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Olafhenny
03-23-2011, 12:07 AM
Note:
I intended to post this already a week ago, but after I had exported the accompanying photos from Picasa, to
reduce their size to something manageable, I could locate the exported version with Firefox and with WordPerfect,
but not with the browser facility of this website, no matter, what I tried short of biting the carpet in frustration.
Add to that, that the editing feature had disappeared from my Picasa, lots of things to catch up on, it was only today,
that I finally managed to first restore the editing feature and secondly had the bright idea to copy the attached
photos from the Vietnam folder into another one in Picasa, that I could suddenly locate the picture with the
banana.org browser.

Actually when I set out for Vietnam I had no intention to bring home any bananas (I have reported on
that in the Main Banana Forum).

My stated objective was to bring home a rhizome of flowering ginger. Although a long two months trip through
Vietnam is no help in obtaining plants, unless you stay in one spot and have time to build up a relationship
with local gardeners, finding a flowering ginger proofed not much of a challenge. I mentioned, what I
wanted to the staff of the hotel, where we stayed last before heading for Saigon and home, and the next
day I had one.

Knowing ginger only from the produce section of the grocery stores, I was taken aback by the fact, that my
new acquisition had nothing resembling the rhizome of the edible ginger, but a rather scrawny one. Forced by
luggage restriction I sliced off the stems anyway, in the hope, that there was enough oomph left in the
rhizome to produce a viable plant.


http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40997&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40997&ppuser=7269)

This photo shows the type of ginger I acquired, but not the actual plant



http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40998&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40998&ppuser=7269)

This photo shows my plant prior to my mutilating it. Believe me it hurt!
Sorry about the bad quality of the photos, but they are the only ones I have.


Unfortunately due to jet lag fatigue and scores of items to catch up on, I did not take any pictures of those
sad stumps and, once potted, they do not exactly look sensational either, but here they are anyway:


http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40996&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40996&ppuser=7269)

Now a week later, they do still look exactly the same. The white dust is left over bone meal

Here's to the hope, that they are viable! http://www.bananas.org/images/icons/bananas/bananas_brindando.gif

Olaf

palmtree
03-23-2011, 01:08 AM
Red ginger is really slow for me. I got some from Hawaii (they were all over the place there and really beautiful). They had no life for at least a week and that was in the middle of the summer (temperatures in the 90s every single day with nights no lower than 70F!). I managed to keep them alive inside all winter, but they are only about 2 inches tall (they were small starts from a store in the airport). I bought some white butterfly ginger at the same size and its already 1-2 feet tall (and if I'm lucky, it might bloom this fall)!
The cool thing about red ginger is that once it blooms, it will make new plants from the flower head. The babies get pretty large too before even hitting the soil (I've seen some already 1 foot tall or more).
Good luck! Hope it sprouts for you!

Steve L
03-23-2011, 07:21 AM
Red ginger, Alpinia Purpurata, is a very difficult ginger to grow outside of zone 10. Very cold sensitive. Will croak at temperatures below 50. Needs constant high humidity. I have tried it off and on for 7 years in a container over wintering in my greenhouse. I got blooms but they were very small. This plant is prone to spider mites in a greenhouse environment. I finally gave it up. The second picture is of a Costus. Maybe Spicatus. No longer considered a ginger but still commonly referred to as spiral ginger. Easy to grow. Hardy in zone 9, maybe zone 8. Goes dormant in the fall. Comes back very reliably in the spring.

Steve

Richard
03-23-2011, 12:15 PM
If you are growing ginger for the root, try Alpinia galanga "Galangal" aka "Thai Ginger". It works in the short-winter USDA zone 9b areas of north San Diego County.

nullzero
03-23-2011, 04:42 PM
If you are growing ginger for the root, try Alpinia galanga "Galangal" aka "Thai Ginger". It works in the short-winter USDA zone 9b areas of north San Diego County.

I have been growing Thai Ginger in Los Angeles county near the beach. It grows well for me in a container. Leaves have an excellent smell, I have been using them in teas. I have not dug out any roots yet (I intend to do this in early summer).

Olafhenny
03-23-2011, 10:08 PM
Red ginger, Alpinia Purpurata, is a very difficult ginger to grow outside of zone 10. Very cold sensitive. Will croak at temperatures below 50. Needs constant high humidity. I have tried it off and on for 7 years in a container over wintering in my greenhouse. I got blooms but they were very small. This plant is prone to spider mites in a greenhouse environment. I finally gave it up. The second picture is of a Costus. Maybe Spicatus. No longer considered a ginger but still commonly referred to as spiral ginger. Easy to grow. Hardy in zone 9, maybe zone 8. Goes dormant in the fall. Comes back very reliably in the spring.

Steve

Hi Steve,

I think what you are telling me is, that I got lucky and hauled home plants, that are very similar to ginger in appearance, but much easier to raise, providing, of course, that I can get them to grow at all.

When I was in Vietnam I pointed at the bunch of cut flowers in the first picture and told the hotel staff, that this was what I wanted a live plant of. In the second picture you see what they got for me.

We have to keep in mind, that they were very helpful hotel staff, not gardeners, let alone botanists. All I saw in my ignorance about gingers and Costi, was that they had similar leaves and a red blossom about to open. If you are correct about your ID, and my search in the net seems to confirm, that you are, then the combined ignorance of myself and the hotel staff actually got me a much preferable deal.

Now I am tapping my toes waiting for some sign of life from my Costi.

Quote: Hardy in zone 9, maybe zone 8. Goes dormant in the fall. Comes back very reliably in the spring. Unquote

Do you have any idea, what it will do if I bring it inside in a pot in fall? I live in Zone 6 and leaving them out to shiver through the winter seems a lousy idea. :)

Thanks for your help,
Olaf

palmtree
03-23-2011, 11:06 PM
I agree, the second picture you have is not a red ginger, which is good. Although, I like red ginger better, they are very difficult to grow outside of the tropics. Costus are not difficult to grow outside of the tropics. Actually my costus (spiral ginger) grows very quickly for me indoors. I got it as a root this december and it had no sign of life for about 2 weeks. I thought it was dead, but I saw a sprout come out and it grew very quickly for me by a warm and sunny window (now over a foot tall and making pups). They are suppose to be pretty cold tolerant (probably will come back with no problems at all in a zone 8b, and maybe zone 8a). Im hoping for blooms from mine this summer, but Im not expecting blooms from my red ginger ever.
Good luck!

Steve L
03-24-2011, 07:30 AM
Olaf,

The hotel staff did you a big favor. You could never grow Alpinia Purpurata in your zone except in a conservatory in the ground. What they gave you is what is know in the US as Costus Spicatus but is misnamed and is really Costus Scaber. Nevertheless, it is easy to grow in a container and although it goes dormant here in my zone 9 along the Louisiana Gulf Coast, I don't think it has a natural dormancy period. So you should be able to bring it inside during your winter, cut way back on watering, and eliminate any fertilizing. It should continue to grow slowly. Spicatus and/or Scaber can grow in some shade. I would place the container near a window that gets some sun during the day. Your main goal is not to water too much as this will rot the corm. Good luck.

Steve

Olafhenny
04-03-2011, 07:54 PM
Thank you, Steve, for another informative post. I don't know, how I missed it earlier, because I make a point to open up all 'Replies', if not all the "Thank Yous"
Best,
Olaf

cherokee_greg
04-03-2011, 08:52 PM
Great information. I too do ginger whish I knew what kind they are. I have all diffrent kinds. Ill have to post pictures when they bloom.

Olafhenny
04-03-2011, 09:33 PM
Today, finally 23 days after planting there is a sign of life in one of my two Costus Saber
(thanks, Steve and Alex). There is now at least one of my little trophies, which I schlepped home
from Vietnam, that hit pay dirt. The other Costus S. and the two bananas (Musa Ornata), which
I also planted 23 days ago, still show no sign of life. :(

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=41441&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=41441&ppuser=7269)

If you look closely you will see the tiny cause of my triumph between
the two stubs, which are connected by a common rhizome.

Today I peeled the bananas' now dried up outer leaves off their rather short PS stumps, until I got
down to some still healthy looking pale yellow leaf stubs, which are tinged with some green.

Now the question is: Should I expose the stubs to more sunshine at a loss of heat? The temperature
on my window sill could go down to 12 to 14^C (54 to 57^F) overnight, - there they will get some
sun or should I keep them om my electric throw at an even temperature of 27 to 28^C (80 to 82^F),
but with light from a skylight, but no direct sunlight?

Any advise on that will be welcome.
Olaf

palmtree
04-03-2011, 10:25 PM
I'm Glad that they are sprouting for you! I think its safe to say that most, or maybe all, gingers are very very slow to sprout. I bought some hedychium roots one month ago, and they are just poking up now (and thats by a very warm and sunny window). In comparison, my cannas started sprouting a week after planting! Gingers are slow plants to sprout, but pretty fast after that. My Costus is pupping and growing pretty well. I cant wait to take it outside and see it bloom.
Keep us updated on how your gingers do!

Steve L
04-04-2011, 07:12 AM
Olaf,

I would keep them on the heat matt for a few more weeks until the first leaf shows up. After looking at the picture of your "nub" poking out of the soil, I'm not sure it is Spicatus. Spicatus comes out of the ground a maroon color. Keep taking pictures as it develops and post them. Maybe I can re-identily it.

Steve

Olafhenny
04-04-2011, 01:08 PM
Hi Steve,

Here follows my conjecture, why my plant could still be a C. Spicatus/Saber, even though it is not
sprouting maroon.

I have always looked at the purple or red colouring of foliage as being akin to sun-tanning. It is
protective colouring against UV rays. Put a red leaved plant into shade and the leaves will be mostly
green, to allow maximal exposure of the chlorophyll. Move that plant into the sun and the green
will be covered with a protective ‘curtain’ of red or purple pigment.

Now back to the C. Spicatus/Saber: When the shoot first breaks surface with its tip suddenly
exposed to sun light, it softens that shock temporarily with protective pigmentation. However
in my case the plant was in an environment equivalent to a bright room away from the window.
Add to that, that it happened on a day, which was not particularly bright to start out with and you
have an environment, which made the protective pigmentation unnecessary.

So let us do, as you suggested: wait, see and take more pictures as growth progresses.
Thank you for your continued interest in – and moral support for my little project

Best,
Olaf

Steve L
04-04-2011, 03:36 PM
Olaf,

Keep watching your ginger and post a few pictures in a week or two. We won't really know for sure until it blooms.

Steve

Olafhenny
04-10-2011, 09:27 PM
Olaf,

Keep watching your ginger and post a few pictures in a week or two. We won't really know for sure until it blooms.

Steve

Hi Steve,

it's been exactly one week and I just took a couple more pictures. I do not think that they will give
you any strong indication, let alone anything conclusive as to the true identity of this plant.
I find the segmentation interesting resembling that of bamboo or even horsetail


http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=41679&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=41679&ppuser=7269)

Here is the "front view"...:


http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=41680&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=41680&ppuser=7269)

... and here is the back

palmtree
04-10-2011, 10:08 PM
They look good, but they still have a lot more growing before you can get a definite ID on them! Keep us updated!

Steve L
04-11-2011, 07:14 AM
They look good, but they still have a lot more growing before you can get a definite ID on them! Keep us updated!

I agree. Much too early. The segmentation is common with costus. They can be propogated by cutting a stem, removing the leaves and planting horizontally about an inch or two below the ground surface as well as by dividing the corm.

Steve

Olafhenny
04-17-2011, 05:26 PM
...and a bit more. :)

If it keeps it up at that rate, we will have that thing blooming before the growing season is up. :)
You can see in the below pictures, that the basic leaf structure is identical to the ones in C. Spicatus/Scaber.


http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=41874&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=41874&ppuser=7269)

Here it is from one side...


http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=41875&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=41875&ppuser=7269)

...and here from the other


http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=41876 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=41876&ppuser=7269)

It has now been promoted to a place among 'the privileged' in my
window sill "greenhouse" (5th from the left, to the right of the M. Ornata).

There is room for one more on each of the window sills, by squeezing the blinds, but these spots are reserved for the M. Ornata
pup (if it recovers) and the other for the C. Scaber.
BTW I have dug that one out and there is a little green node right down by the rhisome. It was about 2 1/2 inches deep and
looked too weak to make it up from there, so I raised it to a depth of about 1"

There are a few others, mostly Cannas, but they have to make 'do' on an electric throw under a skylight .

cherokee_greg
04-17-2011, 07:54 PM
somthing is eating my ginger leaves think it could be snails ? I notice its just one potted plant others are fine so far.

Olafhenny
05-15-2011, 11:17 PM
Just an update on my little pursuit of ginger. I had originally planted two rhizomes, one with one upright
stem and one with two. It took a long time, but the two stemmed one finally sent up a sprout, the tip of it
showing up exactly six weeks ago, today. It could not quite keep up the initial pace of a new leaf each week,
so today it has only 5 still rather small leaves. :)

Unfortunately the single stemmed one did not make it beyond producing a tiny green tip and then fold.


http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=42786 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=42786&ppuser=7269)

This thing better make it, because all my hopes for maintaining a line of Costus Spicatus rest on it now.

Richard
05-15-2011, 11:29 PM
Congratulations on the sprout! I think you are in the clear, because once ginger gets going it is energetic.

Olafhenny
05-16-2011, 12:03 AM
Thanks, Richard coming from you that is encouraging, but don't underestimate my capacity for screwing up. :)
Best,
Olaf

palmtree
05-16-2011, 12:51 AM
My costus also had a stem that stopped growing. It pupped and made a new stem now. Now I have it in the ground and hopefully it will take off after this rainy week ends! Good luck with your ginger! It looks very nice and healthy! Keep us updated!

Steve L
05-17-2011, 07:18 AM
Olaf,

Your costus is looking good. Keep sending pictures. I'm anxious to see the bloom to positively identify it.

Steve

Yug
05-17-2011, 12:05 PM
Note:
I intended to post this already a week ago, but after I had exported the accompanying photos from Picasa, to
reduce their size to something manageable, I could locate the exported version with Firefox and with WordPerfect,
but not with the browser facility of this website, no matter, what I tried short of biting the carpet in frustration.
Add to that, that the editing feature had disappeared from my Picasa, lots of things to catch up on, it was only today,
that I finally managed to first restore the editing feature and secondly had the bright idea to copy the attached
photos from the Vietnam folder into another one in Picasa, that I could suddenly locate the picture with the
banana.org browser.

Actually when I set out for Vietnam I had no intention to bring home any bananas (I have reported on
that in the Main Banana Forum).

My stated objective was to bring home a rhizome of flowering ginger. Although a long two months trip through
Vietnam is no help in obtaining plants, unless you stay in one spot and have time to build up a relationship
with local gardeners, finding a flowering ginger proofed not much of a challenge. I mentioned, what I
wanted to the staff of the hotel, where we stayed last before heading for Saigon and home, and the next
day I had one.

Knowing ginger only from the produce section of the grocery stores, I was taken aback by the fact, that my
new acquisition had nothing resembling the rhizome of the edible ginger, but a rather scrawny one. Forced by
luggage restriction I sliced off the stems anyway, in the hope, that there was enough oomph left in the
rhizome to produce a viable plant.


http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40997&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40997&ppuser=7269)

This photo shows the type of ginger I acquired, but not the actual plant



http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40998&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40998&ppuser=7269)

This photo shows my plant prior to my mutilating it. Believe me it hurt!
Sorry about the bad quality of the photos, but they are the only ones I have.


Unfortunately due to jet lag fatigue and scores of items to catch up on, I did not take any pictures of those
sad stumps and, once potted, they do not exactly look sensational either, but here they are anyway:


http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=40996&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=40996&ppuser=7269)

Now a week later, they do still look exactly the same. The white dust is left over bone meal

Here's to the hope, that they are viable! http://www.bananas.org/images/icons/bananas/bananas_brindando.gif

Olaf


I believe your 2nd photo is not a true ginger. It looks like Costus woodsonii, sometimes called indian head ginger, or scarlet spiral. The 'costus' group is sometimes referred to as 'spiral ginger', but is not in the true ginger (zingiber) family. I don't know if that matter or not since it is still an attractive plant.

Olafhenny
05-17-2011, 12:17 PM
Olaf,

Your costus is looking good. Keep sending pictures. I'm anxious to see the bloom to positively identify it.

Steve


Hi Steve,
I am talking to it every day to try to get it to grow faster, so we can admire (and identify) its flower. But that does not
seem to have a lot of effect. :)

Olafhenny
05-17-2011, 12:26 PM
I believe your 2nd photo is not a true ginger. It looks like Costus woodsonii, sometimes called indian head ginger, or scarlet spiral. The 'costus' group is sometimes referred to as 'spiral ginger', but is not in the true ginger (zingiber) family. I don't know if that matter or not since it is still an attractive plant.

I was (and am) not really into the specifics of Ginger, when I set out to get some. I had during previous visits admired
this beautiful flower and loosely identified it as ginger, and that is what I set out to get. Now, that I have something
similar, I am, of course, interested to learn exactly what it is :)

Steve L
05-17-2011, 12:27 PM
Yea, I know what you mean. I've been talking to a stalk of Heliconia Rostrata that's been showing signs of blooming for a month and just over the weekend finally peeked it's head out. I love this heliconia and look forward each summer for the blooms to appear on this plant. Regarding your costus, I think Yug has come up with another possible ID on yours. It could easily be Costus Woodsonii "Dwarf French Kiss". The nickname Indianhead ginger strictly refers to Costus Spicatus. You can see how confusing this family of plants is. Lots of common names applied to similar looking costus. If it is Woodsonii, not quite as hardy as Spicatus, but since you are growing it in a container, it shouldn't matter. Woodsonii will bloom at 2 feet which looks to be the height in your original picture of the plant .

Steve

Olafhenny
05-29-2011, 10:42 PM
The pace of a new leaf each week has slowed considerably. It is now barely a new leaf every two weeks.
Too bad, at the original pace I had great hopes, that it would still bloom during this growing season, but
that is now dashed, unless the pace will pick up again once we finally get seasonal temperatures.

So far it has been an exceptionally cold spring. Maybe I should start hauling the pot in every night.



http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=43157 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=43157&ppuser=7269)

palmtree
05-29-2011, 11:53 PM
Mine has slowed down too and we have been getting 85F weather all week long. I just gave it some plant food and Im hoping for some quicker growth. They seem to sprout quicky and then the growth rate starts to slow down when it grows a few leaves.
It might be the cool weather slowing your ginger down, but it will pick up with some warm summer sun, and some plant food. I wouldnt feed it until warmer weather comes.
Good luck!

Steve L
05-31-2011, 07:20 AM
Cool weather will definitely slow down the growth. I've alreade got one showing a bloom. Oddly enough, it is the shortest one. Can't be more than 2 1/2 feet tall but it is in the most sun.

Steve

Olafhenny
04-22-2012, 02:00 PM
A story of survival

This is now almost a year later and that time has not been good to my ginger. It started to look
sickly after the previous picture was taken.

Moving it outside, when the weather got warm enough, did not help either. It withered away slowly
all summer, fall and then again most of the winter, after I moved it inside, despite its decrepit
appearance.

I do not know what did it, but eventually it ended up on the window sill between my wandering
jews, which really like to have their feet in water. Accordingly I just fill up the ‘catch bowl’ with
water once a week (the one you see under the pot in the first picture). And because the ginger
happened to be in the same line-up, I inadvertently filled it up too, two or three weeks back and
just kept on doing that since. Maybe that did it or maybe it just got over whatever ailed it.

http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=48572 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=48572&ppuser=7269)

This picture shows the whole plant and how decrepit it got. But…




http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=48571 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=48571&ppuser=7269)

…here we see the ’resurrection’ with not only one new sprout, but three of them. Could lack of water have
been the problem, even though the soil was moist all the time? I am going to bet on it the next little while!

Steve L
04-23-2012, 07:26 AM
I don't think I've ever seen a Costus do that. With that said, at least you know it didn't croak. I wouldn't doubt if it sent up another shoot soon.

Steve

Olafhenny
04-23-2012, 12:12 PM
Hi Steve,

I have no familiarity with costus, other than that I thought it had a very attractive flower, but
as far as I can remember all the costus I have seen only had a single stalk and then (hopefully)
a flower on top. Is that what you meant by “I don't think I've ever seen a Costus do that.”?

I wonder if the three branches will prevail or if one will take over.

Best,
Olaf

Steve L
04-23-2012, 12:39 PM
Costus bloom at the end of the stalk. As far as I know, one stem, one inflorescence. Several of my costus are already blooming. We really had a mild winter.

Olafhenny
04-23-2012, 01:25 PM
Hi again, Steve,

I notice, that the Shoot #2 in the picture below has a shape (bulbous), which is quite different from
the other two. Surely this cannot be a premature blossom on such a tiny and still recovering plant?

Though it is known, that some plants in distress try to produce flowers and subsequently seeds
prematurely for the purpose of propagation.

Steve L
04-23-2012, 02:19 PM
If it were, it should have the color, or begin to show the color of the bloom. In other words, I can tell when my gingers are going to flower when the last leaf is much smaller than the one before and when the tip of the stalk begins to buldge and the tip starts to show a color closer the the final bloom color. Does this make sense? In your picture, #2 looks just as green as the stalk. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Olafhenny
04-23-2012, 02:51 PM
No Steve, you are not wrong. I presume, that we should know in a week or so, why this shoot has
a different shape :)

Thanks,
Olaf

Steve L
04-23-2012, 02:57 PM
A week should be enough time.

Olafhenny
05-10-2012, 11:54 PM
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=48749 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=48749&ppuser=7269)

As you can see this costus appears to have recovered, not only that, it has also produced an offshoot.
In bananas you call these things pups in costus???




http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=48748 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=48748&ppuser=7269)

It seems to revert to a single stem status, as behooves a self respecting costus. The other two buds
are still there, but have not developed any further

Steve L
05-11-2012, 07:41 AM
It's looking much better. Offshoots are called offshoots, new shoots.

Tim MA z6
05-11-2012, 09:20 AM
This 'ginger' is not the same but it's rather hardy. I'm in zone 6b Massachusetts. Perhaps someone can ID it for me.:03:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/timmaz6/2011sept2421.jpg

Steve L
05-11-2012, 09:24 AM
I'm not able to see the picture.

Steve

jmoore
05-11-2012, 09:31 AM
It's a Hedychium of some description, not sure which.

What were your lowest temperatures? I'm intrigued by its hardiness.

TommyMacLuckie
05-11-2012, 10:27 AM
I've lost track of the gingers I have, or just have a difficult time remembering all their names. From what I can think of right now I have the grocery store kind growing in places, as well as regular ol' butterfly, red shell, varietaged (red shell), pin stripe and... some others. Costus. Shampoo.

Tim MA z6
05-11-2012, 11:51 AM
Hi Steve,

You can't see the photo?? I uploaded the image to photobucket. Is there a better method for this board? Thanks.

Hi James,

I'm located in Massachusetts USDA zone 6b a few miles east of Providence, RI. I received 3 different hardy 'gingers' in the spring of 2011. I planted them and all THRIVED. This one bloomed. Another one bloomed near the ground....very strange. We receive about 36 inches (0.9m) of snow per season and receive about 4" (10cm) of precipitation per month every month of the year. Our annual low is typically between -5F (-20.5C) to 0F (-18C) each year. Deep frost can happen here.

I mulched the gingers with about 4 to 6 inches of leaves....that's it. However, they are planted against a house wall which has a basement. I'm sure this helps warm the soil a bit. I have new shoots emerging all over the place except for this orange ginger which seems to have 1 large shoot coming up now (6" tall or so).

A friend from northern New Jersey sent them to me and claimed they are hardy in his area. So far so good.

Here's a few more photos of the 'orange blooming ginger'.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/timmaz6/2011sept516.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/timmaz6/2011sept515.jpg

Here's a few photos of the ginger which blooms at the base:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/timmaz6/2011Oct813.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/timmaz6/2011Oct89.jpg

momoese
05-11-2012, 11:53 AM
That's pretty cool Tim.

Steve L
05-11-2012, 12:16 PM
Tim, my company computer blocks images through Photobucket. Unless you can post another way, I won't be able to see them.

Steve

Tim MA z6
05-11-2012, 12:39 PM
Hi Steve,

can you see this? ID's would be great!

Orange blooming 'ginger'.
http://i45.tinypic.com/2yud9qh.jpg

another photo of same plant:
http://i49.tinypic.com/s3ddas.jpg

The ginger with blooms at the base:
http://i45.tinypic.com/mrwkut.jpg

Steve L
05-11-2012, 12:51 PM
I can see every other picture in this thread but not yours. I would be happy to attempt to identify them if I could see them.

Tim MA z6
05-12-2012, 10:00 PM
Hi Steve,

I uploaded a few photos of the hardy gingers to my album......I think this is the link:

Banana Gallery - Tim MA z6 Gallery (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showgallery.php?ppuser=13224&cat=500)

for some reason the ginger with the blooms at the base are not uploading.....perhaps tomorrow.

Richard
05-12-2012, 10:50 PM
So the "orange ginger" -- which you've also called "hardy ginger" in your photo album: any idea which species this cultivar is from?

Tim MA z6
05-12-2012, 11:14 PM
Hi Richard

A friend gardener from northern New Jersey sent them to me. I'm not sure of the ID. The ginger is starting to grow now since soil temps are creeping up.