garlic plants falling over?
1. Time of harvesting
Before you get overly worried about the garlic plant, you must check for one thing. Garlic plants start drooping and falling over once the time for harvesting approaches. So, make sure the falling over of the plant is not because it’s time to take it out of the ground.
If you are not sure whether the harvesting time has approached or not, take out one bulb of garlic from the ground and examine it. For instance, if the climatic conditions are perfect, the best harvesting time for the garlic plant is July-August.
The garlic clove should be fully developed with a thick papery skin if the harvesting time is near. If you don’t see any such thing in the outlook, the falling over is probably due to another issue.
2. Inadequate weather
The drooping of the plant could also be due to severe or inadequate weather, such as a storm or fast wind. Extreme weather can wreak havoc on your garden plants, and you must take action to protect them if you know bad weather is approaching.
Provide temporary shade or covering such as umbrellas, tarp, or something else. Your plant will most likely recover from the damage once the extreme weather passes.
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3. Nutrition Issues
Lack of proper nutrition could be another reason for the garlic plant to start drooping. If there are not enough nutrients in the soil, you may notice the plant’s leaves turn yellow beside the drooping.
Nutrition issues can be solved by adding liquid fertilizer or mulch to the soil. It is better to add fertilizer to the ground before planting the garlic. Also, make sure there is no weed growing close to the garlic plant as it can suck away all the nutrients, and garlic doesn’t fare well when there is competition around.
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4. Issues with moisture
Not giving garlic plants the right amount of water is one of the most common reasons for the plant to start drooping. You may have underwatered or overwatered the plant.
The plant’s leaves will become yellow, dry, and crispy when you underwater the plant. To check for dehydration due to underwatering, feel the soil.
If the soil is dry from the top few inches, this is probably a case of underwatering. Fortunately, you can solve this in most cases by adding lots of water and being consistent with watering.
A drooping plant can also be because of overwatering. If your plant has turned yellow with brown corners, this could be a sign of overwatering. Check the soil is soggy and the plant is drenched in water.
In such a case, the roots can become suffocated with water and unable to breathe oxygen. Overwatering can also cause fungal and bacterial diseases, in which case you might notice the plant covered in some white stuff.
If your plant is overwatered, stop adding more water until the soil has completely dried out. Start adding water with more breaks and time in between sessions to allow the soil to dry out. If the flooding is due to rainwater, give the soil some time to dry up before watering.
5. Location of the plant
Like every plant, garlic, too, needs the right conditions before it can grow perfectly. To make sure the garlic plant gets all the required things, check the location of the plantation carefully.
Garlic needs plenty of sunlight, about 6-8 hours each day, and a slightly acidic, fertile, and well-draining soil. The ideal pH for the soil to grow garlic is between 6 and 7.
Choose the location for the garlic plant carefully where it gets ample sunlight and the soil is just right. If the conditions and environment are not right, your garlic plant may start drooping and falling on the ground.
6. Pest attack
While the garlic plant is quite resistant to pests and insect attacks and does not suffer from many diseases, some pests might attack and cause the garlic plant to become droopy.
Rust and white rot are two common pests that attack a garlic plant. White rot is particularly stubborn and hard to get rid of from the soil. Some insects that might attack the garlic plant include mites, maggots, thrips, etc.
To tackle this problem, you will have to take out the garlic bulb and investigate the type of pest attack. Some like aphid attacks can be dealt with fairly easily, while others like rot are hard to manage. You can prevent rust by mixing up irrigation before the harvesting period.
To prevent a fungal infection from invading the plant, avoid overwatering the plant.
Conclusion
Finding the real cause may be a bit difficult, but after reading all the above reasons for your question, “why is my garlic plants falling over, you must have found the real cause.
So, now that you are aware of the reason behind your drooping garlic plant, you can start working on the solution. Ensure the plant gets all the prerequisites before sowing the crop into the ground. Light, water, soil, and the weather should be optimal, and your garlic will grow healthy.
If you have any unique experiences with your garlic plant, don’t forget to share them with your fellow gardeners and us in the comment section below.