Does anyone have experience or advice on growing ginger as a houseplant?
By Dr. Ann
@drannhh (15219)
United States
September 23, 2007 1:29am CST
I bought a huge clump of ginger that we didn't get a chance to eat before we recently left on a 4 day trip going from our summer home to our winter home. Not wanting to throw it away, I dumped it in a box with some other food items and when we got "home" it had some very nice green sprouts growing out in all directions. So I dumped it in a flower pot and wowsers, it is just growing up a storm. Huge beautiful leaves are coming unfurled and I'm crossing my fingers that I don't kill it, as I've actually tried on purpose to sprout ginger before and every time it has sprouted for me it has died before the leaves open up.
Not this time! So I will be greatly appreciative of any advice the myLot gardeners can give me as to how to keep this beauty alive. One thing for sure is I need to transplant it soon, because the little bit of dirt I put it in has turned into a huge mountain. Something is for sure happening inside that pot!
Does it want to be wet or dry? What kind of food does it need? How much room does it want around the roots? What kind of soil? I am clueless, so any advice you have will be a tremendous help.
2 people like this
6 responses
@aseretdd (13730)
• Philippines
10 Jan 08
I just saw your ginger plant... i hope it is still alive and doing well after four months... were you able to harvest some of its roots and use them to spice up your cooking?... i think i will try to grow one so that my fortune plants at home will have company...
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
23 Sep 07
My mother was like that, too! Now my gardening is somewhat limited due to the fact that my husband and I live in an upstairs apartment. Also we travel a lot, so that is why I like plants that I can either eat, or store away for a while so they can grow later. I love plants but do not have a very good rapport with them. Once I even killed an air fern, and they are supposed to be almost indestructible.
1 person likes this
@ladyluna (7004)
• United States
10 Jan 08
Wow Drannhh, I am thoroughly impressed! Being a huge ginger fan myself, I'm also a bit green! (ar, ar, ar)
It never occured to me to try growing this amazing spice. Of course, I don't keep many houseplants anymore, as the majority of the growing around here is done in the garden. I have a number of tender plants that I have to bring in each Fall, and I'd like to keep those to a minimum. Though, your ginger plant is so beautiful that I may just reconsider. It looks like a bamboo variety. Who'da thunk it; such a knarly looking root into such a pretty & beneficial plant?
Nicely done, Drannhh!
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
10 Jan 08
Thank you, lady, you again have such a nice way of putting things that I feel all happy inside. Being a crude Sagittarian, I have an instinct for rougher speech, so your replies always remind me to stop and think and try to be more civilized, lol. I'd like a garden in some ways, as for one thing, then we could grow all the sweet potatoes we'd like, but on the other hand, not having any ground to tend serves us well. It is a challenge to come up with ways to decorate with living food, but fun and amazing when it works out. Thanks for your comment!
1 person likes this
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
16 Feb 08
I don't know much about growing Ginger but something you might be interested to know is that it's supposed to help bring you wealth if you plant root ginger. I don't know if you believe is superstitions like that but if so it's another reason to try and keep it alive isn't it?
@aseretdd (13730)
• Philippines
24 Sep 07
Wow... i always eat food with ginger but i have never seen it as a plant... so i don't really know how to take care of it... but one thing that you can do so that i won't die (my mother would always do this, eventhough i kinda weird)... is to talk to the plant...talk to it like it is an ordinary person... it always works for my mother...
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
24 Sep 07
You know I do completely agree with you (and your mother) on that one! A book I read described some experiments that proved plants that were "fed" certain sounds grew stronger and bigger than plants left in the quiet. Talking lovingly to the plants worked and so did classical music, but some more modern forms of music made them shrivel up and wilt. Thanks for the reminder! I will now go tell my plant what a little cutie it is and that if it grows for me I will take a picture and put it here on myLot. I just hope myLot doesn't consider that a "milestone" with my plant killing record. But it is because of the extremely hot temperatures we get here. Some plants would have to live in the refrigerator to survive here.
1 person likes this
@squaretile (3778)
• Singapore
22 Jan 08
ginger is a very hardy plant. my mum had it before, and it also started as you did yours. there was an old piece of ginger that was not being used and it started budding so she dumped it into a pot of soil. and it just flourished!
it's a rhizome, which means that it reproduces from its roots. I suppose if you plant it in a large pot, you might even be able to harvest some roots for future use!
i think it needs lots of horizontal space and not so much depth since its root system expands horizonatally. so perhaps one of those troughs that are rectangular would work well.
@squaretile (3778)
• Singapore
29 Feb 08
welcome! i also have an over watering issue. i guess it's a delicate balance between how much is enough (just a little wetted soil) and too much (soil wet through).
