This is my first year growing garlics. I just harvested my elephant garlics and I saw some tiny ones attached to the big bulb. Please help me to understand what those are (refer to my picture)(the small ones on the righthand side of the picture). Do they have any values in terms of re-planting for the next season (this coming Fall)?

Thanks for helping me.
Regards.
Chau_ya.

Normally the korms have very hard shell-like wrappers, and it takes special handling to get them to germinate.

Thanks for the info of 'korms'. You've helped add to my vocabulary one more word. :)

OK, so at least 2 years to get to normal size.. Please go ahead and show me what is the special thing I need to do for them to germinate.

Have a good one.
Chau_ya

chau_ya, I have grown korms before. First time I tried them I planted them in the fall with the rest of the garlic. I did not see them come up in spring, so I figured they were done. Well, come along July and garlic harvest time, aren't there little sprouts where I planted the korms. I left them in, and by the end of the summer I had what was about the size of a large green onion.

The next time I waited until EARLY spring and soaked the korm over night, then nicked the skin with a knife, before planting. It took a few weeks, but it came up, and by garlic harvest it was a reasonably sized plant. The 'bulb' was almost the size of a ping pong ball. Actually it is called a round, or rounder. It is essentially one large clove.

This round, can be used like garlic, or replanted, and it will grow into a bulb, with cloves.

Can korms be nicked and planted in the fall?

GardenLad, Sorry I mispelled your name. My appology.
Nelz, Thanks for the Korm how-to info. It helps a great deal. The technique of nicking the skin: is it from the top to the bottom of the korms? Could you specify it?

Thanks. So I'll not throw the korms away.
Regards,
Chau_ya.

Knicking the korms isn't a precise science. The idea is to create an entryway for moisture, is all. You can use a knife or similar tool, or even some sandpaper. You're not removing the whole thing, just creating a small gate. Once germination starts, the swelling "seed" will split the rest of the covering away.

Nelz: No reason at all not to knick & soak korms for fall planting. But it won't speed up the total process. That is, you're still looking at two seasons to produce finished heads. Sounds to me like you've got a working system, though. And, like mama always said, if it ain't broke......

Best regards,
Chau_ya.

Martin

Now, which are the best propagules, rounds or elephant garlic cloves?

Martin, I must have missed that discussion. Is it still on the boards, do you know? If not, could you recapitulate it? Thanks.

Martin

Bill, rather than cluttering up your posts, let's just pick one. The consensus seems to be that bulblet is correct, so let's just use that for consistency sake if nothing else.

Personally, I'm kind of partial to "thingie." :>)

Martin

Martin