GARLIC

Can someone help me with this problem? I have been growing garlic and onions for years and have always had healthy crops. I came across a place in Colorado that sells soft neck garlic cloves to plant. I purchased and planted some.After harvesting, I found that some cloves had tiny maggot type creatures in them.Including the plants from my own garlic from the past. I have never had this problem in the past. Did I introduce them with my purchase? The company is non-committal. What can I safely treat my garden with to get rid of them. Any information would be greatly appreciated

Reply to
Louis Toth
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Did you plant any cloves which had soft or damaged bits? If you are like me, you probably went over your purchases cloves and only planted ones that seemed clean and healthy.

Maggots are the larval stage of flies. I think weather patterns (or just bad luck) may have brought the flies to your garden.

Picture of an onion maggot:

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What can I safely treat my garden with to get rid of them.

Garlic is usually not badly effected by maggots. Some factors which might make garlic more susceptible to maggots: wetter than normal weather poor drainage cooler than normal weather in the growing season soil high in undecomposed organic matter

Since you pulled up plants that had obvious maggots in them, it may be that many of the flies did not complete their life cycle. Pulling and destroying any plants that seem unhealthy (yellowing, stunted, wilting) is absolutely recommended. You don't want any maggots to mature.

Replant only whole, healthy cloves at the proper time for planting in your area (for me, that would be October).

Applying diatomaceous earth around the plants can give some control over the flies.

Reply to
Pat Kiewicz

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