Don't run out of ginger at home / how to grow it

The ginger is a crop from the Asian continent used as a condiment and medicinal remedies, in this publication we want to socialize what are some of its general characteristics (Botany, climatic characteristics and benefits) in addition to explaining step by step the procedure for planting in pots.

The ginger whose scientific name is Zingiber officinalis Rosc. is a plant that is generated from a stem called rhizome, which is what is consumed or known in the market as Ginger. From this rhizome, a plant is generated whose stems or pseudostems are of herbaceous consistency, that is to say, they are not hard and can be easily cut, In addition, they have leaves whose apex is pointed, known technically as lanceolate leaves, these plants can reach a height of up to 1 meter (m) approximately and in it you can see yellow flowers with some purple tones.

On the other hand, it is necessary to mention that it adapts to tropical climates, according to Méndez and Amaya (2013), the recommended temperature to cultivate it is between 25 and 30 °C with high relative humidity and regular rainfall. It also requires a well-drained soil with abundant organic matter.

In addition, it is necessary to mention, that the edible part or more used of the plant is the rhizome, which seems to have form of fingers, according to Refulio (2018), the rhizomes contain fats, carbohydrates, protein, calcium, vitamin B1, B2 and B5 among other elements.

Rhizome can be consumed fresh, although some industries dehydrate them and use them as a spice for meals or processed foods. It also has medicinal uses, some researchers such as Morales (2007), point out that it is used for stomach control, since it contains compounds similar to digestive enzymes and also has beneficial functions in the nervous system, respiratory system in addition to having anti-inflammatory effects among others. As a personal experience, without any scientific rigor I have noticed that my son who suffers from asthma has proven that when he is given the fresh rhizomes of ginger to chew, the asthma crisis decreases, possibly because of the anti-inflammatory properties.

The ginger plant, as it has been said, spreads in a vegetative way through the rhizome that is part of the plant, that is why if you are going to make the first sowing, you only have to go to the market and get the ginger which you have to put to sprout it again and then sow it, in case you already have the plant, after the harvest you take part of the rhizomes to make the sowing process again.

Before planting any crop you should locate the space you have available, if the planting is done in our home we have two alternatives planting in pots or gardens, for more practical purposes the pot would be an alternative to plant and have them anywhere in our home and if you make a move can take the plants with you.

We recommend that the pots to be used have a certain depth so that the roots can develop well and therefore ensure a good development of the ginger, we must also ensure that the container to be used has holes for drainage, since the crop does not support flooded soil.

When we talk about substrate, we refer to the soil or organic matter (compost, humus among others) that is used to sow the rhizome (vegetative seed), we recommend that a mixture of 50% soil-50% organic matter can be used. The idea is to avoid compacting the substrate and to allow a good development of the rhizome since the organic matter provides essential nutrients.

As it has been said throughout the article, the seed used is vegetative, it is known as vegetative seed to which comes from an organ of the plant that has growth points like the meristem and that once sown can form a new plant.

In the case of Ginger, the vegetative seed is the rhizome, which is a stem that grows horizontally below the ground, and it begins to spread and give off new shoots throughout the entire sowed area. These rhizomes, which are no more than the ginger itself, can be found in the vegetable market.

In order to carry out the sowing we must make sure that the rhizomes acquired in the market have resprouts, for it a handling is made before the sowing to stimulate the resprout, a technique very used is the one to place the rhizome in water without submerging it during 3 or 4 hours approximately, soon they are wrapped in a paper and it is placed in a plastic bag during 7 days and it is guarded in a fresh place without much illumination. All this is done with the intention that the seed maintains the humidity and in this way we stimulate the re-growth.

After 7 days we proceed to verify if the rhizome presents any regrowth, in case of having them we proceed to the sowing of the same ones, the pot is located and it is filled with the prepared substrate as it was mentioned previously, then we proceed to place the rhizomes in the substrate burying them a little, with the intention that a good contact with the substrate exists that allows that it has the ideal conditions to follow its process of growth.

Then proceed to apply water to maintain the moisture of the substrate, this practice should be performed periodically but without exceeding the levels of moisture, as it can cause the rhizome to decompose and therefore will not follow its normal growth.

The pot can be placed inside the house or left in the garden, avoiding of course that it is exposed to the sun for many hours a day, if you follow these tips the plant will start its growth uninterruptedly.

After planting, the harvest of mature rhizomes can be done approximately ten months, the leaves begin to be placed as if the plant was drying, if you observe this condition at 10 months do not worry is an indicator that the plant is ready to be harvested. It is also necessary to mention that from 4 months on, non-mature rhizomes can be harvested, which can be consumed because they present organoleptic characteristics very similar to mature rhizomes, although they are less spicy.

Dear reader, I hope that the publication is to your liking, it is necessary to clarify that after the harvest you can use some rhizomes to reseed them and maintain a continuous production of this great crop in the comfort of your home. Agriculture is great so it is not limited by space to grow, as you can see from the comfort of our homes we can have crops of culinary and medicinal importance throughout the year without needing large areas of land.

If you are interested in this type of content, I invite you to visit the following link where you will find some essential aspects for the planting of Turmeric at home, this plant is also of Asian origin and has many potentialities.

- Morales, A. (2007). The cultivation of ginger. Costa Rica: Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

- Refulio, B. (2018). Processing of fresh organic ginger for export. Unpublished graduate work. Universidad Nacional Agraria la Molina, Lima Peru.

- Méndez, E. and Amaya, J. (2013). Phenology and production of fresh mass and oleoresin from ginger (zingiber officinale r.) with different organic matter. Science and Technology.