What Do Garlic Seeds Look Like? A Guide to Identifying True Seeds vs Bulbils

Garlic is a versatile and delicious ingredient used in cuisines around the world While most people are familiar with planting and eating garlic cloves, there is some confusion around garlic seeds and what they actually look like This comprehensive guide will shed light on the intriguing world of garlic seeds, the differences between true seeds and bulbils, and how to identify them.

Garlic Does Not Produce True Seeds

The first thing to understand about garlic seeds is that typical garlic plants do not actually produce viable, true botanical seeds. Garlic is a sterile hybrid, which means it reproduces asexually through cloves, not sexually through pollination and true seed production. The papery-covered cloves people plant in their gardens year after year are essentially just segments of a garlic bulb, not seeds.

So when people refer to “garlic seeds” they are usually talking about bulbils or cloves not biological seeds from sexual reproduction. True garlic seeds are extremely rare. To produce them requires intricate hand pollination methods that only a few farmers and specialists attempt.

Bulbils Are Not The Same As True Seeds

While garlic does not make true seeds, many garlic plants do produce aerial bulbils. Bulbils form on or inside a garlic plant’s flower head and resemble tiny cloves enveloped in a thin skin. They grow at the top of a long, curling stem called a scape. Garlic growers often refer to bulbils as “garlic seeds,” but this is a misnomer.

Bulbils are not seeds at all from a botanical perspective. They are small vegetative clones genetically identical to the parent plant. Bulbils form through mitotic cell division, not sexual reproduction. So while bulbils can be used to grow new garlic plants, they are not seeds in the truest sense.

Of the two main types of garlic grown, hardneck varieties frequently produce scapes and bulbils while softneck varieties do not. Common hardneck garlic types like Rocambole, Purple Stripe and Marbled Purple Stripe develop scapes under the right conditions. The scapes coil in a pigtail shape as the bulbils form inside.

What True Garlic Seeds Look Like

On very rare occasions, some garlic flowers will actually form tiny black or tan seeds, each under 1 mm long. This only occurs if the flowers are pollinated, usually by hand.

True garlic seeds resemble itty-bitty black dots that take high magnification to see clearly. They are oval-shaped and would be easy to confuse with specks of dirt or debris. Inside their seed coats, true garlic seeds contain embryos that can produce brand new plants, unlike clones.

To generate true seeds, the umbels (flower heads) must receive pollen, either from the same plant or another flowering garlic plant. Getting viable garlic seeds is challenging since few garlic strains flower, pollen viability is low and little is understood about garlic genetics. But dedicated horticulturalists are beginning to successfully produce true-to-seed garlics.

Why Garlic Bulbils Are More Common Than Seeds

Most commercial garlic growers and home gardeners propagate garlic from the cloves, or bulbils, rather than true seeds. Here are a few key reasons bulbils dominate:

• Bulbils are much easier for garlic growers to produce on a large scale. They form readily on hardneck garlic scapes with no pollination required.

• Bulbils breed true to the parent plant. Growers can propagate specific proven garlic strains efficiently through bulbils.

• Garlic seeds introduce genetic variation. This variability makes propagating a consistent strain more difficult compared to bulbils.

• Seeds take longer to produce garlic bulbs. Bulbils grown from cloves mature faster, allowing for a quicker harvest.

Frequently Asked Questions About Garlic Seeds and Bulbils

1. What are the benefits of planting garlic cloves instead of seeds?

Planting cloves produces garlic bulbs faster compared to seeds. Cloves also breed true to the parent plant, maintaining desirable traits and flavors.

2. Can you plant garlic flowers to grow garlic?

No, the flowers themselves do not contain garlic’s growing points. You need to use the aerial bulbils that form on the flowers/scapes.

3. Are there any plants that produce true seeds similar to garlic?

Yes, other plants in the onion family like onions, leeks and shallots can produce viable seeds under the right growing conditions. But they mainly propagate through bulbs.

4. How do you find good quality garlic cloves for planting?

Look for large, healthy bulbs from reputable sources. Ensure the cloves are intact, plump and firm with no shriveling or mold. The papery skin should be tight around each clove.

5. When is the best time to plant garlic cloves?

Most garlic cloves are planted in the fall about 4-6 weeks before the ground freezes solid. This allows the cloves to establish roots before winter dormancy.

6. Do garlic cloves need any special preparation before planting?

It’s best to separate the bulbs into individual cloves, but leave the papery skin on for protection. Gently break apart the head and trim any roots or dried bits from the base of the cloves.

7. How deep should you plant garlic cloves?

Plant garlic cloves root-end down about 2 inches deep and 4-6 inches apart. Deeper planting prevents the developing bulbs from heaving out of the ground.

8. How do you know when to harvest garlic?

Look for indicators like softening necks, yellowing lower leaves and falling topsets. When about half the leaves are yellowed, use a garden fork to loosen the soil and lift the bulbs gently.

9. What’s the best way to store harvested garlic?

After digging up the bulbs, allow them to cure for 1-2 weeks in a dry, well-ventilated space out of direct sunlight. Then store the cured garlic in mesh bags or bundles in a cool dark place.

10. How do you prepare cured garlic cloves for next year’s planting?

Break apart the cured bulbs into individual cloves. Select the largest, healthiest cloves for replanting. Trim any dried roots or stems and store in a cool, dry spot until fall planting time.