How To Grow Ginger Plants: Simple Tips On Growing Ginger

When we talk about edible part of ginger, we generally refer to ginger root. But it is the rhizomes that we eat.

It is one of the plants which need very less amount of caring and maintenance. You just need to know the basics.

How to grow Ginger?

Ginger grows well in humid climates. People living in warmer climates generally do not have problems with growing ginger. In case you are living in a drier place a bit of spraying will definitely benefit the plant. Plant your ginger where you will receive enough sunlight. As mentioned in my article Sun or No-Sun, sunlight is very important for plants of these kinds.

Water is also a crucial factor in growing ginger. Make sure the soil is moist while the active growing season of ginger is going on. To make the better use of the soil moisture and preventing it from evaporation use Mulch (Check out more about mulch and mulching by clicking the link). Adding different soil less mediawith the soil can also increase the water retention of the soil. Also try not to over-water. It will also drain out the nutrients from the soil.

Ginger is not a voracious eater. If you have added enough compost (you can find more about composting Ingredients by clicking the link) in the beginning you don’t need to add much. In case you leave in a place where the rain is plenty and your soil gets drenched many times your soil nutrition also fades away with the water. In these cases you need to add nutrients like seaweed, fish extractions or other organic manure from outside.

Ginger plant generally takes 8 months or more to mature. You can sense the maturity when you see the dying leaves. Many people pull out ginger earlier than this but the mature ginger always taste better.

While harvesting look out for rhizomes with buds in it, these are easier to use for replanting. While planting always put the eye side (the buds) upwards and just below the soil.

Some varieties of Ginger flowers are exceptionally fragrant. So if you find flowers in your plant you can definitely snip them and use it in other decorative format (like bouquet). Do not worry this will not harm the health of the plant. Flowering needs at least two years. So if you are thinking about flowers you have to harvest very carefully and should only extract a few from here and there.

Ginger is a very good companion plant. You can club this with other plants for pest control purposes. You can find more options on different combinations in my earlier article titled Companion Planting: A basic Know-how.

  

 Are you also planting Ginger? Share your experiences with us.