Ginger - late to sprout

I bought some ginger roots at a flower show on 14 April this year. 3 gardenarium and 3 orange gingers, whose name the seller didn't know.

I potted them up and put them outside, but until about 5 days ago there was no sign of life from either. So I assumed that they were dead. However all three of the orange gingers now show an inch of growth, but nothing from the gardenarium. Is this normal - it seems very late.

I will keep them frost free over winter, but what happens to the top growth - does it all die away? And do we have to start from scratch again next year? Is there something I could have done to get them going earlier? There wasn't space in the greenhouse, but I could perhaps have kept them in the house but with little light.

 

I have grown gingers in the past and mine seemed to have a mind of their own .I kept them for a few years and they always regrew each year and some stayed green throughout the winter ,However on saying that mine always flowered very late in the year as |I was moving everything else back into the greenhouse for the winter .So I never enjoyed the full glory of them and they were beautiful flowers . Maybe other members have faired better ?? I eventually gave up with them .

Dave

 

I find most gingers are a bit slow to get started, dry rhizomes are the worst.
I usually keep mine in the greenhouse until growth is well under way, apart from those that are planted out in the garden, they usually start moving in May.

You can leave the stems on some to overwinter, but others die right back to the ground.
I've never had overwintered stems flower the following year, it appears to be only current year stems that are capable of flowering

I doubt you will get any flowers this year Peter, but store the pots frost free and they should flower next year.

I'm not really that well up on species/ varieties, I only have 4 different ones at the moment, most flower fairly late but I think if you select carefully a few do flower a bit earlier.

 

You seem to have mastered it Pete with that show ..

Dave

 

Thanks Dave, that was October a couple of years ago.

Since split the plant up, but should look reasonably good this year.

 

Many thanks for your replies - I knew you wouldn't let me down. :happydance:

Pete - that picture really is superb - I knew you would know all about it. That's a good point about not flowering this year. I assumed they would - but as I have a garden full of plants that don't or didn't flower in the first year, I think I was kidding myself.

I am getting a feeling that what my gingers have done is not far out of character. I probably didn't give them a good start by not giving them enough heat at the start of the season.

Yes Marley - they are in pots. In Yorkshire I get used to the fact that nothing fancy is hardy here, even if it is in the south. I will no doubt find some indoor space for them over the winter, but it gets harder each year.