Today, let us talk about Indoor Ginger Gardening Tips. Ginger is a herb which is pungent and has a capability to add a great flavor to many varieties of recipes. It also has several benefits towards health like increasing the metabolism, decreasing inflammation so that it helps to have fresh food on hand whenever you require it. It is always easy to grow ginger in the indoor locations and lead to the creation of a plant which sustains on its own and can be harvested in an indefinite way. The main part of it is, to begin with, a root which is healthy, using the perfect soil and pot for planting.
Ginger is called in different ways in different Indian languages. It is termed as Inji in Tamil, Inchi in Malayalam, Allam/Sonti in Telugu, Shunti/Alla/Ardraka in Kannada, Adrak in Hindi, Ada in Bengali, Aadu/Sonth in Gujarati, Alley in Konkani, Aale in Marathi, Ada in Oriya, Adrak in Punjabi, Adrak in Urdu, Soonthi in Tulu.
Plantation in the indoor Ginger gardening:
For the indoor plantation of ginger, you will need to select a pot which is wide and shallow. This is because the roots of the ginger plant will grow in a horizontal direction instead of growing in vertical.
A pot which is having a width of 12 inches and a depth of 12 inches is considered to be an ideal option for growing ginger.
The pot has to be deeper if you are keeping gravel at the bottom for a good drainage system. Ensure that the pot has a good number of drainage holes so that the roots will not be waterlogged.
You will need to have a saucer which is fairly deep for placing below the pot to catch hold of the water which drains from the holes.
After that, fill the pot will soil which is well-drained. Once the selection of your pot is done, you have to add potting soil medium to the pot. It is very much essential to select the soil which drains well so that the roots of ginger will be healthy.
Find the potting soil which consists of sand, gives air space which will help the water to get drained easily. Vermiculite and perlite will help in the creation of air space for a better drainage system so that you can make use of the soil mixes which contain those two ingredients also.
A soil-free mix which can be used for all purposes is also a good choice for the ginger plants as it will contain a high content of organic material like peat and also contains perlite, sand, vermiculite or a mixture of all the three which helps the soil in an effective draining.
In order to grow ginger in containers and that too in indoor locations, you will require a living ginger root. You can buy a ginger root from a local garden supply store or a seed company or you can also get it from a nursery. If you have a neighbour who is having a ginger plant, you can also approach them for getting a root cutting.
Ensure that the root of ginger which you select is firm and also plump. The skin of the root must be tight and should have many eye buds on it. Eye buds are almost the same as the eyes which you would find on a potato.
When you have finally got the ginger root, now fill a tiny bowl with water. This water should be warm. Now the root has to be placed in the warm water and let it soak for at least 8 hours or for the whole night. When you soak the root, it will help in the stimulation of germs which is specifically important if you are using a root which is brought from the store.
After filling the pot, you will need to stick the root of the ginger in the soil. Ensure that the eye buds of the root are pointing in the upward direction when you are setting it in the pot.
If you are going for the plantation of more than one root in your pot, you will have to place them at a minimum distance of 6 inches so that they will have a good space for growing.
When the root is placed in the pot, you will need to put the soil over it for about 2 inches. The complete root has to be covered with the soil.
You will need to make sure that the root has enough water for the purpose of growth. You will need to fill a watering can with water and then add sufficient water to the soil to wet it in a thorough manner. You can water the soil well, but make sure that you are not oversaturating it. Ensure that the entire water is absorbed completely so that there will not be any puddles on the soil surface.
Read:How to Grow Hydroponic Strawberries.
Care and maintenance of indoor Ginger gardening:
In order to grow a ginger plant which is healthy, you will need to put the pot in an area which is warm in your home or any other indoor location you choose. Anyways, you will need to select a location which will not get a large amount of direct sunlight as the exposure to the sun will turn the ginger to green in color.
The temperature which is ideal for the growth of ginger is 15°C to 30°C. Always ensure that the maintenance of temperature is done in an even manner for the complete night.
It is essential not to overwater the ginger as it starts growing, but the soil has to be maintained moist. You can fill a spray bottle with water and can mist the soil on a daily basis in a light manner. You can also refer to water the soil lightly by making use of a watering can two times in a week rather than misting it on a daily basis.
In order to make sure that the roots are warm and for the protection of the roots from the exposure of sun, you will need to combine some amount of rich compost into the pot on a regular basis. You will need to sprinkle 3 inches of the compost on the soil top one time in a month.
The compost can be bought from your local garden store.
Find the compost which is considered to be multipurpose compost. These are considered to be the best alternatives for the plants which are kept in pots.
When your ginger plant is unable to get a good amount of water and sunlight, it will give signs that it is not healthy. Always be alert about the texture and color of the leaves of the plant. If you do so, you can correct any mistakes as soon as possible when they occur.
If the leaves of the ginger plants turn yellow, it is generally a sign that you are overwatering the plant or the soil is not properly draining. Cut the watering and check the drainage holes of the plant to make sure that they are not blocking the water.
If the leaves start to look scorched or dry, it is generally an indication that the plant is getting too much sunlight in a direct manner. Now you will have to move the plant to a place where it will not receive sunlight and also make sure that you are removing all the leaves which are affected.
If the leaves start developing brown tips, it is generally an indication that you are applying a lot of fertilizer or compost. The compost has to be applied only once for a month.
Read:How to Grow Organic Celery in Containers.
Ginger harvesting:
Ginger will grow slow when compared to all the other herbs. After two to three weeks of the plantation, you will begin seeing the shoots coming up on the soil, but it will not be prepared for harvesting until 3 months after the shoots have emerged.
You can generally confirm that the ginger is ready for the harvest when you see the stems above the soil have reached a length of approximately 3 inches or 5 inches.
When the time has come for the harvest, make use of your fingers to push some amount of soil aside to the corner edge of the pot. Get hold of ginger rhizome. This is usually the part of the root which will be present underground and grows continuously. After holding the ginger rhizome, cut off a ginger piece by making use of a small knife.
After cutting some ginger, the rhizomes have to be replaced with soil. Ensure that they are completely covered with soil so that they will continue growing.
The soil has to be misted continuously with water on a daily basis and add the compost to the pot on a monthly basis so that the plant keeps growing.
That’s all folks about Indoor Ginger Gardening Tips. Keep Gardening!.
