"------Pomegranate seeds made attractive little plants I remember, suitable for bonsai. "

There is a special miniature variety for bonsai. I grew it once.

It flowers and actually fruits. Very attractive cute little bonsai tree.

dcarch

Here is a link that might be useful:

Jim, I had already gone to the Asian Vegetables Forum, and there was only one thread regarding growing galangal, but no one said anything about how to do it, except that it should be planted in well-drained soil. I suppose I could just plant the root in potting soil as you did with your ginger. I think I will go ahead and use the rooting compound, since I have it. I don't like the idea of leaving it in the fridge for several weeks.

I did have more luck with the ginger forum, where I found a link to this site with some info on propagation. I guess I should just plant the galangal in a pot and keep it inside, as it needs heat to sprout.

Lars

Lars - I think I told you I have a pot of ginger in my sunroom. I bought a couple of plants at the farmer's market last spring. I brought it in for the winter. It came in a potting mix and when I moved it to a larger pot I put it in Miracle Grow mix.

Although I did not start my own the woman said she just put a piece of ginger in dirt and it started growing. And my friend I help at the market has done that and said it is that simple.

I would love to try galangal. I think I will wait until it warms up and I can start it outside.

My mom has a pot of Tumeric and Ginger growing (in Maine) for years. She even got flowers last summer. I don't think she did anything super special. Good luck!

"... I had already gone to the Asian Vegetables Forum, and there was only one thread regarding growing galangal, but no one said anything about how to do it..."

You're right. When I searched I hit 13 threads. But looking more closely I see that there is not much info in them. :-(

"It flowers and actually fruits. Very attractive cute little bonsai tree."

Nice!

Jim

Lars, the way I grow gingers, turmeric, galangal, taro and similar is to barely cover the root when planting them and give them some shade because it gets too hot in my area with the full sun. I didn't amend the soil but in that area I mulched with coastal hay. Turmeric is very pretty when flowering and is shorter than my gingers.
I also have a dwarf pomegranate in a small pot, is called Nana.

Silvia

Both my ginger plants were planted quite shallow and the roots tend to surface as you can see in the photo. Not the best photo. I kept removing pieces of this plant to use over the summer. The other clump got really large. I split it in half. Potted one half to bring indoors, used some and gave some to 3 people. One made gingerale which was delicious!

Thanks!! I have enough info now to start planting my galangal, and I'll do that this evening, if I don't forget. I have a pot ready that I can use, but I'm thinking that I might want to put the two pieces in separate pots. One piece already has what looks like the tip of a new root growing, and the other one has some hair-like roots, which I thought might be a good sign. It's good to know that you can grow it partially indoors because it is too cold to get anything started right now.

Lars

Lars

A couple more points. turmeric, ginger and galanga all have eyes or little bumps where the rooting will happen. It helps to make sure that these eyes are facing down. Plant them shallow. My friend in Florida claims that it helps to use some super thrive in the soil to aid rooting. Warmth and sunny location are most important. If they grow to be a big climb, you can divide and send us some :)

Thanks - I will go to HD to get some superthrive. At first I thought I was going to have to go to the factory in North Hollywood to get it. I've already planted one root very loosely, but I can easily dig it up and replant it. It is the one with a pointed protrusion that looks like a sprout. The other piece does not have this, but I will look for eyes or bumps on it. Both pieces seem sufficiently fresh. I wrapped the second one in a paper towel and stored it in the fridge in a plastic bag.

If I get large plants from this, I will definitely divide the plants and send you some!

Lars

You don't need to dig it up. Just water with water with a few drops of super thrive.

Every jan 14, I wish for fresh turmeric and ginger plants. It is the harvest festival called Pongal in southern india dedicated to the sun god. It is traditional to tie the ginger and turmeric plants around the neck of a new clay pot and cook the fresh harvest of rice in a risotto like dish sweetened with jaggery. It used to be my job to bring home a couple of whole sugarcanes strapped to my bicycle and dig up the ginger and turmeric rooted the previous year. The fragrance of fresh turmeric and ginger is unforgettable. The pot would always be allowed to boil over a bit signifying a year overflowing with sweetness and abundance. The green leaves of ginger and turmeric are symbolic of prosperity, the turmeric of auspiciousness, ginger for the spice of life.

I grew ginger and lemon grass last summer as an experiment. Make sure you get a really fresh piece of ginger. The one I sprouted had unblemished skin and already had little nubs on it. I just started it indoors in some soil. It grew well on my deck but I forgot to bring it in before freeze up.

The lemongrass was sprouted in some water and then I planted it. I did manage to bring that one in and it is now on the window sill doing fine. It doesn't appear to be a very fussy plant because it was virtually ignored for the four weeks I was in Hawaii - the 18 year old daughter is not much of a gardener, I have learned.