A cheap and interesting way to make new garlic plants is to grow garlic from bulbils. There are small flower buds called bilbils that grow on the flower stalks of some types of hardneck garlic. Bulbils, which look like tiny cloves, can be collected and planted to make garlic plants that are genetically identical.
If you follow this full step-by-step guide, you’ll be able to grow full bulbs of garlic from bulbils. With some patience and careful attention, you’ll have a never-ending supply of homegrown garlic.
What Are Garlic Bulbils?
Bulbils form on the umbrella-shaped cluster at the end of a garlic scape as it begins to flower. But garlic is sterile so no actual seeds or reproduction occurs. The bulbils are essentially small bulblets that are genetic clones of the “mother” plant.
A lot of bulbils are made by hardneck garlic varieties like Porcelains, Rocamboles, Purple Stripes, and Marbled Purples. Softneck varieties rarely form bulbils.
Bulbils range greatly in size and shape:
- Porcelain – very small, rice-grain sized
- Rocambole – large, marble to chickpea-sized
- Purple Stripe – small, like a swollen grain of rice
- Marbled Purple – medium, roughly peppercorn-sized
The number of bulbils per cluster also varies:
- Porcelain – 100-200
- Rocambole – 10-25
- Purple Stripe – 80-140
- Marbled Purple – 40-60
When and Where to Harvest Bulbils
Timing is important when harvesting bulbils. Pick them when they’re fully formed but before the hard shell breaks open.
Mid to late summer is the ideal time in most climates. Bulbils are ready when the cluster has turned yellow/brown and they detach easily when lightly rubbed.
You can either:
- Cut off the entire scape and hang to dry before removing the bulbils.
- Harvest just the mature umbel cluster and immediately detach the bulbils.
Avoid wet conditions and wash bulbils only right before planting. Store collected bulbils in a cool, dry spot for up to 6-8 months before planting.
How to Prepare Bulbils for Planting
Before you plant your garlic bulbils, they need a period of cold temperature exposure. This vernalization process breaks down starches and mimics winter conditions.
- Place cleaned, dried bulbils in a breathable bag/container.
- Keep in the refrigerator or freezer (not deep freeze) for 2-4 weeks.
- Allow bulbils to reach room temperature before planting outside.
Proper vernalization synchronizes growth and maturation when planted.
When to Plant Garlic Bulbils
You can either plant your vernalized garlic bulbils in fall or spring:
Fall – Plant 6-8 weeks before first expected frost. Avoid mulching overwinter.
Spring – Plant as soon as frost danger has passed. Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost.
Spring planting avoids winter losses but requires extra care before planting out. Determine best timing for your climate.
How to Plant Bulbils for Success
Follow these tips when planting your vernalized garlic bulbils:
- Prepare soil – Loosen, remove weeds/debris, mix in compost.
- Plant 1-2 inches deep, pointed end up.
- Space 2-6 inches apart depending on bulbil size.
- Firm soil gently and water thoroughly after planting.
- Cover beds with 3-4 inches of mulch to retain moisture.
Proper spacing reduces competition so bulbils develop strong.
Caring for Garlic Bulbils
Once planted, be diligent about ongoing care:
- Water whenever top 1-2 inches of soil are dry. Avoid overwatering.
- Weed regularly to prevent competition.
- Watch for pests like thrips, mites and nematodes. Treat organically if found.
- Side dress with nitrogen fertilizer when plants are 8-12 inches tall.
- Heavily mulch beds in late fall if overwintering in cold climates.
Attentive care while growing will produce good yields.
What to Expect as Bulbils Grow
Be patient when growing garlic from bulbils – it takes 2-4 years for them to mature:
- Year 1 – Produces a small “round” with one clove.
- Year 2 – Plant rounds further apart. Gets small multi-cloved bulbs.
- Year 3 – Full mature bulbs ready for replanting or eating.
Faster-maturing varieties like Rocamboles may reach full size in 2 years. Porcelains can take up to 5 years.
Bulbils grown in tight clusters stay small. Thin for larger bulbs.
Harvesting and Storing Homegrown Garlic
Follow these steps when your garlic bulbils are ready to harvest:
- Lift mature bulbs gently with a garden fork when lower leaves yellow.
- Avoid washing. Allow to dry and cure for 2-3 weeks in a warm, dry, shaded location.
- Trim roots and stem to 1⁄2 inch above the top bulb.
- Store cured bulbs in a cool (65°F), dark spot with good air circulation.
Well-cured bulbs will last up to 8 months in storage. Enjoy fresh homegrown garlic all season long!
The Benefits of Growing Garlic from Bulbils
- Propagates genetically identical garlic strains
- Avoids transmitting soil-borne diseases
- Produces robust, acclimated plants suited to your growing conditions
- Provides a very inexpensive way to continually harvest garlic year after year
With some time and attentive care, growing garlic from bulbils is extremely rewarding. Follow this complete step-by-step guide for success!
Why plant bulbils?
Bulbils are like miniature round or oblong cloves. They can be eaten like cloves—many people don’t bother peeling them and just crush them and use them in recipes—but what’s more important to us is that they can be planted.
There are several reasons to plant bulbils, either instead of or in addition to planting mature cloves. Unless youre in a big hurry and need to bring a full crop to market next year, try building your stock using the bulbil method. Benefits to farmers include:
- exponential growth of seed stock (see chart below)
- purging of all soil born disease (nematodes, fungus, etc)
- gradual acclimation of cultivar to your growing conditions
Outdoors in Fall – Furrows
FALL PLANTING: You can plant bulbils in the fall at the same time as cloves, but if you do, you are more likely to lose the crop to winter kill or vole/mole activity. At RCF weve had both great success and catastrophic failure using this method. If planting in the fall, DO NOT MULCH UNTIL JUST BEFORE SNOWFALL. Mulch creates a wonderful habitat for voles/moles and theyll be nesting right above their winter snacks.
All bulbils except the biggest ones (Rocambole bulbils are huge and can be planted at least 4 inches apart) are planted in a different way than cloves. You can literally plant thousands of bulbils within a very small area. Here are the steps we use:
NOTE: Bulbils can be very difficult to distinguish from weeds in the springtime. We plant in furrows so that it is clear where the bulbils should and should not be coming up. This makes it much easier to weed around them.
- Make furrows about 1 inch deep in a 3/4-inch thick board that is a few inches shorter than your bed’s width. 5 inches deep across your bed. You can use a hammer to hit the board or just your hand to get down into the ground.
- Distribute your bulbils in this furrow all the way across. Bulbils don’t have to be upside down unless they are very big, so you can sprinkle them instead of putting them in one by one if you’d like. As a guide, porcelain and other bulbils the size of rice grains should be spaced about 1/2″ to 3/4″ apart. About 1″ should separate Marbled Purple Stripes and other medium-sized bulbils. The largest bulbils should be 4 inches apart, and the next largest should be about 2 inches apart.
- Gently cover the bulbils with soil and pat it down.
- Water them in but dont saturate the soil.
- When spring comes, KEEP THEM WET for the first two to three months. Then, let them dry out as their growing cycle comes to an end. Because their root systems are so small, bulbils will die if they get too dry. Water every day if necessary to keep the soil moist.
Growing Garlic from Bulbils and Rounds
FAQ
How long does it take to grow garlic from bulbils?
Then, in the second year, it will split into cloves and make a normal garlic bulb. Planting bulbils takes two years to get a normal-sized bulb. Jul 4, 2019.
What do I do with garlic bulbils?
This is another (more effective) form of reproduction for the plant, but bulbils are not edible. Unless you’re planning a garlic breeding program, you don’t want your scapes. You want to cut them off so the garlic focusses on growing fat juicy bulbs underground.
What triggers garlic bulbing?
Fertiliser and regular water (especially in dry weather) will help swell the bulbs up. Garlic is sloooow, I plant mine in September and harvest the following July or even August.
What is the mistake in planting garlic?
Biggest Mistake: Planting too early. Why? Garlic establishes it’s root system before sending up a green shoot. If planted too early, the green shoot can grow several inches tall and act as a straw over the winter to pull water away from the clove, drying it out and possibly killing it.
Can you grow garlic from bulbils?
Next are the small, tasty, and very tender scapes, which are great for making your own garlic scape pesto. And yes, they do eventually grow small bulbs underground. They’re a pain to peel, but they’re great for pickling. Garlic growing as an ornamental at the Denver Botanic Garden. Garlic grown from bulbils that I tossed around my garden.
How many bulbils does garlic produce?
Only hardneck garlic produces a flower stalk that will develop bulbils. Bulbils vary greatly in size and number depending on variety. Rocambole garlics typically produce 20 to 30 large bulbils. Porcelain garlic produces over 100 bulbils, but they are very tiny. Purple Stripe bulbils vary in size and quantity from plant to plant.
What are garlic bulbils?
Garlic bulbils are tiny “bulbs” that form when a hardneck garlic flower stalk is allowed to mature. They can be grown to increase your crop. Read on.