@e0b309a7 @24035ade I’ve been following the Garlicana website - it’s very nerdy and he’s an experienced professional. Last year I followed these recommendations (the bleach dunk method) and it didn’t hurt the plants at all and I got lots of garlic. (It was also my first year so I have no comps.)
“Select the largest cloves for planting as these will yield the largest heads. When importing new allium plant material into your soil, a minor precaution against pests and fungi is to soak cloves in isopropyl alcohol (regular strength is sufficient) for 10 minutes and let completely dry out before planting, or alternatively soak for 10 minutes in a 10% bleach solution with a drop or two of dish soap (as a surfactant), then dunk/soak in hot, 110° F water to rinse, just prior to planting. See below for further discussion.”
From https://www.garlicana.com/resources-links/growing-instructions/
@12e2f193 @e0b309a7 Very good point about introducing disease. I would probably avoid the bleach, but alcohol will evaporate off so won't have an effect on the soil biology that I've been nurturing.
@24035ade @e0b309a7 the bleach really didn’t hurt! Every single clove I planted came up. If you go trawling around the rest of the site, there’s an explanation of what it’s killing (mites? I think?) and more info.
@12e2f193 Generally it's for nematodes, says my local garlic guy.
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