Garlic pips..................

[Snadger]

With all the talk about leek flower head shaving to force grass/pods/pips to grow for propagation it gave me another idea.
I have my garlic hanging up to dry and some of it has 'scapes'. On splitting the end of the scape I noticed numerous small garlic pips on the flower head.
Hopefully these will form new garlic plants if seperated and planted?
I'll give them a while to ripen and hopefully grow a bit of greenery and once seperated will put them in a mild bleach solution (Milton babies bottle sterilising solution can be used)to kill any pathogens.
Planted early (as in the next few weeks or so) it will be interesting to see how they perform this year/next year.

Just out of interest, has anyone on here done this before?

[veggiechicken]

Funny you should say this Snadger!
This afternoon I was about to chuck out some garlic left from last year, still with flower heads attached. When I moved it all the little pips fell out and I thought, I'm going to plant these! Nothing ventured......

[binley100]

Some of my garlic that I'm drying has suddenly thrown out a flowerstalk .........they were taken up a few weeks ago

[roitelet]

Some of the garlic has a bulge in the stem above the clove which contains mini cloves. Is it worth growing these on?

[Shadylane]

I grew the bulbils from a scape once but they didn't amount to much. Very small bulbs. You could grow them for the greenery though.

[roitelet]

Thanks, I won't bother then, got enough to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Snadger]

I grew the bulbils from a scape once but they didn't amount to much. Very small bulbs. You could grow them for the greenery though.

As you say Shadylane, could be a good garlc chives substitute................

[Florence Fennel]

I'll have a look at my drying garlic now I've seen this. I've sown a tray of garlic chives for the first time, I'm looking forward to getting them established.

[Shadylane]

As you say Shadylane, could be a good garlc chives substitute................

Ah yes, never had much luck with garlic chives, either. They always seem to disappear. Which reminds me, I planted some out which had been in pots since last summer and I can't remember where

[veggiechicken]

I grow garlic chives in a pot, that way I know where to look for them! They've been in the same biggish pot for years and keep coming back. I rarely use them but like the flowers - they smell of roses rather than garlic!

[Shadylane]

I had about 4 in pots. They were very sparse and hadn't moved since last year or died back for that matter. Then I though that maybe I should pop them in the ground that way tay they might actually do something. Don't have that problem with normal chives. They always go mental regardless of what cruddy weather we have

[veggiechicken]

Have yours set seed, Shadylane? That's how I started mine initially and they seem to be selfseeding now, like chives do.

[Shadylane]

No, veggie, they never got past the 3 blades of grass stage. I will have to see if I can find em. I sowed some more a bit ago but none germinated. Elusive little sods.