![]() ![]() The ruined bulbs often swell up – or bloat, hence the name “garlic bloat nematode” – before turning soft and brown, and they become prime territory for fungal infections. These flat, microscopic, soil-dwelling roundworms complete their entire life cycle in about 21 days within the bulbs, stems, and leaves of your garlic.įeeding destroys the plant, causing the foliage to turn yellow and wilt. ![]() Some nematodes are beneficial to plants, but not the garlic bloat nematode, Ditylenchus dipsaci. You can find spinosad spray available from Arbico Organics. This is your best bet because spinosad is an organic insecticide that does minimal damage to the beneficial predatory bugs you don’t want to get rid of – like parasitic wasps. It’s also important to avoid planting Alliums after growing brassicas, corn, wheat, or grass in the same area, as these play host to mites as well. ![]() Only use the same raised bed or other planting area – or the same soil, for that matter – to grow alliums again after four years have passed.īut that’s not all. Instead, plant your garlic there one year, switch it out for carrots the next, and so on. Mites can live in the soil through successive growing seasons, so it’s important to rotate your crops and avoid planting alliums in the same area for the next four years.ĭon’t designate a raised bed to be your garlic bed forevermore. How to Manage Bulb Mitesīulb mites are resistant to chemical pesticides, so your best bet is to manage them with cultural, predatory, and organic pest control methods. You can still eat whatever’s left of your cloves after bulb mites get to them, but it’s best to treat them before they ruin your crop. Larvae, nymphs, and adult mites will all feast on every part of a bulb, whether it’s in the ground or harvested. With all types, the females lay eggs on the leaves of your plant, and when the eggs open, they release dozens of hungry larvae that can ruin your crop. If you notice brown spots and decay on the wrappers and cloves, you can put both types of bulb mites high on your list of suspects. Plants affected by bulb mites will often be stunted – or you might not notice anything until the cloves are stored and begin to rot. Larvae emerge with three pairs of legs, but nymphs and adults have the full four sets. Like the dry bulb mite, this one also completes its life cycle in two weeks. These bulb mites look like squishy, damp pearls, have four sets of legs, and reach a size of 0.5 to 1 millimeter in length. The other major mite group that feasts on garlic are the bulb mites of the Rhizoglyphus genus, most particularly R. Other signs of dry bulb mite infestation include twisted, stunted leaves and failure to develop past a certain point. They live between the layers of a garlic clove or inside the leaves and feast from within, often causing galls to appear. True to their name, dry bulb mites feed exclusively on bulbs: garlic, tulip, onion, and lily, to be exact. ![]()
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