Bolting garlic? (pics)

[pinns]

Hopefully a pic, first time I've tried to upload one!

I think my some of my Elephant garlic is bolting, am I right?
Someone here mentioned the flower head is pretty, should I leave it? (I like happy bees!) Then should I cut it off, but the bulb will be ruined? There are two plants so far like this, I could lose two I suppose.

If I were to cut the spike off now, before it flowers, would I 'save' it and get a better/bigger clove? They were looking peaky a month ago, so I fed them with Phostrogen, was that what caused this? It has been dry here too.

thanks for any advice!

pinns

[pinns]

Nobody wants to reply?
>sniff!<


I went out and looked again, counted the rows, but I think actually it's ordinary garlic (san marco) not Elephant, don't know if that makes a difference.

[Shadylane]

Dunno bout elephant garlic as it's technically not garlic but if ordinary garlic bolts it's not a problem. The shoot it sends out is called a scape and should be curled. You can cut them off and eat them fried with butter. If you leave it to flower, you get lots of tiny bulbils which if you plant them will do absolutely nothing until the following year when you have forgotten about them It is supposed to take energy away from making a larger bulb but not massively so. However if it's elephant garlic - I really have no idea, sorry

[chris]

What does it look like at the top of that shoot?

[Florence Fennel]

Shadylane said what I was going to, but it would make it easier if like Chris says you show us what is at the top. Now dry your eyes and blow your nose

[pinns]

All better now Fennel, thanks

There isn't anything at the top, it just ends in a green pointy shoot, just out of shot.
I thought the red bulge was the unusual part, so I didn't include it, sorry.
I will get dressed and take another

[pinns]

here are some additional photos, , slightly out of focus as I couldn't get the camera to focus on the thin spike, sorry
hope you can see the small red bit amongst the greenery! I don't have an arrow I can add. on the first pic it's centre near the bottom, on the second it's slightly to the right of centre bottom

[Shadylane]

I think it must be elephant garlic as when I've had scapes they don't look like that, they're curly. It looks more like a leek flower stalk which elephant garlic is technically. However I don't know if this is a problem or not but at a guess I'd say nip off the flower tip and let it grow on but use it up first as it won't store. Hopefully an elephant garlic expert will be able to give you some proper advice