{"id":3749,"date":"2026-09-26T19:45:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T19:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=3749"},"modified":"2026-09-26T19:58:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T19:58:24","slug":"garlic-leaves-turning-yellow-in-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/garlic-leaves-turning-yellow-in-spring\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Are Garlic Leaves Turning Yellow in Spring? (And How to Fix It)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<div class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-auto kksr-align-left kksr-valign-top\"\n    data-payload='{&quot;align&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;3749&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;valign&quot;:&quot;top&quot;,&quot;ignore&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;reference&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;legendonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;readonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;score&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;starsonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;best&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;greet&quot;:&quot;Rate this&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;0\\\/5 - (0 votes)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Why Are Garlic Leaves Turning Yellow in Spring? (And How to Fix It)&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;_legend&quot;:&quot;{score}\\\/{best} - ({count} {votes})&quot;,&quot;font_factor&quot;:&quot;1.25&quot;}'>\n            \n<div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 0px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                \n\n<div class=\"kksr-legend\" style=\"font-size: 19.2px;\">\n            <span class=\"kksr-muted\">Rate this<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"QAPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"Why are the bottom leaves of my garlic turning yellow in spring, and what fertilizer should I use?\",\n    \"text\": \"The bottom leaves on my overwintering garlic are turning yellow. I fed them with Nitrogen fertilizer (Ammonium Nitrate) about 2 weeks ago (1 tablespoon per 2.5 gallons of water), but the leaves are still yellow. Should I feed them again, and if so, with what?\",\n    \"answerCount\": 1,\n    \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-03T17:05:00+03:00\",\n    \"author\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Person\",\n      \"name\": \"YANGUN\",\n      \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/profile\/58713-%D1%8F%D0%BD%D0%B3%D1%83%D0%BD\/\"\n    },\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"First, the older leaves that have already turned yellow will never turn green again, but the new growth should be healthy. Yellowing in spring is often related to the garlic variety and how early it sprouted. Early-sprouting varieties get hit by cold spring temperatures, which blocks Nitrogen uptake and causes yellowing. Do not apply more granular fertilizer right now if it is still cold. Wait for warmer weather, then water the roots with compost tea and spray the leaves with a Urea and Magnesium Sulfate foliar spray.\",\n      \"datePublished\": \"2021-05-04T10:44:00+03:00\",\n      \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/dummy-slug\/#answer\",\n      \"author\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Person\",\n        \"name\": \"Aleksan9ra\",\n        \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/profile\/56700-aleksan9ra\/\"\n      },\n      \"upvoteCount\": 39\n    }\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"tldr-box\" style=\"background: #f4f9f4; padding: 20px; border-left: 5px solid #4CAF50; margin-bottom: 30px; border-radius: 4px;\">\n<h3>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary: Yellowing Spring Garlic<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83e\uddc4 <strong>The Permanent Yellow:<\/strong> Once the lower leaves of a garlic plant turn yellow, they will never turn green again. If you applied fertilizer, look at the <em>new<\/em> growth coming from the center. If the new leaves are green, the fertilizer worked!<\/li>\n<li>\ud83e\udd76 <strong>The Cold Factor:<\/strong> Garlic that sprouts very early (pushing through the snow) is often subjected to freezing spring nights. Cold soil locks up Nitrogen, causing the lower leaves to yellow regardless of how much fertilizer you apply.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83e\uddec <strong>Varietal Differences:<\/strong> Different garlic varieties react to Nitrogen deficiency differently. Some varieties will instantly yellow, while others in the exact same bed will stay perfectly green.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83e\udd6c <strong>Bonus Cabbage Prep:<\/strong> When transplanting cabbage, dig a hole a full spade deep. Put aged chicken manure (deep litter), a pinch of wood ash, and a tablespoon of balanced fertilizer at the bottom. Mix it with the soil, plant the cabbage, and water heavily.<br \/>\nPhoto author: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/gallery\/image\/225764-6%20%20%D0%B8%D1%8E%D0%BB%D1%8F%20%20%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BA\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Russi<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"add-review-cta\" style=\"margin: 20px 0; padding: 15px; background: #f9f9f9; border-left: 4px solid #4CAF50; border-radius: 4px;\"><strong>\ud83d\udcac Do the tips of your garlic turn yellow every spring?<\/strong> <a href=\"#wpdcom\">Tell us how you feed them below!<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">Y<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">YANGUN (Irina) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 User (300 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Ruza, Moscow Reg. (USDA Zone 4b) | \ud83d\udcc5 May 3, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<p>Ludmila, hello! Could you please give me some advice?I fed my garlic with Nitrogen fertilizer (Ammonium Nitrate) about 2 weeks ago. I dissolved 1 tablespoon in 2.6 gallons (10L) of water. (I probably did it wrong by pouring it directly at the roots, I remember you wrote that it should go into trenches between the rows).<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, the garlic still has yellow leaves! Do I need to feed it again right now, and if so, with what?<\/p>\n<p>Also, when you are planting cabbage seedlings, what kind of fertilizer do you put into the planting holes? Thank you in advance to everyone who replies!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">S<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Svetlana-Kr (Svetlana) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (1,949 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Zvenigorod, Moscow Reg. (USDA Zone 4b) | \ud83d\udcc5 May 3, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>YANGUN (Irina) wrote:<\/strong><br \/>\n&#8230;the garlic still has yellow leaves!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I&#8217;ll answer for Ludmila: the leaves that are already yellow will stay yellow forever. You need to look at the new leaves growing from the center\u2014after a successful feeding, the new growth will come in green!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"answer\" class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">A<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Aleksan9ra (Ludmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (15,056 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4b) | \ud83d\udcc5 May 4, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>YANGUN (Irina) wrote:<\/strong><br \/>\nDo I need to feed it again right now, and if so, with what? Also, when you are planting cabbage seedlings, what kind of fertilizer do you put into the planting holes?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Irina! Here is what I&#8217;ve noticed about garlic.<\/p>\n<p>My neighbor plants a very large, powerful, late-maturing garlic variety. I grow a medium-sized, early-maturing variety. In the early spring, the moment the snow melted, my neighbor&#8217;s garlic was already 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) above the ground. My garlic wasn&#8217;t even visible yet.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward to today: our garlic plants are now the exact same height. But her bottom leaves are completely yellow, and mine are perfectly green!<\/p>\n<p>I only fed mine once with Ammonium Nitrate, I just sprinkled a little bit around the plants right before it rained. She probably fed hers too, but the results are drastically different. I don&#8217;t know exactly what causes this difference, but I suspect it&#8217;s the timing of the sprouting and the cold temperatures.<\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t think you should feed yours again right now, wait for the weather to actually warm up. When it gets warm, it is great to water the roots with a compost tea (like steeped chicken manure) and spray the leaves with a mix of Urea and Magnesium Sulfate.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>As for the cabbage:<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n<em>When planting, I put loose, fully rotted deep litter from the chicken coop, a pinch of wood ash, and a spoonful of balanced granular fertilizer into each hole. I dig the hole a full spade deep, mix everything thoroughly at the bottom (so the manure stays deep), plant the cabbage seedling, and only water it after it is planted.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">K<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Hrizantema57 (Ludmila) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (13,445 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Mozhaysk, Moscow Reg. (USDA Zone 4a) | \ud83d\udcc5 May 4, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>Aleksan9ra (Ludmila) wrote:<\/strong><br \/>\n&#8230;her bottom leaves are completely yellow, and mine are perfectly green!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Luda, good afternoon! I plant several different varieties of garlic in my garden. I&#8217;ve noticed that different varieties react to Nitrogen deficiency completely differently! Under the exact same conditions, some will immediately turn their leaves yellow, while others won&#8217;t yellow at all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"forum-post\">\n<div class=\"author-header\">\n<div class=\"forum-avatar\">T<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-name\">Tatunya (Tanya) <span class=\"author-stats\">\u2b50 Pro Grower (13,826 posts)<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-geo\">\ud83d\udccd Istra District, Moscow Region (USDA Zone 4b) | \ud83d\udcc5 May 4, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-content\">\n<blockquote><p><strong>Hrizantema57 (Ludmila) wrote:<\/strong><br \/>\nI&#8217;ve noticed that different varieties react to Nitrogen deficiency completely differently!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It also depends heavily on how early they sprouted! The ones that sprout later stay green much longer. I have different varieties growing in the exact same bed (just in different rows), meaning they all got the exact same fertilizer, but the ones that sprouted early through the cold ground are yellow, while the late ones are green.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"editor-note\" class=\"editor-note\" style=\"background: #eef7ff; padding: 20px; border-left: 5px solid #2196F3; margin-top: 25px; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.6; border-radius: 0 4px 4px 0;\">\n<h4 style=\"margin-top: 0; color: #1565c0;\">\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83d\udd2c Editor&#8217;s Botanical Note: The Cold Soil Nitrogen Lockout<\/h4>\n<p>If you plant overwintering hardneck garlic (planted in the fall for a summer harvest), yellowing lower leaves in early spring is incredibly common. Tanya and Ludmila have correctly identified the main culprit: <strong>Cold Soil<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Garlic needs high amounts of Nitrogen in the spring to fuel its vegetative growth before it begins forming a bulb. However, roots cannot absorb Nitrogen effectively when the soil temperatures are near freezing! If your garlic sprouts very early and gets hit by cold spring nights, the plant will pull Nitrogen out of its lowest, oldest leaves to feed the new growth at the top, turning the bottom leaves yellow.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Fix:<\/strong> Applying granular fertilizer to freezing soil won&#8217;t help, because the roots still can&#8217;t absorb it. You must wait for the soil to warm up. If the plant is severely struggling, a <em>foliar spray<\/em> (spraying liquid fertilizer directly onto the leaves) is the fastest way to bypass the cold roots and deliver nutrients straight into the plant tissue!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udccc Quick Summary: Yellowing Spring Garlic \ud83e\uddc4 The Permanent Yellow: Once the lower leaves of a garlic plant turn yellow, they will never turn green again. If you applied fertilizer, look at the new growth coming from the center. If the new leaves are green, the fertilizer worked! \ud83e\udd76 The Cold Factor: Garlic that sprouts &#8230; <a title=\"Why Are Garlic Leaves Turning Yellow in Spring? (And How to Fix It)\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/garlic-leaves-turning-yellow-in-spring\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Why Are Garlic Leaves Turning Yellow in Spring? (And How to Fix It)\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[645],"tags":[952,742,954,953],"class_list":["post-3749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-onion-and-garlic","tag-growing-garlic","tag-overwintering-garlic","tag-spring-fertilizer","tag-yellow-garlic-leaves"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3749"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3752,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3749\/revisions\/3752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}