Growing Ornamental Gingers

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GingerLily
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The best time to plant gingers is in the early spring I would recommend mid March

Ideally you should consider chatted rhizomes or recent imports or divisions to ensure freshness strength and viability. Try the Pot and Grass Company a reliable supplier.

Use a good quality compost and mix in some sharp sand to improve the drainage.

Also you can add some slow release fertiliser at the same time

Soak the rhizomes in tepid water for 6-12 hours don’t use hot water

Plant the rhizomes in at least a 3 litre pot with the bud facing upwards and just cover them with a few millimetres of compost.

Gingers require a long daylight period to start growing so they can often be a bit slow to kick off if they have not been chatted. However be patient and you won’t be disappointed.

To give them the best chance keeps them in a greenhouse or in a conservatory until the start to come on. As soon as you can see growth starting mulches the pot with chipped bark or similar but don’t use coconut husk. Most Gingers grow under deep leaf litter in dapple shade so really appreciate this bit of attention.

Once your ginger has established itself probably the following spring you can harden it off and plant it outside.

Remember most ornamental gingers grow in areas such as China and the Himalayas where there are warm wet monsoons and cold dry periods so they are pretty hardy but do not like both cold and wet together so water and feed well in the growing season and dry with a good thick overcoat of mulch or bark in the winter.

Always make sure the soil is improved with both organic matter and sharp sand or grit before planting out. I f you can plant on bed that is slightly raised the more the better.

Cut down the foliage when it dies down in winter and compost or burn.

Added on Jan 20, 2008 by GingerLily