Characteristics of Garlic Rockambol

Garlic Rocambole is an amazing plant that combines the qualities of onions and garlic. It is also known as comb onion, Spanish or Egyptian garlic. This hybrid has impressive dimensions, useful properties and a spicy taste, and its agricultural technology is not too complicated and similar to the technology for growing ordinary garlic.

Characteristics of garlic Rockambol

Peculiarities of culture

Rocambole is a perennial species of onion garlic that can be planted in autumn or in spring (as spring or winter) .In fact, the plant belongs to the onion family, even though the bulb itself consists of giant garlic cloves. In addition, Rockambol has edible leaves and stems. European gardeners are well aware of it, and Russian agricultural technicians have long appreciated the beneficial properties of onion and bred new varieties suitable for regions with colder climates.

Rocambole is a useful product rich in vitamins, antioxidants and other valuable substances (vitamins C, B, PP, carotene, potassium calcium, iron, essential oils, etc.).

In this case, one head of the fluffy garlic can reach 10 cm in diameter and weigh about 200-300 g.The taste resembles garlic, but less pungent, and the smell is much less harsh than that of onions or garlic.

Popular varieties

• Elephant Rockambol (or White Elephant) – large hairdo bow. On average, a bulb gives 6-7 cloves and weighs from 100 g to 200 g. Also, the qualities of the variety are cold resistance.
• Pearl (or Pearl) is another popular variety bred in Russia. The variety is well adapted to cold climates, but it has smaller onions (about 50 g) and a more spicy taste.
• Janissary is also a Russian variety resistant to cold. The variety is characterized by excellent productivity, the size of its bulb is a cross between the bulbs of the previous 2 varieties.

Useful properties

The use of vegetables is not only common cooking, but also for medicinal purposes. Representatives of medicine note the benefits of the product for the work and condition of the human cardiovascular system. It has the properties of improving blood circulation, dilating blood vessels and increasing their elasticity, preventing the danger of blood clots.

By consuming this vegetable, you can significantly reduce the level of cholesterol harmful to the body. The plant has the ability to increase immunity and fight infections, and its essential oils are recommended to be inhaled with a stuffy nose. The product has a beneficial effect on the digestive system and helps get rid of toxins.Its juice is often used by cosmetologists to treat hair and skin rashes.

Contraindications

The description of the properties of this vegetable would not be complete without a list of contraindications and possible health hazards. First of all, do not abuse the onion, since it still refers to quite sharp and specific products. The consequences can be headaches, indigestion, unpleasant burning sensation in the chest, vasospasm and allergic reactions.

You should refrain from consuming this vegetable in food for diseases of the gall bladder. In addition, bulb should not be eaten with a stomach ulcer. Also contraindications apply to people with internal bleeding and kidney disease. Very carefully, you should consume the product during pregnancy, it is better to start giving it to children no earlier than 4-5 years old.

Specificity of propagation

Garlic Rocambole is a flowering plant, however spectacular purple inflorescences do not give any seeds. To propagate the comb hair, the so-called “kids” are used – additional cloves growing on the bottom of the bulb. On average, about 10 such cloves appear on each plant.

To grow Rockambol from children, the bulbs should be collected on time in order to have time to prepare the planting material and plant it on time. In case of delay, the children have time to separate from the mother’s bulb, which greatly complicates the process of collecting them.However, children left in the ground can safely lie there all winter and germinate in the spring.

Landing

We plant according to all the rules

Rocambole onions are planted in open ground in spring or before winter. It is better to plant seed bulbs on a well-warming, but not too dry piece of land. To prepare the soil, organic fertilizers and thorough cultivation are required (there should be no lumps or stones in the soil). The first preparation is done immediately after harvesting the previous harvest.

In the fall

Winter barn is planted 3 weeks before the start of frost, this is usually done in the first decade of October. Before planting the teeth, they are recommended to soak for a day in a manganese solution, and then for a couple of hours in a decoction of wood ash. The teeth should be planted 10 cm in depth, at a distance of 20 cm from each other. It is recommended to use mulch to insulate plants for the winter – 3 cm of cover will be quite enough.

In the spring

Experienced agricultural technicians recommend arranging spring beds in the direction from south to north. In the spring, before planting Rocambole, the ground is again loosened by carefully digging the soil 20 cm deep. As organic fertilizers, humus or compost can be used, and wood ash for disinfection.The depth of planting and the distance between the cloves in the open ground are the same as when planting in the fall. Planting cloves in spring is also better with a mulched coating, because the soil has not warmed up enough after winter.

Care

Caring for garlic Rocambole is not very difficult, but requires certain rules . The first loosening is carried out immediately after the appearance of sprouts. Moreover, the beds are loosened extremely carefully so as not to harm the delicate sprouts. During the first growing season, plant care involves thorough watering several times a week (depending on the dry climate and regular rainfall), per 1 sq. Km. m requires at least 10 liters of water. In the future, the beds are watered as necessary.

To grow a good crop with large bulbs, you should regularly get rid of weeds and loosen the soil. Dressing also includes dressing plants, especially if the leaves look weak and pale. For the first feeding, you can use nitrogen fertilizers, for the second – organic, for the third – a mixture of water and wood ash.

Collection and storage

It is recommended to harvest the Rambambol garlic immediately after yellowing of the lower leaves. Violated terms often lead to a decrease in the quality and keeping quality of the crop, since cracks appear on the husk and cloves, and the children fall and are lost in the soil. In addition, late harvesting often leads to fungal diseases and rotting vegetables.

In order for the bulbs of Rocambol garlic to retain useful properties and presentation as long as possible (for example, to sell part of the crop if necessary), they must be properly prepared for storage.

Without pruning leaves and stems, bulbs placed on a grid under a canopy and left until the leaves completely dry. Usually, drying takes 4 weeks, after which dried leaves are cut off, leaving 10 cm of the stem on the bulb. They should be stored in a dry room, regularly ventilating and maintaining the temperature, depending on the purpose of the vegetables (for food purposes – at 0-1 ° C; for seeds – at 19-20 ° C, lowering the temperature at the end of the storage period to 4 ° C ).

Useful information

• The dishes that can be cooked with the help of garlic are diverse, but most often this vegetable is used as a seasoning for fish, meat and marinadam. Leaves of the plant are recommended to be eaten fresh. In Mediterranean cuisine, a popular dish is baked onion garlic: it is believed that in this form it well strengthens the gums.
• Traditional medicine recommends growing lambweed to fight worms, treat tumors in the digestive and gout organs, reduce pressure, heal wounds.
• Cultivation of this culture is especially effective in areas where cucumbers or zucchini used to grow. It’s good to plant the lambweed immediately after the radish or alfalfa. Legumes and cabbage are also considered good predecessors.
• Almost all species of this plant give an arrow with a large spherical inflorescence (the exception is the White Elephant, which does not bloom at all). A single flower resembles a miniature bell in deep purple. To improve the properties of the bulb, the arrow is usually cut, but not everyone knows that the bulb can be grown for decorative purposes.In the gardens and flower beds you can see the Rocambole, which blooms brightly with other flowers – this composition looks very impressive.