About 7 Months back, we planted some pieces of grocery bought ginger and turmeric rhizomes. Let’s take a quick recap of that step by step process which is common for both ginger and turmeric.
- Choose your rhizomes – they must be free of wrinkles and with visible eyes.
- Cut into multiple pieces – each piece must have atleast 2 eyes.
- Soak in water for about 12 hours.
- Plant them in a well draining soil containing at least 50% compost like decomposed cowdung or vermicompost. You can use garden soil or coco coir or a mix of both.
- You can first plant in smaller containers or directly plant in larger containers of atleast 12 inch size.
- Plant them 1 to 2 inches deep with eyes facing upwards or sidewards. Best time to plant is spring or summer so that you can harvest in fall months.
- Water thoroughly and then keep in bright indirect sunlight until you get first set of leaves.
- Rooting and shooting should start within a week, you can keep in direct sunlight of atleast 4 to 6 hours.
- After a month, if you have grown in smaller containers, transplant each plant into a larger container of atleast 12 inches.
- Fertilize once a month With one or Two Handfuls Of Compost and water thoroughly twice a week or more depending on your climatic conditions.
Now Let’s look into harvesting:
Ginger and Turmeric can be harvested any time after 6 to 8 months or when you see the plant starts to dieback and leaves turning yellow and dry.
You need to stop watering a week before harvesting. Then just loosen the soil in the container by tapping it or if you have grown in a poly bag, you can loosen the soil by tapping and patting. That’s it. Remove the dirt and air dry the rhizomes before storing.
- TURMERIC IS A TROPICAL PLANT
- CHOOSE YOUR TURMERIC RHIZOMES – Must be Free of Wrinkles, With Visible Eyes,
- CUT INTO MULTIPLE PIECES – EACH PIECE MUST HAVE 2-3 EYES
- OPTIONALLY LEAVE THE PIECES IN AIR FOR HEALING FOR 2 DAYS.
- SOAK FOR 12 HOURS IN WATER
- SOIL PREPARATION: A Well Draining Soil with Atleast 50% compost like decomposed cowdung or vermicompost. Cocopeat + compost or Peatmoss + Compost
- CHOOSE ANY CONTAINER FOR ROOTING. YOU CAN CHOOSE A LARGE CONTAINER LIKE 12 TO 15 INCH CONTAINER OR FABRIC BAG AND PLANT DIRECTLY. MAKE SURE THERE ARE MULTIPLE DRAINAGE HOLES. FILL THE CONTAINER WITH POTTING MIX.
- PLANT TURMERIC PIECES WITH EYES FACING UPWARDS OR SIDEWAYS. ATLEAST 1 OR 2 INCHES DEEP. COVER THEM WITH POTTING MIX.
- WATER THOROUGHLY TILL IT COMES OUT OF DRAINAGE HOLES.
- KEEP IN INDIRECT BRIGHT LIGHT.
- KEEP THE SOIL MOIST BUT NOT SOGGY
- RESULTS: SHOOTS START IN 4-5 DAYS AND CONTINUE TO GROW.
- TRANSPLANT TO LARGER CONTAINERS. ONE OR TWO PLANTS PER LARGE CONTAINER
- FERTILIZE MONTHLY WITH TWO HANDFULS OF COMPOST AND KEEP IN A LOCATION WHICH RECEIVES ATLEAST 4 HOURS SUNLIGHT PREFERABLY EARLY MORNING SUN OR UNDER A GREEN SHADE NET FOR FULL DAY.
- HARVESTING TURMERIC: YOU CAN HARVEST AFTER 8 TO 9 MONTHS WHEN THE TURMERIC PLANTS BECOMES YELLOW AND DIES.