AT 
 
 U ilVERSITY OF 
 ILLINOIS LIBRARY 
 URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
 
 AGRICULTURE 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/wildgarlic1109knak 
 

 wild garlic 
 
 HUJUOU 
 06RARH 
 
 *rsity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • College of Agriculture • Cooperative Extension Servic, 
 
 CULAR 1109 
 
wild 
 
 
 Figure 1 
 
 • 1 A typical clump of wild garlic. (Photo 
 courtesy of E. J. Peters, ARS, USDA.) ml The 
 leaves of wild onion are flat and solid; those 
 of wild garlic are round and hollow. (Photo 
 courtesy of E. J. Peters, ARS, USDA.) *3 In 
 addition to the central bulb or main stem (B), 
 wild garlic produces hard-shell bulbs (A), 
 soft-shell bulbs (C), and aerial bulblets (D). 
 •4 Some hard-shell bulbs (left) remain dor- 
 mant in the soil for 5 or 6 years. Most of the 
 soft bulbs (right) grow within a year of two. 
 
 Figure 2 
 
Figure 4 
 
 Control 
 
 • Plant wheat in garlic-free fields. 
 
 • Plow and begin cultivation of row crops early to prevent 
 
 formation of new aerial bulblets. 
 
 • Obtain a vigorous stand of wheat with adequate seeding and 
 
 fertilization. 
 
 • Use herbicides in the fall to control wild garlic in pastures 
 
 and noncrop areas. 
 
 • Apply herbicides to wheat in the spring. 
 
 • Adjust the combine to remove as much wild garlic as possible. 
 
 • Dry wheat and clean again. 
 
Figure 5 
 
 • 5 Aerial bulblets of wild garlic are 
 about the same size as wheat. They 
 are the main reason for discounts. 
 
 • 6 Wild garlic produces aerial bulb- 
 lets in clusters. These mature at 
 about the same time as wheat and 
 are normally about the same height Figure 7 
 as the wheat heads. A single cluster 
 
 may have as many as 300 bulblets. 
 
 Bulblets fall to the soil and produce new plants. They are the major means by which wild 
 garlic spreads; therefore, their control is very important. Some "heads" produce flowers and 
 seeds in addition to the aerial bulblets (left). *7 Wild garlic "heads" vary in size and shape. 
 The "head" in the center is typical. The "head" on the left is double. The one on the right is 
 smaller, but the individual bulblets are larger. 
 
 Figure 8 
 
 •8 Do not spray small grain before the 
 plants have tillered (left); spray after the 
 plants are well tillered and about 4 to 8 
 inches high (center). Do not spray after 
 small-grain stems are jointing or produc- 
 ing nodes (right). 99 As small grain ap- 
 proaches the boot stage, risk of injury 
 from 2,4-D applications and subsequent 
 loss in yield increase. 
 
 1 
 
 YIELD AS PERCENT 
 
 UNTREATED 
 
 OF UNTREATED CHECK 
 
 CHECK 
 
 100 
 
 
 , 
 
 2,4-D /<^>y 
 
 
 50 
 
 TREATED 
 
 
 SEEDLING FULLY 
 TILLERED 
 
 JOINTING BOOT MILK SOFT 
 DOUGH 
 
 Figure 9 
 
Don't panic. Don't get mad at your elevator operator. He will 
 gladly buy your wheat, but he doesn't want your wild garlic. 
 Neither do millers, nor foreign buyers. To avoid garlic discounts, 
 sell clean wheat. 
 
 The easiest way to produce a clean crop is to control wild garlic 
 in the field. Cleaning garlic from wheat requires more time and 
 effort, but can be profitable if garlic discounts are high. 
 
 Controlling Wild Garlic 
 
 To avoid a problem with wild garlic, try to plant wheat only on 
 land that is relatively garlic-free. Where wild garlic is abundant, 
 raising clean-tilled crops such as corn and soybeans for several 
 years can reduce the wild garlic problem by preventing the forma- 
 tion of new aerial bulblets. Plowing helps to control garlic; 
 however, plowing in July and August, when wild garlic is 
 dormant, does little good. Begin cultivation of row crops early. 
 
 Obtaining a vigorous stand of wheat that is able to compete 
 with wild garlic is important. You can encourage a vigorous stand 
 with an adequate seeding rate and sufficient fertilizer. 
 
 Research indicates that applications of 2,4-D can help control 
 wild garlic in grass pastures (no legumes), fencerows, and other 
 noncrop areas. Applications should be made in November, when 
 most of the garlic plants have emerged. One to two quarts of 
 2,4-D ester per acre (4 pounds acid equivalent per gallon) is 
 suggested. Apply only in accordance with current label recom- 
 mendations and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations. 
 
 In the spring, 2,4-D can be applied to wheat when the plants 
 are 4 to 8 inches high, after they have tillered, and before they 
 "joint" or form nodes on the stem. One to 1 V2 pints of 2,4-D ester 
 per acre (4 pounds acid equivalent per gallon) can reduce the 
 formation of aerial bulblets and distort the wild garlic plants so 
 that many of the bulblets will be missed in combining, if the com- 
 bine is adjusted high enough and the wheat is not lodged. 
 
 Check current label directions for application rates and EPA 
 registration. There is some risk of injury to wheat as the appli- 
 cation rate increases. However, if 2,4-D is applied at approved 
 rates at the proper time, the risk of injury is usually less than the 
 risk from a severe wild garlic infestation. 
 
 Banvel (dicamba) alone, or in combination with 2,4-D, is 
 usually at least as effective as 2,4-D alone. Refer to current labels 
 for rates, timing, and crops to which Banvel can be applied. 
 
 Refer to herbicide labels for information on aerial application. 
 
Cleaning Wheat 
 
 If you have wild garlic in wheat, check a sample yourself or 
 take one to your elevator operator for an estimate of the number 
 of wild garlic bulblets, before you begin to haul loads of wheat to 
 the elevator. 
 
 Discounts are based on the number of wild garlic bulblets in a 
 1,000-gram sample (about 1 quart). If you are not willing to 
 accept the discounts indicated, you can either use the wheat for 
 feed or clean it. 
 
 Research suggests that garlicky wheat can be used in feed in 
 limited amounts for most kinds of livestock and poultry with little 
 or no ill effect on the animal or animal products. 
 
 Although some wild garlic bulblets are about the same size as 
 wheat, many that are smaller or larger can be removed by clean- 
 ing. Try to clean wheat before storing. There can be some advan- 
 tage to on-farm storage since it permits more flexibility in 
 marketing. 
 
 The cleaning process begins with combining. Carefully adjust 
 the combine to remove as many of the garlic bulblets as possible. 
 
 Use a dryer or store wheat for 6 to 8 months to allow re- 
 maining garlic bulblets to dry and shrink. Drying changes the 
 size and density of the bublets so that more can be removed 
 when the grain is cleaned a second time. 
 
 A second cleaning can be done with a fanning mill or other 
 suitable equipment. Use two screens — one larger and one 
 smaller than the wheat. Apply enough air to blow out material 
 lighter than the wheat. If cleaning equipment isn't available, 
 consider running the wheat through the combine a second time, 
 after the grain is dry. 
 
 This circular was prepared by E. L. KNAKE, Professor of Weed Science, and 
 M. D. McGLAMERY, Associate Professor of Weed Science. 
 
 Urbana, Illinois February, 1975 
 
 Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, 
 in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. JOHN B. CLAAR, Director, Co- 
 operative Extension Service, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 
 The Illinois Cooperative Extension Service provides equal opportunities in programs 
 and employment. 12M _ 275 _ 30443