GINGER Zingiber officinale

Here in the U.S., for many people, the smell and taste of ginger are like a warm comfortable blanket reminding them of the care of a parent when sick with an upset tummy or the smell of cookies at the magical time of Christmas. It is in their favorite Asian dish, a flavorful beer or wonderful tea. While it isn't as prevalent in our food and drink as in other parts of the world, it is well appreciated as a food spice.

Ginger is a close tropical relative of cardamom and turmeric.

Growing

Ginger grows from rhizomes that can be harvested or split as soon as 4 months after planting, but mature usually around 10 months after planting. When split, the rhizomes need to be 2-3 inches in length with at least one eye. Any less than 2 inches, and you may not get a vigorous plant. When splitting the rhizomes, allow cut pieces to callous over for at least 24-48 hours before planting to avoid root rot. Plant about 1 inch deep. As it grows, you can cover rhizomes that appear above the soil line, but it isn't necessary. Like iris, these rhizomes like to be shallow.

What they do NOT like is temps below the 55-60 F range. They get really unhappy whenever exposed to temps below 55 and frost can kill them. A freeze definitely will. Growing in pots to bring in over winter or pulling the rhizomes at the end of summer allows you to keep your supply going.

Pests really like ginger, so I grow it in pots in the greenhouse. They prefer the moist hot conditions, and I'm happy to provide them.

Ginger likes slightly acidic, rich, loamy, well-drained soil and only a once weekly deep watering. They are an understory tropical forest plant and so need shade or at least partial shade conditions.

The rhizomes can be split for use or propagation as early as 4 months after planting, but are fully mature at 10 months. The rhizomes will continue to spread, but it is beneficial to the mother plant to have growth split off.

uses

Ginger makes a nice tropical house plant, but really, what we want is the SPICE. While it is a vegetable, it is most commonly used as a potent spice in fresh, paste, dried, powdered, oil or juice form.

The following are all equivalent to 1 gram of ginger:

• 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1 teaspoon grated raw ginger
• 4 cups water steeped with 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger

"Less raw ginger is needed when making tea because certain nutrients in ginger concentrate when heated." - Healthline

Ginger is NOT RECOMMENDED for children under the age of 2! 

Final Thoughts

While I'm a fan of ginger, I must say that after researching for this blog post, I'm making this veggie spice a much more important part of my diet. There really aren't any down sides of growing or eating it. It's easy to grow if you don't expose it to pests, stores well, and has endless uses. I am definitely on the ginger train...

sPECS

Zingiber Officinale

Type: Perennial

Uses: Flowering, ornamental, spice, medicinal, teas and other drinks

Hardiness Zone: 9-12

Height: 4 feet Spread: 2 feet

Life Span: Indefinite

Roots: Spreading rhizomes

Flower Color: N/A as flowers rarely appear

Leaf Color: Yellow-green

Fall Leaf Color: N/A, tropical and must be left out

Transplant: When temperatures are never lower than 55-60 degrees

Planting Depth: 1 inch or less, add soil over rhizomes as they grow

Spacing: 12 inches

Sunlight: Partial to full shade Water Requirements: Water deeply once a week

Soil Quality: Rich, loamy, well draining

Soil Chemistry: 5.5-6.5pH

Fertilize: When repotting/planting, add compost as needed for rich soil

Growth Rate: Fast

Attracts: None Critter Resistant: None

Critter Attractant: None

Harvest: 10 months for full maturity, 4 months for partial harvest

Pruning: Remove damaged or diseased leaves as necessary

Pests: Aphids, ants, mealy bugs, spider mites, cutworms, slugs, snails, soft scales, Chinese rose beetle, Fijian ginger weevil, cardamom thrips, army worms, yellow wooly bear caterpillar, fungus gnats

Diseases: Bacterial wilt, fusarium fungus, root-knot nematode,

Reseeds: No

Propagation: Split rhizomes into 2-3 inches pieces, no less, allow to cure for 24-48 hours to avoid root rot, replant

Garden Style: Tropical

Companions: Tropical plants that like the same soil pH

Allergy Potential: Rarely causes intestinal issues or skin irritation

WARNINGS: Juice can cause skin irritation, not for children under 2

https://gardenerspath.com/plants/herbs/how-to-grow-temperate-ginger/?fbclid=IwAR3jhUqB9BXRUky4IMeY4Gaf22xFKJgsB0gtP8e1fXyyAMWb3P78gl6mX6E

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-proven-benefits-of-ginger#The-bottom-line

MIMOSA Albizia julibrissin

Growing up, our neighbor Mrs. Henley had a beautiful mimosa tree that my mother loved. Mom was gifted a cutting and grew one of her own. Unfortunately, it was attacked by an unknown assailant with a hatchet one day. My mom is STILL angry about it, 50 years later. 

When we bought the overgrown acreage of my city farmhouse, I had no idea that I would come back from Colorado just before 4th of July that first summer and take a walk through the newly-cleared property to look up and see a majestic  mimosa in full bloom. It took my breath away. The fern like leaves with little puffs of pink rampant upon it was just stuning. The pom pom flowers remind me of the pink tufts of Dr. Suess' truffala trees in The Lorax.  

The flower scent is pleasant and fragrant. The leaves are sensitive and the sides will fold together if touched and close at night.

Mimosa is loved and hated in equal measures. Here in zone 5a/6b, mimosa is not the easiest tree to propagate as we are at the edge of its hardiness zones. It is considered an uncommon ornamental. In warmer climates, it can become invasive and is regulated in some areas. 

Mimosa was introduced to the U.S. in 1785 by a French botanist named Andre Michaux. He had a botanic garden in Charleston, South Carolina where he grew it. It is native to the Middle East and Asia. It is also known as silk tree, Chinese silk tree, Persian silk tree, tree of happiness and pink siris.

You can find mimosa seeds and transplants in my shop.

Growing

Mimosa grows 20-40' on average, but can get as tall as 50'. It is a fast grower with a compact habit. Low water needs means it can take some drought and neglect. It withstands urban demands such as street salt, pollution, low water and heat. It can handle some of the poorest soils and where its conditions are right, can be one of the first trees to populate fire or tillage disturbed areas.

It is a weak tree and prone to breakage, so don't plant close to structures or anything of value. It is a legume tree, so it can produce nitrogen in the roots. It can be used to shade young fruit tree transplants and when they mature enough, the mimosa can be pruned down to continue as a beneficial companion plant in a food forest.

It is invasive in most areas it grows, so removal of the seed pods is necessary. It handles pruning well and can even be used for bonsai.

uses

Used as an ornamental and focal point tree, decorative tree lines, shade tree and the wood is used in some areas for furniture. The bark and flowers are edible.

Final Thoughts

This was the first tree I really took notice of when I was a little girl because my mom was so enamored of them. They are seldom seen in my area, and just make my heart happy when I come across one. They seem whimsical to me and other-worldly. There is now a young volunteer next to the farmhouse, and I appreciate that I don't have to walk out into the woods to see one anymore, I can just go out the backdoor, sit with my coffee, think of my childhood running barefoot in the sun around and climbing up our mimosa, and commune with my mother's love of this darling tree. She says she doesn't have room for one at their current place, but I think maybe she needs one. She receiving a sapling for Mother's Day this next year is quite possible.

sPECS

Albizia julibrissin

Type: Diciduous

Wood Type: Soft wood, brittle/weak

Uses: Flowering, ornamental, shade tree, nitrogen fixing companion planting tree, bonsai

Hardiness Zone: 6-10

Transplant: Fall through spring when ground is workable

Height: 10-50 feet Spread: 20-50 feet

Life Span: 30 years, can be as low as 10

Roots: Non-invasive

Flower Color: Pink, prolific

Leaf Color: Blue-green, fern like

Fall Leaf Color: Yellow, but drop pretty quick

Seed Pods: Bean with about 8 seeds, 5-16 possible

Transplant: Fall through spring when ground is workable

Spacing: They don't mind being crowded, but 12' minimum

Sunlight: Full sun 6+ hours, 8-10 is best, unfiltered Water Requirements: Low, tolerates drought

Soil Quality: Not picky, can tolerate bad and rocky soil

Soil Chemistry: 4.6-5 pH

Fertilize: Not necessary, roots can produce their own nitrogen

Growth Rate: Fast

Bloomtime: May-August

Attracts: Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds Critter Resistant: Resistant to deer

Critter Attractant: No

Harvest: Bark and flowers for medicinal and teas

Pruning: Often lose branches, prune as necessary to keep breaks clean

Pests: Mimosa webworm, shot hole borer, mites

Diseases: Mimosa vascular wilt, armillaria fungus, root rot, cottony cushion scale

Reseeds: Yes

Propagation: Seed and stem cuttings

Garden Style: Oriental, drought, eclectic, food forest companion kept pruned

Companions: Lilac, Russian sage, false cypress,

Allergy Potential: Possible, not common

WARNINGS: Seeds contain a neurotoxin that can be toxic to people, dogs and livestock, can be invasive

 

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/albizia-julibrissin/

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/insect-pests-wintercreeper-24015.html

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/old-mimosa-tree-before-blooms-68679.html

https://www.eclecticschoolofherbalmedicine.com/the-tree-of-collective-happiness/

https://www.monrovia.com/mimosa-tree.html

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2006774/