Wild Garlic in Cannabis Beds: Bulbs, Bulbils and Removal

By Rick Smith / October 17, 2026

Wild garlic clump with thin leaves and bulblet heads in a garden bed

Table of Contents

Quick answer: Wild garlic is a perennial with round, hollow, grasslike leaves that smell of garlic when crushed. UC IPM says it spreads mainly by aerial bulbils and underground bulbs. NC State says to hand pull it when the soil is moist and dig out the bulblets with a trowel. Mowing alone will not kill it.

What Is Wild Garlic?

A cool season perennial in the onion family. The University of California Statewide IPM Program (UC IPM) says wild garlic reproduces mainly by bulbils, which are small aerial bulbs, and by underground bulbs. It grows in vegetable crops, orchards, cultivated areas and disturbed sites, and can form large colonies.

NC State Extension calls the same plant field garlic and says it is a common lawn weed that has naturalized in the eastern US. It grows in disturbed areas, roadsides, meadows and woodlands, and spreads by seeds, aerial bulbils and bulb offsets below ground. Our overview of weed control in outdoor cannabis covers the general plan.

How Do You Identify Wild Garlic?

Crush a leaf and smell it. UC IPM says the leaves and bulbs have a strong garlic odor when crushed. Other features from UC IPM and NC State:

Thin hollow wild garlic leaf beside a wooden dowel and a small bulb with hard-coated bulblets on soil

Leaves. Narrow, hollow, rounded and hairless, about 6 to 24 inches long, rising from a bulb in a clump.
Sprouts. UC IPM says a young sprout looks like a grass seedling, but the leaves are round and hollow.
Flower stem. One round stem up to 3 1/3 feet tall with two to four leaves.
Top cluster. A rounded head of grain sized bulbils with a few flowers on slender stalks above.
Flowers. Greenish white to pink or reddish violet, with a papery bract at the base of the cluster.

NC State says the leaves look so much like grass blades that you may not notice them in a lawn until you mow and smell the onion odor.

What Are the Bulbils on Top?

Small bulbs that spread the plant. UC IPM says the head of wild garlic is typically made of stalkless bulbils, each egg shaped, brown to purplish, smooth and shiny, about 1/5 inch across. They frequently grow thin green leaves while still attached to the stem.

UC IPM says seeds are frequently underdeveloped, and that wild garlic reproduces vegetatively by aerial bulbils and underground bulbets. That is why a single clump can turn into a colony. NC State says mowing can weaken it and prevent seeding, and our own tip is to cut off flower stems before the bulbils drop.

Why Does Wild Garlic Matter Near Cannabis?

It hides in plain sight and spreads underground. NC State says once wild garlic is established it can be difficult to manage with mechanical measures. Bulb offsets below ground mean a patch along a bed edge can creep into the bed over a few seasons.

It also does well in rich, damp ground. UC IPM says it thrives where summer moisture is available, especially in heavy fertile soils, and tolerates wet soil. If a low corner of your garden stays soggy, a soil drainage test for cannabis beds can show whether water is pooling there.

When Does Wild Garlic Grow?

In the cool months. NC State says it is a cool season perennial that emerges in fall and goes dormant after flowering in early summer. The plants die back as temperatures rise and reappear when fall temperatures return.

UC IPM says flowers bloom from May through July. That means the best window for digging is fall through spring, while the leaves are up and easy to find. Our guide to fall garden cleanup after cannabis harvest lines up well with the first flush of new leaves.

Does Mowing Get Rid of Wild Garlic?

No. NC State says mowing does not kill wild garlic, though it can weaken the plant and prevent seeding. The bulbs below ground stay alive and send up new leaves.

Digging works much better. NC State says to hand pull it when the soil is moist, digging out the bulblets with a trowel. Push the trowel straight down beside the clump, lever the soil up and pick out every small bulb you can see. UC IPM’s landscape guide says to dig up all roots and underground parts of perennial weeds without overly disturbing the soil.

How to Control Wild Garlic in a Cannabis Bed

Pulled wild garlic clump with small white bulbs beside a green-handled trowel

Confirm the smell. UC IPM says leaves and bulbs have a strong garlic odor when crushed.
Dig when the soil is moist. NC State says to hand pull it in moist soil and dig out bulblets with a trowel.
Remove every small bulb. UC IPM says it reproduces by underground bulbets as well as aerial bulbils.
Cut flower stems early. This is our own tip, in line with NC State’s note that mowing can prevent seeding.
Do not rely on mowing. NC State says mowing weakens wild garlic but does not kill it.
Bag the clumps. Remove dug bulbs from the garden rather than leaving them on the bed.
Mulch the cleared area. UC IPM recommends a medium mulch kept 3 to 4 inches deep. Our guide to mulch for cannabis compares materials.

Wild Garlic at a Glance

Wild garlic clump of thin hollow leaves in a mulched bed

Subject	Extension finding	Attribution
Life cycle	Cool season perennial	UC IPM, NC State
Leaves	Round, hollow, grasslike	UC IPM, NC State
Smell	Strong garlic odor when crushed	UC IPM
Bloom	May through July	UC IPM
Spread	Aerial bulbils, bulbs and bulb offsets	UC IPM, NC State
Soil	Heavy fertile soil, tolerates wet	UC IPM

Should You Use Herbicides Near Cannabis?

No. Pull, hoe shallowly and mulch. Remember that EPA has not registered any herbicide for use on marijuana, and state rules vary, so check with your state agriculture department. UC IPM says home gardeners who hand weed and mulch should not need herbicides. Before you plant cannabis outdoors, check your state’s home grow law.

Troubleshooting Wild Garlic

Clumps return after pulling. UC IPM says it spreads by underground bulbets. Dig with a trowel and remove the small bulbs.

Mowing has not helped. NC State says mowing weakens it but does not kill it. Dig instead.

It vanished in summer. NC State says it goes dormant after flowering and returns in fall. Mark the spot and dig then.

You are not sure it is garlic. UC IPM says the leaves are round and hollow and smell of garlic. Check both traits.

It spreads in a wet corner. UC IPM says it tolerates wet soil. Check drainage there.

At Kind Seed Co, we keep a narrow trowel handy in fall, since wild garlic bulbs hide just below the surface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is field garlic the same as wild garlic?

Yes. UC IPM uses the name wild garlic and NC State uses field garlic, and both pages describe Allium vineale. It is a cool season perennial with round, hollow leaves that smell of garlic when crushed and a head of small aerial bulbils. In a cannabis bed, manage it by digging out the bulbs and bulblets with a trowel.

How do I get rid of wild garlic?

Dig it out. NC State says to hand pull it when the soil is moist, digging out the bulblets with a trowel. UC IPM says it reproduces by aerial bulbils and underground bulbets, so remove every small bulb you can find. We also cut flower stems before the bulbils drop, and mulch the cleared spot afterward.

Will mowing kill wild garlic?

No. NC State says mowing does not kill wild garlic, though it can weaken it and prevent seeding. The bulbs underground stay alive and send up new leaves. In a cannabis bed, digging with a trowel when the soil is moist is a more reliable way to remove it, followed by repeat checks.

When does wild garlic come up?

NC State says it is a cool season perennial that emerges in fall and goes dormant after flowering in early summer. UC IPM says it blooms from May through July. Look for its hollow, grasslike leaves from fall through spring, when the plants are easiest to find, and dig clumps out then.

Where does wild garlic grow?

UC IPM says it grows in vegetable crops, orchards, vineyards, cultivated areas and disturbed sites, and thrives in heavy fertile soils where summer moisture is available. NC State adds roadsides, meadows, woodlands and lawns. In a home garden, look along lawn edges and in damp, rich corners near your beds.