Posted on: Friday, January 7, 2005
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HAWAI'I'S GARDENS
Care will keep ginger disease-free
By Jari Sugano
There are many uses for ginger in Hawai'i. Whether you're adding flavor to your favorite teriyaki sauce or chewing on ginger to alleviate nausea, it is a popular and highly valued spice in the Islands.
Culinary gingers have fleshy, edible rhizomes, or thick roots. There are two types of edible gingers grown in Hawai'i: Japanese and Chinese.
Japanese-type gingers have small yellow-flesh rhizomes and are pungent in flavor. This variety has small leaves and grows 15 to 18 inches tall.
Chinese ginger rhizomes have light-yellow flesh and are slightly less pungent than Japanese varieties. They have larger leaves and grow stems 24 to 36 inches tall. Chinese varieties often produce higher yields than Japanese varieties.
Advertiser library photo Ginger is planted during the early months of the year (before March) and harvested after a growing season of 8 to 10 months.
To ensure a healthy start, add well-rotted compost with a handful of superphosphate fertilizer or bone meal to the soil.
Plant seed pieces (approximately 4 ounces each) 4 to 6 inches deep, 12 to 18 inches between plants and 48 inches between rows.
During active growth, apply a 10-10-10 or 10-20-20 fertilizer every three to four weeks to the side of plant rows.
Hilling is essential for high-quality ginger. As new shoots continue to sprout (every 2 to 4 weeks), the pseudostem (pinkish part of rhizome) will become exposed above the soil. Hill or cover the exposed pseudostem with a few inches of soil. Continue hilling until the flowering stage.
Ginger typically will flower during the shorter fall-winter days. There is no further vegetative growth after flowering.
After flowering, reduce fertilizer and irrigation. As leaves turn yellow-brown and start to dry, rhizomes mature and cure underground.
The skins of the rhizomes become firm and shiny. Harvesting begins after complete dieback of leaves and stems. Rhizomes are dug up, gently washed, dried and cured in the shade for a couple of weeks.
Young ginger used for pickling is typically harvested soon after the flowering stage. The skin of young ginger is tender and less fibrous but easily bruised.
Add spice to your favorite dishes with homegrown ginger. Wishing you good health in 2005!
Jari Sugano is an extension agent with the University of Hawai'i-Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Reach her at sugano@ctahr.hawaii.edu.
The biggest challenge of growing edible ginger in Hawai'i is a disease known as bacteria wilt. To minimize bacteria wilt, use clean, disease-free planting material obtained from healthy plants. Grow in loose, loamy well-drained soil.
Add spice to your favorite dishes with homegrown ginger, which typically will flower during the shorter days of fall and winter.
