Grow Your Own Ginger Challenge Part 2

[shirlthegirl43]

Here's pics of my ginger which now needs re-potting. The main stem is 30 inches tall. If it dries up outside later I will take pics while I re-pot if anyone interested.

[Brengirl]

WOW Shirl that is amazing! You obviously know something I don't. I can't wait to see what's going on underneath. When you repot please share.

[Sonata]

I've now got two potted up. JeanieDjnr (yes, I name my houseplants..which makes it all the sadder when they pop their clogs) is doing well on the windowsill in the living room. I mainly just ignore them, but water every now and then. The smaller as yet un-named one is also doing ok on the kitchen windowsill.

I'll have to get some pics.

[Bigmallly]

Well, came back off my jols to a dead ginger plant. The inlaws looked after the garden but forgot the houseplants............

[Brengirl]

Well, came back off my jols to a dead ginger plant. The inlaws looked after the garden but forgot the houseplants............

Oh that makes me sad too. I bet you are beginning to wish you had stayed at home.

[Bigmallly]

Oh that makes me sad too. I bet you are beginning to wish you had stayed at home.

No worries Bren, there's always next year......

[buzzingtalk]

I have a ginger plant a freind gave me, from a cutting of a very very MASSIVE ginger plant he has (about 3ft by 3ft)...It looks healthy but the middle bit looks 'dry' like everyone else is describing - in fact, all 3 of the ginger plants in our house have done this now. I will ask my freind next time I see him how he grew his one so big!

The big one has amazing leaves with 'no edge' if you know what i mean. Lovely looking thing

[buzzingtalk]

Right figured out what your meant to do...

Chop it right back in winter. Right back to the ground, then it will regrow. Else it will 'rot' but not die - but new shoots will take most of winter to come up and will put the plant behind. So chop it back next winter! I know this is true for small ones (like we all have) I'll ask my mate who has the massive one what to do with big ones...maybe you just cut back smaller shoots for a year until they grow big enough?

Also on a related tip has anyone here ever grown galangal over here in the UK?

link ---> Galangal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Galangal is related to ginger so I guess I can sprout it like ginger, although I don't think it will grow as it is a tropical plant from southeast Asia. But I like a challenge My ginger is warm and humid enough so maybe the galangal will be OK too...I;ll put it next to my SAD lamp if its not getting enough light

[shirlthegirl43]

My ginger has a one inch tall shoot

[buzzingtalk]

woop!!! I cut mine back a month or so ago and its shot up about 7 inches

[daylily]

I like this. Any ongoings so far?

1. I failed a lot of times about growing any roots

therefore

2. I find the recommended pot size might just be on the edge small

3. Chits/sprouts are damn easy. You already can buy them with those. Look through carefully the produce for sale. Otherwise, a dry, airy shelf in the humid kitchen gets them going. They do not need much light for this.

4. I have never found they would go dormant for the winter. Indoors that is.

[Tenka]

Started growing ginger, turmeric and galangal a few weeks ago, only the ginger has started sprouting maybe the other 2 take longer to start sprouting.

Has anyone tried growing galangal?

[shobhna]

Am tempted to give ginger a go.
Fresh tumeric is available so that might be worth a little experiment.

If I make it to the market this week, then I do need to get fresh ginger anyway so will make a start. I think using soil that is for cacti would maybe help. needs to be sandy type of soil.

[Ananke]

I've given up with ginger.

I have no problems getting it to sprout and grow a few inches but then it all goes horribly wrong and dies off.

[bazzaboy]

Yes also that’s been my experience Ananke…. But never say die, this one seems to be rooting etc…. But I’m not quite sure why I’m doing it?!

In a long thread since 2010 that question has been asked several times without an answer, not least by someone called Brengirl who seems to have been “Banned”, presumably not just for asking the question (why was she banned?)

Is this “Sticky” (the only one in “The Herb Bed” which also seems a bit odd, hardly THE critical herb is it?) but is this thread solely about creating a houseplant (akin to sprouting an avocado stone) or if you can get it established can you use these shoots in the kitchen? Or can you somehow persuade a mature plant to create new rhizomes that are usable?

I take it everyone’s familiar with tips on how to extend the usable life of fresh ginger (in a jar of sherry in the fridge, - many references on the Net, e.g. How to Grow a Ginger Plant: 12 steps - wikiHow). Have also seen the same tip but using vinegar (cheaper) if you’re only intending to use it in savoury dishes like sweet and sour.