Ginger on the windowsill: how it grows and how it is useful

Ginger known to all for its medicinal and taste properties. The plant is perennial, which is native to India and Asia. The trunk of ginger can reach from half a meter to a meter in height. Ginger leaves are smooth and rather large, and the inflorescences appear in the form of spikelets. Outwardly, ginger is somewhat reminiscent of the familiar reed.

The most valuable part of ginger is, of course, the root. It is he who has all the main useful and healing properties. That is why more and more gardeners want to see this spicy plant on their windowsill.

Content:

• Rules for planting ginger in an apartment
• Rules for caring for ginger in the apartment
• Storing ginger root
• Useful properties of ginger roots
• Contraindications to the use of ginger roots
• Recipes using ginger root

Rules for planting ginger in an apartment

Growing ginger outdoors is not a good idea, as the Russian climate does not suit this exotic plant at all. However, it is quite possible to grow it in an apartment. It is important to understand that the plant will develop in a one-year cycle: in the spring, shoots will appear that will fade by the winter period, and the root will be in hibernation.

First of all, you need to take care of high-quality planting material.

For this, beautiful and fresh roots are suitable, on which you can see the buds. It is from them that the first shoots will appear after planting. The roots of the ginger should be smooth and uniform in color. They should be free of stains and any visual defects.

How to plant ginger correctly:

• After purchasing the roots for planting, they must be placed in warm water for a couple of hours. This procedure awakens dormant kidneys.
• Subject to the correct microclimate and light regime, you can plant ginger roots all year round. However, the best gain is observed when planting in the spring.
• It is better to choose small planting containers. If you grow ginger in order to get a good harvest of rhizomes, then you should choose wide, but shallow pots.
• The soil for planting should be loose and allow water and oxygen to pass through well. You can mix the substrate yourself, for this they use garden soil, sand and humus, which are mixed in equal parts. The self-mixed substrate must be disinfected, for example by calcining in the oven. A good drainage layer (at least three centimeters thick) should be placed at the bottom of the planting container. Excessive moisture is detrimental to ginger, with stagnant water, the roots begin to rot and the plant dies.
• You can immediately add a complex fertilizer for root vegetables, which should be purchased in advance in the store.
• If the purpose of planting is to grow ginger roots, then the planting material can be divided into several fragments. Each fragment must have at least one dormant bud. The sections must be treated with charcoal.
• The ginger roots must be pressed into the soil, leaving the buds on the surface. You do not need to drip them in, just water the plantings with water.

Landings should be kept in dim light, in a warm place.It is important to maintain the humidity in the air, which is very important for ginger. If the air in the room is dry, then the plantings should be covered with a film. The first shoots should appear in a couple of weeks.

Rules for caring for ginger in the apartment

Basic rules for caring for ginger:

• Ginger tolerates heat well, but dry or cold air, as well as direct sunlight, is very harmful to the plant. These factors are important to consider when choosing a place for a pot. In the summer, ginger can be taken out into the fresh air, but it is important to remember that it cannot survive even the slightest frost.
• Watering ginger depends on the temperature of its content. On hot days, frequent watering is necessary, as well as spraying the foliage. When the temperature drops, watering should be reduced.
• Ginger is very fond of feeding, the most useful fertilizers are: nitrogen (for growth), potassium (for bud formation) and phosphorus (for roots).

At the end of the summer period, watering is usually reduced, and feeding is stopped altogether. It promotes overgrowth root system ginger. The ginger roots are ready to eat when the foliage is dry. They are washed from the soil, dried well and put away for storage. The shelf life is usually three to four months.

Storing ginger root

An important fact of storing fresh ginger roots is that its beneficial properties are preserved only for seven days in the refrigerator, while the dried root has healing properties for several months.

Storage Methods for Ginger:

• To preserve the beneficial properties of fresh ginger roots, it is preferable to freeze it. A very large amount of trace elements is found in the peel of the root, so it is not recommended to peel it.
• You can squeeze the juice out of the ginger roots. It can be stored in the refrigerator for three months.
• Recently, pickled ginger has become very popular, which can be easily cooked at home. This will require 200 grams of ginger root, two tablespoons of sugar and two teaspoons of salt, a glass of rice vinegar and two tablespoons of red wine. First, the ginger root is cut into thin slices along the grain. Then the ginger is salted and left for a while. Sugar, vinegar and wine are mixed in a separate container. The mixture must be heated until the sugar dissolves. Pieces of ginger are poured with marinade and stored in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator.
• You can also make candied ginger root. For cooking, you need to peel and chop the ginger root. Next, pour water into a saucepan and immerse the pieces of ginger there, which should be cooked for an hour. After the pieces are tender, you can add sugar. In this case, it is important to turn down the heat to a minimum. The amount of sugar and water in the pot should be equal. Next, you need to boil the roots for another hour. After that, you can strain the syrup, and roll the slices in sugar. They need to be allowed to dry overnight, and then transferred to a glass container. This candied ginger can be kept in the refrigerator for two to three months, and can also be frozen. And ginger syrup will be an excellent remedy for colds.

Useful properties of ginger roots

Ginger root contains essential oils and a resinous substance gingerol, which also has hot pepper... It also contains vitamins C, A and B, as well as magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc and phosphorus.

Consuming ginger root can cure the following problems:

• Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (which are accompanied by flatulence, diarrhea, cramps and low acidity).
• Poisoning.
• Parasites.
• Gum problems and other oral diseases.
• High cholesterol.
• Allergic manifestations.
• Weak immunity and colds.
• Infertility.
• Convulsions.
• Thrombosis.
• Diseases of the joints.
• Excess weight.

Contraindications to the use of ginger roots

There are some contraindications to consider when using ginger roots:

• High temperature (as it may rise even more).
• Ulcers of the stomach and intestines, as well as gastritis (ginger irritates the mucous membranes).
• Ginger is a blood thinner and should not be taken by people with bleeding tendencies.
• Hypertension (ginger increases blood pressure).
• Insomnia.
• Pregnancy and lactation.

Recipes using ginger root

Several recipes using ginger root:

• An infusion of ginger root will help to stimulate digestion and improve appetite.
• With nausea, drinking half a teaspoon of ginger with a bite of tea will help.
• For joint pains, compresses from grated ginger root are used.
• A bath with the addition of ginger essential oil has a tonic effect that relaxes muscles and relieves heaviness in the legs.
• Ginger tea or drinking it in pieces cooked in sugar syrup will help well with colds.
• For viral diseases, syrup and juice from ginger roots are well suited.
• Also, ginger juice is used to heal wounds and acne.
• Ginger tea is a supplement for those who want to lose weight. It accelerates metabolism and promotes fat burning. This tea should be consumed half an hour before meals. The effect is achieved after several months, you should not wait for the changes in the numbers on the scales the next day.
• You can make a thicker hair mask with ginger. Ginger improves blood circulation well, and, accordingly, "wakes up" sleeping bulbs, making the hair more luxuriant. To do this, it is enough to grate the ginger root and apply the gruel to the hair roots. Keep the mask for fifty minutes and then wash your hair. With regular use, you will soon notice a positive result.

Growing ginger the apartment is an exciting experience. An exotic guest is quite whimsical in care, but knowing the characteristics and preferences of ginger, you will soon be able to enjoy an impressive harvest, which is extremely healthy.

More information can be found in the video: