The large root, which has a pleasant bitterness and a delicate aroma reminiscent of lemon, is well known to many housewives. This spice is used in cooking to spice up meat and fish dishes.
Ginger is a useful plant that helps in strengthening the immune system, is used in the treatment of heart and gastrointestinal diseases. Do you know how a plant looks in natural conditions? Where is it growing? How to grow ginger at home?
Plant description
Ginger is a perennial. It resembles a reed decorated with orchid flowers. In addition to many useful properties, it has excellent external characteristics, and therefore can revive the interior of any style.
Its thin sparse leaves do not obscure the room, and the flower does not require complicated care. This is a very beautiful plant with oblong, pointed leaves at the ends, painted in a pale green color. It can become not only an assistant in the treatment of many diseases, but also an exquisite decoration of the interior.
This tropical representative of the flora, belonging to rhizome plants, is a close relative of turmeric, beautiful flowers of ginger lily, cardamom, globe, Siamese tulip, alpine. Its stem is covered with small scaly formations. Under natural conditions, the plant reaches two meters in height, and if you grow ginger from the root at home, the plant will not exceed 60 cm in height.
Ginger is a native of Southeast Asia. In Asian countries, grown from ancient times. In the Middle Ages, the plant was introduced into European countries. It was on the European continent that it began to be eaten and used in medicine.
The secrets of growing ginger at home
Many gardeners are interested in whether it is possible to grow ginger at home. Yes, and it’s not so difficult to do it. True, gardeners should understand that, knowing how to grow ginger at home, you will get a slightly different plant that differs in some characteristics from wild relatives:
- Ginger is a perennial plant, but grown at home, it turns into an annual culture.
- If you grow ginger from the root at home, the plant will be lower and less succulent.
- The indoor plant does not have such a bright aroma, although a lemon note also prevails in it.
How to grow ginger at home: a step-by-step description. Choose material
First of all, you need to purchase high-quality and fresh planting material. You will need a dense and fresh root on which at least a few living buds have been preserved. It often happens that there are kidneys, and the root itself has taken root. In this case, it is necessary to place it in water for a while so that it accumulates elasticity. It must be warm so that sleeping kidneys wake up quickly.
Disinfection
You probably know that most vegetables and fruits are processed before transportation with special chemical compounds that ensure the delivery of goods without loss. In addition, they protect them from germination. To remove the composition, the root is soaked for two days in water. And in order to remove the infection from the surface, very little manganese, baking soda or a solution of Fitosporin should be added to the water.
Soil selection
Many inexperienced gardeners do not know how to grow ginger at home, in particular, they are interested in how to choose the soil for the plant. You can use soil for growing vegetables or wet moss. If you want to grow a houseplant, it is preferable to use sphagnum moss. If you intend to transplant it in the open ground in spring, then choose land: ginger, grown on wet sphagnum moss, does not take root well in the fresh air.
You can independently prepare the soil mixture by mixing one part of clay with three parts of peat.
Capacity
If you are interested in how to grow ginger at home, pay attention to the correct choice of pot for the plant. In this case, one should take into account the characteristic of ginger. The roots of the plant do not grow in depth, but horizontally. Therefore, a wide box or a shallow pot is suitable for him.
To grow decorative home decoration, you need a rather compact flowerpot, so that the culture sends all its forces to the stem and flowers, and not to the root.
How to plant and grow ginger from the root?
A root with hatching buds is ready for planting in the ground. Planting a plant involves several stages:
To ensure the necessary humidity, we recommend taking care of the drainage. For this, expanded clay or crushed foam is poured onto the bottom of the pot.
The next layer is soil (or sphagnum). They fill 2/3 of the pot. The soil must be moistened, but sparingly. For this purpose it is better to use a spray gun.
Rhizome (whole or cut into pieces) is laid on the ground. All kidneys should be pointing up. From above, very carefully, so as not to damage the sprouts, pour soil (or moss). The top layer should be no more than five centimeters in height.
Care for indoor ginger: temperature
A sprouted root is planted for indoor floriculture in mid-spring, and for growing in open ground in winter. For the normal development of the plant, it is necessary to ensure the indoor air temperature is about +20 ° C. At temperatures below +15 ° C, ginger will fall asleep.
During the period of active growth (in summer), the plant needs a higher temperature (+32 ° C).
Lighting
Ginger loves good diffused lighting and does not tolerate direct sunlight, which can cause real leaf burns. It is better to put a pot of plants on the western or eastern windowsill.
Watering
The soil must always be moistened. The plant does not tolerate excess moisture. Water must not stagnate in the pan. You will understand the lack of moisture by fallen and shriveled leaves. With excessive watering, the root system begins to rot, and the leaves turn yellow. After moistening, it is necessary to loosen the soil a little.
Top dressing
When ginger releases the first sprouts, he will need to be fed every 12 days. For a young plant, a mullein solution, mineral complexes are used. From mid-August to late autumn, ginger is fed with potash fertilizers and organic mixtures.
Harvesting
Ginger in indoor floriculture is grown as an ornamental and medicinal plant. That is why the time comes when you need to harvest. For better root development, the plant is watered much less frequently in the fall. Watch carefully for the leaves. When they start to dry, the crop is ripe.
Carefully dig out the root, clean it from the soil and wash. Dried raw materials in a dry room with good ventilation. Store the roots in the refrigerator in a dark, dry cupboard. If desired, ginger can be cut and frozen. In this case, it will not lose useful properties.