Tropicals: Ginger: Questions

Hi,

I have never seen a ginger plant and have some questions....I'm really curious and up for another challenge. First, can it be grown in a pot as I know it isn't perennial in zone 5? Are they hard to grow? Are they expensive to buy? Can anyone supply a url for a good reliable nursery where I can order from? Thanks a lot for any help you might be able to give me.

Shirley

Gingers will grow in pots just fine. You might want to think about growing them in the ground and potting them up in winter. Stokes Tropicals has a great catalog. www.stokestropicals.com

I have shell ginger and white butter fly ginger that I could trade.

Thanks.......I'll have to wait a while because I'm going to have hip replacement this next week. Maybe later and when the weather in Iowa is safe for mailing. I'll go to the web site you put in your post and see what I can learn there too. Thanks for your help.

Does the ginger bloom have a good fragrance?

brugie it's great!! I grew butterfly gingers in a pot this year.

Brugie, I have some extra butterfly ginger I can share with you. I will wait till spring so it won't freeze in transport. They can bew grown in the ground like cannas and dug in the fall. I love the way it smells, especially in the evening.

caca, what it is look like butterfly ginger?

heads up about Stokes, I have been there (to their store) I live not to far from them, got their cataloge in, had to go see their place. I was not very impressed with their stock. Most things were looking pretty poor and one of the workers was on the phone with a very angry mail order customer. I wouldn't order from them after touring their place. Just thought I'd let you know. Very over priced too.

Thanks for the info,I was going to order from them.My problem is none of my ginger ever blooms.I keep it growing all year but never get a bud,anybody got a hint on how to get a bloom???Is it because I'm in the north?I have 2 differnt types of variegated ginger if that makes a difference.

Most gingers bloom on the last years canes. Are you cutting them by any chance? The variegated shell ginger takes a long time to bloom...even in my tropical zone. I just love gingers, aren't they wonderful???

I have ordered from Stokes occasionally for the last 10 years or so. I have been pleased with the merchandise and service that I received.

Stokes catalog is a wonderful reference tool. It tells you which gingers bloom on new growth as well as the ones which only bloom on old growth.

The varigated shell ginger is traditional a poor bloomer. It is grown for the foliage.

Thanks Everyone for you advice and offers. Cala, I'll take you up on your offer of a ginger in the spring. I'm going to have to get really busy and get some things rooted for you. Do you have, never mind, I'll send an email. Thanks a bunch. I also ordered some yellow ginger seeds. Will get them planted today as it appears to take several months for germination. Plants are sounding good now. Wonder why they don't put the germination times down in the catalogs. Probably know you wouldn't buy seeds that would take so long to germinate. :-)

Ok guys,what are some names of gingers I should look for that will bloom easily?Probably one that blooms on new growth.Does any one know?

well, for sure the butterfly ginger is easy easy. Dies back in my winter and comes back bigger every year. I can send you some when it warms up.

Please, some of you..all of you..what is the difference between a Calathea and Zingiber??? Yesterday I purchased a Calathea "Brazilian Snow"..can some one help me here???Elaine

Where is Lisa, she is good with the gingers.

Try this

http://www.stokestropicals.com/

Over the years I have purchased many gingers from Stokes-mail and have visited their place of business. Several years ago the purchases made were not of the best condition or size but since that time the plants are great and service good. If my pocketbook could stand it, I would be ordering again. I have about 50+ gingers and many came from Stokes. I am addicted to them like I am to brugs.
Barbara

...I thought I read somewhere, that someone had started some ginger plantings with ginger roots purchased at the grocery store........any ideas?




"eyes"

I just recently ordered a blue ginger for spring shipment. Also am trying some seeds for a yellow ginger. Nothing showing yet, but I think it might take a long time for them and maybe they will never germinate. Just a wait and see thing.
Eyes, I read the same thing, but don't remember where I saw it.

Brugie,
Did your ginger germinate?
Lisa is sending me ginger; what do you suggest
I do with it here in Iowa winter?

Thanks,
Arlene

Brugie, remember when you sent me a few seeds for the yellow ginger? One of them germinated, it got about 18" tall this year. I hope it blooms next year.
I plant most all of my gingers in pots except the butterfly ginger. I'm too afraid to lose them so I don't leave them outside all winter. When they start going dormant in the fall(leaves get all yellow) I quit watering and bring them into the greenhouse(45-50* night time temp) I try to place them where they stay dry. They come up in the spring, sometimes I put them on the heat mat to speed them up, but think they have an "automatic timer" that determines when they will sprout.

Cala, you don't water them at all???

None of my seed germinated, but I did have a blue ginger that is just now blooming. I had it in too much sun, so I'll do better next year. Cala is the one who can tell you how to treat your gingers. I'm glad you got at least one to germinate Susie.

Arlene, I've lived in Iowa all my life and don't know where Twin Lakes is. We just tried to find it in our 15 year old Atlas and Jim says it must be a new town. Think we better go get a new Atlas. Guess you can tell we don't travel anymore. :-)

Shirley

Calla,
That sounds pretty easy; here in my zone I would have to
bring them inside; but my question is like tiG's;
no water all winter?

By the way, when I was very new I inquired about your
Brug seeds but I don't remember if I sent you SASE?
Do you know, Calla?

thanks
arlene

Here is a great place to order gingers from. They come in nice size plants and are really healthy.

http://naturalselections.safeshopper.com/



This message was edited Sunday, Nov 10th 9:46 PM

Twinlakes, I found that email the other day. If you sent me an sase, I sent them all out this past week. I was running behind. If you don't get anything this week, lmk and I can send more.

Eyes, this time of the year, u can experiment and buy ginger rhizome from a local grocery. leave them in the plastic bag. after a few weeks: new shoots and roots will emerge. i always buy ginger rhizomes and have the tendency to forget them. i have a few right now that are rooted and new shoots emerged! they will keep growing until next spring, when i am ready to pot them.

when u grow store bought ginger roots, both the roots and the plant itself is used in cooking in the Asian community.

on the hand, i take the ornamental ginger plants i grow off the ground, as they are not hardy in my area. i do not wash them. i allow the roots to dry and brush off excess dirt. place them in plastic bags until next spring, where more shoots will emerge, and ready for planting when the soil gets warmer.

I took this pic of a great brug that had a huge amooount of gingers growing under it, in my neighborhood

a close up

Looks like Kahili Ginger. That pink brug needs to be in your pepto garden!!

Kell, that is Kahili ginger. the fragrance is too much for me, it gives me stomach ache. it is a prolific grower too!

The ginger and the brug took up a whole block!! went on forever!

Brugie, I have quite a few gingers.
If you some more you need ..let me know.
They are pretty easy ..as even I can grow then here. ha

that is very true Kell. one of my son's friend lives in San Mateo, where the entire subdivision houses are lined with brug trees and ginger plants.

Brugie... there are gingers with ur name written on it for next Spring... as promised before.

Thanks everyone. You are a great bunch of people. I'm so glad to be able to call you my friends. Alice, if I can grow the ones MVR sends me, I might call on you for some different ones next year. Right now I'm worried about what I'm going to do with everything I have held over and where to put it all next spring. Thanks again.

Brugie, all gingers i've grown, bloom on new shoots. at least that has been what i have experienced, i do not know about others. when the blooms finished, i cut off the finished bloom part[to about 6" above the rhizome... making room for the next shoot to come up and bloom. each winter, i uproot the entire plant. dry them some. wrapped them in newspaper then inside a plastic bag --> where the rhizomes will form new shoots for next year growing and bloom. plant them again when the temperature get warmer. these are my first hand experiences in growing rhizomed or bulb plants from the tropics.

Thanks MVR, I'll probably have to ask questions next spring.

Ma Vie, where I am I think they leave them in the ground all year. Maybe the ones here are more hardy??

Kell, almost every where i go up northern Ca. area, brugs and gingers are grown on the ground year round. i could distinctly remember during the x-mas holidays, every where we go the brugs are loaded with flowers. Palo Alto, San Mateo, and up in the Hercules area, most houses fronts and backyard have brugmansia, gingers and other tropical plants growing nicely year round.