HAWAI'I GARDENS
Trick white ginger plants with lighting
By Heidi Bornhorst
Q. We were at the Hale Koa Hotel and saw white ginger in bloom. How do they do that?
Mine look pitiful. I thought white ginger bloom in summer? My daughter is coming home from the Mainland to wed, and that's her favorite flower because she says it reminds her of home.
How can I get my white ginger to bloom like that?
— Dottie Kakisako, 'Aiea
A. The gardeners and staffers at the Hale Koa are really great at what they do.
For one, they feed the soil with lots of organics such as monkeypod leaves, chipped coconut fronds and other plant waste materials recycled from the grounds and water well.
Gingers are heavy feeders and do well with supplemental fertilizer. Fertilize them with liquid fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro, fish emulsion or a good flowering-plant fertilizer.
If using granular fertilizer, put it down first and then top with mulch. This keeps the fertilizer where it's needed — by the root zone of the plants. The organics help to chemically hold onto and slowly release the plant nutrients.
Another secret is to trick the plants with summer-style lighting. A bright light shining on your gingers at night will help them bloom earlier.
It may be a little late to stimulate your ginger for your daughter's wedding, but you can try.
The good news is that professional flower growers and florists employ this technique, and if you order and shop early you can probably find some white ginger for the upcoming nuptials.
What's in bloom
While we were stuck in traffic recently, we saw some nice plantings close up.
Kolomona, or scrambled-egg tree, was in bright gold blossom. It is thriving after all the winter rain and wind on the windward side from Hau'ula and all along the Kualoa area. This plant also is very pretty and in full bloom along the freeway.
Bougies islandwide look rich and full flowered after their good winter drink. This thorny plant is great on freeway slopes.
I also saw the first few blossoms of our popular street tree, the rainbow shower. These will be nice next summer in their true blooming seasons.
Heidi Bornhorst is a sustainable-landscape consultant. Submit questions to: islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com or Island Life, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Letters may be published or distributed in print, electronic or other forms.
