I've never seen that ginger. What is it? Could you post a pix?
Lynn

sounds like Hedychium greenei. Leave them on the plant and they will produce their own roots. Then you can seperate them and pot them up.

a picture would help, while H. greenii does make plantlets, it does this on the inflorescence (ie it will be blooming). I'm wondering if maybe its a ginger relative like a stromanthe or something which seems more like the description. Do the leaves of the plantlet all seem to attach at the same point but fan out or do they go up the stem alternating on each side of the stem?

Tim Chapman

The leaves on the babies appear to be fanning out vs alternating on the stem. So if I leave them on the plant, they'll grow their own roots - then I cut them off the mother plant and put them in the ground?.... OK, good. I can't post a pic until I can figure out how to use this digital camera - I'm hoping to post a pic next week. Thanks!

I've put a link to a google image search below for stromanthe sanguinea. most are of the variegated form, but there are some of the standard. check it out and see if that is what you have.

Tim Chapman

Here is a link that might be useful: photos of stromanthe

That's it! Thank you - that's what I have, Stromanthe sanguinea! OK now, so do I still leave the babies on the stalks until they grow roots, THEN cut them off and plant them? Or do I remove them now? They're getting pretty tall.

Is there any way you can gently bend the stalks so that the babies touch the ground? Maybe with a stake and some string? This way if the babies are in actually contact with the ground, they will start to root and when the roots are established you can snip them from the mom.

I have this in my greenhouse. Tim, is it hardy in zone 8B? Can I plant it out?

I think these can be rooted, however they aren't really plantlets ("babies") its just the growth habit of that plant.

Bihai: These are hardy in 8B, they've been grown in this zone for enough winters to call them reliably hardy. I really need to try some other stromanthe's and ctenanthes outside as I think several more may prove hardy.

Tim Chapman