Yes, you can put garlic in water to grow roots, although the primary purpose is usually to cultivate garlic greens rather than full bulbs.
Growing Garlic in Water: What to Expect
While growing garlic in water is possible, it's important to understand what you'll get out of the process. You likely won't harvest large, edible bulbs like you would when growing garlic in soil. Instead, you'll be able to snip off the garlic greens (also known as scapes when they curl) to use in your cooking.
How to Grow Garlic in Water: A Simple Method
Here's a basic method for growing garlic in water:
- Choose your garlic: Select a healthy garlic clove.
- Prepare the container: Use a small glass or jar with a wide enough opening to support the clove.
- Add water: Fill the container with enough water to just cover the bottom of the clove. The pointy end should be facing up.
- Placement: Place the container in a sunny windowsill or under a grow light.
- Water changes: Change the water every few days to prevent it from getting cloudy.
- Watch for growth: You should see roots starting to grow within a few days. Green shoots will also emerge from the top of the clove.
- Harvest: Once the greens are a few inches tall, you can begin snipping them off to use in cooking. The flavor will be milder than garlic cloves.
Why Grow Garlic in Water?
- No garden space required: This method is perfect if you don't have a garden or outdoor space.
- Easy to start: It's a simple and quick way to get started with growing your own food.
- Continuous harvest of greens: You can harvest the greens multiple times.
- Aromatic: Growing garlic indoors can add a pleasant garlic aroma to your home.
Limitations
- Small bulb yield: As previously mentioned, you will unlikely get large bulbs to harvest.
- Nutrient dependence: Since garlic is grown in water, supplementing with liquid fertilizer might be required to provide adequate nutrients.
Growing garlic in water is a fun and easy project, perfect for harvesting fresh garlic greens, even if you don't have a garden.
