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Want to grow fresh garlic greens or even baby garlic bulbs at home? You don’t need a garden — just a few water bottles and some cloves! This easy method lets you watch roots develop quickly and enjoy a fast harvest of flavorful garlic greens or young bulbs.
✅ What You’ll Need
- Garlic cloves (organic works best — non-organic can be treated to prevent sprouting)
- Empty plastic water bottles (500ml or 1L)
- Scissors or utility knife
- Water
🥣 How to Prepare Your Water Bottle Planter
1️⃣ Cut the Bottle:
Cut the top third of the bottle off (where it starts to taper). Keep the bottom part as your planter.
2️⃣ Make Drainage Holes (Optional):
If you want to use soil instead of just water, poke small holes in the bottom. But for water culture, you won’t need them.
3️⃣ Create a Net:
For best root support, cut slits around the bottle’s upper edge so you can fold them inward to hold the garlic in place — or place a mesh/netting over the opening.
🌿 How to Plant Garlic in Water
✔ Prepare Cloves:
Separate garlic cloves but leave the papery skins on. Don’t peel them completely.
✔ Set Up:
Place the garlic cloves with the pointed end up, resting on the folded edges or netting so only the root end touches the water — this prevents rot.
✔ Add Water:
Fill the bottle with water until it just touches the base of the garlic cloves.
✅ Growing & Harvesting Tips
🪴 Light: Place your bottles on a sunny windowsill with indirect light for best growth.
💧 Change Water Regularly: Refresh the water every 2–3 days to prevent bacteria and mold.
🌿 Watch for Roots & Greens: In 5–7 days, you’ll see roots sprouting. Shortly after, green shoots will start growing.
✂️ Harvest Garlic Greens: Once greens are 6–8 inches tall, snip them off to use like chives or scallions. They’ll regrow for several rounds of harvest.
🧄 For Small Bulbs: After a few weeks, if you move sprouted cloves into soil, they can develop baby garlic bulbs faster than planting dry cloves.
⚠️ Important Tips
🔹 Keep the root end barely touching the water — fully submerging cloves increases the chance of rot.
🔹 If you notice a bad smell or mold, discard the affected cloves and start fresh.
🔹 Use multiple bottles to stagger plantings for a continuous supply of garlic greens.
This simple water bottle method lets you grow garlic greens with almost no space — fresh, flavorful, and fun to watch as they root and sprout in just days. 🧄🌱
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