How to Grow Ginger ( The Business Way of Propagating Gingers )

Plan to propagate a high value crop in the Philippines? Why not try gingers? Ginger price and demand in the markets is high. Either indoor gardening or commercial way of propagating ginger, you should take note of  some important information  on how ginger rhizomes grow. Rhizome is a type of plant that has stem that grows in the soil or surface of the soil that shoots out roots and produces stalks. 

1. Ginger rhizomes grow and spread horizontally in the soil and grow stalks vertically to form foliage.

2 Rhizomes do not spread forever. Most ginger rhizomes cover only a one to two square foot of the soil and begin producing stalks depending on the variety.

3. An exposed part of the stalk can be covered with soil to produce and spread another batch of rhizomes.

4. Gingers spend most of their lives growing vertically by nature. As they get older, they are more interested in growing foliage and reproduce through pollination.

5. Gingers hate wet clay soil and gravels. They love soil mixture of loam and sand.

Gingers are widely propagated through rhizome cuttings. However, you may apply the use of ginger seeds too. A rhizome of a size of a person's thumb, can reproduce batches of rhizomes. The image below shows possible  cuttings to propagate gingers.

Gingers need only a shallow dug soil of up to 3 inches deep. Each cuttings are spaced 30 to 40 cm from each other. Ginger are best planted in blocks and boxes to allow the water to be drained right away. Prolong exposure of rhizomes to water will result to rotting. To earn more yields, rhizome batches should grow in layers.

I recommend to use soil box frame. It can be made of wood or plastic as long as the box and soil mixture wont hold water. The height should be 30 to 40 cm

Fill the box with 4 inches thick of  soil and sand mixture

Prepare the rhizome cuttings and soak them in warm water overnight.

Place the rhizome cuttings in the soil at a depth of 3 inches and cover again with the soil. Allow 30 to 40 cm spacing from each rhizome cuttings.

Allow the cuttings to grow and spread. Water once a day or once every other day depending on the weather. Gingers are best grown in tropical areas.

Once new sets of rhizomes reveal on the soil surface. Add 3 inch thick of soil and sand mixture in the box. This will allow stalks to produce another batch of rhizomes and the spreading of newly grown rhizomes will happen once again.

 As you observe,  rhizomes can be multiplied  layer by layer. Once another batch of rhizomes reveal on the soil surface again, add again another 3 inch thick of soil and sand mixture. The process can be repeated multiple times within 10 to 12 months. The number of layers may vary on the rhizome variety type and the way of caring the plants. The more the layers of rhizomes, the bigger the yield is. Gingers are sometimes magnesium hungry. If your soil and sand mixture does not have enough magnesium content, you may apply the use of scientist version of "ormus". It is a by-product of sea water and caustic lye reaction. It is pure basic and monoatomic crystalline that can be mixed with water to get the a desired pH  for your plants.