Good thing I'm growing Ginger in a container this year

[applestar]

Hey Waterbug, sorry you didn't get a reply. How is your little ginger doing?

Here's my ginger container after bringing it in for the fall. I trimmed the leaves to 12" - 18" of stems to make things more manageable and saved them to dry. Does that sound like a good idea?

[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/F13AD532-777E-4D4C-AB2B-2D69340A5D1F-132-0000001AF3F73343.jpg[/img]

I've been breaking off nubs as I need them rather than digging up the entire hand.

[rainbowgardener]

Looks great, applestar! I'm a total failure at ginger. I did plant some in an outdoor container in May after it was warm. It also just sat there and died. I'm not going to try again for winter ginger, but I will try one more time next spring....

[kimbledawn]

Getting in on the ginger growing! I put ginger out about a week ago and I also put out turmeric to see what happens. Thanks for the info, I never thought of eating ginger greens.

[PunkRotten]

I think Ginger and Turmeric are better attempted in the Spring. From what I have read they need a good 8-10 months to mature.

[applestar]

It seems like most tropicals need to stay above 60°F to keep from going dormant. Something like extended days at 50-55°F would shut them down.

But "cool" time of the year is when most plants put more effort into growing roots, so if you can keep them alive, I think they will get a head start and grow stronger shoots when it becomes warm enough for them to begin active top growth.

Partly, when to start this kind of experiment depends on when you can get the freshest roots.

[PunkRotten]

I can get fresh roots anytime but I feel it is better to start in Spring. But maybe not? I am planning to grow mine in the ground though. To be honest I have been trying to gather as much info about growing them as possible. If anyone knows, what is the procedure in harvesting ginger and turmeric? Do you wash them off or not, do they need some time to cure, what is the proper storage etc?

[jlpanecki]

I planted ginger in a pot on my kitchen window sill- it took over a month, but then sprouted, and before I knew it, it had several nice green glossy leaves and it looked like it was happy.

I often put plants outside - hanging ones get put in low branches of the dogwood or red maple, and others in the middle of the patio table - it's relatively shady there.

The late Soring weather was warm and hazy, so several plants went outside for the day, they stayed out overnight, as it was supposed to rain early in the morning and I thought they'd all like a shower.

When I went to see how they were the next day, the ginger was completly missing - nothing was left but the overturned pot, and a few crumbs of potting soil.
Thpse darned squirrels must like ginger too!

[applestar]

Last year, I didn't bring my ginger in until after temps fell into the 40's and the ginger foliage all died down and the roots refused to come back to life until after new years -- a little sign of life around Christmas time but no real growth for another month or so -- I think I mentioned before.

This year, I brought it in before dormancy kicked in so the leaves are still green and the plant is continuing to grow.

But I just take a sharp paring knife and cut into the soil to take off as much root as I need. If I happened to get too much -- you really don't need a whole lot in a recipe -- then I wrap the washed root with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge. I used to put them in the veg bin, but I found it to be overly humid and/or the little piece would get lost and mold. So I keep my bit of ginger where I can spot it easily.

--
Squirrels are curious and dig in newly planted containers to see if someone might have buried something edible in there. If it found the ginger root and bit into it, it must've gotten a big surprise!

[PunkRotten]

Getting in on the ginger growing! I put ginger out about a week ago and I also put out turmeric to see what happens. Thanks for the info, I never thought of eating ginger greens.

How did it go? Did anything sprout?

[Tonio]

Guess I missed this thread
I planted a small ginger root " organic" from a health food store abut 2 months ago. Its doing great !! about 10 or so sprouts of 10" shoots with about 12 sets of leaves. I keep it in the shade and really moist.

Currently in a shallow round 8" plastic pot with a good organic soil amended drainable mix(some turface and perlite and fur bark fines). Appears to love compost and diluted Neptunes Harvest fish/kelp occasionally.

I should take a picture.

[PunkRotten]

Do you have yours outside right now Tonio? Are you going to leave it out all winter? Just trying to gauge how cold tolerant the Ginger is. I'll probably start mine in January.

[applestar]

I think I had the best success when I planted ginger that started to sprout in my pantry.

[Tonio]

PR, yup , outside now. Not sure if I'll bring it in

AS- yup a planned pantry sprout

[imafan26]

Ginger grows well in large pots 5 gallons or more. If you put the ginger in a small pot the roots won't have anyplace to go and it will stay small. I plant 2 or 3 pieces of ginger in an 18 gallon pot. I usually wait to plant until I see the buds starting to erupt around Feb-Mar. Vermicast is added to the potting mix along with a slow release fertilizer. The soil needs to be kept moist, but free draining or the roots will rot. The tops of Jamaican ginger only get about 2-3 feet tall, it is not a pretty plant compared to other gingers. I pick off pieces of the root throughout the year whenever I need it. Around Nov-Dec the flower spikes will appear at the base of the plant. The flowers are small and brownish and they last only a few days. You will smell the flowers before you see it. Afterwards, the ginger leaves will wither and the plant will go dormant. That is when I harvest the ginger in the pot. I will store the ginger I don't give away in a tray of damp sand in the shade. I want to keep the ginger from drying out, but I don't want it to be so wet that the roots rot. I'll keep the roots in the tray until they start to sprout in the Spring, then I replant them in the pot with new potting soil. Ginger can also be grown in the ground. Some commercial farms make hills 2 ft high and plant the ginger in hills instead. The soil cannot have any root knot nematodes, or the ginger will be ruined.

[PunkRotten]

Thanks for those tips. I now have a better understanding about growing Ginger.

[applestar]

I'm glad to hear about the seasonal cycle of ginger in a "natural" climate. My ginger's greens browned and went dormant shortly before Christmas. The tops lasted longer than they did last year, but I was still wondering if I did something wrong.

I knew from last year's experience that they'll grow back again in late winter/early spring, and for now, it worked out because I was able to move the ginger tub away from the supplemental light and give that spot to a large pot of Poinsettias I received for Christmas. I'll just keep it here in the upstairs warmest bedroom along with my two biggest pineapples.

When is your "Spring", imafan? It sounds like that would be the best time for people to start new roots.

[ElizabethB]

I have never grown culinary ginger. I have grown ornamental ginger - shell and butterfly. The growing requirements are basically the same. They don't care about the soil unless it is heavy clay. They will not bloom if the the plant dies back over winter (18 month for bloom) They are invasive and require TNT to get rid of them. My yard is not large enough to have ginger growing in the ground - HOWEVER - I do love culinary ginger and will plant some in 30 gallon nursery pots. Rainbow sent me some sun chokes. I let them dry a bit then planted them in huge pots. I will treat ginger the same way. In the south it does not take long for ginger to grow and spread. I can harvest a little the first year. A lot after that. In the northern regions it may take longer to have enough to harvest. Yes on the pots unless you have lots of space. I am not kidding when I tell you that ginger is a real BEAST plant!

[PunkRotten]

I am planning to grow ginger in the ground here. I just don't know much about growing it. Could you harvest the whole thing each year or should you only harvest some and always leave some to grow all the time?

[imafan26]

Oh, I forgot to mention that it is best after harvesting or breaking a large peice up to let the wound callus before planting so it won't rot.

In Hawaii, we do not have traditional seasons. We basically have two seasons. A wet season Oct-April and a dry season May-September.
Daylight year round varies by about 2 hours total 11-13 hours a day.
Temperatures: Days in the low 70's to high 90's but 100's is rare except in Hilo. Humidity 80% most of the time. Night temperatures in a really cold year 51 degrees, but there have been some areas that can get a little colder up to 80 degrees (August-September).
Most of our plants start to "Spring" when the gold tree blooms around March. El Nino and La Nina trends push the seasons forward and result in the gingers going dormant as late as January.
Most of the ginger and turmeric will sprout by March or April.
I like to plant my ginger with the eyes on the surface. The literature does not say to plant them that way, but it works for me.
As to harvesting, I break off pieces of ginger once they are big enough throughout the year. I have to avoid watering for a day or two after so the wound has time to heal. It is not a choice to grow ginger year round. If I planted Ginger in June or September, it would not matter. The ginger will still bloom and the foliage will wither around January. (I've actually done this). I dig up the roots for these reasons. 1. I have to add more compost to the bed. 2)Ginger in the ground is invasive. Old ginger in the ground doesn't taste very good and takes up space so the new ginger is knobbier and the pieces get stuck together more; making it very hard to dig out without damaging the rhizomes. 3) If we get flooding rains while the ginger is still dormant, it can rot 4) Why waste perfectly good ginger, especially at $2/lb?
Ginger can keep if it is washed; dried well (the skin turns brown), and kept in a ziploc with most of the air sucked out in the vegetable drawer. It can be frozen. Thawed ginger gets mushy, but you can squeeze out and use the ginger juice.
The last method is to preserve it by peeling and cutting ginger into usable pieces. It can be preserved in Sake or Sherry (the pieces do turn brown). Make sure the ginger is completely submerged. One site that did a spirits preservation said they liked vodka best (I think it is because it discolored it the least). The ginger will retain its' flavor preserved this way and at least the Sake and Sherry will pick up some of the ginger flavor and can be used in recipes. I never tried preserving in Vodka yet.

[applestar]

Thanks! maybe I'll try digging mine up then.
...not so invasive for me here -- usually more a question of getting them to multiply, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

[PunkRotten]

Once again, thanks for the tips. I am going to give it a shot soon.

[applestar]

How are everyone's gingers doing?
I never got around to digging mine up but let the pot go somewhat dry and continued to cut knobs as I needed.

Since we had the heat wave earlier, I started watering a little bit more, and they are starting to grow shoots now, so around now might be a good time to start growing them if you had planned to.

[rainbowgardener]

I did not have any luck getting ginger started last year. I've been waiting for the weather to warm a little more before trying again this year, but I will try again.

[PunkRotten]

I have not got any Ginger plants yet. I had six pieces I cut and tried to sprout them in peat moss but they rotted. I have not got around to trying it again. I planted like 36 pieces of Turmeric over a month ago in the ground and don't see anything yet. Maybe I will dig one up and see if anything is going on. I got some new organic ginger from the store so I may try growing it again.

[imafan26]

I harvested my ginger in November. I had planted turmeric in the same pot and the turmeric took over most of the pot, so I got over 20 lbs of turmeric. The edible ginger was like an island in the turmeric. I got maybe 5 lbs. I replanted more ginger two weeks ago, sans turmeric. I am waiting for them to come up. The weather is finally warming up (the nights are no longer dipping into the low 60's), so I am hoping they will be poking up soon.

[imafan26]

Hurray, my first ginger sprout of the year has broken through at last. Hopefully the rest are close behind.

[applestar]

Interesting -- my indoor temp must be close to your outdoor temp
I wish I also had the scenery.

Enjoy your ginger

[imafan26]

Thanks Apple, unfortunately the scenery has not been that great the last few days. We have Kona weather. The vog was so thick, I could not even see the tops of the Waianae range. It burns the eyes and the plants really don't like it because the high sulfur content can make some plants burn. Can't wait for the return of the trades.

It has been around 66 degrees at night and lower 80's in the daytime. That is pretty normal for here. It feels hotter because Kona weather means the winds shift direction and it gets very muggy with no cooling breezes. Even if it does rain, it is usually brief and followed by steamy mugginess as the water evaporates off the land. Definitely better to play hookey and go to the beach instead of work in the garden.

[applestar]

I discovered today that my ginger is trying to bloom!

This is how the whole thing looks:

[imafan26]

Mine started to send up flower stalks a few weeks ago and I see the remnants of the flowers on some of them. The flowers are small brown and short lived. I usually smell them before I see them. I think yours are taller than mine. Mine is mostly in the sun and I did not put a lot of nitrogen in the pot and that seems to keep the height down.

[applestar]

Oh, I didn't know ginger liked more sun. I always put it in tree dappled shade all summer. So these are light starved-looking?

[imafan26]

Yours looks fine. Ginger can grow in the shade with good light, but will grow taller. Mine are in full sun and that will always keep the gingers short. If they are used to it, the leaves don't burn. The main thing is that they don't dry out.

I also have curcurma longa or turmeric (it is what gives curry its' yellow color). Hawaiians call it Olena, in the past the Hawaiians used it as a source of yellow dye for tapa. Turmeric also has has also been used in traditional medicine for 4000 years and there has been some research done on its antioxidant, and anti cancer properties. I have had turmeric tea. It is very earthy and not to my liking without some Earl Grey to go with it.

I am trying to grow galangal. I used to have it, but it pushed my garden wall, so I got rid of it. I have to find some good seed pieces.

https://www.agroforestry.net/scps/Ginger ... y_crop.pdf
https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/turmeric

[PunkRotten]

I got a decent plant of Ginger now. I got lucky I found a small piece in a 5lb sack of Turmeric. It has lots of shoots right now and I can see that it has spread pretty good. It is growing in a pot right now, but if it grows well I will try it in the ground next season. My Turmeric didn't come up until late June/early July. Hoping I get a good haul of Turmeric as well. I keep my Ginger in partial shade. When it was small I had it in full sun and it looked like it was getting burned. I moved it and it is growing well. Shoots are short though, maybe like 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall. I was thinking of putting it back in full sun.

[imafan26]

My ginger in full sun typically gets about 3 to 3 1/2 ft tall. If the rhizomes are planted in the ground or the pot and left in the sun to start with, they rarely burn. Most of the time brown leaves are from not getting enough water. They don't like to dry out.

If you do grow turmeric, separate it from the ginger. It typically comes up before the ginger and the roots take over the space, so they need some distance from each other.

The turmeric and ginger are both blooming now.

[applestar]

Super! I wonder if I could find fresh turmeric to try to grow.... When is the peak harvest? Shortly after that is probably my best chance to find them at the Asian market.

My tub of ginger had three flower stalks

[imafan26]

Turmeric and ginger can be harvested pretty much anytime as long as the root is large enough. The leaves will go dormant on turmeric around November-December and the edible ginger usually goes down a little later in January. The rhizomes will stay dormant and start to grow again around March and April.

We usually see young ginger in Chinatown in January but turmeric is not that common. Occasionally the plants are for sale.

[PunkRotten]

My plant has gotten taller and wider. I can't wait to see how much ginger root is growing. I haven't attempted to try and "steal" any knobs. I am wondering if it will have enough time to have mature ginger by harvest. When it goes dormant in Dec/Jan it will only have had about 6-7 months growing time. Same with the Turmeric.

[imafan26]

Ginger can be harvested younger but the best yields are when they get the full 10 months of growth. Ginger should be planted around March and harvested after flowering and the tops have completely died down.

My ginger has flowered and the bracts re turning red. some of the tops are drying but haven't fallen over yet.

The farms hill their ginger to get them to grow vertically, otherwise ginger naturally grows laterally.

They like a clean soil, no nematodes, high in organic matter, they like a pH 5.5-6.5 and need a lot of calcium for good growth. They also like lots of sunshine and water but need good drainage.

[applestar]

Here's an update -- slowly yellowing foliage, but still green for the most part in an upstairs bedroom where it doesn't get a very bright location and the supplemental lights are turned on last and turned off first. (This room is relegated to my day length sensitive/warmer winter temp tropicals -- ginger, pineapple, poinsettia, thanksgiving cactus, and lemongrass which doesn't care but needs to be placed in a cat-free room -- they eat them and puke ). The flower stalks shriveled and fell over a couple of weeks ago.

Ginger tub

I think I WILL dump them out this winter after all the leaf stalks dry up. You can see how they are deforming this container on one side. I'll harvest and then re-plant later in fresh soil mix with better distribution in the container for future growth.

[imafan26]

The tops of mine are yellowing too, and I will probably harvest some of them for use soon. Since they won't do much sprouting and this is the rainy season, I will wait until the tops completely dry out. It might not make it to January. Part of the turmeric is already falling down, but it does go faster than the ginger. I actually have some ginger pieces that have decided to start growing now, so I potted them up and will transfer them to the larger container once the current occupants are gone.