Ginger is a perennial herb of the Ginger family from Southeast Asia. It is also called the horned root. Now ginger is grown in the tropics of Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, India. The root system is horizontal, dark yellow or white with numerous outgoing processes, it is a chain of fleshy fused tubers of various shapes.
Leaves are lanceolate up to 20 cm, the inflorescence is high, spike-shaped, flowers are elongated, red-pink, lilac, dairy. The plant grows to 1.5 m, exudes a lemon scent. Rhizomes have healing properties, thanks to the essential oil and beneficial micro and macro elements, vitamins. The special gingerol resin gives the plant a burning taste. It is widely used in cooking and medicine, grows in the tropics, where there is high temperature and humidity. Plant growers are able to grow ginger at home as an annual.
Selection and preparation of planting material of ginger, pot, soil
For planting, choose a rhizome with a smooth peel, a large number of eyes. It should be fresh, without signs of pest activity, with an elastic, dense surface. Get it in a store, supermarket. Then soak in soft warm water for several hours. For disinfection, a solution of manganese (pink) is used. Another option is a glass of water with a teaspoon of baking soda. If desired, cut the root into pieces, the cut sections of each are treated with activated carbon.
Experts recommend planting a whole root.
For growing in a pot, the soil is used as for vegetables. They connect the sand, sheet and soddy soil equally, add fertilizers for root crops. Or take clay and peat 1: 3. The capacity is selected wide due to the fact that the root system grows along. At the bottom lay a drainage layer of 2 cm from expanded clay.
Ginger Planting Tips
When planting in early spring or late March, they get a crop. Drainage is poured into the prepared pot, then the soil is disinfected with Fitosporin. The root tubers are horizontally placed with growth buds up, not in the middle, but on the side. Deepen by 3 cm, fall asleep a little, watered. Cover with a film, a plastic bottle. Then slightly moisten the soil. Sprouts appear after 2-3 weeks. The container is placed in a room with a temperature of +20 ° C.
Required conditions for breeding
To get a crop, you must adhere to the rules of caring for the plant.
| Parameters | Spring Summer | Winter autumn |
| Temperature | + 20 ... 23 ° C. | + 18 ... 20 ° С, during the rest period +15 ° C. |
| Lighting | Solar diffused light, without direct exposure to the eastern, western windows. In the heat they put on a loggia, a balcony, take out into the garden, avoiding drafts. | The daylight hours are 12-16 hours, with additional lighting with lamps, except for the rest state, then lighting is not required. |
| Humidity | Sprayed regularly, create a moisture content of 60%. | When dry air is moistened, then when the leaves turn yellow, spraying is stopped, then a rest period begins. |
| Watering | Regularly soft water, without over-moistening (so as not to cause rotting) and not over-drying during growth. Water is drained from the pan. | Until the end of autumn, until dormancy sets in, then the root is cut or dug up. |
| Top dressing | Organic and mineral fertilizers with nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus in turn, every three weeks. Loosen the earth. | After the onset of dormancy is not required. |
Seed cannot be obtained in the home environment, therefore ginger is propagated vegetatively by dividing rhizomes. Several parts are separated, sprinkled with wood ash, dried and stored until planting. Ideal growth conditions for the plant - a greenhouse or a greenhouse, can be grown in the garden.
Ginger rarely gets sick, they monitor the appearance of a spider mite. It is treated with a soap solution, alcohol. It is not advisable to use chemical preparations if the root will be eaten.
Flowering stimulation
To admire the unusual spike-shaped inflorescence of ginger, you will have to wait at least two years. In this case, the taste of the root is deteriorated. To achieve flowering conditions of maintenance and care are slightly different. Put in a tight bowl. In autumn, the roots are not dug up; watering is reduced until the beginning of spring. Trim the stems. Then renew and feed potash fertilizers to form buds. Subsequently, the soil is changed every year.
Harvesting
In autumn, in October or November (sometimes earlier) the ends of the ginger leaves turn yellow and dry. This means - the plant is already ripe, stop watering a week before digging. Dig the root, clean. The crop is 1.5 times larger than the crop. Then dried in the sun for 2-3 days. Store at a temperature of + 2 ... 4 ° C in the basement, cellar. If desired, cut into thin plates, dried.
