Knowledgebase

Garlic spots #776874

Asked November 01, 2021, 9:25 AM EDT

Hello, I’ve started to separate my garlic cloves for fall planting and have noticed some shrunken soft cloves and some that are still firm but with brown spots on them. I was hoping someone could identify the spots. I believe them to be either damage from bulb mites or perhaps fusarium. Some cloves are fine while others have these spots. Thanks!

Washington County Maryland

Expert Response

The brown spots are fairly typical but not necessarily caused by bulb mites or Fusarium; we don't see signs of either in the photos. The all-brown and shriveled cloves are not usable and should be discarded. As long as the cloves are firm and the head of garlic looks normal (that is, the bottom/root end isn't discolored or soft), they should be fine to plant. If there are numerous spotted or spoiled cloves in this batch, consider trying a different supplier next year (we presume you purchased these as opposed to opting to use a grocery-store head of garlic) as the quality control for this source may be insufficient.

Do not peel cloves before planting. Here is our information page on growing garlic that has additional information, if useful: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/garlic

Miri

Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied November 01, 2021, 11:06 AM EDT

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