Vegetables are a true gift of nature. People love these blessings for their taste, variety, and importance in required nutrition for the human body. The same goes for the basic ingredient of almost all dishes: garlic. If you want it at home, you need to learn how to plant white Casablanca garlic.
Besides vegetables’ varying importance in different aspects, some people only choose to consume these vegetables only. They provide almost all of the required essential nutrients with taste. Garlic is one of the main vegetables. It is used in a variety of forms and shapes across cultures.
Varieties of the Garlic
There are two main categories of garlic. Before jumping to white Casablanca garlic, it is important to know about the type, so that you can choose (white Casablanca garlic) wisely while planting.
Soft Neck Garlic
It is the most common type of garlic. It is widely available in the markets. Has papery skin, is white in color, and has good storage ability. It has a large number of cloves per bulb up to 18. Soft-neck garlic is less tolerant to long cold weather. It can be grown in a controlled environment. It rarely produces flower stalks.
HardNeck Garlic
This type of garlic is harder than the soft-neck garlic type. It has fewer cloves in the bulb than soft neck garlic-like up to 10 or less. These types often produce flower stalks, which need to be broken as soon as they appear so that they can divert their energies toward bulbs.
This type of garlic can withstand cold temperatures. It is also used in eating and storing. It is not an alien type. Rather sometimes people prefer hard-neck garlic over soft-neck types.
White Casablanca Garlic
The name Casablanca coins the Moroccan sunshine and beaches. But here it is not the case. Instead of that, the white Casablanca garlic is a native of eastern Europe and is resilient in cold climates making it good to cultivate in cold conditions. White Casablanca is a hard-neck type of garlic.
It can grow up to 40mm to 50mm. White Casablanca garlic needs to be stored in a cool and dry place. You will see this garlic available at your local garden stores. It can be used in intercropping plants and vegetables. It helps in using the space more efficiently. This vegetable also helps in controlling pests and mites.
Why Plant White Casablanca Garlic
Importance in Food Chain
First of all, we all know the importance of garlic in the food chain. It provides some of the essential nutrients along with taste. Using it in raw form also helps in many ways. It is used in many dishes across cultures and continents.
Characteristics
These are some of the main characteristics which make white Casablanca garlic preferable. This variety of garlic can survive in cold climates. It has a strong flavor, and it can be stored for a longer period.
Also, this type of garlic especially and other garlic varieties in general are easy to take care of. You just need to follow some basic steps while growing. While harvesting you will have to pay attention to using some basic steps.
How to Plant White Casablanca Garlic
The plantation process of white Casablanca garlic is quite easy. Just follow the given steps and eventually you will have a good amount of white Casablanca garlic bulbs.
Getting and Selecting Bulbs of White Casablanca Garlic
Whenever you decide to grow white Casablanca garlic, get the seed (Bulbs) from a trusted gardening center or the seed suppliers. Don’t go for the bulbs which are available in the supermarkets. You cannot be sure about them.
After getting the bulbs, separate the cloves. Check all the cloves so that no one is hurt or has any sign of disease. Choose the large cloves to grow which have flat bases.
Selection of Site
Choose the site with care. White Casablanca garlic does well in a place where there is a partial shade. Make sure the space is well-drained as well. Also, try to choose a spot where no vegetables like onions, garlic, etc were grown earlier.
Preparation of Soil
Now as the space for the plantation has been selected you need to prepare the soil. Till the soil well and make sure that any remains of previously grown crops and weeds are cleared. Also, add homemade or organically composted matter to the soil. keep the upper layer of soil loosened.
White Casablanca garlic grows well in fertile soil. So, adding compost will add to the required nutrients of the soil essential for garlic growth. Also, make sure the soil is well-drained. Overwatering during the cold season may cause root rot which can eventually destroy the whole plant in the end.
Planting the White Casablanca Garlic
You can sow this variety after the last frost in March as well as after August because it can tolerate the cold season.
Now as the cloves and the soil are ready, it’s time to plant the white Casablanca garlic. Moisten the soil before sowing cloves. You have to push cloves into the soil. Or you can make holes in advance. Also, you can use a stick to make the line. Keep a distance of 10 cm to 15 cm between the cloves.
Keep a distance of around 30 cm between the rows of garlic being planted. Also, keep the fat ends downwards and push the cloves around 2.5 cm in the soil.
Planting White Casablanca Garlic in Containers
If you don’t have enough space in the garden, you can plant the garlic in the container as well. Just make sure that it is 20 cm wide and deep enough for garlic roots. Add compost to make it fertile and place it in the shiny-shady space. Also, make sure it is well-drained.
Then you have to follow the basic above-mentioned steps. You are good to go. Keep the compost moist, especially in the dry phases of the weather.
Taking Care
Taking care of garlic crops, in general, is quite easy. White Casablanca garlic is no exception. It needs little or no attention to survive effectively.
Watering Schedule
Water the plant in the spring and early summer seasons. Stop watering when foliage is turning yellow. This is a sign of bulbs getting mature. Avoid over-watering. Also, add moisture during the dry spells of the season.
Pests and Problems
There are not a lot of problems. Weeds can appear in the rows. It is best to take them out by hand, using any tool or herbicide may affect the development of bulbs. So, hands are best to use while tackling the weeds around your garlic.
Birds are another one of the main problems. The birds eat freshly grown cloves. They can take it out. These birds include pigeons and hens. Also, they can take out freshly germinated cloves. Use netting, straw, or any other things (like horticultural fleece) to keep them away from the site.
Also, if you have these birds as pets, take good care of them in this regard.
Diseases
Onion white rot can cause problems. it usually happens when the harvest season is nearby. The plant can turn into yellow-wilting foliage. This is common in the allium family. In severe cases, the bulbs can be black or rotten. Take such bulbs out. Don’t eat them or don’t add them to compost. Dispose of them.
Leek rust is another fungal infection that can affect the garlic crop. The symptoms include orange pustules on leaves. The bulbs are safe in this phase. You can eat them. Dispose of the remains of the plant.
Harvesting White Casablanca Garlic
You can harvest the garlic when the leaves start turning yellow. Also, the size of the bulb will be visible. You just need to lift the garlic plants out. It is good to moisten before harvesting. It will make the process easier. Try not to damage any of the bulbs while harvesting.
How to Store White Casablanca Garlic
Once bulbs are dry and have the papery touch you can now store them. You can make traditional strings of bulbs with them or can cut foliage behind the bulbs. To make the strings you have to tie the foliage and you can hang them easily.
Store it in a cool and dry place. Avoid adding any harmful bulb because it will get deteriorated as time passes. Keep this thing in mind while storing the white Casablanca garlic.
In short, the white Casablanca garlic is not only a great addition to the garden but also provides a great moment of enjoyment for the grower. With minimum care, the great result provides a supply of basic ingredients for almost all dishes.
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References
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-garlic/
