Growing Ginger: #7 How to steps - Soil Planting Harvest and Storage

Ginger is an edible root of a flowering plant that is extensively used as a spice and a folk medicine. This is basically a herbaceous perennial that grows annual stems as a rhizome with a medium height about one meter tall under the ground. Ginger is a very easy-to-grow plant that could cultivate in your home effortlessly. This aromatic plant could grow in full shade or partial shade climate, which makes this one a great crop to grow in any indoor spot as well as garden area! Let’s check out some important growing methods of this plant along with its health values in this article ahead-

Growing Ginger

1. Soil

The ginger plant needs placidly acidic soil to reach the perfect growth level.
Keep the pH level of your plant within 5.5 to 6.5 and try not to make the level too high or too low; otherwise, it wouldn’t be good for your crop.
Remember that too alkaline or too acidic type soil would not good the root of a ginger soil. Hence, whenever you find the pH level is too high add some composted manure to your soil and if the level is too low then, apply some calcium carbonate into it.
This plant always requires some kind of rich and fertilized soil that is enriched with organic methods; so stir some homemade compost mixture or rich potting soil for sowing the ginger plant at home.
Ginger plant claims moist type soil that has the well-drained capability, so you can use a sandy or loamy sort of soil to plant this crop.
Keep the temperature of your soil within 77 ̊F to 83 ̊F throughout the whole growing season.
It would be best if you can prepare a potting mixture that has sand, compost and organic matter in equal amount. This kind of potting mix can cater well-drainage system, rich nutrition supplement, and natural nourishment.

2. Season

Ginger is a spring crop that doesn’t stand against frost, so try to plant this spice in early spring to get the best outcome of your crop.
Try to keep your plant at a temperature of 50 ̊F for the utmost growing session.
This plant loves filtered sunlight under a sheltered spot, so try to place or plant a ginger plant in a shady place where it could get partial warmth and partial shade, that would be excellent for the perfect growth.

3. Planting:

To start your planting process, decide the place first, whether it is a raised garden bed or a container or directly in the garden area.
Now, take one fresh piece of ginger and cut it out with several pieces with 1-inch width each.
After that, dry them out in a dry location and prepare the perfect humus soil during this gap.
Once you see that each piece has more than 1 or 2 eyes, which is likely to sprout, take the pieces and start your planting immediately.
Now, dig some holes in your selected area with the depth of 1-inch, and place the sprouted pieces into those holes.
Put each piece in every single hole and cover them up with a thin layer of organic compost mixture. Mentionable here that the upper layer must be very loose, or you can even skip the covering part and leave the buds uncovered!
Plant every single piece per square feet area and leave 8-inch space to give the plant enough room to grow up.
If you have planted them in a fully sunny location then, arrange a shade over the plants to provide filtered sunlight to your ginger plant.
Now water thoroughly over the soil and check that the drainage part is working well or not!
After that, you have to take proper care of your plants and get protected from any kind of harm or damages.

You may also be interested in growing garlic.

4. Care

Providing a perfect partial shade over the ginger plants is that very first care you need to during the growing ginger session.
Stir lots of rotted manure or compost in your soil before sowing ginger plants at the selected location as without the ideal richness it couldn’t meet the required perfecting that you are expecting from your ginger plants.
Let the soil dry a little before watering every time, this will prevent from rotting the rhizome which could be happened for overwatering.
Mist the plant regularly and dig the base of your soil frequently, this will help to attain the proper nourishment to the roots which ginger plants deserve to have!
Fertilize the plant after every two or three weeks throughout the whole growing season, but once the winter comes, less fertilize them with light formulate feeding.
Once your see that the plant starts germinating, mulch your plants immediately. This will help to keep the plants warm for a long period and prevent to grow the unwanted weeds at its base area.
Provide proper care during the night and don’t let them cool in the absence of sunlight, or it won’t be good for the roots.
Now get proper protecting from the disgusting pests, insects, worms and diseases so then, they can’t harm your desiring crops.

5. Pest and Diseases

As ginger is an edible rhizome root and stays under the soil, thus it could get affected by several disgusting fungal infections for the utmost times, which not only kill the plant but, rotten the entire root as well! Fusarium rhizome rot, white fungus, bacterial soft rot, pythium, armillaria, root-knot nematodes, etc. are some common fungal infections which could hugely harm ginger plants along with its healthy roots. While, Chinese rose beetle, big bug, flea beetle, etc are a few insects which are the biggest threats, for any kind of rooted plants like ginger!

To get protecting from the bacterial crisis, always plant diseases-free seeds or cuttings or you can treat them with Bordeaux mixture before sowing. Keeping the soil wet-free with a good drainage system, using solarizing soil for planting, applying good mulches, etc. are some easy yet effective protections you can try against any kind of fungus or bacterial infections. For pests, worms and wilts, pesticides are the best pick but, you can even apply simple water forces too, for removing some tiny insects from the ginger plants.

Learn how to grow onion and cucumber.

6. Harvest

Ginger plants require almost 8 to 10 months for maturing or reaching the form of harvesting.
When you would see the leaves turn yellow and senesce dry out, then, be certain that the harvesting period has arrived.
As the main crop lies under the soil as the root, thus, dig very carefully to pull the plant out of your ground or container.
Though at the harvesting time, the root turns a bit hard, yet if your harm or scratch too much over the root then, you can’t use it again for the next planting process.
Usually, ginger is harvest by a cutter bar for the foremost times, so you can use this as well if you can manage to get this tool at your reach!
You can harvest the entire crop at one single time and after harvesting them, you need to keep crops in the natural circumstance for 2 to 3 days.

7. Storage

To store ginger, keep it unpeeled form, as it is the best way for any sort of preservation.
You can place several unpeeled ginger root in a re-sealable or zipper plastic bag and keep it in your refrigerator.
Or you can wrap some fresh ginger in a paper towel or paper bag and keep it is a cool dry place. This way ginger could stay fresh for a long while.
If you want to preserve your peeled and sliced ginger in a fresh form then, submerge them in kind of acidic liquid or spirit like vodka, dry sherry, sake, rice wine, etc.
If you want to preserve the minced ginger to use as a spice in food preparation then, make a smooth paste of it and place it in a tray separately lined with parchment paper. Now place the tray in your freezer until you used the last part of it.
You can even store the blended ginger in a normal bowl or container and place it in the freezer for a long period as well, but just add a little bit of uncooked mustard oil into the bowl with the paste.
Last but, not the least trick is that take a fresh unpeeled ginger piece and seal it with the vacuum sealing device like food saver. Now set it into the canning jar and set its lid air-tightly.

Remember that you need to choose some fresh and dry sort of ginger pieces to store them and avoid any kind of moist, moldy or rotten pieces for this session.

Also learn steps for growing cilantro and brussel sprouts.

How to Grow Ginger Indoors

Ginger is a perfect plant to grow in indoor climate and for planting this plant in any of you indoor location; you just need to find a perfect garden pot of planting container first.
Take a planter that is at least 12-inch deep and has a proper drainage system at the bottom section. Plastic containers are better for sowing ginger than terra cotta garden pot.
Now, fill the container with rich and sand base potting soil till the top and just leave 1.5-2 inches empty part to hold the bushier section for your all grown ginger plant.
After that, place ginger pieces under 2 to 4 inches deep into the soil and keep the cutting buds open pointing out the upwards.
You can plant 2 to 3 pieces in a single large garden pot, but use an only wide piece if the container doesn’t have a wide mouth section.
Then, water the cuttings lightly over the top and beware of not making it soggy for a single moment.
After a few days, the cuttings will be germinated soon, then, water your container for at least a couple of weeks and you will see to the escalation of your plant apparently.
Fertilize your plants on a monthly basis and after you see the bushier part on the top, mulch then a little with some bay or other simple mulching object.
Take in the container in a room during the night, especially in the winter season to protect them any kind of frost touch.
Now all you need is just validate the plant regularly so then it could not be infected by any kind of unwanted bacteria, fungus or pests till the harvesting time.

Healthy Benefits of Ginger

Ginger enhances numerous healthy benefits in its every bit, thus, doctors or health experts advise to eat at least one piece of fresh ginger on every single day of your life! Let’s check out some top advantages of this root spice below-

Ginger is enriched with powerful medicinal properties like Gingerol, thus people often uses this item to get rid of several simple diseases.
Ginger can fight against morning sickness that is called nausea and reduce this crisis even during the pregnant session of a woman!
It could also work for muscle pain and soreness because of its anti-inflammatory supplements.
This anti-inflammatory quality also helps to control osteoarthritis pain from our joints.
Ginger can surprisingly lower the blood sugar level from our body and work for diabetes as well.
It has been proven that people who eat ginger on a daily basis are having good heart condition than the rest people! So it also performs for good heart health.
Ginger juice can work magically to our intestine thus greatly manage the indigestion trouble in our body.
Several ladies, who suffer from the menstrual pain, have admitted that they have less pain during their periods after taking ginger more vigorously in their food.
It also works to fight cancer and increase the ability of our brain tissues.

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Growing Ginger: #7 How to steps – Soil Planting Harvest and Storage