Too Late to Take Little Bulbs From Garlic ??

[Deleted]

Our garlic usually and is doing well this year but, have neglected to take the tops off and now have the little bulbs growing.  i realize that it stunts the growth of the bulb..but can i now break those little bulbs off ??  And what can I do with all those "cute" little baby garlic bulbs.  ?? I plant our garlic in the fall and they winter over in our very cold northern winters here in Pa and do well.  Any ideas for me and the baby bulbs ??

[paquebot]

Those things are called bulbils and I doubt if they are growing. They won't sprout while still on the scape. You can let them dry and plant them the same time as when you plant the cloves. What you get depends upon the type and variety. If the bulbils are not much bigger than a grain of wheat, you'll get a small round about the size of a marble. If it's a type with bulbils ¼" or bigger, then you may get up to 1½" divided bulbs just like the parent. Removing the scapes has never been proved to result in larger bulbs. I experimented with at least 100 varieties one time and there was no difference in bulb size.

Martin

[shin]

Yes plant those little bulbils! Someday they'll grow up!