How to Care for Ginger

Find a warm, partially shaded location for your ginger plant. Select a location with loamy, nutrient-rich soils. Be sure the location is well-drained and without flooding tendencies. Test the location by digging a hole and filling it with water. Allow the water about an hour to drain. Choose another planting location if the water does not drain within one to two hours. Consider planting your ginger plant in a container, because this will allow you to move this tropical plant indoors as the cold weather approaches.

Prepare the selected area before planting the ginger. Dig up the selected planting area to loosen the soils. Break up clumped soil and remove weeds and grass from the area. Take a soil sample from the location once the soil is loosened. Use the sample to test the soil’s pH levels with a test kit. Purchase the kit from your local home improvement or nursery retailer. Follow the instructions carefully to ensure accurate results.

Make adjustments to the soil, if necessary, after reading the soil test results. Speak with your local nursery or horticultural specialist for information on the most effective way to adjust your soil, because the best options often vary by location and climate.

Plant your ginger rhizomes in the early spring as the rhizomes begin to sprout eyes. Dig a shallow hole and place the rhizomes in the hole with their eyes up. Plant multiple ginger rhizomes 12 to 15 inches apart to allow plenty of room for growth. Cover the rhizomes completely so they are about an inch below the surface. Irrigate the ginger rhizomes deeply to promote a good establish. Replace the top layer of soil, if necessary.

Feed your ginger plants about once a month throughout the growing season, from early spring through midsummer. Begin applications just after shoots appear. Use a slow-release, low-nitrogen fertilizer such as a 10-20-20 or 6-8-8 combination. Apply the fertilizer around the outside of the ginger’s planting area. Keep the feed away from the base of the plant because ginger is easily burned and rooted by fertilizer. Follow the fertilizer’s instructions carefully to prevent over-fertilizing the rhizomes. Water the fertilizer thoroughly into the soil.

Harvest your ginger plants in the late summer to early fall. Cut back the foliage tops of the ginger approximately three weeks before harvesting. Dig around the planted rhizomes, with a sterile shovel, to loosen the soil. Pull the rhizomes gently from the soil. Handle the ginger tenderly to avoid damaging the skin around the rhizomes before washing.