"Bob Clark" wrote:

Recently somebody told me the either bent over or broke off their garlic
plants in order to drive more energy down into the bulb, Does this in fact
work? How much do I break off/ how many leaves should I leave on the plant
and when should I do this?

I'm in zone 5 ( I think), Spokane, Washington.

TIA,
Bob

Bob,

Do not bend or break the garlic plant.
If you are growing soft neck garlic, do nothing.
If you are growing hard neck garlic, the only thing you may want to
remove is the "scape".
The scape is the flower stalk that appears only on hard neck strains
of garlic.
I've conducted experiments in past years comparing bulb size between
plants where I've removed the scape and those I've left intact and
found little if any benefit to removal.
If you do decide to remove the scape, do it while it is still in full
curl and that way they are still somewhat tender and useful in salads,
stir fry dishes, etc. Do a Google search on "garlic scapes" for more
ideas.

Ross.
Southern Ontario, Canada.
New AgCanada Zone 5b
43º17'15" North
80º13'32" West
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