Presprouting Ginger: Start growing your own ginger!

[@yellowwidget]

This step-by-step guide by Chris Enroth is an absolute game-changer for anyone looking to grow their own ginger plants! I never knew presprouting was the key to success. Excited to get my hands dirty and watch my ginger garden thrive 🌱💚 Thank you, University of Illinois Extension!

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

Glad it was helpful!

[@aurorachacon1128]

Thank you for all the information, very useful.

[@movingforward4623]

We just had 5 lbs of ginger delivered from clean seeds Hawaii! First time growing ginger. Have a wire plant rack with shop lights and heat mats all set up. Using coco coir perlite mix. Thanks for the info!

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

That is awesome! Good luck this year!

[@movingforward4623]

@@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture thank you. And thanks for taking the time to post your very informative video. We're in central KY just south of Lexington.

[@RRaucina]

Control the temperature by sliding pencils or dowels under the tray.

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

We'll have to try that out!

[@robyndudley9684]

Great info! I sprouted ginger in a in baggies with and without a little seed starter under my desk. The one with the damp seed starter grew much faster. The ones without seed starter I just did a spritz of water. Now I know to wait until temps are no lower than 55°. I’m in CA, so hopefully next month. I’ll start planting these and keep them under lights indoors.

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

Good luck!

[@chinatownboy7482]

Aunty, you live in California like I do, just put them in the dirt. Really. Dig some holes, throw the ginger in. Then plant whatever on top. It will be fine. Ginger is a rhizome. You will get 2 crops in 1. Right now, I've got ginger growing under my pumpkin vines. The ginger is also getting watered when I water the pumpkin. I can see the ginger stalks and leaves shooting up between the vines. At the end of the season, when I harvest the pumpkins, I can pull out the vines and harvest the ginger along with it. Just imagine that you can grow ginger along with your tomato, beans, cabbage, lettuce, or whatever. It doesn't work as well if you are trying to grow potato, carrot, and beet root.

[@Sherryrice4149]

@@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture if I buy my ginger root at the store and it says it's organic will that be okay to try to plant. But can you tell me where I can get some. ginger root so I can start growing my own.

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

@@Sherryrice4149 People have had success with sprouting grocery store ginger. The main thing is this is not seed stock and therefore has no disease-free guarantee. Bacterial wilt is a soil-borne disease that can have a long-term impact on growing ginger in the ground. You may consider growing the grocery store ginger the first year in a container and inspect the rhizomes after a year to make sure there is no rot occurring.

[@TheBBQKEEPER]

Thank you for video! I live in a 5b zone and would like to save and replant my ginger for the next spring season. Is it possible to store what you have grown this season and replant next spring? I do not want to buy new ginger every year. I am still learning on how to best grow ginger and tumeric in my area. The only area that I can store the plant indoors is in our basement (still cool) or the garage (40 to 50 degrees fahrenheit or colder). The temperature will never be 70-80 degrees fahrenheit. I can use a temperature monitored heating pad, however that is a long time of use during the winter. Although I would prefer not to buy new ginger for planting every year, it may be my only solution. I appreciate any advice. Thank you again for your videos.

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

For our zone 5b yard I move my potted ginger into the basement once we start getting lows in the 40s. And definitely if we experience a random early fall frost. From there (usually by mid-October) I will place my plants indoors under some grow lights. I may water a couple of times, but will allow the pots to dry out. The ginger plants will go dormant. In late February I put heat mats under the pots and start watering again. Usually by the end of March to early April (it takes a while) I will have new ginger sprouts. This past fall of 2023 I divided and potted up several flats of ginger and brought them in house, following the same procedure as the larger containers mentioned prior. I currently have several flats starting to pop! I am excited to get these plants hardened off and in the ground for the 2024 growing season. In both situations I am storing the rhizomes in a soil-free potting mix. Although "storing" is more like "just leaving them in their pots."

[@TheBBQKEEPER]

@@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture Exactly the information I was looking for! Thank you.

[@barbdale44]

Very good good information. Thanks

[@dawggonevidz9140]

If you're looking for a convenient and not overpriced source of ginger to sprout, look for an organic option. If you can only get grocery store bought, wash it. It's often sprayed with a growth inhibitor to increase shelf life. You can negate the effects of the spray by washing it off with running water for 5 minutes, or by washing in a tub, agitating it, pouring out the water, adding fresh water and repeating this process five to ten times. You'll have to let it air out dry afterwards which may take a few days, as soon as you start to see signs of green or pink in the nodes, plant it. I really don't think ginger can get enough heat and humidity. I have mine in a plastic greenhouse, and I live in the tropics. For big yields, plant in big pots of light soil with plenty of compost. If you give ginger heat, light and room to spread, it will go crazy.

[@Bozemanjustin]

I live in palm beach florida . do I need to presprout inside? can I just plant outside? You mentioned below 55 deg....I cannot remember the last time it got that cold here. The ground stays 73 year round

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

Hi Justin - I bet in a home garden in Palm Beach FL you could grow ginger year-round in the soil. You could likely order the ginger seed pieces and plant them right out in the garden for sprouting. The only reason to possibly consider presprouting indoors in your area is a higher degree of control in the growing environment inside. Since presprouting takes a few weeks, by doing it indoors you can ensure you are planting out a viable seed piece with vegetative growth already started. But really in your climate, you could plant either way.

[@Sherryrice4149]

Hello can I use the ginger root at the grocery store if it says it's organic. But can you tell me where you bought yours at..

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

While we do not promote one company over another we do recommend purchasing from a reputable supplier that will guarantee disease-free seed stock. Fedco, Bakker Creek, Hawaiian Clean Seed, and many others can be found using an internet search for "disease-free ginger rhizomes" or "seed pieces."

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Excellent Chris. Introducing soil pathogens like root rot never occurred to me. Just wondering if you guys have a list or resource to source local seeds/roots ? Are you still growing that much? Lol !! Cheers Jason

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

We grew six times that amount this year. Suppliers vary, but it is a good idea to mark your calendar for when they say their ginger will go on sale, because I've found they can sell out quick. Nothing local that I can find. Some seed piece sellers include: Hawaiian Clean Seed Baker Creek FedCo You can grow your own supply of disease-free ginger using the guidelines in this Hawaii Extension publication (essentially keep it away from soil). www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/PD-93.pdf Someone could also submit a sample to our Plant Clinic to see if it tests positive for bacterial wilt. I just learned there is a field test for this and am investigating ordering some supplies to do this. If I get it figured out, perhaps there will be a video on it in the future. Plant Clinic website web.extension.illinois.edu/plantclinic/

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

@@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture epic !! Thanks a million!! You and the team are a fantastic help. One of our favorite channels foresure!!

[@businessstudieswithsimatel6713]

Impressive work

[@Dharmarenee]

Can you list the equipment used, I am a complete beginner?

[@RajiTripathi]

This video clip could have been shortened to half its length, and the other half should have been used to show the results. Without the latter, I can sum up this video in one sentence: "Bury ginger pieces in a potting mix, keep it moistened in a warm place, and wait for 6-8 weeks see if they would sprout."

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

Hah! Thank you for the comment. Not far from the truth in the summary. I may have harped quite a bit on root rot disease as that can bring any ginger growing to a halt for years.

[@aarondavidson6409]

​Ignore him :). Thanks for the in depth video. I'm a farmer in Australia and we are having a lot of trouble sprouting ginger in the field with the extreme rainfall. We will definitely follow your guide to sprouting this season. Cheers!

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

@@aarondavidson6409 Thanks! Ginger certainly likes water, but does not like sitting in water. We had a greenhouse worker keep a few of our flats too wet this spring and had rot issues. Next year we plan to mix in more perlite to allow for better drainage during the long presprouting period. Good luck this year!

[@NormalangaMbata-my6oh]

What time to plant ginger?

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

It will depend on where you are located, but after the the chance of frost has passed and soils have warmed. In Illinois usually sometime in May or June.

[@LIMABN]

How can you cur or break the root without sniffing that lovely scent?

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

Just brushing against the leaves releases the wonderful aromatics! It makes it a joy to walk through the garden.

[@ddubsr5886]

The reason it takes you so long to sprout ginger is because you fail to soak it for several hours before doing what you did

[@IllinoisExtensionHorticulture]

We had heard about soaking ginger seed pieces and so the next year I did try various lengths of soaking the rhizomes. I did not see any overall difference in sprouting vs. non-soaked seed pieces. That doesn't mean it is not a good practice, and certainly I will try it again. The technique needs to be replicated in other studies to see if there is any significant difference in sprouting. Here's a photo of the seed pieces soaking from 2022. uofi.box.com/s/1vtekn0apfz5olj6ywnp2ptcebulbqx4