Fertilizing Recommendations for ZINGIBER and torch gingers?

[Plant-a-holic]

I was hoping I could get some recommendations please on the type of fertilizer, regime and frequency that would be best for blooming my ZINGIBER gingers and also my other gingers like the ETLINGERA /torch gingers , and other varieties of ginger etc. etc.? Some have been in the ground here in zone 10 A in Florida, for two years and some have still not bloomed? Thanks in advance!

[Silas_Sancona]

30 minutes ago, Plant-a-holic said:

I was hoping I could get some recommendations please on the type of fertilizer, regime and frequency that would be best for blooming my ZINGIBER gingers and also my other gingers like the ETLINGERA /torch gingers , and other varieties of ginger etc. etc.? Some have been in the ground here in zone 10 A in Florida, for two years and some have still not bloomed? Thanks in advance!

Depending on what size the " not - flowering - yet "  gingers were when purchased, they may not be mature enough yet to flower...  Regardless,  Would use an organic fert. w/ an emphasis on higher K over  either Nitrogen or Phosphorus.. ..Something like this ratio:  8 - 3- 10 or a little higher.  Palm- type fert will work, as would something for either fruit trees / Hibiscus / Tropicals.

Know many gingers love stuff like compost/ manure as well.

As far as how often? 3-4x's per year is good.  Essentially, Gingers, majority anyway, are hungry fert hogs

[Plant-a-holic]

29 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Depending on what size the " not - flowering - yet "  gingers were when purchased, they may not be mature enough yet to flower...  Regardless,  Would use an organic fert. w/ an emphasis on higher K over  either Nitrogen or Phosphorus.. ..Something like this ratio:  8 - 3- 10 or a little higher.  Palm- type fert will work, as would something for either fruit trees / Hibiscus / Tropicals.

Know many gingers love stuff like compost/ manure as well.

As far as how often? 3-4x's per year is good.  Essentially, Gingers, majority anyway, are hungry fert hogs

Thanks for the reply! I did have someone tell me that a palm fertilizer 8– 2–12 would be good. But didn’t know if they knew about gingers at all? Lol!

some of the ones in the ground are probably 6 to 8 feet tall. Also somebody mentioned maybe I should try a fertilizer that’s a bloom booster that you mix with water? Don’t know if that would be good or should I just stick with the palm fertilizer?

[Silas_Sancona]

38 minutes ago, Plant-a-holic said:

Thanks for the reply! I did have someone tell me that a palm fertilizer 8– 2–12 would be good. But didn’t know if they knew about gingers at all? Lol!

some of the ones in the ground are probably 6 to 8 feet tall. Also somebody mentioned maybe I should try a fertilizer that’s a bloom booster that you mix with water? Don’t know if that would be good or should I just stick with the palm fertilizer?

No problem.. Glad to offer any advise that will help.. Next to Plumeria, Gingers are some of my most admired tropicals..

Definitely stay away from those " Bloom Booster " ferts.. Many times, they have a ton of Phosphorus ( middle number in any fertilizer formula ) which ..may help a little w/ pushing flowers, but Phosphorus main purpose is root development and there in FL, you generally have plenty of it in your native soil.. Too much of it will slowly sterilize your soil, and run off.. ( plants only use a certain amount at any given time )  With certain plants ..Plumeria, Hibiscus ...maybe Gingers as well,  they can glut themselves on it and slowly deteriorate health- wise over the course of a few years before dying out.. Think of too much Phosphorus is like eating nothing but super greasy food for years.. Might taste great, but..


K ( Potassium, ..the 12 in the fertilizer ratio you'd mentioned ) on the other hand is very important for flower / fruit development ( If you have things like Bananas, other plants that produce fruit ) It is also very important for total health of many things, inc. tropicals..  And real important for plants like Gingers / Bananas / Strelitzia, Plumeria, and Hibiscus..  Most Palms need good amounts of it as well. 12% K is about as high as i'd go, though some people who grow Gingers might go a little higher..

With K, would look for a product called Langbeinite.. Is a natural, crystalized form of Potassium that will not wash through the soil as fast as other sources of K, esp. synthetic K.  Langbeinite
will only shed a certain amount of K into the soil when it gets wet. It often has a higher %' ratio than the 12% K in the Palm Fert, but, as i mentioned, it releases over a longer period of time. As sandy as the soil is there in Fl. slow release -anything- is best.  


Another good product you should have in your fertilizer " war chest ",  SulPoMag ..which combines Sulfur, Potassium, and Magnesium  Sulfur and Mag. are also very important for keeping everything healthy as well.

Anyway,  If all you have access to now is the 8-2-12 Palm Fertilizer, that will work just fine for the Gingers for general feeding..

[Plant-a-holic]

25 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

No problem.. Glad to offer any advise that will help.. Next to Plumeria, Gingers are some of my most admired tropicals..

Definitely stay away from those " Bloom Booster " ferts.. Many times, they have a ton of Phosphorus ( middle number in any fertilizer formula ) which ..may help a little w/ pushing flowers, but Phosphorus main purpose is root development and there in FL, you generally have plenty of it in your native soil.. Too much of it will slowly sterilize your soil, and run off.. ( plants only use a certain amount at any given time )  With certain plants ..Plumeria, Hibiscus ...maybe Gingers as well,  they can glut themselves on it and slowly deteriorate health- wise over the course of a few years before dying out.. Think of too much Phosphorus is like eating nothing but super greasy food for years.. Might taste great, but..


K ( Potassium, ..the 12 in the fertilizer ratio you'd mentioned ) on the other hand is very important for flower / fruit development ( If you have things like Bananas, other plants that produce fruit ) It is also very important for total health of many things, inc. tropicals..  And real important for plants like Gingers / Bananas / Strelitzia, Plumeria, and Hibiscus..  Most Palms need good amounts of it as well. 12% K is about as high as i'd go, though some people who grow Gingers might go a little higher..

With K, would look for a product called Langbeinite.. Is a natural, crystalized form of Potassium that will not wash through the soil as fast as other sources of K, esp. synthetic K.  Langbeinite
will only shed a certain amount of K into the soil when it gets wet. It often has a higher %' ratio than the 12% K in the Palm Fert, but, as i mentioned, it releases over a longer period of time. As sandy as the soil is there in Fl. slow release -anything- is best.  


Another good product you should have in your fertilizer " war chest ",  SulPoMag ..which combines Sulfur, Potassium, and Magnesium  Sulfur and Mag. are also very important for keeping everything healthy as well.

Anyway,  If all you have access to now is the 8-2-12 Palm Fertilizer, that will work just fine for the Gingers for general feeding..

Thanks SOOO much for Information! I truly appreciate your help!! The SulPoMag which you mentioned above, is that given to the plants in addition to a regular fertilizing? Is that a type or is that a brand name? And also where would someone buy /find these?

In addition how often should I be fertilizing these gingers? We’re already now mid April… So should it be monthly , every other month or what? I do realize that in the winter month to not fertilize but did not know exactly with the gingers how often they should be fed. Thanks once again.

[metalfan]

I have Red Torch, Pink Torch and 3 tulip torches that bloom every summer. I fertilize with Miracle grow on a weekly basis from mid-March through November. I give them a supplement of trace and micros every 3 months via Dyna Gro foliage Pro. My big torches are 15+ feet tall. The blooms are of course basilar. My tulips are only about 10-12 ft high.

[metalfan]

Some blooms

[Silas_Sancona]

54 minutes ago, Plant-a-holic said:

Thanks SOOO much for Information! I truly appreciate your help!! The SulPoMag which you mentioned above, is that given to the plants in addition to a regular fertilizing? Is that a type or is that a brand name? And also where would someone buy /find these?

In addition how often should I be fertilizing these gingers? We’re already now mid April… So should it be monthly , every other month or what? I do realize that in the winter month to not fertilize but did not know exactly with the gingers how often they should be fed. Thanks once again.

Think Southern AG makes a SulPoMag product that should be available at many places.... There are some companies you could research online that make the same product, Just not sure which would ship to FL. Same w/ Langbeinite.. There are many great companies.. Espoma, Down To Earth, EB Stone are among some of the best. Use Down To Earth and EB stone products myself, just not sure if EB Stone can be shipped to FL. ( Don't see why not though )

** Note, Results from feeding w/ Organic - type Ferts. can take a little longer than Synthetic / Chemical Ferts to show up, but, they also won't harm the essential micro flora that helps the plants take up what nutrients they need.

As with Palms, other plants,  scatter any fert. you feed the Gingers with right at ..and just beyond.. the drip line, vs inside the clump ( Not much root growth occurring there, so not much benefit )

As mentioned, 3 or 4 x' during the warmer months, up to ..about mid- October is good.  So, yea, hit them w/ some now, ..Again right around the time the rains set in in mid June, then in mid Aug, ..and a fall feeding in early October.  If you did decide to provide a light feeding during the winter months ( if your plants are still actively growing ), stick with just some K, or SulPoMag.  Anything w/ Nitrogen in it will encourage that tender new growth you don't want exposed to any potential cold spells.

Edited April 19, 2022 by Silas_Sancona
edit

[Plant-a-holic]

3 hours ago, metalfan said:

Some blooms

Beautiful blooms!!!!! Are you growing them in Florida? What zone are you in? How long did it take to beget them to bloom?

thanks for sharing information and pics!!!

[Plant-a-holic]

3 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Think Southern AG makes a SulPoMag product that should be available at many places.... There are some companies you could research online that make the same product, Just not sure which would ship to FL. Same w/ Langbeinite.. There are many great companies.. Espoma, Down To Earth, EB Stone are among some of the best. Use Down To Earth and EB stone products myself, just not sure if EB Stone can be shipped to FL. ( Don't see why not though )

** Note, Results from feeding w/ Organic - type Ferts. can take a little longer than Synthetic / Chemical Ferts to show up, but, they also won't harm the essential micro flora that helps the plants take up what nutrients they need.

As with Palms, other plants,  scatter any fert. you feed the Gingers with right at ..and just beyond.. the drip line, vs inside the clump ( Not much root growth occurring there, so not much benefit )

As mentioned, 3 or 4 x' during the warmer months, up to ..about mid- October is good.  So, yea, hit them w/ some now, ..Again right around the time the rains set in in mid June, then in mid Aug, ..and a fall feeding in early October.  If you did decide to provide a light feeding during the winter months ( if your plants are still actively growing ), stick with just some K, or SulPoMag.  Anything w/ Nitrogen in it will encourage that tender new growth you don't want exposed to any potential cold spells.

I really appreciate the help! If I use the palm fertilizer, 3-4 times during growing season, then  when and how often do I use the other one… the SulpoMag?
And btw… I found the Langbeinite online… is that in place of the sulPoMag OR in addition to it AND the Palm fertilizer ?

Sorry , I just want to be sure I understand and not overdo it or make a mistake.

thanks  again!

Edited April 19, 2022 by Plant-a-holic

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, Plant-a-holic said:

I really appreciate the help! If I use the palm fertilizer, 3-4 times during growing season, then  when and how often do I use the other one… the SulpoMag?

Sorry , I just want to be sure I understand and not overdo it or make a mistake.

thanks !!

No need to apologize.. Never hurts to ask.. And definitely don't want to over fertilize things. 

If you're using the Palm Fert 3 or 4 x a year, I'd use the SulPoMag 2x a year ..Once now, to give everything a nice boost as growing season kicks into gear, then again on your last feeding in the fall..  While still up for debate, there are some suggestions a good dose of K in the fall can help things weather cold stress little better in winter.

Obviously, Florida winters are a little different than ours but, especially if your growing any marginal palms ..or Gingers, etc..  that might be a little more sensitive to what cold you might experience, never hurts to be sure they're going into the winter as healthy as possible. Torch Gingers are certainly worth keeping healthy..

As with any fertilizer, better to go on the light side when applying. If you're applying compost around your plants as well, applying fertilizer at a lighter rate is even better since compost generally contributes it's own %'age of nutrients to plants as it breaks down.

 

[metalfan]

7 hours ago, Plant-a-holic said:

Beautiful blooms!!!!! Are you growing them in Florida? What zone are you in? How long did it take to beget them to bloom?

thanks for sharing information and pics!!!

I have been growing Etlingeras for 15+ years. These are in zone 9A planted inside a greenhouse. I have never invested in fancy fertilizers. The do fine without all that. So do my heliconias. They are heavy feeders so weekly during the growing season with basic fertilizer is fine for them here. Supplementation every 3-4 months with trace and micros is also sufficient. All of mine were started from single rhizome starts and bloomed the 2 year after planting

[metalfan]

These are some photos of blooms from last summer. They go backwards LOL out of order but show the progression of a bloom from emergence to maturity. The numbering sequence would be 8, 6,5,4,1,3 for the torch. I have several heliconias that I fertilize the same way. Bloom every year. Pretty good for Miracle Grow, IMO

[Plant-a-holic]

8 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

No need to apologize.. Never hurts to ask.. And definitely don't want to over fertilize things. 

If you're using the Palm Fert 3 or 4 x a year, I'd use the SulPoMag 2x a year ..Once now, to give everything a nice boost as growing season kicks into gear, then again on your last feeding in the fall..  While still up for debate, there are some suggestions a good dose of K in the fall can help things weather cold stress little better in winter.

Obviously, Florida winters are a little different than ours but, especially if your growing any marginal palms ..or Gingers, etc..  that might be a little more sensitive to what cold you might experience, never hurts to be sure they're going into the winter as healthy as possible. Torch Gingers are certainly worth keeping healthy..

As with any fertilizer, better to go on the light side when applying. If you're applying compost around your plants as well, applying fertilizer at a lighter rate is even better since compost generally contributes it's own %'age of nutrients to plants as it breaks down.

 

Thanks again for the information … And Clarification.  As for the Langbeinite, You’re saying that in the fall it might be good to do these for  other/all Plants That may be susceptible to the cold…to give them an extra” insurance” for any cold damage?  My understanding that right? If so that sounds amazing! We usually don’t get very cold here but I have had some that don’t do that well… And usually recover… Although using the frost cloth because I’m a nervous Nellie just in case it’s such a pain !! LOL!

[Silas_Sancona]

3 hours ago, Plant-a-holic said:

Thanks again for the information … And Clarification.  As for the Langbeinite, You’re saying that in the fall it might be good to do these for  other/all Plants That may be susceptible to the cold…to give them an extra” insurance” for any cold damage?  My understanding that right? If so that sounds amazing! We usually don’t get very cold here but I have had some that don’t do that well… And usually recover… Although using the frost cloth because I’m a nervous Nellie just in case it’s such a pain !! LOL!

Yes.. Perfect for all your tropicals, Don't think it will hurt any FL native plants you might also have in your garden ( Say things like  Simpson Stopper,  Fiddlewood,  Jamaican Caper, etc ) 

As mentioned, while the debate around exactly how  beneficial providing a good dose of K in the fall can be isn't entirely settled, if you read over all the benefits of K for plants, you'll see " May strengthen plants against the stresses of cold / heat / drought exposure " in various descriptions..  There's a lot of science to it but essentially, K helps strengthen the cell walls in plants which in turn makes them less vulnerable to being easily damaged by cold / heat, etc ..compared to a plant where it's cells are weaker / thinner or whatever..  Obviously, important the plants are getting the other essential nutrients as well..

Also considered 10A here and we do have those one off winters where things can be damaged..  That said, Heat ( our special flavor of it, lol ) can actually be worse / cause more damage than a majority of frost events we can see in winter.
 In FL, there is higher levels of humidity in the air which provides added protection from sun / heat damage.. Very little humidity here when it is 100- 115F in late Spring / Summer ..at least until we get to July and we start seeing rain. Unlike during the winter, really no way to protect plants that are fully exposed to the sun w/ out causing more damage from trapping heat, unless you built something over them. Is one reason ..if someone wants to have a tropical- themed landscape here ..better have lots of tree canopy to provide shade, esp. in the afternoons..


 

[Plant-a-holic]

I am excited to start a  better fertilizing regimen now… so thanks for the valuable information!!!

…an another thought… if I had already applied some nutricote 180, time release to the landscape plants in ground and /or  to some potted plants, a while ago… probably  last fall before winter, of course … it would probably be safe right to add fertilizer now?
Also…if I understand you correctly I can use the palm fertilizer AND still use the SulPoMag as well on same plant?

 

 

[Silas_Sancona]

6 minutes ago, Plant-a-holic said:

I am excited to start a  better fertilizing regimen now… so thanks for the valuable information!!!

…an another thought… if I had already applied some nutricote 180, time release to the landscape plants in ground and /or  to some potted plants, a while ago… probably  last fall before winter, of course … it would probably be safe right to add fertilizer now?
Also…if I understand you correctly I can use the palm fertilizer AND still use the SulPoMag as well on same plant?

 

 

Yes to both.. If applied in the Fall, the 180 day should be close to the end of it's dated life expectancy, and since SulPoMag is a 0- 0- 20- ish range product, K would be the only element you're adding / boosting.. so, using it w/ the 8-2-12 palm fert, your total ratio would work out to something like 8-2-30-ish, x2 a year..  Same using the Langbeinite ( usually a 0-0 22 ratio ) except the Langbeinite will release as a slower rate, rather than some SulPoMag ferts where the K might be released faster..

[Dartolution]

Jealous of the heliconias for sure. 

I grow several in pots here, as well as alpinia, bananas, hedychium, and curcuma gingers. 

Typically with all my tropicals I use osmocote plus, but once a month I use Miracle Grow performance organics edibles, or all purpose which has an NPK ratio 9-4-12 and 11-3-8 respectively in conjunction with seaweed extract and unsulfured molasses. 

[Plant-a-holic]

Thanks again to all for sharing your knowledge , experience and kindness with my worrisome questioning!!LOL!!

[Plant-a-holic]

10 hours ago, metalfan said:

These are some photos of blooms from last summer. They go backwards LOL out of order but show the progression of a bloom from emergence to maturity. The numbering sequence would be 8, 6,5,4,1,3 for the torch. I have several heliconias that I fertilize the same way. Bloom every year. Pretty good for Miracle Grow, IMO

Your plants are AMAZING!!! Which exact Miracle grow fertilizer do you use?

[metalfan]

just the plain old Miracle Grow that goes in the hose end feeder. I forget the NPK ratio. I have also used 20-20-20 before. The only plants that get really special treatment from me are my aroids. They get Osmocote plus and/or Dyna Gro Foliage Pro.