Edible ginger Zingiber Officinale

au0rey starts with ...
Hi all, I have a ginger plant that has done very well in summer. I am in Melbourne.

Am wondering if anybody (especially if you live in Melbourne and have grown them) could advise if this ginger will survive the coming winter. It's my first time growing ginger successfully and the underground root is really huge at the moment. I am thinking of keeping it in its large pot.

The leaves seem to be yellowing and perhaps it is dying down. Is there any point keeping the root in the pot under heavy mulch? Or perhaps it's better to just harvest the root (which I would love to keep underground so it will re-grow next spring).

Thanks.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
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Slicko says...
I am unable to assist you with your enquiry, au0rey as I have no idea how ginger performs down in your neck of the woods.

But I am able to show you my crop of ginger that I lifted yesterday... almost 60cm it

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2

Brain says...
IMHO - the yellowing is most likely to be natural, as ginger is fairly tropical and dies down in winter. It sort of hibernates. And in Melb can be fairly cold!

I would dig it up, as it can easily rot in soil. Once dug up, you can eat some and break up the rhizome into smaller pieces and replant in again spring.

Of course you can leave it and let nature takes its course.

Slicko says...
Julie, the piece on the left is 1 piece 30 cm long and came from the one plant. The piece beside it is nearly 20 cm and the rest is in 2 pieces. I was amazed be the size of the main piece as it still had green shoots coming from it that I cut off so that I could harvest it.
The original piece came from the local grocer.

Mick

au0rey says...
Slicko, that's a lot of ginger! I can't wait to see mine!!!

Julie says...
Mine was a big disappointment. It went yellow quite suddenly, so I dug it up. Some had rotted, the rest was pretty small.

I had my doubts from the start, as I planted three pots, and only one came up. The leaves on that were never really thick, but I persisted.

I need to find a better source for the root next time - yes, I will try again! I suspect these had been treated in some way.

Julie says...
Thanks Slicko. It's not very big, but it did at least grow! I'm wondering the best way to keep it till spring now. What do you do in Queensland, the land of ginger?

Edit: came across this article, which has some useful tips.

http://www.gingerwoodnursery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:storing-and-sprouting-ginger-rhizomes&catid=37:ginger-articles&Itemid=53

Brain says...
For me, storage is a bit of a hit and miss, the biggest concerns are humidity and mould.

Try to have your rhizomes for replanting cut about half a lady finger sized banana, preferably one cut per piece (and these will be cut again to size, 2 weeks prior to planting in Oct/Nov).

Find a dry airy and semi-sunny spot but no direct sun. I just lay mine on top of news papers, reasonably spaced apart and not in any containers and not on top of each other.

Not all pieces will make it through, but majority of them will be ok for replanting.

When the weather turns warm, the eyes will start to green and that's a good time to cut into good sized pieces, let it rest and heal for at least a week and after that, then plant.


on another note, I have supplemented my crop by planting coles brought ginger. I look for young pieces that has a light skin. I do give them a light wash and the same storage solution as above and just wait till they are ready to be planted.


good luck with the harvest and planting next season.

Linton says...
Hi auOrey........Well Done with the ginger!

I've never been able to grow it from the rhizomes you buy in the supermarket so I always thought that it couldn't be grown in Melbourne. Really impressed with your success and that you managed to get a crop. Please tell me if you grew it from the rhizomes or did you buy a plant that was already growing? Thanks.