Ginger's Fertilizer Needs and Application Techniques
I. The Role of Major Nutrients
When nitrogen fertilizer is adequately supplied, ginger plants exhibit thick leaves, deep green color, vigorous growth, high photosynthetic product, and high yield. If nitrogen is deficient, plants appear stunted, leaves are thin and yellow, growth is weak, branching is sparse, and yield is low.
When phosphorus fertilizer is adequately supplied, it promotes the growth of ginger seedlings’ root systems and rhizomes early on, encourages the transport and distribution of photosynthetic products from the stem and leaves to the rhizomes, and increases yield. When phosphorus is deficient, ginger leaves are dark green, plants are stunted, rhizome development is poor, and yield is low.
When potassium fertilizer is adequately supplied, ginger leaves are thick, stems are sturdy, branching increases, disease and stress resistance is enhanced, yield is high, and quality is good. Potassium deficiency not only affects plant growth and rhizome development, leading to reduced yield, but also increases the fiber content of ginger, reduces the content of essential oils, vitamin C, and sugars, and affects ginger quality.
Trace elements such as boron and zinc also play a significant role in ginger growth and yield. Reports indicate that applying boron and zinc to the soil can promote plant height, leaf area, and branching, resulting in large, round, brightly colored ginger bulbs with good quality.
II. Fertilizer Requirements
According to measurements, producing 1000 kilograms of fresh ginger absorbs approximately 6.3 kilograms of nitrogen, 1.3 kilograms of phosphorus, and 11.2 kilograms of potassium. The nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium ratio is 5:1:8. During the seedling stage, plants grow slowly with low biomass, and the absorption of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is also minimal. After the three-fork stage, plant growth accelerates, branching increases, leaf area expands rapidly, rhizome growth is vigorous, and fertilizer demand increases rapidly.
III. Fertilization Techniques
- Apply Sufficient Base Fertilizer
Combine deep plowing and soil preparation with the application of 3-4 cubic meters of high-quality decomposed chicken manure or 4000-5000 kilograms of high-quality farmyard manure per mu, 50 kilograms of sulfur-based compound fertilizer, 1-2 kilograms of zinc sulfate, and 1 kilogram of borax.
- Rational Topdressing
① Lightly apply seedling fertilizer: During early to mid-June when seedlings have developed 1-2 branches, apply the second fertilizer in combination with irrigation, with an interval of 10-15 days, applying 15-20 kilograms of high-nitrogen compound fertilizer per mu each time.
② Heavily apply jointing fertilizer: Also known as transition fertilizer (around the beginning of autumn), at the three-fork stage, ginger enters a vigorous growth period, which is a critical period for topdressing. Apply 70-80 kilograms of high-nitrogen compound fertilizer per mu.
③ Apply supplemental fertilizer: During the rhizome expansion period in mid-September, when plants have developed 6-8 branches, apply approximately 50 kilograms of high-nitrogen-potassium compound fertilizer per mu in two applications, with an interval of about 15 days.
