Ginger is a perennial plant with multiple uses. It can be used in the kitchen, for sophisticated dishes, soft drinks or cakes, but at the same time, it can be used as a medicinal plant. Ginger tea treats and prevents more affections, including digestive, headaches, cancer, or heart disease. Although it is a plant originated in the Orient, it can be grown successfully in its own garden, if you respect a few requirements.
Choosing ginger rhizomes
It is actually an irregular-looking rhizome. To have your own ginger culture, be it a small one, you need healthy, vigorous rhizomes that show more growth buds. These can be purchased from Asian or hypermarket stores, but you need to be careful because, often, the growth buds of ginger can be torn off.
Before planting, it is recommended to put the rhizomes in a warm water pot for 24 hours. Water will stimulate the growth of buds, but at the same time, it will help eliminate any substances that the rhizome have been sprayed with.
Choosing the right soil for ginger
To develop, ginger, considered one of the world’s most valuable herbs, needs a fertile, greasy and clay soil. Soil drainage is an important aspect because rhizomes do not support surface water stagnation. It is inserted into the ground and covers the ground. Among the rhizomes, it is good to leave a distance of about 15 cm because the plant tends to develop quite a lot. For example, a single rhizome can even give birth to 6 plants.
Light and watering for ginger
The rhizomes need light and heat to grow, but it is recommended not to plant them in a space in direct sunlight. As for watering, these are essential, but they do not have to be abundant.
Ginger harvesting
If you meet the requirements, you can enjoy a first crop 8-10 months after planting. Why does it take so long? Because rhizomes need at least 3 months to begin developing. After 4 months, you can remove a plant from the ground to use the rhizome either as a herb or as an ingredient in the kitchen. At this stage, it will have a weaker flavor, but until it is fully grown, it will become more prominent.
Rhizomes can also be used after you notice that the leaves turn yellow and fall. Keep some rhizomes for a subsequent culture. If you leave them in the ground, the next year the ginger will bloom.
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