Tahitian Ginger - Dieing need care help!!!

20 years ago

We traveled to Hawaii as a family and we purhased a start for a Tahitian Ginger.

We planted and it started to grow. Was growing well and we moved to a new pot. However, after moving to the new pot, and the adding of fertilizer stakes to the soil the plant is starting to die.

I am not sure if I have been giving it too much attention or what.

The leaves started turning brown on the end and yellow and then just started dieing. My wife thinks that I have been over watering the plant and it is getting root rot.

I have tried learning about these plants but there is not a lot of information.

Would really like to save the plant but I am not sure what to do at this point.

If anyone has any tips on helping me save this plant and on how to care for it to make it thrive I would love to hear from you.

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Comments (3)

rayandgwenn
20 years ago
By "Tahitian Ginger", I assume you mean "Alpinia purpurata, Tahitian". Since you said you were in Hawaii, I'm also going to assume that you purchased one of those small rhizomes in a plastic bag that you see at the airport.

On Alpinias, once a leaf turns yellow the leaf is a goner. So don't try to save individual leaves ... you'll lose.

You need to be concerned with the rhizome / root-system. Your wife may be right, there might be some root rot going on. But you can't know for sure without taking it out of the pot.

A healthy rhizome will appear white (once the dirt is washed off) below the soil line. If it's browm/black and gushy ... then it's rotting. Nothing you can do to reverse that.

Look for new "eyes" emerging from the rhizome ... if you find any, then _that's_ what you have to concentrate on. Those eyes would be the next generation from your mother plant.

For a potted Alpinia, make sure the soil is fast-draining. We use ProMix for our potted gingers.

Hope this helps somewhat.

-Ray
minibim
20 years ago
How big/how many fertilizer stakes did you put in the pot as well? You could be burning a newly planted rhizome with way too much fertilizer.
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bihai
20 years ago
I have this ginger and it has always been somewhat finicky for me, much more finicky that all the other A. purpuratas I grow (Kimi, Red, Eileen McDonald, Ginoza, Polynesian Princess). But I would never use fertilizer spikes on a ginger like this one. A purps have tightly packed root systems and shoots coming off the rhizome and it would be really easy to burn it with a fertilizer spike. Water soluble like 20-20-20 is a much better option, but then only once you have a good stand of plants going with good growth.

Also, if you have the plant out in full sun in 85+F temps, and its a packed pot, you may need a lot of water, but if its in less than those conditions and its a skimpy pot, you may indeed be overwatering.

Ray is right, you need to unpot the plant and inspect the root mass and the rhizomes. Remove any rot and start over with a good well draining mix, part shade and water appropriately, hold the food til it gets good and going