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Fast & Easy Ways to Pre-Sprout Ginger & Turmeric

Turmeric and ginger both require a long frost-free growing season. To get a head start, pre-sprout ginger and turmeric indoors. Pre-sprouting offers a simple and efficient solution for getting these delicious spices quicker than ever. Read on for my best tips and tricks for successfully pre-sprouting ginger and turmeric.

How do ginger and turmeric grow?

Ginger and turmeric aren’t grown from seeds but from rhizomes. Rhizomes are underground stems that grow horizontally beneath the ground surface. They put out roots and shoots from their nodes, allowing them to spread and reproduce.

Reasons to pre-sprout ginger and turmeric

1. It speeds up the growing process and gives you a head start on the season.
2. It eliminates rhizomes that don’t sprout – so you don’t waste space on them in the garden.

Purchase organic turmeric and ginger for pre-sprouting

• Choose firm roots that look healthy. 
• Avoid any ginger or turmeric with bruises or soft spots. 
• Ideally, each piece has several nodes (the node is where the sprout forms).
• Organic ginger and turmeric are often available at farmer’s markets or grocery stores.

Prepare the rhizomes for sprouting

Cut or break apart large rhizomes into pieces (ensure each piece has several nodes). Let the cut ends heal and dry over (1-2 days).

Prevent mold by soaking in hydrogen peroxide: Use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution diluted with water. (About 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 3 parts water.) Soak your ginger or turmeric pieces for about 10–15 minutes. This exposure helps to disinfect the surface and reduce the number of mold-causing spores. After soaking, thoroughly rinse the pieces with clean water to remove any residual peroxide before proceeding to sprout.

Two methods for pre-sprouting your ginger and turmeric

Method One for pre-sprouting ginger and turmeric:

• Place sterilized ginger in a plastic bag with several damp pieces of paper towel, and seal the bag. 
• Keep the bag someplace warm. 
• Monitor for mold, and rinse off ginger each week until sprouts appear. 

Method Two for pre-sprouting ginger and turmeric:

Fill a seed starting tray with moist, sterile potting mix. Nestle the sterilized ginger or turmeric in the potting mix so it is mostly covered. 

Place humidity dome on top. Provide heat and light with a heat mat and seed starting lights.

Monitor moisture level and moisten potting soil as needed. 

For ginger, sprouts (and roots!) should appear within 1-3 weeks. Turmeric usually takes longer to sprout and may take up to a month.

What to do AFTER you pre-sprout your ginger and turmeric

Dispose of any rotted ginger or turmeric. 

If it is warm enough to plant outside, plant the sprouted turmeric and ginger.

See these blog posts for planting and growing information. 

Still waiting for your last frost? Pot up the sprouted rhizomes in 6-inch pots. (These are the pots I use from Bootstrap Farmer.) 

Continue to provide heat and light, and begin feeding when shoots appear. (This is the fertilizer I use.)

Plant the turmeric and ginger seedlings outside when the soil has warmed and after your last frost.

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