Tropicals & Tender Perennials: How to prune/root gingers (or not)?, 1 by imapigeon

imapigeon wrote:
Dave's got the search function disabled right now, and I wasn't able to find anything on this topic. I have several questions!

I have several potted gingers that got rather tall this year (some bloomed, and some didn't). I would have liked to pinch them back, but I didn't know if that was OK or not. I've moved them to a spot where they get more morning sun, in hopes that they won't fall over next year. But I'd still like to nip them back. Seems like I tried it before, and the whole branch died back to the ground. So I didn't prune them at all this year. They'll go dormant in my climate, but when they start sprouting again next year, I want to take better care of them. Can I pinch the tips like I do my other plants?

I also have a favorite gorgeous potted variegated ginger (don't know the variety; here's a photo of it a year and a half ago). It's never bloomed, but I don't care---I bought it for the spectacular foliage. It was stuck in too much shade while I was having some work done, and it's become very leggy. Can I prune back some branches at a leaf joint and expect them to resprout, or do I need to cut them back all the way to the ground? Can someone please ID the variety? Oh, and one more thing....(Columbo fan, here)...is it possible to root cuttings from it?

Thanks in advance, Ginger Folk!