Ginger cookies, tea, ale - all this is not only very healthy, but also tasty. Ginger is a tropical perennial plant with a tall stem, beautiful inflorescence and branched roots. The latter are used in cooking as a spicy seasoning for various dishes, drinks and baked goods. The homeland of the spice is South Asia. But if you know how to grow ginger in your garden, you can enjoy a tropical island at home.
Under favorable conditions and proper care, ginger can be grown in the garden. This plant is not sown with seeds, since it does not produce seeds when propagated. But ginger easily reproduces by dividing the rhizome.
You can buy it in almost any large store. A root with a glossy and smooth surface is best suited for planting.
It shouldn't be:
- very dry;
- without shoot buds (“eye”);
- frozen.
Before planting, you need to put the root in warm water for 1-2 hours. This will stimulate the kidney to grow. If the root is not completely buried, dry the cut part that will be “outside” and sprinkle with crushed activated carbon or ash.
When living in a temperate climate, it is better to grow ginger in greenhouses, because this Asian plant requires abundant moisture and high air temperatures. The soil should be fertilized and loose, with a small addition of sand. A drainage layer (gravel, sand, crushed stone) must be present, otherwise the root will rot!
And then spring came. March to April is the ideal time to plant ginger.
Step by step description:
- Take the prepared root and divide it into three-centimeter pieces with buds;
- Bury the root 2-3 cm into the ground with the buds facing up;
- Water the garden bed.
If everything is done correctly, then in about a couple of weeks the first shoots will appear.
Tips or how to grow ginger in the garden to get a good harvest
- When planting the root, use a sunny place, but without direct “burning” rays;
- Protect ginger from wind;
- Spray and water the plant little by little and often;
- Constantly loosen the soil 1 cm deep;
- Fertilize ginger with mullein, and after July alternate organic and potash fertilizers;
- At the end of September, watering should practically stop;
- Harvest immediately after the leaves dry out and begin to fall off. Clean the dug up rhizomes from the soil and dry them in the sun for several days;
- Store the roots in the refrigerator or basement.
Since the climate is colder than necessary, the roots may be slightly smaller than store-bought ones. But don't be upset about it. The main plant has grown in your garden!
Few people know that you can grow ginger yourself. This does not require experience, a significant area or any special conditions. A pot of moist soil and warmth will be enough.
Regular store-bought ginger root is quite suitable for growing. Select a root size of 15-20 centimeters. There must be at least four buds on the plant. In general, the more growth points there are, the more roots you will get as a result.
There are many ways to grow ginger at home. But the simplest and most accessible to anyone: in the ground and wet moss. You can grow ginger in open ground or a greenhouse, but since this plant is tropical and heat-loving, in winter it must either be replanted in pots and brought into the house, or it freezes, and new roots will have to be planted next year.
Why grow ginger: beneficial properties of the plant
Growing ginger root at home can help you cope with a wide variety of ailments. The root of the plant, or horned root, as it is sometimes called, contains an incredible amount of vitamins and beneficial minerals. This product brings great benefits to the human body, in particular:
- normalizes the functioning of the digestive system, eliminates dysbiosis, flatulence
- removes harmful substances, waste and toxins from the body;
- promotes weight loss;
- has anti-inflammatory, healing and analgesic effects; tones and gives strength;
- increases immunity;
- enhances sexual activity,
- helps in the treatment of diseases of the female and male reproductive system;
- improves the condition of skin, nails and hair, promotes rejuvenation.
Choosing ginger root for growing in the country
Ginger is an aromatic tropical plant that reproduces by dividing its rhizome. For planting in the ground, an ordinary fresh ginger root with several vegetative buds, purchased in a supermarket or market, is suitable.
The main condition is that the ginger root should not be too dry; it should look young, dense and juicy, have a smooth and shiny skin. Unlike many other root plants, ginger is first planted not in the ground, but in a pot. For the plant to germinate, it is enough to plant a small piece of ginger, up to 5 cm long, with 1-2 vegetative buds in a low but very wide pot. The optimal time for planting ginger in pots is February-March.
Features of growing ginger in open ground
Choosing a place and time to plant a crop
In southern countries where ginger is grown for industrial purposes, its development time from planting to digging up roots is about 6-12 months. In Russia, the growing period of the crop is from 8 to 9 months.
The roots of the plant are planted to germinate seedlings around January or February, and in the spring, from April to May, the crop is transplanted into a garden bed. It is advisable that the open soil be protected with a film cover.
As for the planting location, ginger prefers sunny areas, because it is a southern heat-loving plant. However, it is also not recommended to plant it under the scorching sun; it is advisable that there be light shade in the ginger bed for a certain part of the day.
Ginger also does not like strong winds, so make sure that the area is not heavily blown and, if necessary, provide the plant with additional wind protection. Since the climate of our country is quite harsh for southern plants, it is recommended to grow ginger not in open beds, but in greenhouses or greenhouses. In addition, such designs make it possible to create the most suitable conditions for the culture.
If ginger is bred as a houseplant and grows in flower pots, the containers can be taken out into the open air or placed in a greenhouse for the summer.
Preparing the pot and soil for planting ginger
To ensure a good harvest of ginger root at home, great importance must be paid to the soil and the selection of a suitable container. This plant is quite unpretentious, but there will be special requirements for the quality of the soil.
It is best to independently prepare a mixture of equal proportions of humus, sand and leaf humus. Such soil will fully provide all the needs of growing ginger.
It is very important to choose a pot. For decorative purposes, it is advisable to give preference to small containers so that the above-ground part of the plant can develop. Ginger itself is distinguished by lush flowering or spreading leaves, so its appearance is not entirely typical for our latitudes and will certainly attract attention among indoor pets.
If you plan to grow ginger to produce a “harvest” of rhizomes, you need to choose a container that is wider, but not deep. This way you can give the root system enough space to develop, while protecting the plant from the spread of soil problems. A prerequisite for good growth for ginger is the presence of a drainage layer and a sufficient number of holes to drain excess water. Stagnation of moisture in the soil can destroy the roots and the plant itself as a whole.
Planting ginger
This important process occurs in several stages. After all the preparatory work and germination of planting material, preparation of the soil and container, you can proceed directly to the planting itself.
To do this, a small piece of the root is placed horizontally to the ground, the buds of the plant are directed upward, after which you can sprinkle the root with soil. Only 2 - 3 centimeters of soil is suitable for the top layer, otherwise the plant will not be able to germinate. The soil is slightly compacted; watering at this stage can ruin all your endeavors, so it is best to moisten the soil in advance.
Ginger blossom
When growing ginger as a potted crop, you can even achieve its flowering. True, in this case you should not touch the rhizomes for 2-3 years, and the plant will thank you with a bright decorative flower of an unusual shape.
Many ginger connoisseurs use the leaves to make salads and tea. But if you start plucking them, the rhizomes will be small, and you will have to wait even longer for flowering.
Ginger storage
To preserve fresh ginger, here are some tips to keep in mind. Storage should be in a dry place. A cellar or basement, where the temperature does not exceed 2-5 degrees Celsius, is ideal for this. Some people store the root vegetable in the refrigerator.
You can also thinly slice the ginger, dry it and store it. In this form, the root will last a long time, but it will taste sharper. By following simple recommendations, you can grow ginger yourself. This is a simple procedure.
For the root of the plant to become well-ripened, it will take six months or more. In warm regions, 6-7 months will be enough, and cultivation in the middle zone requires a period of 9 months. The signal to dig up the roots will be the death of severely yellowed leaves of the plant. This happens in the autumn.
The care procedure is very simple. First of all, you should take care of timely watering, preventing the soil from drying out. The plant needs to be fed twice a month. It’s a good idea to use a 10% mullein solution for this. You can use nettle tincture, alternating it with chicken manure. August is considered an important stage in the feeding process. From the beginning of the month, you need to take care of applying potash fertilizers. They will have a very beneficial effect on the formation of new tubers.
Ginger is famous for its spicy taste and beneficial properties. It is sold on store shelves. There are ways to grow ginger at your dacha in open ground yourself. When growing, it is important to know the characteristics of the plant. Gardeners are given recommendations on how to plant and care for ginger, harvesting and storage rules.
Description of culture
Ginger is a perennial herbaceous crop that grows in South Asia. It can be grown in open ground or in a greenhouse. Ginger has a fibrous adventitious root system. The underground part of the shoot is a modified root. The rhizome grows horizontally. The stem is erect, grows up to 1.5 m in height, round in shape with elongated internodes. The leaves are entire with a heart-shaped base and a pointed apex.
The plant blooms actively in spring and summer. The inflorescences are spike-shaped, the flower is decorated in a green cup of 5 sepals, the corolla consists of purple or rich yellow petals.
Ginger color
In appearance, the plant resembles bamboo; it is planted in summer cottages and gardens as a decorative element. Ginger root is valued for its medicinal properties, spicy aroma and pleasant taste.
By eating ginger root, you can strengthen your immune system, improve memory, and normalize the functioning of your digestive system.
The culture is widespread in Japan, Vietnam, Argentina and Brazil. Ginger is considered a tropical plant, but gardeners have learned to grow it in the Russian Federation: in the Moscow region, in the Moscow region, in central Russia, in the Urals. There is an opinion that it is possible to grow ginger root in the middle zone only in heated greenhouses, but knowing what requirements are necessary for growing the crop, you can try to plant the plant in a garden plot.
There are a wide variety of ginger types. The main goal of breeders is to develop unpretentious varieties with large rhizomes that will be juicy and pleasant to taste. Types of ginger differ in the color of their flesh. It can be yellow, greenish, orange, light brown.
Ginger differs in smell. The aroma can be citrusy, with herbaceous notes, or even reminiscent of the smell of kerosene. Almost all varieties have the same spicy taste.
Popular varieties of ginger cultivated in Russia:
- Purple - a plant with decorative flowers and a strong stem;
- Kasumunar - the species is loved for its beautiful delicate white flowers, reminiscent of an orchid;
- Wonderful - unpretentious variety, with long-blooming red flowers;
- Zerumbet - flowers are shaped like a rose;
- Ginger Torch - decorative flowers of a pinkish hue;
- Japanese - fragrant inflorescences that bloom early.
Agricultural technology
Site requirements
Ginger root is an unpretentious plant. But in order to grow ginger from the root in the country, you need to take into account the peculiarities of cultivating the crop.
The area for planting ginger should be draft-free, well-lit, but without direct sunlight at midday. Usually the southern part of the garden is chosen. If the area is completely open, then it is necessary to provide a small cover for the plant from the sun.
If you plan to grow ginger in the northern regions, then it is better to plant it in a greenhouse.
On nutritious, loose soil, the plant will quickly take root, grow and develop well. You can make your own soil mixture for ginger. To do this, mix sand, turf soil and leaf humus in proportions 1:1:2. In the hole prepared for planting, you need to pour gravel (1 cm), pour sand (2 cm) on top, then lay out the prepared soil mixture. The soil acidity level should be average. If the acidity level is high, dolomite flour or limestone is added to the soil.
Landing dates
The first stage before planting ginger in the garden includes preparing the seedlings. Roots for seedlings begin to be planted in January. They can be transplanted into open ground after 4-5 months (April-May). It is important that the weather conditions are suitable for planting; if spring frosts occur, the plant on the site may die. It is better to postpone planting ginger in open ground and wait for good weather conditions.
For normal plant development, the air temperature should be +25 degrees. When the temperature drops to +18, the plant stops developing and “falls asleep.” It is very difficult to bring a frozen plant back to life; it will take a long time to recover from hibernation. The shoots will develop more slowly, and the gardener will not receive a harvest this year.
When growing ginger in open ground in a garden plot, an important component of the entire process is the choice of planting material. The plant is propagated by rhizomes. Ginger does not reproduce by seeds. You can buy the root in any store, the main thing is that it is young and healthy. When choosing ginger, you need to pay attention to the appearance, structure of the peel, color and buds.
Ginger buds
The peel should be smooth, slightly glossy. The presence of shoot buds is important. In appearance they look like potato eyes. They should be dense, with a greenish tint. Frozen or dry roots are not suitable for planting; the buds of such roots are no longer suitable for propagation.
Planting Ginger Root
Before planting in open ground, ginger root should be placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 2-3 hours (you can use clean warm water). The procedure awakens the plant and stimulates its growth.
If the gardener decides to plant ginger root in the country, dividing it into several parts, then the cut points must be processed. They are allowed to dry a little and the cut is sprinkled with ash or activated carbon powder. When dividing the root, you should leave at least 2 healthy buds on each part.
Ginger planting and care in the country:
Ginger blooms beautifully, but at least 2 years must pass before the first flower appears after planting the plant on the site. For active flowering, the gardener must follow all the rules of agricultural technology, carefully caring for the ginger root.
How to care for a plant
Ginger is considered a tropical plant, so the gardener should study the peculiarities of agricultural technology.
Features of agricultural technology
In the first weeks after planting in open ground, the plant requires abundant watering; the soil must be constantly moistened, but water stagnation should not be allowed. With constant stagnation of water, the roots rot. Sprouts begin to germinate after 10-14 days. Afterwards, the number of waterings is slightly reduced. In addition to moistening the soil, ginger should be sprayed from above, especially in hot weather. To prevent the leaves from burning in the sun, spraying is done in the morning or evening hours.
The plant benefits from loosening the soil. The procedure can be carried out after each watering, you can go deeper by 1 cm, loosening is done throughout the entire growing season.
How to fertilize ginger
Before planting ginger, the area is well fed using organic matter and mineral supplements. After planting, you do not need to apply any fertilizers for the first 2-3 weeks, provided that the soil is fertile.
Afterwards, you can add organic fertilizers every 10 days. To do this, dilute 1 kg of mullein in 10 liters of water, let it brew for a day and water the area with ginger.
At the beginning of August, organic fertilizers alternate with mineral preparations. Potassium supplements are involved in the proper formation of tubers. Before the flowering period begins, phosphorus fertilizers are applied to the soil.
Harvesting
The ginger root fully ripens 9-10 months after planting (the preparatory stage is taken into account when planting the roots for seedlings). The first harvest can be done after 5 months, but the roots will be small in size.
The degree of maturity of the root can be determined by the above-ground part of the plant. It stops growing, then dries out and begins to fall apart. If these transformations are observed, then the gardener needs to reduce the number and abundance of watering and stop spraying.
Harvesting rules are similar to those for other root crops. A few days before the planned digging of roots, you need to stop moistening the soil.
The roots are removed from the ground using a shovel, digging in a little and lifting the soil with the root. Then you need to clear it of soil, break off the adventitious roots, and place it in a warm, dry, ventilated place for 2-3 days. The roots will dry out and will be stored well. Some of the collected roots can be used immediately, the rest are stored.
On a note. If ginger is grown as a garden decoration, then there is no need to dig up the roots. They are left to overwinter in the garden bed, and in the spring they will again produce new shoots.
Rules for storing ginger
For long-term storage, up to 3-4 months, dug up and dried roots are stored in a cool, dark place. The optimal temperature is 2-4 degrees Celsius. You can store ginger:
- In the basement;
- In the cellar;
- In the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator.
Before storing the root in a prepared place, it is recommended to wrap it in a paper towel; this will increase its shelf life.
You can store ginger root for almost 6 months in the freezer. But when frozen and defrosted, it will lose its beneficial properties and will only be suitable as a spice for flavor.
Some gardeners dry ginger. To do this, peel the root and cut it into slices. They should turn out translucent. Afterwards, place them on a sieve or paper towel (if you have a special dryer, you can use it), remove the slices into a bowl and store in the place where the seasonings are kept.
Before use, dried ginger must be soaked in water for 6 hours. At the same time, it becomes more spicy and pungent in taste. It is added to sauces and salads for flavor. It will serve as an excellent seasoning for fish or meat.
Beneficial properties of ginger root
In addition to its spicy aroma used in cooking, ginger is widely used in folk medicine. The healing effect of the plant helps to cope with many ailments.
Ginger is included in weight loss tea. It promotes weight loss and controls the process of fat formation.
Women are recommended to drink tea with the addition of ginger during pregnancy. It copes with attacks of nausea and vomiting during toxicosis. To make tea from fresh ginger, grind the root (you can use a grater or blender), take half a teaspoon of the resulting pulp and pour 200 ml of boiling water, stir well. Add a little honey for taste. Filter ginger tea through a sieve and drink slightly hot or cooled.
Ginger is an indispensable remedy at home at the first signs of colds. It can be steamed, made into tea or sucked. When absorbed, beneficial essential oils are released that have an antibacterial effect. They help cleanse the oral cavity of pathogens and dangerous bacteria.
In childhood, the use of ginger is indicated for weakened immunity, rhinitis, and for the treatment of viral diseases. It is allowed to give ginger to children after 2 years. You need to start introducing a new product into your diet gradually and carefully, and monitor your baby’s reaction.
There are contraindications to the use of ginger. It is not recommended to use it at fever, as it has a warming property and can cause a deterioration in the patient’s condition. It is not advisable to drink tea with ginger or chew it if a person suffers from attacks of acute gastritis, or there is an exacerbation of the ulcer.
Planting ginger in a garden plot yourself is not very labor-intensive if you know what the plant likes and how to care for it. Tips on how to properly grow ginger in the garden will help you harvest a good harvest or grow an ornamental plant for the garden.
Many gardeners can boast of successful experience in growing tropical plants in their dacha. Aliens from southern countries require special conditions and increased attention, but even with such care they do not always please with good growth, flowering and fruiting. Is it possible to get positive results by growing ginger in your garden?
Basics of agricultural technology
Growing ginger is not as troublesome as it seems. This, of course, is a tropical plant that requires growing conditions to be closer to natural ones, but you can get a harvest even in the Moscow region. How to grow ginger in the country - basic rules:
- maintain the air temperature at least 18 degrees;
- provide watering and moistening of foliage by spraying;
- Avoid direct sunlight on the young plant;
- take measures to drain the soil;
- provide regular feeding.
The most important thing when growing is moist air and warmth. This is the main condition for good plant growth throughout the season. Ginger practically does not cause any illness, so there is no need to take any preventive measures to combat pathogenic microflora. Its foliage can only dry out from lack of watering and burning by the bright sun.
Several plots are planted in one pot, which will later be transferred to the garden
Cultivation is carried out in two stages: first, the root is planted in a pot and kept at room temperature until germination, then the plant is transferred to open or closed ground, depending on the region. Pre-germination in a pot is necessary because it takes about 6-8 months to develop a good root system, but in open ground in a temperate climate this is impossible due to unfavorable temperatures.
Material selection and fit
You can buy roots for planting in the store. It should be dense, smooth, and juicy when cut. It is better to choose medium-sized material. It is not planted entirely, but cut into several plots with a bud of about 3 cm each, and the cut areas are sprinkled with activated carbon or ash. But first, the root is soaked in water at room temperature for a couple of hours in order to activate the buds.
Next, prepare a soil mixture of turf soil, sand and humus. Drainage in the form of sand or fine gravel is placed at the bottom of a wide pot, then soil is poured and plots are planted to a depth of 8-10 cm so that the layer of soil on top is no more than 2 cm. The soil is watered, a plastic bag with holes is put on top of the pot. air exchange and place in a warm place, not necessarily lit.
The root is not planted deep, just sprinkle it with 1-2 cm of soil
If the root is fresh and the buds on it are alive, shoots will appear in 2 weeks. During this time, it is necessary to regularly spray the soil in the pot and not allow the temperature to drop to 18 degrees or below. The timing of planting is carried out at the end of February or the beginning of March, then in April the plant can be transplanted into a greenhouse.
When shoots appear, remove the bag from the pot, place the plant on the windowsill and regularly water it at the root and spray the foliage.
With the onset of stable warm weather, you can transplant the ginger into a greenhouse, to a place where the plant will be well sanctified and free from drafts. It needs moist air and diffused light throughout the day.
To grow ginger in a garden in open ground, planting is done at the end of May, when the average daily air temperature does not drop to 14 degrees. Choose a sunny place with light shading, where drafts are excluded.
In the garden this could be the area between the bushes. At first, you can cover the ginger with light spunbond so that it adapts faster and better. If the temperature is predicted to drop overnight, and the limit for ginger is 12 degrees, it must be covered. Even when grown in open ground, the roots need drainage, so river sand is poured into the planting trench.
Care
How to provide a tropical plant with optimal conditions for growth? You shouldn’t rely on the natural conditions of areas with a temperate climate: they have been too unstable in recent years. Proper care is required. This is watering 2 times a week with regular loosening of the soil. If this is not done, the roots will develop poorly and become smaller. It is important to protect the above-ground part of the plant from burns, so in the midday heat it should be in natural or artificial partial shade. Care is supplemented by daily spraying of the foliage and air around the plant in the evening to increase humidity.
Successful cultivation requires regular feeding. 2 weeks after planting the plant in the ground, you can water it with mullein solution (1:10) and repeat feeding every 3 weeks until August. In August-September, it is the turn of potassium fertilizers, which improve the rate of maturation of the root system.
The first shoots look like sedge or bamboo
From the end of September, fertilizing is stopped and watering is minimized. The plant will gradually begin to dry out, now you can dig it up and evaluate the result. Ginger root grown in temperate climates is smaller than that imported from Asia, but the big advantage is its freshness and the absence of any chemicals. This product can be considered environmentally friendly and healthy. The collected roots are dried in the fresh air and stored in the basement.
To grow your own ginger, young rhizomes can be planted in a pot next spring and the cycle repeated, but now you can wait for the plant to bloom, although this is a rare phenomenon. Some exotic lovers have been moving the plant into the house or onto the balcony since September, again placing it in a pot.
Since ginger is a perennial, a few months after the foliage fades, new shoots appear again and it continues to grow. But the roots of such a second-year plant will already be considered old and will acquire a pronounced bitterness, but the above-ground part will develop well and even flowers will appear. According to this principle, ginger is grown as an ornamental, not a garden crop.
Store dried roots and cut from stems in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
The overseas root can be planted in any climate, but in most regions of Europe it is grown in a pot on a windowsill. This makes it easier to care for and more pleasant to contemplate. The Dutch are recognized as the best gardeners in this regard, for whom it is almost commonplace to grow a useful root at home. In Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine there are many enthusiasts who have been enjoying the successful experience of planting tropical plants for many years, including ginger, a cup of tea with which gives them vigor and health.
People have been familiar with ginger as a healthy and tasty spice for many thousands of years. Growing at home has become available relatively recently, and such an unusual indoor crop will perfectly decorate the house, amaze everyone with its spike-shaped inflorescences, and will produce a small but truly healing harvest.
Where and how does ginger grow in nature?
Ginger comes to European grocery store shelves and gardeners' collections from the humid tropical regions of southern Asia. Anyone who is familiar with the plant only by its succulent thick roots does not know that in nature ginger is a perennial herbaceous crop from 50 to 100 cm in height, with leathery lanceolate leaves and tall spike-shaped inflorescences of a red-pink hue.
For growth, the formation of roots similar to branched tubers and flowering, natives of their tropics need warmth, diffused light for 12–15 hours, a lot of moisture and nutritious soil.
Therefore, growing ginger in open ground in the middle zone is extremely difficult. But a real opportunity to start a productive ginger bed is available to lovers of indoor floriculture and owners of country greenhouses. This is the only place where ginger grows in Russia. Planting roots in the ground is risky due to the high probability of spring frosts and not too long summers.
How to grow ginger at home?
Growing ginger at home is preceded by the purchase of planting material. To get it, an inquisitive plant grower will have to go not to a flower shop, but to a supermarket or greengrocer. Here you can easily find fresh ginger rhizomes, suitable not only to become an excellent seasoning for meat or fish, but also to give rise to new plants.
If you look closely, you can see dormant buds on the thick, branched roots of ginger. These are the ones that will become sprouts after planting. When purchasing rhizomes for planting, pay attention to the freshness, juiciness and health of the planting material. Young, smooth roots with an elastic, dense surface, without dry areas or traces of insect activity, best produce shoots.
When the root is at home, before planting the ginger, it is placed in warm water for several hours. This simple measure can not only awaken dormant buds on a high-quality rhizome, but also revive a sluggish, dried-out specimen.
If you pay attention to how ginger grows, you will notice that several thin, erect sprouts emerge from one root at once. The fact is that with successful stimulation, all present buds grow. When choosing a rhizome for planting, you need to look for a specimen with a large number of such eyes. In this case, by dividing the root into several fragments, you can get many exotic plants at once. The cut areas on the succulent root are dusted with crushed charcoal, which will help protect the planting material from rotting or fungal attack.
How to plant ginger at home?
In tropical conditions, where, as in the photo, ginger grows in nature, the plant is considered extremely unpretentious and requires almost no care. This is not surprising, because the humid southern regions seem to be created for a moisture- and heat-loving crop.
In the middle zone, it is impossible to achieve the formation of roots and flowering of ginger without careful preparation in planting. You should start with the soil, which should be nutritious, loose, and actively draining. To obtain a substrate, garden soil and sand are mixed in equal parts. Here you can add some complex fertilizers for root crops. Such prolonged feeding will help the plant to form a powerful root system.
Growing ginger at home follows an annual cycle. In the spring, the rhizomes sprout, then a rosette of large leaves develops, but by autumn it fades, and the root goes into a dormant winter period.
Therefore, before growing ginger at home, you need to decide on your goal. If the plant is planted to obtain useful roots, take wide, fairly small containers where there will be room for the newly formed rhizomes.
When a houseplant hobbyist's goal is to have ginger blooms, it is helpful to limit the space for the root system to grow. This stimulates the tropical crop to form inflorescences. Unfortunately, at home, store-bought ginger blooms reluctantly and only a couple of years after planting.
In both cases, the pots must have drainage holes, and 2–3 cm of expanded clay should be poured onto the bottom to ensure the drainage of excess moisture.
When asking the question: “How to plant ginger?”, the gardener must know when it is best to do this. If the correct conditions are maintained, and especially lighting, ginger can be planted at home at any time of the year. But having done this at the end of winter, by spring the strongest shoots are obtained.
Ginger roots are laid out on the surface of a moist substrate so that the buds are directed upward. Then pieces of rhizomes are carefully pressed into the soil, leaving shoot growth points above it. There is no need to sprinkle the ginger, but additional watering with warm water will be useful.
If the air in the room is dry, the pot can be covered with a bag. In dim light and warmth, within two weeks rich green pointed sprouts of ginger will appear above the soil surface.
A video on how to plant ginger at home will be a faithful assistant for a beginner and an experienced gardener who has decided to add an exotic and at the same time very useful crop to his collection.
Caring for ginger when growing at home
When talking about how to grow ginger at home, we cannot ignore the issue of caring for the plant. With the emergence of seedlings, ginger not only needs to maintain heat and high air humidity, but also regular feeding and watering.
The plant tolerates heat well, but reacts extremely sharply to direct sunlight and cold wind. This is important to consider when choosing a place for a pot with planted ginger rhizomes. On warm days, it is useful to move the container to the garden, balcony or veranda, providing the green pet with shade and protection from drafts. If there is no threat of overnight frost, with sufficient watering and care, ginger can remain here around the clock:
- The warmer the air, the more often and more abundantly the soil is moistened.
- A decrease in temperature signals that watering needs to be reduced.
On hot days when growing ginger at home, the plant responds well to irrigating the foliage with warm, soft water. Fertilizing is carried out every two weeks, alternately using mineral supplements. Application:
- nitrogen stimulates foliage growth;
- potassium will help the plant form buds;
- phosphorus has a beneficial effect on the growth of rhizomes.
At the end of summer, about a month before the foliage withers, watering is reduced and fertilizing is stopped altogether. This measure will push the ginger to build up its root mass.
However, it’s not enough to grow ginger at home; how can you preserve it for a long time?
After the green part dies, the plant, the roots of which are intended for consumption, can be removed from the substrate. The rhizomes are washed and the remaining shoots are removed. After drying, the ginger can be stored. In the refrigerator or in a dry basement, the roots remain fresh for up to 3-4 months.
If a florist wants to see ginger inflorescences, it is not necessary to remove the rhizomes from the substrate. In dry form, with a slight drop in temperature, they rest until spring, that is, until the growth buds wake up. In spring, it is useful to feed ginger with potassium fertilizer and return to the summer watering schedule.
Growing ginger in the country
Although ginger plants are heat-loving natives of the tropics, for some Russian summer residents there is no longer a need to go to the store for the pungent, aromatic roots. If you have a greenhouse or greenhouse on your personal plot, you can learn to grow ginger in your country house.
Since the climate of the middle zone and too short summers do not allow harvesting in open ground, before planting ginger in the garden, it needs to be germinated at home. This is done at the end of winter or at the very beginning of March.
The rhizomes, divided into sections with eyes, are planted in a nutrient substrate. As soon as the ginger begins to grow, it is transferred to greenhouse conditions. This must be done very carefully, trying not to disturb the root system that is beginning to develop.
Before planting ginger, a loose substrate rich in humus is prepared for it, moistened abundantly and allowed to warm up. This will ensure quick and easy acclimatization and encourage the plant to grow vigorously. Organizing regular watering and fertilizing will ensure active growth of root mass. They are collected at the end of September, when signs of foliage wilting become noticeable.
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