Growing ginger

[albertajune]

Has anyone had a go at growing ginger?
The books make it sound so easy. Just get a piece of ginger root with the growth nodules showing, plant and keep in a warm place.
Mine is still sitting after about a month and doing nothing. Where have I gone wrong.

June

[Totally Scrambled]

Did you buy it from a supermarket type place?
Sometimes they zap produce to help with the shelf life and they won't grow.
Dom

[rhubarb93]

I've had both success and failure with this, so I think it's a bit hit and miss. Might be because it got too wet, and rotted, perhaps. I think you need to keep the compost just moist.
But worth trying again, for the cost of a few pennorth of ginger. The one that I got to go grew into a largeish and quite attractive plant, and gave me a decent size bit of root to cook with when i got tired of it.

[Maggie1]

I have had success and failure with growing ginger. Some have come to absolutly nothing after ages. As somebody has already mentioned some are dipped. The best place to go is to an Ethnic shop or Organic. Some I've grown have actually had loads of leaves on and a beautiful fragrant flower which took ages to get it to that stage but then it caught a cold and that was the end of that. I've not tried since.

[newto]

Oh. I´m so glad it´s not just me

I´ve tried several times, as I love ginger, an can´t often find fresh here , well not locally anyway!

It´s always started off ok.. takes a while though.. grows a little, then dies!
nevermanagd to even get as far as an actual plant!

Everywhere I´ve looked.. well they all say it´s easy, but there mustbe something else they just not telling us.!

[Homemade]

Grew it in a heated greenhouse (at work) and it thrived.
It is a tropical plant so it may need constant high temperatures.
Starting it off may be affected by the daylength. Tropical plants may not grow in short days the tuber is designed to go dormant at times. Try again when there are 12 hours of daylight and good temperatures.
I see t&n seeds are offering tubers of ginger and sweet potatoes for uk growing outdoors. I think that is a bit optimistic and will mean many people will be disappointed.

[albertajune]

Did you buy it from a supermarket type place?
Sometimes they zap produce to help with the shelf life and they won't grow.
Dom

Yes I did. Didn't realise it may have been "zapped". Must find another source.

[albertajune]

Thanks for all your input. It has given me something to think about.

[Homemade]

My victorian gardening encyclopedia says -needs stove house conditions -which means warm and moist. But it also says they stop growing through the winter and require almost no water at this time.

I brought 1and a half kilo for £1 at the market yesterday so I will freeze most of it and keep some dry to plant in about a months time. Then we can compare notes .