ginger plant

Question

my 94 year old friend gave me ginger plants that bloomed the first year and although they come up now look very healthy they haven’t bloomed again. What do I do? They smell so good and look so pretty.

Thank you

Answer 1

Typically, ginger won’t bloom unless it remains above 80 degrees for two years in a row. They will not flower every year, even if you give it the proper conditions. They are low feeders, but it would be a good idea to fertilize them once a year with a granular, or slow release all purpose fertilizer. They also enjoy quite a bit of humidity, so spraying them everyday will help as well.

The alternative would be chemicals called cytokinins. This would force flowering, but I would advise extra special care when dealing with this, because most of them cause cancer at relatively low doses.

I would say that if you can provide the right climate for them then they will flower again… But if it doesn’t remain above 80 for the entire year, then it may never bloom again.

Here is an article for more information on their care: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/ginger/growing-ginger-in-containers.htm