How To Grow Garlic Chives Indoors? – An Ornamental Plant

A Detailed Discussion on Growing Garlic Chives Indoors:

“Who doesn’t want to work less?” Here comes the plant which will not cost you much pain to grow. Moreover, along with its edibility, you can also use them as a decorative material. Garlic chives, also known as Chinese chives, is a kind of plant that serves you every spring from the summer for only one investment. Seriously, it will grow all over your garden if you plant them for once. You need to divide them every three years, or you can replant them somewhere else.

Benefits of Chives

They stimulate your appetite, help the digestive system to improve, develop blood circulation. It also boosts your vision. It is rich in Vitamin – A, C, K, Folate, Calcium. Besides being edible, they are also well-known for its decorative properties. So, to enjoy these benefits, you must know how to grow garlic chives indoors.

Types

Four edible chives are –

1. Common chives

2. Garlic chives

3. Siberian garlic chives

4. Giant Siberian chives

Things you will need –

1. Scissors

2. Shovel

3. Digging fork. An alternative to shovel

4. Pots for the transplant. Measurement is 6-8 inches

5. Potting mixtures

Seeds/Transplant

You can either buy plants or start the seeds indoors. Set them in the outer environment at the time of the last frost. Other than seeds or transplants, chives can also grow from plant division.

Seed life

The seed life of garlic chives is three years. That means if you plant a garlic chive, it will ensure you three years fruitful results. Moreover, it will take over all your garden to spread itself.

Identification

Among various chives, how will you identify the garlic chives? Let me share some tricks with you. The leaves of garlic chives have the appearance of grasses. Those leaves and flowers of the plant are about 12 to 15 inches long. They can grow in the border, in the container or an herb garden. They have a peaceful fragrance and also attracts butterflies. By the way, do you know the bulb of garlic chives is inedible?

Way to divide chives & pot them up

Even if you are not a gardener, you might be a cooker and love to cook seasonal fresh vegetables. Then for fresh vegetable, let us took a look at the following procedures:

  • Chives usually grow from a cluster of tiny bulbs. You can see those bulbs near the soil line
  • Before dividing the clump, water them for a few hours. The process will help to reduce stress
  • Fill your pot with damp soil along with organic mixture and soil nutrients
  • If you are not using a pot that is if you are transplanting, then dig holes in the soil and put some organic fertilizer along with compost
  • Snip the top of the chives for about 6 inches. Use scissors for this purpose
  • With the help of shovel or digging fork, dig up chives
  • Separate the clusters. A cluster of chives can contain 8 to 10 plants. It will take a little effort and time. Discard the damaged bulbs
  • You can replant chives again using the plant division
  • Put the plant division half inches more in-depth than they were at first
  • Water them well

Sun-loving plant

Garlic chives are sun-loving. Provide full sun, partial shade of the afternoon to the plant.

Soil condition

The soil condition can be low fertility, damp, droughty that is, a common type of soil. Slightly acid land is preferable to them. The ground should have a proper drainage system.

Soil pH

As I have said that slightly acid land is preferable, so the pH ranges from 6.2 to 6.8

Time to plant

I usually sow seeds 4 to 6 weeks before transplanting. Then I transplant them from late spring to late summer.

Spacing

If you are sowing seeds, then the spacing should be 6 inches to 9 inches apart.

For seedlings, sow them 12 inches to 18 inches apart.

Row gap- Maintain a minimum gap of 7 inches (20cm) between two rows.

Fertilizer

The types of fertilizer you will need – 5-10-5 fertilizer, water-soluble fertilizer & well-composted organic matter.

Companions

You can call garlic a universal friend. You can plant garlic chives in between Thyme, Tomato, Rose, Grapevine, Carrot, Oregano and some other herbs that form mounds. They will grow with anybody you want. Other plants help to deter the pests.

Harvesting

Although it will serve you for years, it will only take 60 days to mature. Isn’t it fun? It will await you only 30 days if you transplant them instead of using seeds. You will be happy to know you can harvest 3 to 4 times in the first year.

Pest & diseases

Like all other things, chives also have their enemy. General Aphids, black spot on roses, snail, mildew on cucurbits, slug, Japanese beetles, scab on apples are the pests that attack the chives more.

Allium White Rot, Onion Downy Mildew are the common diseases.

Concluding the bottom

I hope this article gives you an idea of how to grow garlic chives indoors. Give it a try. Believe me; it will not take much effort. Share your thoughts with us and let us know about some new planting tricks.

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