It will be large, juicy and free of yellow leaves: how to feed garlic with ammonia solution

Why garlic leaves turn yellow

Garlic is known as a fairly undemanding plant that requires minimal care. But it does have one «weak» spot – sensitivity to the nitrogen content of the soil. If it lacks this element, which is responsible for plant growth, this immediately shows up in the form of yellowing leaves with drying tips.

You can quickly help the vegetable cope with this problem and become a bright, juicy decoration of the dinner table again with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. There is a large selection of various fertilizers suitable for this on sale. However, if your goal is to keep your garden eco-friendly, it is worth turning to the folk recipes tried and tested by our grandmothers and grandfathers, such as ammonia solution. 

What is good about ammonia solution (aqueous solution of ammonia)

The product is sold at any pharmacy and is inexpensive. It is very easy to make a mixture for feeding garlic from it, which:

• starts to work almost instantly: within just a few days the leaves take on a rich green color;
• does not cause the formation of nitrates dangerous to human health in the produce;
• does not increase soil acidity;
• has disinfecting properties and protects plants from fungal and bacterial diseases;
• thanks to the fact that ammonia evaporates quickly, it is almost impossible to «overfeed» garlic with it.

The nitrogen contained in ammonia solution promotes good plant growth. The leaves become strong and do not turn yellow, and the flavor and quality of the bulbs improve. And the specific pungent smell of ammonia drives away such pests as the onion fly, aphids, and thrips.

How to apply ammonia feeding

Ammonia solution with a concentration of 10% is suitable for treating plants; this is exactly the kind sold freely at pharmacies. The first time, it is recommended to use the solution as early as in early spring, before planting. Add 50 ml of ammonia solution to 10 l of water. The resulting mixture is used to water the well-dug and moistened soil in the beds at a rate of one bucket per 2 square meters. 

The next feeding is carried out when the garlic develops 2–3 permanent leaves. For this, a product is prepared at a dosage of 2 tablespoons per bucket of water. It is better to water the plant with a watering can, so that the fertilizer reaches both the leaves and the root.

In summer, another 2–3 feedings will be needed as a preventive measure, but the concentration of ammonia solution should be reduced even further: 1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water. It is recommended to water early in the morning, in the evening (after sunset), or in cloudy weather, but without precipitation. The solution is used immediately after preparation, otherwise the necessary nitrogen will simply evaporate from it.

It is important to remember that completely healthy garlic with dark-green leaves does not need to be fed with ammonia even as a preventive measure, since an excess of nitrogen fertilizers is no less harmful than a shortage of them. This can lead to overly abundant growth of the vegetable’s aboveground part, while the bulbs become small and loose, incapable of long-term storage.

Rules for safely preparing the fertilizer 

1. You should not exceed the concentration of ammonia solution, as this can cause chemical burns to the roots.
2. The ammonia solution is added to the water, not the other way around.
3. Plastic containers should not be used.
4. The solution should be prepared in a well-ventilated room or outdoors: ammonia fumes can cause headaches and irritation of the mucous membranes.
5. It is important to make sure the mixture does not get on the skin or in the eyes. It is advisable to use gloves, a respirator, and protective goggles.
6. Ammonia solution must not be mixed with chlorine-containing components (for example, with bleach).
7. The water for preparing the product needs to be left to stand for at least 24 hours.