A large root with 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 what a plant looks like in natural conditions? Where does it grow? How to grow ginger at home?
Description of the plant
Ginger is a perennial plant. It resembles a reed adorned with orchid flowers. In addition to many useful properties, it has excellent external characteristics, and therefore can enliven the interior of any style.
Its thin sparse leaves do not obscure the room, and the flower does not require complex care. This is a very beautiful plant with oblong leaves, pointed at the ends, painted in pale green. It can become not only an assistant in the treatment of many diseases, but also an exquisite interior decoration.
Thisa tropical representative of the flora, related to rhizomatous plants, is a close relative of turmeric, beautiful flowers of ginger lily, cardamom, globa, Siamese tulip, alpinia. Its stem is covered with small scaly formations. Under natural conditions, the plant reaches a height of two meters, 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, it has been grown since ancient times. In the Middle Ages, the plant was brought to European countries. It was on the European continent that it began to be eaten and used in medicine.
Secrets of growing ginger at home
Many flower growers are wondering if it is possible to grow ginger at home? Yes, and it's not that hard to do. True, flower growers should understand that, knowing how to grow ginger at home, you will get a slightly different plant that differs in some characteristics from wild-growing relatives:
- Ginger is a perennial plant, but grown at home it becomes an annual crop.
- If you grow ginger from the root at home, the plant will be shorter and less juicy.
- The houseplant does not have such a strong aroma, although it also has a lemon note.
How to grow ginger at home: step by step description. Choosing 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 leastseveral live buds. It often happens that there are buds, but the root itself is grafted. In this case, it must be placed in water for a while so that it gains elasticity. It must be warm so that the dormant buds wake up quickly.
Decontamination
You probably know that most vegetables and fruits are treated with special chemical compounds before transportation, which ensure the delivery of cargo 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, quite a bit of manganese, baking soda or Fitosporin solution should be added to the water.
Soil selection
Many inexperienced flower growers 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 potting soil or wet moss. If you want to grow a houseplant, it is preferable to use sphagnum moss. If you are going to transplant it into open ground in the spring, then choose the ground: ginger grown on wet sphagnum moss does not take root well in the fresh air.
You can make your own soil mix by mixing one part clay with three parts peat.
Capacity
If you are interested in how to grow ginger at home, pay attention to choosing the right pot for the plant. At the same time, one should take into account the peculiarityginger. The roots of the plant do not grow in depth, but horizontally. Therefore, a wide box or a shallow pot is suitable for it.
To grow a decorative ornament at home, you need a fairly compact flowerpot so that the culture directs all its strength to the stem and flowers, and not to the root.
How to plant and grow ginger from the root?
The root with hatched buds is ready for planting in the ground. Planting a plant includes several steps:
Drainage system
To provide the necessary humidity, we recommend taking care of drainage. To do this, expanded clay or crushed polystyrene is poured into the bottom of the pot.
Ground
The next layer is soil (or sphagnum). They fill 2/3 of the pot. The soil must be moistened, but moderately. For this purpose, it is better to use a spray bottle.
Planting a root
A rhizome (whole or cut into pieces) is laid out on the ground. All kidneys should be directed upwards. 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 high.
Indoor Ginger Care: Temperature
The sprouted root is planted for indoor floriculture in mid-spring, and for outdoor cultivation in winter. For the normal development of the plant, it is necessary to provide an air temperature in the room of about +20 ° C. At temperatures below +15 °C, ginger will fall asleep.
During the period of active growth (summer), the plant needs a higher temperature (+32 °C).
Lighting
Ginger loves good diffused lighting and does not tolerate direct sunlight at all, which can cause real leaf burns. It is better to place the plant pot on the western or eastern windowsill.
Irrigation
The soil should always be kept moist. The plant does not tolerate excess moisture. Water must not stagnate in the pan. You will understand the lack of moisture by the fallen and shriveled leaves. With excessive watering, the root system will begin to rot, and the leaves will turn yellow. After moistening, it is necessary to loosen the soil a little.
Feeding
When the ginger sprouts its first sprouts, it will need top dressing every 12 days. For a young plant, a mullein solution, mineral complexes are used. From mid-August until late autumn, ginger is fed with potash fertilizers and organic mixtures.
Harvesting
Ginger is grown in indoor floriculture as an ornamental and medicinal plant. That is why the time comes when it is necessary to harvest. For better root development in autumn, the plant is watered much less frequently. Keep a close eye on the leaves. When they begin to dry, the harvest is ripe.
Carefully dig up the root, clean it from the soil and wash it. Dry raw materials in a dry room with good ventilation. Store the roots in the refrigerator, in a dark dry cabinet. If desired, you can cut and freeze the ginger. In this case, it will not lose useful properties.
