Early browning of garlic leaves

[Georgel]

For the last 2 years my Garlic has started to die back before reaching full maturity. I harvest it and some of the heads are very small and some normal but few are large. the flavor is good. So this season I planted certified garlic seed rather than left over cloves as in much of the past. I planted last Oct. and am now seeing that some of the leaves are turning brown. its been a rainy cold spring so lack of water is not the issue. does anyone have a suggestion as to what the issue might be. fertilizer? Disease?
Thanks in advance..

 

[Tincasteve]

Are you growing it in the same location? If sown in the same place then disease can build up or as all the goodies that garlic needs to grow was used up last year. Use a 3 year plan where the soil in that plot 1st year grow brassicas, 2nd year root crops, 3rd year legumes then back to brassicas. You can also change ends on the plot. North end year 1 onions. But year 4 use the south end. So it could be 6 years before you grow onions in the same place. So using 3 plots over a period of 6 years will give the best out of your ground .

 

[Georgel]

Are you growing it in the same location? If sown in the same place then disease can build up or as all the goodies that garlic needs to grow was used up last year. Use a 3 year plan where the soil in that plot 1st year grow brassicas, 2nd year root crops, 3rd year legumes then back to brassicas. You can also change ends on the plot. North end year 1 onions. But year 4 use the south end. So it could be 6 years before you grow onions in the same place. So using 3 plots over a period of 6 years will give the best out of your ground .

Thanks. that is good advice. Garden rotation. I currently have 4 raised beds.
+ a largish greenhouse. I do 1 in garlic. This season it's the largest one.
What do you think about the possibility of planting some Fava beans along the N. side of the garlic bed which is oriented E. W. ? I heat with wood so wood ash as an amendment is possible as well. I know my grape like it . the PH could be an issue i suppose.

 

[Tincasteve]

Can't see any problem with that. Wood ash is good for any of the onion family, but that does not mean they want to grow in it. LOL.

 

[headfullofbees]

There is a company in the UK, called Robinsons, which grows seeds for onion shows.
It has used the same plot for over 70 years afaik.
I was also told, by my long deceased neighbour, that it takes decades to get an onion plot to its best, as you have to build the fertility.
I do NOT rotate my onions or garlic, & grow them on 2x 12x6 raised beds.
My garlic is over 2 ft tall again.
The best way to avoid disease in your onion beds is to grow from, or save your own, seed.
There are 3 big possibilities in my view.
1) Is that your growing medium isn't right, in that the pH is too low, in which case woodash is definitely your friend, or
2) You are using beds stripped of nutrients, in which case woodash is definitely your friend.
3) It's allium rust (if the browning is spotty) in which case a high potash, low nitrogen fertilising programme is best, so woodash is definitely your friend. (You won't stop the rust with woodash, but you can still get a crop off)

I dust with woodash before planting, & around Feb when growth restarts, & in June, when my onions start bulbing, but ONLY a dusting.

 

[Georgel]

Thank you for the tech. I do like the idea of keeping the Garlic in the same bed. and the other suggestions make sense as well. I am currently trying a folar fertilizer spray using a fish fertilizer with kelp. + cal/ mag also folar.
I found that the cal mag helps when it looks like my tomato's are on the verge of blight. maybe as an immune boost??
This may or may not help. I have used wood ash in the past on this bed. the bed currently has straw mulch from the winter. so if I want to add more ash or other amendments I may want to strip it out.??