How to grow ginger at home

Probably, every person, hearing the word "ginger", imagines a rather large root with a pleasant bitterness and a light smell, similar to lemon. This spice is widely used by housewives to spice up dishes. In addition, ginger is a useful plant that helps in strengthening immunity, the fight against heart and stomach diseases. And yet, who knows what the plant as a whole looks like, and not just its root?

In fact, this is a very beautiful representative of the world of flora, with oblong, sharp leaves at the end of a delicate green tint. If you grow it at home, then such a plant will become not only an assistant, but also a unique decoration of the interior. However, how to implement the plan? What does it take to grow ginger at home? Well, perhaps everything is not so complicated as it can show at first sight.

A few words about ginger

As we noted above, speaking of ginger, almost all represent only the root of this plant. But let's get to know him a little closer, and consider not only the underground, but also the ground part.

This plant is rightly referred to as a medicinal. It copes with almost all colds, including influenza, helping to cheerfully transfer even epidemiological outbreaks. In addition, ginger is involved in strengthening the immune system, relieves the condition with exacerbated stomach or heart diseases. Therefore, once you grow it at home in a large pot or at the cottage in a greenhouse, you will receive an irreplaceable green doctor.

The ground part of the plant is a fairly high stems on which long leaves grow. Outwardly, it may well pass for ordinary grass, which there are a lot of in the field in summer. However, this is a tropical representative of the flora, which scientists attribute to rhizome plants. Close relatives of ginger - turmeric, exotic Japanese ginger, cardamom and even beautiful flowers, ginger lily, Siamese tulip, globa, alpinia. In general, outwardly so simple, this green doctor is not at all so simple in fact.

Now let's take a closer look at the famous ginger part - the root. Surprisingly, the stems that are upstairs are actually pseudostems. But the one that is underground is real. That is why the root rather resembles a crooked arm. Growing ginger at home, you can count on a crop of about 60 cm tall. Well, now about how to do it.

The secrets of growing ginger at home

The method of growing ginger at home is not so complicated, but the plant cultivated in this way will be slightly different from its wild counterparts:

1. In fact, ginger is a perennial, but at home it becomes an annual culture.
2. The aroma of a home plant is not so bright and pronounced, although it also has a pleasant lemon note.
3. A crop cultivated in a temperate climate (in contrast to its native tropical) will be lower growth and not so juicy.
4. For homemade ginger special conditions are required: high humidity and high temperature, because he was originally a resident of the tropics.

So, now let's step by step carry out the plan.

Material selection

First you need to purchase the right planting material. Have you ever planted potatoes? When growing ginger, the process is approximately the same. First, you need a fresh, dense root with at least a few living buds (or “eyes”, when compared with potatoes). It happens that they are, but the root itself has already subsided, has become soft.Then it should be placed for some time in the water so that it gains strength and elasticity. The liquid should be warm, this will help sleeping kidneys to wake up quickly.

Landing Features

Now proceed to landing. Its features depend primarily on the time of year. If spring blooms in the yard, then plant the future plant in a wide, spacious pot (a container is also suitable) in a horizontal position. The direction of the kidneys is toward the surface of the earth. Naturally, the soil itself is important. Choose the one that is intended for growing various vegetable crops. This is considered to be the most saturated and suitable for cultivating ginger.

Another condition is important. Before planting, mix the soil with a special fertilizer designed for root crops. It is saturated with phosphorus necessary for the growth of ginger. To correctly carry out this simple procedure, read the recommendations that accompany the fertilizer purchased. Follow them strictly and everything will work out.

The root is planted shallowly, only a couple of centimeters from the surface of the soil. Until a sprout appears, future ginger should be watered sparingly, being careful that the soil is constantly slightly moistened, but not wet.

In autumn or winter, the plant is not planted, as the conditions are not suitable for its growth and development.

Growing technology

Rule one: excellent drainage! Ginger is a moody plant in this regard. It loves moisture, but the root itself rots very quickly. Therefore, create your pet from the world of flora optimal drainage so that it does not die. The following two critical conditions are humidity and temperature. Both of these indicators should be high. But, again, the plant is afraid of direct sunlight, although it loves warmth. Therefore, do not expose it to open light, on the contrary, it must be diffused, soft. If the summer is hot and without sharp temperature changes, it is quite possible to move ginger to a balcony or a veranda. However, remember: it is very picky about heat and moisture! Imbalance will lead to disease, wilting and death.

Feeding is important. While the plant is gaining strength, it needs to be nourished about 2-3 times a week with general, complex fertilizers. Then, during the formation of the root system, switch to special formulations for root crops.

Watering mode depends on weather conditions. If the summer is very hot, dry, water often and a lot. In humid weather, on the contrary, it is moderate. Do not forget to spray the plant at least twice a day, this procedure is very loved by ginger.

Harvest

The root is carefully dug up, cleaned of soil, washed. Drying should be carried out in a room with low humidity and excellent ventilation. Usually stored in the refrigerator, while the root remains usable for several months. You can also put it in a dark, dry cabinet or just freeze it. Useful properties will not suffer from this.

Ginger is a unique, unlike any other, surprisingly beautiful plant. It will surely amaze all your guests, will charm you with its simplicity and light aroma. In addition, it is also an excellent assistant in the fight against many diseases, with its use, no sore throats and viral infections will simply not be scary to you!

Video: how to grow ginger