Grocery store garlic in water: will it grow?

Grocery store garlic in water is the classic kitchen experiment: drop a clove in a glass and see what happens. Sometimes it sprouts in days. Sometimes it sits there and slowly turns soft. Here is why, and how to pick cloves that will actually grow in a Kratky jar.

Why some store garlic will not sprout

Iowa State University Extension gives two reasons store garlic rarely does well when planted. Most of it is treated to prevent sprouting, which helps it last on the shelf but can make cloves rot before they sprout. And most of it is softneck garlic grown for warmer regions. Store garlic may also have been in cold storage for months before it reached the shelf.

Organic garlic is a better bet. Anti-sprouting treatments are only used on conventional garlic, so organic bulbs are more likely to wake up.

A quick test before you plant

• Look for a green tip. Slice one clove in half lengthwise. A green shoot in the middle means it is ready to grow.
• Check the base. The flat basal plate should be firm and clean, with no gray or white mold.
• Squeeze gently. Firm cloves only. Soft or hollow cloves will rot.

Plain water or Kratky?

A clove in a glass of plain water uses its own stored food, so you will get one modest crop of greens and then it is done. Sources on growing garlic in water agree that a clove grown this way will not form a new bulb. Change the water often or it clouds and smells.

A Kratky jar is a small upgrade: the clove sits in a net cup above the liquid, so its base stays dry, and the roots get nutrient solution instead of plain water. That usually means stronger roots and an extra cut or two. The step-by-step is in Kratky garlic greens.

What about bulbs?

For full bulbs, skip store garlic and buy seed garlic of a named variety, then chill it before planting. Store garlic may have been chilled, warmed and chilled again, and you have no way to know whether its cold requirement has been met. See garlic varieties for hydroponics and growing garlic bulbs hydroponically.

The short answer

Store garlic is fine for a jar of greens if it passes the green-tip test. Choose organic when you can. For bulbs, start with seed garlic.