When should ginger be sown?

Ginger prefers warm and humid climatic conditions and is sensitive to cold. It is usually planted in spring and harvested in autumn. In the southern region, the suitable planting time is around 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 the specific months for sowing ginger.

When should ginger be sown?

The best time to grow ginger is usually during the Qingming Festival, which is between March and April every year. For northern regions, due to the colder climate, the sowing time will be delayed accordingly, generally between April and May.

Ginger growth habits

Ginger prefers warm and humid climates and has a weak tolerance to cold environments. In China, ginger is mainly grown in southern China, but it is also cultivated in northern regions such as Shandong. Ginger should not be planted continuously on the same piece of land. The soil should be kept moderately moist but not too wet, and should be protected from direct sunlight. The ideal planting soil should be loose, fertile and sandy soil with a deep soil layer.

Ginger seed selection and planting

In the ginger planting process, the first task is to select suitable ginger varieties. You should choose ginger varieties that are adapted to local climatic conditions, and ensure that the ginger seeds are healthy and disease-free, and remove diseased or rotten ginger pieces. The ideal ginger seed should weigh between 50 and 100 grams, with two to three healthy ginger sprouts. For larger ginger species, it is recommended to use a clean knife to cut them and apply lime to the cut to disinfect them.

In order to promote the early germination of ginger seeds, germination treatment can be carried out. After drying the ginger seeds for two days, soak them in Bordeaux liquid for about 10 minutes. Then place them on moist sand, cover them with plastic film, and keep the temperature at around 25 degrees Celsius. The ginger seeds will germinate after about a week.

When sowing, you can use row sowing or hole sowing method. Make sure the ginger sprouts are facing upwards, and keep the plants about 30 cm apart and the rows about 40 cm apart. After sowing, cover the soil and cover the surface with a layer of straw for insulation.

Ginger water and fertilizer management

About one to two weeks after sowing, the ginger will begin to sprout. At this time, it is necessary to check the field conditions regularly, and the parts that have failed to germinate or are missing seedlings should be replanted in time. Ginger is very sensitive to water needs, so water management in the field is crucial. During the seedling stage, watering should be moderate, and frequent and large amounts of watering should be avoided. It is recommended to use small amounts and multiple times. In summer, since ginger consumes a lot of water, it should be watered in the morning and evening when the temperature is lower. At the same time, heavy rains are frequent in summer, so we must pay attention to drainage to prevent water accumulation in the fields.

Ginger usually requires three top dressings during its growth cycle. First of all, the base fertilizer should be sufficient, mainly organic fertilizer . At different stages of ginger growth, top dressing should be applied in a timely manner. The first topdressing is usually in the seedling stage, when the ginger grows to about 25 cm in height, and about 500 kg of manure can be used, diluted 5 to 6 times before application. The second top dressing is in early September, mainly to promote ginger fruiting, using about 30 kg of compound fertilizer . The last top dressing is about one month after the second top dressing, using about 20 kg of compound fertilizer.

The above is an introduction to the sowing time of ginger and some planting precautions. Vegetable farmers who want to grow ginger can pay more attention to it.