Successful Farming Methods
Ginger Rhizomes are used for planting, select best rhizomes free from pests and disease from the mother plant or purchase from authorized sellers or you can use green ginger from the vegetable market if the rhizome is not available. Plant rhizome of 15 -25 g in a grow bag with at least one viable healthy bud facing upward. Soak the seed rhizomes in a solution containing Pseudomonas fluorescens 20 g/per litter for 30 minutes and dry under shade before planting.
Potting mix Preparation for Grow Bags Farming
The success of grow bag farming depends on many factors one of the main factors is planting media used for the cultivation of plants. Media mix requirements of ginger farming consists of 2:1:1 of soil, sand /coir, and compost/dry cow dung.
Preparation of Soil
it is better to sieve the soil to remove large stones or sharp objects in the soil as it damages the grow bags. It is better to take read soil with good organic matter. Soil is the main part of the medium it will act as a storehouse of nutrients for the growth of plants.
Sand is added to ensure proper drainage and to reuse the compaction of soil if sand is not available it can be substituted with coir pith. The addition of sand or coir pith will improve the soil texture and it will help in the root development.
Compost or dry cow dung will improve the organic matter in the soil and the best source of essential nutrients for the growth of plants.
Solarization of Grow bag Potting mix
It is a method of using sunlight to sterilize the potting media used for grow bag farming by this bacteria, insects, nematodes, and the seed of weed in the potting mix will get perished. Soil solarization is used in seedbed method vegetable cultivation. For solarization to harvest solar energy potting mix will be made into a heap covered with a transparent polyethylene cover for 15 to30 days under the sun in an open ground. with 2:1:1 ratio consisting of soil, coir pith/sand; compost
Irrigation
Watering is given every day in the form of spray or drip or wick irrigation to avoid direct pouring of water as it causes the splash erosion of media from the bags.
Manuring
Apply organic fertilizers like dry cow dung powder, diluted biogas slurry, diluted cows’ urine, vermiwash, vermicompost.
Harvesting- Ginger will be ready to harvest after 180 days onwards for vegetable ginger, for the dry ginger crop is harvested between 245-260 days.
Pest, Diseases and Control
| Pest | Control Measure |
|---|---|
| Shoot Borer | Spray Neem oil 5ml per liter |
| Nematode | Proper solarization of media before filling the bags, other |
| Leaf Spot | Spray Bordeaux mixture (1%) or spray Pseudomonas fluorescens (2%) |
| Rhizome Rot and Fusarium Yellow | Ensure proper drainage holes in grow bags, select seed from the disease-free area. Inoculation with native arbuscular mycorrhiza, Trichoderma, and Pseudomonas fluorescens at the time of planting |
Source – KAU – POP (Organic) Crops 2017
Key Points to remember in Ginger Farming in Grow Bags
| 1 | Month | June to January (in South India for field farming) |
| 2 | Seeds | Planted using rhizomes- 15 to 25 gram per grow bag |
| 3 | Harvest | 6 months onwards |
| 4 | Watering | Daily once |
| 5 | Bag Size | 14L or more (Rochfern Large and Above) |
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