How to Grow Ginger: A Detailed Guide to Ginger Planting Methods and Techniques

To grow ginger, you first need to choose the land and select the seed ginger. Choose sandy soil with strong permeability, and select healthy ginger pieces with relatively plump tubers and good color. Sow with a spacing of 30 cm between plants and 40 cm between rows. After planting, apply sufficient base fertilizer. Carry out pest and disease control in a timely manner. Harvest in a timely manner in November and December.

1. Choosing the land and selecting the seed

Ginger can be said to be sensitive to water. Generally, it is neither good at resisting drought nor good at resisting waterlogging, so when choosing land, we should try to choose sandy soil with strong permeability. It also needs to be close to a water source, which makes irrigation and drainage convenient when the time comes. As for selecting ginger seed, it means choosing healthy ginger pieces with relatively plump tubers and good color, and carefully observing whether the ginger buds are full of vitality and have not wilted.

2. Sowing and density

When sowing, the ginger pieces can be soaked in a chemical solution for about ten minutes, then mixed with sand, placed in a relatively small space, and sealed with plastic film. Generally, after five days they can be sown. When sowing, sow at a spacing of 30 cm between plants and 40 cm between rows, and try to face the sprouting side upward. Arrange them row by row in this way. After arranging them, cover with a thin layer of soil, and finally spread a layer of straw on top.

3. Base fertilizer and topdressing

After planting, sufficient base fertilizer must be applied. Generally, an average of 3,000 kg of organic rotten fertilizer is needed per mu, and in addition 30 kg of potassium fertilizer is needed as a supplement. The first fertilization is when the ginger seedlings are 25 cm tall. In rural areas, manure mixed with water can be used for irrigation, or 20 kg of urea mixed with water can be sprayed. By the time autumn is approaching, that is, in early September, carry out the second fertilization. This time the main purpose is to make the tubers plump, so mainly apply compound fertilizer and potassium fertilizer, with amounts of 45 kg and 30 kg respectively. The last fertilization is when the tubers have grown to about the size of three thumbs, that is, one month after the second fertilization. The types of fertilizer for this fertilization are the same as the second time, except the amount is halved.

4. Pest and disease control

The main diseases that harm ginger growth and affect ginger yield are rot disease and leaf spot disease. Rot disease generally occurs in summer in July and August and may even continue into early September. If diseased plants are found, they should be pulled out in time, and the soil beside these plants should be dug out to avoid bacterial infection, then a layer of lime should be spread, and the ground should be filled level with soil again. The control method for leaf spot disease is to spray 50% chlorothalonil 800-fold solution, once every 7-10 days. The insect pests that affect quality are mainly ginger stem borers and ginger maggots. We generally use trichlorfon or phoxim for foliar spraying control.

5. Harvesting

The general harvest season is late autumn to the beginning of winter, that is, November and December. We need to observe whether the stems and leaves of the ginger in the field have turned yellow and begun to wilt. If so, it can be harvested. However, it is best to harvest only once every two years. There is a saying that old ginger is spicier, which shows that ginger is better when it is a little older. Here the editor also reminds you that the stems of ginger are also edible and can be used to make pickled mustard tuber or directly stir-fried, and they are very delicious too.