The homeland of ginger is the hot tropics. This plant has long been known for its healing properties. It is widely used in medicine and cooking. It is not easy to believe that ginger can be grown at home. But if you want everything is possible. Growing ginger at home does not cause much trouble. A novice grower will also cope with this task.
We grow ginger at home
The culture grows well and feels great in an apartment. Before embarking on a planting, you need to decide for yourself for what purpose the plant is grown. The time of its landing and conditions depends on this.
Ginger is often grown due to its healing properties. Ginger root is widely known as an anti-cold remedy, tea with ginger root warms perfectly in the winter and gives strength and vitality. Fans of ornamental, unusual plants will appreciate the appearance of the ginger stem, outwardly it is very similar to sedge and reaches a meter in height. The plant has long smooth leaves, their length up to twenty centimeters. They are located quite tightly along the entire stem of the plant. Ginger bloom is very unusual and this is attractive to many lovers of home flowers.
Open ground is also suitable for plant growth, but if we grow ginger at home, then a flower pot is suitable for this. It is important to remember that the root acquires healing properties after eight to ten months. Flowering plants are not allowed. In order to grow the plant for aesthetic purposes and get beautiful, amazing flowers, you need to wait about three years. It is at this age that it blooms. Next, consider how to grow ginger at home in a pot.
Ginger cultivation on a windowsill
Having decided to grow ginger at home, you can safely proceed to planting the plant. Given that the homeland of ginger is the tropics, its landing should be designed so that the period of its active growth falls in the summer. The plant is very thermophilic and needs constant sunlight. With a deficiency of at least one of the factors, the plant will die.
Plant development takes up to ten months. The ideal time to plant ginger is the end of winter. So the root of the plant will get stronger, and by the beginning of summer ginger will gain strength for active growth.
Those who decided to grow this plant in their summer cottage should also remember that the root system sinks into the ground in November.
Before growing ginger at home in a pot or on the site, it is necessary to prepare planting material.
Preparing planting material
Material for planting should be purchased immediately before the procedure. Florist professionals give recommendations:
- Ginger root should have a smooth surface with as many eyes as possible. It is from them that sprouts are obtained. It is important that the tuber is healthy and juicy. In no case should you take a sluggish or dried root.
- Given that ginger is delivered from foreign countries, its root is treated with chemical preparations. Before planting, it is necessary to clean the root system from all kinds of impurities. To do this, immerse it in water for a couple of days. It is also important to disinfect the root, manganese is suitable. You can also use soda: for one glass of liquid - a teaspoon, in addition, a phytosporin solution can be used as a disinfectant.
- The ideal soil for growing ginger is moss or moist ground. Before you grow ginger at home on the windowsill, you must provide him with all the conditions that are close to natural. Sphagnum moss is perfect for this. But if the plant in the spring will be transplanted into the open ground outside, it is better to use the land. A plant that has grown on moistened moss may not take root on the ground. In the open air, the plant will grow well in the soil, which is used for planting vegetables. This is a mixture of peat soil and clay in a ratio of 1/3.
- The plant has a root system, which is close to the surface of the earth and grows to the sides. Therefore, a wide flower pot is suitable for the plant, its depth should not be too large. If you decide that ginger is grown at home for decorative purposes, then the area for the rhizome is better to limit. So ginger will direct all its forces to the development of leaves and stems.
Root cultivation
Is it possible to grow ginger at home from the root? Yes. But after planting the root in the soil, a fairly long period of time can pass. The buds will be inactive for a very long time, the rhizome will adapt to the soil and will not hasten to shoot. In fact, in order to accelerate the development of rhizomes, you need to awaken the ears of ginger before planting. It will take from a few days to a month.
Recommendations of florists
Professional florists give some recommendations on how to grow ginger from the root at home:
- It is necessary to take the container, lay wet moss at the bottom of it. Ginger rhizomes are laid on top so that the kidneys look up and cover with another layer of sphagnum. Moss, both lower and upper, should always be wet. So, in a warm place, the root will sprout faster. A windowsill above the batteries is perfect.
- You can grow sprouts in water. To do this, string the root on a thin skewer to the middle of the root. Pour water into the container and hang the ginger root on a skewer so that half of the rhizome is constantly in the water. It is important that the root does not dry out. It is necessary to constantly monitor the water level and replenish it if necessary.
After the sprouts begin to break through the root, it is dried and separated. When dividing the root into several parts, one must take into account that each of them must contain at least 3 sprouts. Slices need to be treated with charcoal. Separate the ginger root as a normal potato for planting. There are no tricks for this.
Landing
The rules are as follows:
- Pick up drainage. Expanded clay or polystyrene at the bottom of the pot is suitable, this will provide the necessary moisture for the growth of the plant.
- Sphagnum is placed on top of the drainage or the soil is covered. The pot is filled to 75% of its volume with soil. The contents of the pot should be moistened well, but not flooded with water. It is convenient to moisten the soil with a spray gun, so that moisture is distributed evenly.
- On the ground, you need to lay the prepared rhizome with the kidneys up.
- After laying moss on top of the root or pouring soil. The thickness of the top layer should not exceed five centimeters. Backfill should be done very carefully so as not to damage the shoots.
Plant care
Ginger will delight the shoots a couple of weeks after planting, although this period can be delayed up to two months. In order to grow a healthy and strong plant, care is needed. Ginger is a tropical plant, so it needs conditions for growth that are close to native.
The plant grows most actively in the summer, when the air temperature reaches + 30 ° C. In spring, during planting in a flower pot, the air temperature should not drop below 18 ° C. Temperature differences are fraught with the fact that the plant may fall into a sleepy state and not develop.
The best place for the stem to grow is the window sill on the window. The east or west sides are perfect. So the leaves will not be exposed to direct sunlight, and the plant will not suffer from burns, but there will be enough light for the growth of ginger.
From the moment of planting to the fall of leaves in autumn, the flower needs constant hydration. The tropics are known to be famous for high humidity, therefore it is always worth providing ginger.
Watering
Ginger needs to be watered regularly, with each watering it is necessary to loosen the soil a little. Adequate soil moisture should always be maintained. In this case, the root should not be constantly in wet soil, otherwise it will begin to rot, and the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. If the soil is dry, then the leaves of the plant frown and also fall off the stem.
Top dressing
It is necessary to feed the plant with a frequency of ten days. This applies to flowers that have received new shoots. Fertilizers are mineral solutions or mullein. From August to November, the soil is fed with potash fertilizers and organic mixtures.
Pruning
Pruning a plant depends on the expectations of the grower from the plant. If you are interested in obtaining tubers, then pruning is required. So ginger will direct all the forces to the development of its root system. To obtain a beautiful and strong stem, stopping the sprouts is not worth it.
When can ginger root be used?
In the middle of autumn or closer to its end, ginger leaves will begin to turn yellow and fall. This is a signal for the ripening of tubers. It is necessary to stop watering the plant, remove the root from the soil, clean it of lumps of soil and dry it in the sun. Ginger root is ready to eat.
If the purpose of planting was to obtain flowering plants, then in the autumn-winter period, ginger is sprinkled sparingly. It goes into the phase of sleep and does not require thorough watering and spraying. Tubers will not need high temperatures until spring, 10 ° C is enough for its preservation.
Care Professional Recommendations
Is it possible to grow ginger at home? Yes you can. But it is better to adhere to some rules.
So, the plant can not be poured, it will affect it even worse than a slight drying of the soil. Ginger is better to hide in the shade than to expose under the scorching sun.
Drafts adversely affect the stem. Ginger can grow only in warm conditions.
So, we examined the question of how to grow ginger in the home. This work is not difficult, but you should adhere to the recommendations specified in the article.