Best way to propagate Ginger?

I recently bought an "Elizabeth" ginger plant that is getting to big for its pot. I need to divide the rhizome but have never done this before. It has a lot of new shoots coming up and I don't want to kill it by doing it the wrong way. Could someone please tell me the proper way to do this?
Thanks,
Wanda

Get a really sharp knife and be really careful..lol. Honestly, I'm no expert, but that's how I've done it. I'd pull the rhizome entirely up and just make a really careful slice where you want to divide it-those shoots can come up really close together. The worst thing that can happen is you might cut off a shoot, but you wont hurt the rhizome.

Now bamagirl, we're in the same zone, and when I divided my Elizabeth last summer, I brought some inside and left some out. It's fully hardy to zone 7b, what I had outside was just a small, not even established piece. Both of them did fine and came back this spring.

Ditto on what Tropicanna said-I even have one of my good German knives out in the grhouse-sharp and nice and long and slenderish

Hey Tigger, I'm baaaaaaaaaack. So, what else do you use that good, nice, long, slenderish German knife for? I use a Cutco serrated knife. I know I know I know, the German knives are superior but it does the job for half the price and I always know where to find it... in my kitchen knife drawer.

Thank you, I should have a good sharp knife around here somewhere. I'm going to start working on dividing these in the morning.

I had read that these gingers would survive in the ground in my zone but I have left everything in pots for now. It is so hot and dry here, we get very little rain lately, a few drops here and there. I am trying to hold most of my new plants over until it gets a little cooler. I figured that they would stand a better chance being planted in the ground in early Fall.

Got the divisions done without losing any fingers! LOL Thanks for the instructions!

This maybe a silly question to add to this but I will ask anyway:)
I too am going to do some dividing of my gingers so here goes.
Once you have cut them up with the really sharp knife:) do you just repot or plant them or do you let them dry for a day or two first to let the cut heal over a bit?
I have a cutco knife I am going to use to:)

Bea

I 've just repotted them as-is, but have heard of people letting them dry.

When ever I take cuttings of my Alpina Zerumbret I dust the rizome in rooting hormone then just plant it immediately. So far they have done well this way.

My Alpina has gotten "huge" as u can see in the pot. The pot I got from a landscaper who was doing a new apartment complex. He gave me numerous very large pots the trees he was planting came in. I have been tempted to divide this Alpina in half so I can have two large ones but Im hesitant. I've had it for so long that I dont want to kill it but at the same time I know it has to be done. Im sure it's roots and the rizome are just over crowded in that pot inspite of it's large size. Maybe I'll just wait till next spring...........we'll see

another pic, same plant

I just use a shovel to dig up and divide ginger lilies (hedychium). This way I can share a clump of rhizomes and stalks intact with soil and roots with friends, neighbors, and other folks. Very easy - beats dividing pampas grass and crinum lilies any day.