Saturday 16 September 2017

Growing Tropical Gingers From Seed

Growing Members of the Ginger Family and the Relatives From Seed.

Preparation

Soak the seed for at least 24 hours in warm water.  Some seed my not sink initially, this is not 'bad' seed, but an indication of air being trapped on the un-even surface that many of these seeds have.  Change the water every 12 hours or so.  The reason for this is that the seed may have chemical germinatation inhibitors that need to be leached out before germination can occur.  Larger seeds should be soaked for longer.

Sowing

Sow just below the surface of a good quality compost.  A good seed raising mixture consists of 1/3rd peat based mix, 1/3rd coarse grit, 1/3rd vermiculite or perlite (or a mix of both).  This should be damp (but not soaking) and the seeds pressed in and barely covered.  Once sown, either seal the pot in a plastic bag or place in a propagator.  The temperature should be 25 - 30 Deg C. The seed should germinate in 1 to 6 months, depending on the temperature and how well the preparation was conducted. Make sure the sowing medium is never dry and never soaking - as moist as it was when you sowed the seeds is correct.

Growing on

Once the plants are growing, always remember these are rhizomatus plants and just because the tops arent growing away, the roots more than likely are.  In the first year you should aim to get a good rhizome.  Keep it growing as long as you can.  If the leaves die back, reduce the watering and check under the soil that the rhizome is healthy and has new growing points for the next season. Pot up as required.  Flowering plants (perhaps in the 2nd or 3rd year) will require pots of 25 cm diameter or more.  Plant the rhizomes 5 - 7 cm below the surface and keep moist (but not wet).

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