Today is…
I always think of topics to cover while I’m working which makes it difficult to note all the subjects I want to cover. I use to divide up Green Shell Ginger, aka Alpina zerumbet, a true ginger while I worked for MAD Plants. I came up with a witty title so of course writing a blog on the plant was a priority before I forgot what I was going to title the piece.
Break It Down.
So before I get started on the process of propagating, let me cover a few basic characteristics that make Green Shell an awesome addition to almost any landscape.
1) 7-8 feet tall max
2) shade lover
3) great fill plant as it slowly spreads
4) cold tolerant (may show foliage damage but won’t die back)
5) light pink shell-like blooms
(pictured below top)
6) dark green leafy foliage (pictured below bottom)
7) easy tropical look
8) low maintenance
Disclaimer.
The plants shown in the pictures were extremely old and should have been divided some time ago (a couple years ago maybe!). Extremes will be noted in the process.
This is more of a picture show than anything else I guess…
It Begins.
So I pulled the Green Shell Gingers to divide. After years in black containers, it doesn’t look nearly as beautiful as it would in a landscape where it has room to grow.
Step 1: Remove all the weeds. You may laugh but some people believe if you bury the weeds, they won’t come back. They’re called weeds for a reason- they’re persistent little suckers!
It’s hard to believe but even at nurseries, weeds do exist. I think any nurseryman (or woman) would tell you that 50% of their time during summer months goes toward weeding. However, you’re still bound to end up with a little extra green when you purchase plants (even from Home Depot or Lowes).
Step 2: Hair cut. I trim all the foliage off (like I refered to in blog “The Practice of Perfect Potting” and in “Division- Not Always a Bad Thing”). Usually we leave the new “baby” shoots to continue growing. Cutting the foliage will encourage new growth from the roots and help stabilize the newly potted plant.
*Notice how the pots are breaking. You should repot or divide your gingers (or plants in general) way before this happens. Generally, with gingers, the pots bust where new shoots are trying to emerge.
Step 3: Remove the pot. Usually this is easy. However, with old rootbound plants, this is easier said than done. I feel like I am rescuing the plant from suffocation like some sort of plant superhero!
Sometimes the bottom of the pot remains even though I’ve cut off the rest of the pot as much as possible (shown above). Or sometimes the pot is just too thick to remove with hand pruners (which is usually the case with larger pots). So, we bring out the big guns…
This is for professional use only! I do not recommend using this at home or on small jobs. This is our last resort when trying to “save” plants from small pots. We also use the reciprocating saw on bamboo when dividing due to close culms and tight rootball formation.
The key is watching for 1) your feet, 2) your hands, 3) the cord, 4) anything else in the area. We cut on the grass (where there is nothing buried underground) so the saw can cut completely through the rootball into the soil below.
If your plant is rootbound like the one above obviously is, you want to cut off the bottom portion to encourage new root growth and to loosen existing roots. I cannot reiterate enough the importance of diving before your plant reaches this point!
Step 4: If able, I try to beat (literally) the dirt out of a compacted rootball. Loosening roots allows for better growth and a quality plant. Below is what you get after cutting and beating before dividing.
Step 6: Divy it up. I divide plants as much as possible to get the max amount of new plants from a stock plant. With gingers, the rhizomes are like a puzzle you’re trying to undo without breaking anything. While a lot of the rhizomes may be old and dead, they can have little eye like growths (like on potatoes) where a new stalk can emerge. The picture below left is an “eye”. The right shows a new shoot emerging.
Can you find the “eyes” below?
So, I try to get to one or two stalks for a 1 gallon pot (picture below on right) but if the clumps have to stay larger due to a mass of stalks and the risk of loosing too much, we’ll pot them into 3 gallons (picture below on left). We’ll keep a large clump full of good stalks to repot into a 7 or 10 gallon to start another stock plant.
Step 7: Pot. Refer to blog on “Perfect Potting Practices” for more information.
Sorry, We’re Closed.
Green Shell Ginger is one of those gingers that you don’t hear about often. It’s over shadowed by its flashy cousin the Variegated Shell Ginger which is decorated in green and yellow. The green however is a great backdrop and has beautiful blooms that contrast well with its foliage. This is one plant that is slowly catching on. Will you have the newest trend in landscaping?
Homegrown Shells.
If this is a plant that you would like to add to your landscape in a heavily shaded area, let us know! Shell gingers are great around trees, as screen areas, and can give your landscape a lush green backdrop.
Contact us at (813) 763-5082 today!
Homegrown Landscapes LLC 