With a plant that accept so long to mature , there ’s a lot of time for things to go wrong . One of the many things that might hap is that your garlic ’s leaf may fall over .

It ’s not of necessity a last sentence , but it ’s definitely something you call for to visualize out so you’re able to prevent it from wrench into a bigger issue .

We associate to marketer to help you discover relevant products . If you grease one’s palms from one of our links , we may garner a commission .

A horizontal photo showing a close-up of a bunch of freshly harvested garlic held by two hands in green garden gloves.

Most of the plebeian causal agent will result in just a few leave fall over , rather than the whole works .

If all the leaves devolve in the same direction , there ’s usually only one cause for that . But color and collapsing parting might point yet another cause .

Garlic take a long time to farm , and you really do n’t want to have to deal with problems if you could obviate it – especially when harvest home time is tightlipped .

A vertical image of a several garlic plants in garden soil with yellowing leaves falling over. To the center and bottom of the frame is green and white printed text.

See ourguide to growing garlicfor more of the basics . come mightily up , we ’ll go over seven causes of collapsing foliage .

Here ’s everything we ’ll cover :

7 Reasons Why Garlic Leaves Fall Over

1. Bad Weather

cerebrate back over the past 24 hours . Did you have a wad of wind , laborious rain , or some hail ? Inclement weather can make the leaves to vaunt over or become squeeze .

If you ’ve had inclement atmospheric condition since you last looked over your garlic bottom , it ’s safe to assume that Mother Nature is the cause of the limpness .

If this is the guinea pig , the plants should regain on their own unless it appears that the actual bulb has been transfer in the ground .

Horizontal shot of several garlic plants growing in garden soil with ends of leaves dying back.

In that case , you might require to pull up a bulb and see if the roots were damaged if the bulb was severed from the leaf . If that happens , pull the bulbs and relish the immature ail and leaf .

Otherwise , it ’s fine to prop the leaves back up if you may , but you do n’t require to .

2. Disease

Several diseases will do the leaves of Allium sativum to descend .

Basal rot , botrytis rot , downy mold , and white rot can all cause the leaves to flex xanthous or brown . The leaves will also break up , typically after turn brown or yellow , but not always .

To learn about identifying and address these ill , study ourguide to managing garlic disease .

A horizontal photo of many bundles of just harvested garlic bulbs with stems and roots attached lying in a row in a field.

3. It’s Time to Harvest

Garlic can take nine month to senesce . These are n’t plant for raring cultivator ! And when the metre comes , it can be a bit of a surprise .

You get so used to those strappy leave hanging out that you might not actualise it ’s time to give them the old lift - atomic number 67 .

Consider how long it has been since you planted and when the bulbs are expected to be quick .

A horizontal close up on a bed of young winter garlic in the garden. Between the two rows of growing plants, a hand pours fertilizer into the soil.

Make a note of this in yourgardening journalat the first of the season , or set a reminder on your cell speech sound . If it ’s close to time , it could just be that the plant are mature and that ’s why the leaves are falling over .

Another hint is that only some of the leave will be falling over at first . The leaves will be partly yellow or chocolate-brown as the flora matures as well .

If you do n’t remember when you engraft or how long the cultivar you ’ve chosen takes to mature , pull a incandescent lamp out .

A product shot of a box of Down to Earth All Natural Fertilizer.

If you’re able to see individual cloves and the cloves are cover in a papery outer peel , it ’s probably time to glean .

4. Lack of Nutrients

Garlic is n’t particularly greedy . I never do more than addcompostwhen I constitute and then side - dress with well - decompose manure once in the natural spring .

But if your soil is particularly depleted , your plants might call for some solid food .

dim growth and small plant are signs that they do n’t have enough nutrients to grow well .

Horizontal shot showing a fenced-in vegetable garden in the middle of a grassy area. In the garden are two patches with early garlic plants.

bung with well - rotted manure or a balanced fertilizer . Down to Earth ’s Vegetable Garden Mix has an NPK ratio of 4 - 4 - 4 , which is about correct .

Down to Earth Vegetable Garden Mix

seize someat Arbico Organicsin one- , five- , or 15 - Cypriot pound container .

A close up horizontal image of a green watering can set on the ground by a garden bed filled with rows of garlic.

flow your plant in early outpouring . I apply the day when thecherry blossomsopen to cue me . Never fecundate after scapes have work .

5. Not Enough Light

Garlic needs full sun to grow well . Sometimes , you could get away with a bit less light .

But if your plants are encounter less than six hour of sunlight per day and none of the other causal agent on this list fit the broadsheet , it could be that they ’re growing in a spot with too slight light .

When this happens , the leaves might be pale and weak , which causes them to tumble .

Unless you could prune other plants around them that are casting shade , there is n’t much you could do to improve the light pic for an launch crop .

Given enough time , the bulbs might still develop , but design on planting somewhere else next year .

6. Pests

There are two pest that will cause your garlic leave of absence to fall down over . These are nematode and onion maggots .

nematode worm are microscopical petty worm that can do big time damage . They journey on dirty tools , horticulture shoes , or infected seed clove tree . Once they start feeding on your plants , collapsed leafage is a common symptom .

purchasing treat , endorse disease - free seed and using upright garden hygiene exercise can help prevent an infestation , andbeneficial nematodescan help you kill the bad ones .

Onion maggot ( Delia antiqua ) are the larva of flies . When these pestilence hatch in the grime , they nourish themselves by feed on the roots of the bulbs .

Since the damage is encounter underground , you might not know these maggot are present – until the folio start up to droop and collapse , that is .

awkward traps androw coversare effective at preventing the adults from reaching the plant and set ball .

For more tips on combat both critters , say our guide on garlic pest .

Certain mammals may induce problems as well . They wo n’t usually judge to eat the works , but they might trample through the bandage or even draw in up to take a nap on them .

When this happens , it usually ensue in trail through your gardens or areas flattened in a circular pattern .

If you may protect your plants from future dealings , they should reclaim just fine .

7. Watering Issues

Most plants will wilt if they do n’t have enough pee , and Allium sativum is the same . Many cultivars require a spot less moisture just prior to harvest time , but it ’s potential to take things too far .

If it is n’t harvest fourth dimension , go out and stick your digit in the soil . Does it palpate all wry ?

attempt water your plants soundly and then give them several hours or overnight to recover . If they perk back up , then you ’ll live that the plants were n’t receiving as much body of water as they needed .

It might just be that you had a especially hot day or maybe your irrigation system did n’t work on .

go forward , chequer your filth oft to determine whether it needs supplemental wet or not . The grease should be dampish during the spring and drop but probably wo n’t require any additional moisture during the dormant winter season .

The dirt should usually be a picayune bit drier a few weeks before the expect crop day of the month . Not all cultivars call for a period of dryness , however .

Overwatering lead to all form of problem . Not only can it drown the roots by strip them of O , but it can make the idealistic conditions for disease as well .

Both over- and underwatering will cause the leaves to collapse . The foliage will typically be voiced rather than dry or crispy if you are overwatering . It might turn yellow or brown , or it might stay greenish . teetotal plants will turn brown or chicken and crisp starting at the edges .

At any full stop except for the drying out period before harvest , cling your digit in the soil . Does it feel any wetter than a well - wrung - out sponge ? You might be overwatering .

examine watering less for a few years . You might even let the soil to dry out completely between lachrymation for a while .

Does it feel teetotal ? You might need more water system , unless it ’s the short period the right way before harvest when many cultivars demand a period of dryness .

If you suspect disease has have hold of your plant , check out the section of this scout on diseases as well .

Stand Up Straight!

Garlic is such an crucial , both in the garden and the kitchen . We ca n’t rent it fall down ! But do n’t find bad if it befall . We all experience it at some tip .

Figuring out how to straighten up thosegarlic plantsis just the tip of the berg . There ’s so much more to know about originate this versatile allium .

If you ’re quick to determine more , here are a few guides to get you started :

© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL rightfulness RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . intersection photo via Arbico Organics . Uncredited photo : Shutterstock .

About

Kristine Lofgren