When is the best time to plant ginger?

Ginger generally prefers warm and humid climatic conditions and has a low tolerance to cold. It is usually planted in spring and harvested in autumn. In the southern region, the suitable planting time is approximately between March and April. In the north, due to the colder climate, planting time is usually postponed to April or May. Let’s take a look at when is the best time to plant ginger?

When is the best time to plant ginger?

Ginger prefers to grow in a warm and humid environment and is sensitive to cold and frost. In addition, ginger should not be planted continuously and its demand for light should not be too strong. It prefers a warm, humid climate and deep, loose, fertile sandy soil. In China, both the south and the north are suitable for growing ginger. However, due to the relatively cold climate conditions in the north, the planting time is usually slightly later than in the south. The suitable planting time in the south is from February to April every year, while in the north it is necessary to wait until April to May when the local temperature gradually rises before sowing.

Key points for ginger field management

Shading measures: Ginger prefers a cool environment and cannot tolerate strong sunlight. After sowing, when the ginger seedlings grow to about 17 cm in height, a sunshade about 1 meter high should be built to protect the plants. As the ginger tubers swell in autumn, they need more light, so the covering on the awning should be removed in time.

Water and fertilizer management: During the growth period of ginger, topdressing is required in time according to the growth conditions of the plant, usually 2 to 4 times. Top dressing should be combined with tillage and weeding, using the method from dilute to concentrated. In the early stage of growth, the plants are small and require less fertilizer, so appropriate amounts of fertilizer should be applied; in the middle and late stages, the plants grow vigorously, underground ginger blocks begin to form, and the amount of fertilizer required increases, so more fertilizer should be applied frequently. You can mix human and animal manure with about 0.5% compound fertilizer and apply it on a sunny day to provide nutrients and replenish water, with good results.

Intertillage and weeding: Ginger likes loose and breathable soil, so 2 to 3 intertillage and weeding should be carried out during the growing period, combined with soil cultivation operations. In the early stage, the tillage can be slightly deeper. In the middle and late stages, when the plants are larger and the underground parts begin to swell, shallow tillage should be carried out.

Soil cultivation: The underground part of ginger has the characteristic of growing upward, so soil cultivation is required regularly, usually combined with tillage, weeding and topdressing, for 3 to 4 times. Mulching the soil helps thicken the soil layer, preventing the ginger from sticking out of the ground and reducing its quality. By cultivating the soil, the planting rows can be gradually transformed into ridges, improving soil drainage and air permeability, promoting ginger growth, and increasing yield and quality.

Pest and disease control: Ginger has fewer pests and diseases, but attention should be paid to the prevention and control of ginger blight (ginger rot disease). Ginger plague usually occurs around the beginning of autumn and is particularly easy to spread in rainy, low-lying, waterlogged environments. Prevention and control measures include crop rotation for more than three years, selection of disease-free ginger seeds, seed block disinfection, construction of field drainage ditches, timely removal of diseased plants and spreading lime around for disinfection, and spraying 50% mancozeb 1000 times solution 2 to 3 times after the disease occurs.

Harvesting time: There are various ways to harvest ginger, including harvesting young ginger, harvesting old ginger and harvesting seed ginger. Old ginger is usually harvested from mid-to-late October to November, young ginger can be harvested in early August, and seed ginger is harvested when the plant has 4 to 5 leaves, which is around mid-to-late June.

The above is an introduction to the planting time of ginger. Ginger is a side dish that many people like and cannot do without. Many people grow it, but they also have to pay attention to the method.