Detailed Explanation of Key Field Cultivation and Management Points for Ginger

Ginger refers to the root tuber of plants in the Zingiber genus. It is warm in nature, and its unique “gingerol” can stimulate the gastrointestinal mucosa, causing the gastrointestinal tract to become congested, enhancing digestive capacity, and can effectively treat abdominal bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and other conditions caused by eating too much cold and cooling food. After eating ginger, a person will feel the body becoming warm. This is because it can dilate blood vessels, speed up blood circulation, and prompt the pores on the body to open. In this way, it can not only carry away excess heat, but also bring out pathogens and cold from the body at the same time. When the body has eaten cold and cooling things, has been drenched by rain, or has stayed in an air-conditioned room for a long time, eating ginger can promptly eliminate various discomforts caused by heavy cold in the body.

Ginger's Growth Habits

Ginger originated in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia. It likes a warm, humid climate, and has weak cold resistance and drought resistance. The plant can only grow during the frost-free period. The most suitable temperature for growth is 25-28°C. When the temperature is below 20°C, sprouting is slow. When frost occurs, the plant will wither, and after frost damage the rhizome completely loses its ability to sprout.

In most counties of Guangxi, the main production area, the annual average temperature is 18-19°C, the average temperature in July is 25.3°C, and the extreme high temperature is 39°C; the average temperature in January is 10.2°C, and the extreme low temperature is -4°C; the annual frost-free period is more than 330 days. The annual rainfall is 900-1300 mm, and the relative air humidity is about 80%.

It likes a warm and humid climate, is not cold-tolerant, fears moisture, and fears direct strong light. Continuous cropping is taboo. It is advisable to choose sloped land and slightly shaded plots for cultivation. Deep, loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam to heavy loam is suitable.

Key Field Cultivation and Management Points for Ginger

1) Reasonable watering

Ginger needs relatively little water. Before emergence, keep the soil moist and water once every 4-5 days. Ginger fields covered with plastic film have good moisture retention, so watering can be done according to the needs of intercrops. After ginger emerges, water once every 5-7 days according to seedling condition and soil moisture.

2) Scientific topdressing

From emergence to “Start of Autumn,” ginger is generally not topdressed. After “Start of Autumn” comes the rapid growth period. Combined with watering, apply 150 kg-200 kg of decomposed cake fertilizer per mu, or 500 kg-1000 kg of dried manure, or trench-apply 40 kg of compound fertilizer. If nitrogen-containing urea, ammonium sulfate, etc. are applied alone, although yield can be increased, it affects ginger quality, and the moisture content is high, making it unsuitable for storage. More compound fertilizer should be applied, especially fertilizer containing more phosphorus, which has a great effect on improving ginger quality, but wood ash must absolutely not be applied, so as not to affect the color of commercial ginger.

3) Shallow hoeing and earthing up

Ginger has few roots, weak growth, and shallow distribution, so after emergence it is not suitable to cultivate frequently or deeply. For open-field cultivation, after emergence, shallow hoe 1-2 times, just breaking the soil surface to break up compaction. During the growth period, only pull weeds and do not cultivate. For weeds at the ginger plants, cut them off from the base at ground level, so as to avoid pulling weeds and disturbing ginger roots, which would affect normal growth. For plastic film mulching, cultivation is even less needed. In the middle growth stage of ginger, earthing up should be carried out. For open-field cultivation, after “Start of Autumn,” earth up once, to a height of 10 cm-15 cm. When earthing up, be sure not to move or damage the roots.

4) Peeling leaves and straightening them out

When ginger grows its first true leaf, due to the influence of climatic conditions, the leaves of individual plants curl and wrap around other leaves so they cannot extend and grow flat. They should be peeled open and straightened in time to ensure robust growth.

5) Removing shade to promote growth

After the Start of Autumn, when the temperature drops below 25°C, in order to promote the growth of ginger plants and prevent excessive stem and leaf growth, the shade grasses used to shade ginger should be removed in time. For those using intercropping or relay intercropping, harvest should be carried out in time to increase ventilation and light, ensuring robust growth of ginger.

6) Digging out old ginger to increase benefits

Before the Start of Autumn, the planted mother ginger can be dug out and sold, which can increase economic benefits by 20%-30% compared with a single harvest. The method is: on the north side of the ginger plant, use a small shovel to gently scrape away the soil on the planted plant, exposing the mother ginger, use the left fingers to press at 5 cm-6 cm on the main stem and insert the shovel blade, then gently tilt upward to take out the mother ginger. Then cover the ginger plant well with soil, and water continuously 2 times, so that the soil and the plant are closely consolidated. Other new ginger should be harvested at the proper time after Frost's Descent on a sunny morning, and after the round head forms, it can be stored or sold.