Ginger High-Yield Planting Secrets: Master These Management Points
SummaryHigh-yield ginger requires attention to multiple aspects. Choose deep, fertile loam or sandy loam with good drainage and irrigation and abundant organic matter. Do not practice continuous cropping; instead, rotate with rice, legume crops, etc. for 3-4 years. Usually sow in February-March. Before sowing, soak the seed ginger in Bordeaux mixture for disinfection, and control the density reasonably. Apply potassium fertilizer and pig and cattle manure as base fertilizer. After sowing, topdress with nitrogen and potassium fertilizer. In summer, do good work in shading, drought prevention, and flood prevention. In the later stage, hill up the soil at the right time.
1. Strictly Select the Land
Ginger is suitable for planting in loam or sandy loam with deep soil, fertile texture, and abundant organic matter. The field should be relatively high in terrain, not prone to water accumulation, and convenient for drainage and irrigation. Good conditions help prevent the occurrence of ginger blast.
2. Avoid Continuous Cropping
When ginger is planted in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment, it is relatively prone to soft rot, commonly known as ginger blast. Ginger blast is a bacterial soil-borne disease. It is generally more severe under continuous cropping and can lead to reduced ginger yield. Therefore, ginger should not be continuously cropped, but it can be rotated with rice, legume crops, cruciferous crops, etc. for 3-4 years.
3. Disinfection and Sprouting
(1) Select fully mature, plump, disease-free old ginger with 1-2 strong buds as seed ginger. Before sowing, disinfection and sprouting are needed. There are many disinfection methods; you can soak the seed ginger in Bordeaux mixture at 1:1.5:200 for 20 minutes to kill pathogens on the surface of the seed ginger.
(2) After disinfecting the seed ginger, take it out and dry it in the sun for 2-3 days. Once the ginger pieces are thoroughly dry, pile them up, then cover with straw or gunny bags to keep warm and promote sprouting. During this period, maintain the temperature between 20°C-25°C. When the ginger buds grow to 1 cm, they can be sown.
4. Sow at the Right Time
In South China, the sowing period for ginger is February-March. When sowing, the size of the seed ginger should preferably be 70-100 grams.
5. Reasonable Close Planting
For seed ginger density, a row spacing of about 40 cm and a plant spacing of about 20-25 cm are suitable.
6. Apply Sufficient Base Fertilizer
Ginger is relatively tolerant of fertilizer and has a very long growth period. When planting, apply sufficient base fertilizer. Per mu, apply 3000-5000 jin of pig and cattle manure and 20-30 jin of potassium fertilizer as base fertilizer.
7. Scientific Topdressing
Topdress with small amounts many times, from light to concentrated. Apply fertilizer once when the seedlings grow to 15 cm, and topdress again when they grow to 30 cm. In the later stage, topdress once about every 20 days. During the seedling stage, mainly apply nitrogen fertilizer; during the rhizome expansion stage, apply more potassium fertilizer.
8. Shade and Cool Down
Ginger is a shade-tolerant plant, but it is not tolerant of strong light and high temperatures. Diffused light is beneficial for growth, so shading should be carried out during the summer growth stage. There are many shading methods. During this period, it can be intercropped with crops such as kudzu, taro, and winter melon, and these crops can be used for shading. A flat shed can also be built for shading.
9. Prevent Drought and Flooding
Ginger is not tolerant of drought or flooding, so it has relatively high water requirements. During the growth period, keep the soil moist. In summer when temperatures are relatively high, water the ginger in time to cool it down; water once in the morning and evening. During the rainy season, drain accumulated water from the field in time to reduce the occurrence of ginger blast.
10. Hill Up Soil at the Right Time
(1) The rhizome of ginger is suitable for growing in a dark and moist environment. Later, as the rhizome grows upward, it will gradually emerge from the ground, causing the ginger skin to thicken and the quality to deteriorate. Therefore, hill up the soil about 3 times. The depth of hilling can be decided according to the planting purpose.
(2) For harvesting young ginger, hill up the soil deeper, which can increase the length of the young ginger and make the flesh crisp and tender. For harvesting old ginger, hill up the soil shallower, so that the rhizome becomes thick and sturdy.