Does anyone have any idea how to make an Alpinia purpurata bloom? I have had some for many years both in containers and in the garden. They have never been frozen back by winter. They are about 4 feet tall in the garden and have spread to about 3 ft. at the base. The stems are crowded but I have thinned them in the past and still no blooms.
alpinia purpurata
Are they getting enough sun? I can't think why they aren't flowering if they haven't frozen back. They usually flower freely when they are that old.
Yes they get about 6 hours of sun per day. They are in 3 different places. one even gets sun from 10:00 till 5:00.
I'm surprised they aren't blooming as well. I have some in my garden at home and I pretty much neglect them and they flower continuously. They don't get as much as sun as yours do, although I wouldn't think that would be the problem. Do you fertilize them?
I am wondering if they are getting enough water-red ginger usually grows a lot higher than 4' ( well, in Hawaii-which is the only place that I have experience growing them in-maybe they do grow lower in Alabama-what is your zone?) The water, and maybe fert -or lack of would be the next things that I would look at.
my a. purpurata only grows to about 4' as well. There are other varieties that can grow taller.
They get enough water as I have a sprinkler system in one area and the other areas I make sure they get at least 1-2" per week. I have had the soil tested and it is VERY high in phosphate so Auburn University said to fertilize with 15-0-15 (1 cup per 100 sq. ft.) and one half cup of 15-0-0 per 100 sq. ft. monthly starting in May - Sept. All other flowers bloom well and these plants look healthy. My zone is 8b.
Well, maybe its the PH of the soil then...did they tell you what it was? If they told you to go with a 15-0-15 fert, that is a basic fert which means that it will raise the PH. A lot of soils contain a good amt of phosphate-usually more than a plant can utilize, so not sure if they are trying to raise the PH with this fert, or just trying to keep away from any phosphate in the soil.
It just hit me...I think it has to do something with your zone-8b is kind of cold for gingers-there are many that over winter, but I don't think the cold winters encourage lots of blooms for the summer. I am amazed that they didn't defoliate during the winter. I am assuming that you get hard freezes there during most of your winters-how does the red ginger's foliage react to those freezes? Am asking because I have a pink ginger and am thinking abaout leaving it out in the ground in a protected spot if yours do so well in the winter.
I have a hard time growing these gingers here in the Orlando, Florida area. Having lived in Mobile, Alabama for a few years myself, I cannot imagine A. purpurata surviving there without major protective condtitions (greenhouse or conservatory). My only question would be, is this really A. purpurata? It is a very fussy ginger about any kind of cold weather and even our local botanical gardens don't grow it, though they do grow a lot of other unusualy tropicals that they can get to thrive here.
thats what I was wondering myself, Ncasselberry. nmcl-can you get us a picture of this ginger?
I don't know if you're looking for a particular Alpinia prpuata but, here's a pic of a pink.
Liz
Thanks Liz, but we were looking for a picture of nmcl's plant to see if she actually had alpinia purpurata
Yes they are Alpinia purpurata. The white one I dug in New Orleans and the plant was in flower. The red and pink ones came from Aloha Tropicals. One has been planted in the garden for 2 years. I have an enclosed courtyard in Mobile and last year was a very mild winter. I covered it with a white sheet and clear plastic on top. This year it went to only 29 on 3 nights. I did the same. When I took off the cover there was no damage to the plant. The other plants have been living in a pot until this year. They have spent the cold nights in my house. I would like to do a picture but don't know how to upload to this site. Maybe Liz can help.
I think Auburn wanted to stay away from any phosphate added to the soil. They also suggested liming as the ph was 5.3. I have done that and the soil is at 6.5 now.
nmcl, to upload a picture here, just make a file with your picture in it. I resize mine to 640X480. Open a message on DG, then click on "Browse". Find your downsized picture in your file and open it. Hit "Preview" and wait until the picture loads. After it loads, look to be sure it is like you want it. If so, just it send.
I cut one stem of the Alpinia. I know it is hard to identify when there is no bloom.
Even though your soil has a lot of phosphate in it, it does not necessarily mean the your plants are able to take up phosphorus. Especially when soils are too acidic or too alkaline. (see this article for more information: http://www.stretcher.com/stories/01/010611j.cfm)
Maybe you could try applying SOLUBLE phosphorus. Your local fertilizer source would probably be the best person to ask about this. Don't go to home depot, since their products are marketed for the entire US and are not specific to local environments. If available, you may try a foliar spray a few times to see what happens. If it works, you could then try granular. Again, your local co-op would probably know best about this.
Just an idea!
Heather
Thanks, I had not thought of a folliar fertilizer. Will keep everyone posted if any blooms appear.
We use Nutricoat 13-13-13 w/minors 180 days on all of our gingers. On the retail market it is: Dynamite and unfortunately Home Depot has the retail rights to it in Florida (we get it straight from the distributor, as Nutricoat). It is even used by orchid growers because it does last for the amount of days stated, it comes in many formulas and # of days. Gingers, as most plants do prefer a more acidic soil. We have our potting soil ph balanced to 5.75. Foliar feeding is good as a supplement, but only a supplement. Liquid feeding provides some very good things for the foliage but it doesn't contain everything the plant needs. Just because a plant is doing 'okay' doesn't mean it's getting everything it needs.
Just to add to what Liz posted, the slow release nitrogen fertilizers like Nutricoat are very good for most gingers in containers, but there are a few epiphytic gingers that should not be overfed. Also, most Kaempferias prefer a higher pH and will grow best in a very loose humusy soil on a limestone base. My gingers in the ground are growing in just slightly acid soil - pH ranging from 6.5 to neutral. I have a clay based soil here in Tallahassee, amended with literally tons and tons of compost, and I add very little artificial fertilizer for my gingers.
For in-the-ground planting, the best approach is to adjust your fertilizing depending on the type of soil you have - clay based soils have entirely different needs than sand based soils. That is a great article on phosphorus that Heather gave us, and also very good advise to check with your local Cooperative Extension Service or a knowledgable local nursery to find out more about the nutrient needs in local soils.
The "cookie-cutter" fertilizer recommendations I often see on mail order sites do not take into account the fact that some soils hold phosphorus much better than others, some leach nitrogen more, some good organic soils do not even need artificial ferilizers, and simply leach excess nitrogen and phosphorus into our rivers and lakes.
Dave Skinner
www.gingersrus.com
I agree that's why we use Nutricoat, they even won an environmental award this year.
At what temperature do the purpuratas begin to show signs of cold damage when they are planted in the ground? I have remote thermometers in several places thru out my yard and the coldest it got in my yard at anytime this winter was 33.5 degrees although generaly we get a few light freezes each year, temps hardly ever dip below 30, I can't remember the last time thats happened, for the most part the temperature stays in the low to mid 40's during winter nights. I would love to grow some preferably in the ground, especially the red. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
This may be an odd question but how big are the corms? I know with some Hedychiums we grow here if they aren't cut up every few years, they don't bloom well. Is the soil compact? A loose rich organic mix is best but if it's hard clay mix it might not be liking it.