How to Grow Ginger in Containers

We call it the ginger root but we actually harvest the ginger rhizome which is a modified underground stem. So it’s technically a stem. It takes 3 to 6 months to get good amounts of ginger to harvest.

 

To grow ginger, we plant the ginger rhizome into the soil, with its nodes facing upwards. Water when the soil starts to dry and keep it in full sun or partial shade. Ideal temperature range of 75°F to 105°F (24°C to 40°C). Feed with an organic fertilizer once a month. 

Tips to Grow Ginger

1. Plant it in the spring, cultivate it in the monsoon season.
2. Pick a large organic ginger with green buds growing

(small nodes that are sometimes sprouted as well). The larger the ginger rhizome, the faster you’re going to get ginger as you will get more sprouts with a large ginger.

3. You can sprout your ginger in a bowl of water, or you can directly plant it straight into the soil.
4. Place the ginger onto the soil with buds pointing upwards and cover just ½ inch and water thoroughly. Don’t plant it too deep.
5. Germination will take place in 10 to 20 days.

Pot Size for Ginger

Pick a wide shallow pot. Ginger rhizome grows horizontally so pick a wide shallow pot.

How fast does Ginger grow

Here is a table that explains the rate of growth for Ginger that you can expect:

 

Water💧

Water your Ginger plant when the top 1-2 inches of the soil starts to dry.  Don’t keep it too moist, but also don’t let the soil dry out too much. Once a week is a general recommendation.

 

Be cautious of overwatering as it can rot your harvest.

 

Sunlight☀️

Ginger plants do best in full sun, but if you live in a hot, dry, desert, arid or tropical climate, place the Ginger in a location that receives shade from the afternoon sun.

Ideal Growing Temperature🌡️

Ginger is a tropical plant that loves heat. Ideal growing temperature for Ginger is between 75°F to 105°F (24°C to 40°C). Ginger may go dormant below 66F so it’s recommended to bring it indoors.

Soil

Ginger needs loose soil so that the rhizome can creep and expand. It also needs a very rich soil. One recommended soil mix is 50% Sand with 50% of organic compost.

 

If you live in a hot, dry, desert, arid or tropical climate, cover the soil with mulch (dead leaves, coco peat, or wood chips) to keep the soil temperature cool and avoid heating of exposed soil by the sun.

 

Fertilizer

Ginger plants are heavy feeders and you need to fertilize your ginger plant every month with a handful of phosphorus-rich organic fertilizer.

Brown tips on Ginger plant

Tips of the ginger plant leaves turn brown when the soil is dried out more often due to underwatering. This is a sign that you should water your ginger plant more often.

Yellowing Ginger Plant leaves

Ginger is a nutrient loving plant. If its leaves are yellowing, it could be a sign of deficiency. You may want to give it some organic fertilizer.

Interesting Facts

• There are some plants in the Zingiberaceae family that do not have an edible rhizome, so before consumption please check if it's edible or not.
• The rhizome of a plant called Asarum europaeum (European Wild Ginger) smells like ginger but it is not edible as it is toxic and can cause kidney problems.
• While your ginger is growing, you can actually harvest some of the leaves. The leaves smell like ginger so you can cut/crush them and use them in your tea or to flavor your fried rice.