Yes, Diane, I've tried planting ginger once. I bought the freshest-looking
piece of root I could find in a store, with lots of 'buds' on it. I planted
it in houseplant potsoil in a very large pot (I think I used plastic; I just
couldn't find a large enough clay pot), about 24" in diameter. I put the
root about 2" below the surface and kept the soil moist, but not soggy.
Since the soil was fresh, I didn't use any fertilizer.
The 4 shoots appeared after about a week, and in 6 weeks they grew 6 feet.
No exaggeration. However, they were rather spindly, as compared with the
ginger I've seen in botanical gardens. When I realized that before too long
they would not only be propping up the ceiling, but the root would be
looking for more space than the pot could provide, I replanted it into an
even bigger pot. Big mistake. The shock of transplanting killed the shoots,
and no new ones were forthcoming. So, I dug up the root, which by that point
had quadrupled in size, washed it off and used it in the next few stirfies.
A word of caution: I suspect that supermarket ginger is treated with some
sort of a preservative or a growth inhibitor, because the root I dug up
started wilting very quickly. I think I ended up throwing some of it away.
This plant needs very high humidity, over 90%, which I simply couldn't
provide for it. A 14' ceiling doesn't hurt, either. In all, it was too much
trouble for what I got out of it, but it certainly wasn't difficult -
perhaps you'll have better luck!
Alla
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