Follow the Panda Face Ginger Plant Care and Growing Guide for successful cultivation. Ensure healthy growth with expert tips.
If you’re looking to enhance your shady garden, consider adding the Panda Face Ginger Plant. This plant from Asia has striking black flowers and big, shiny, dark green leaves with light green patterns. It’s a wonderful choice for your garden. Check this Panda Face Ginger Plant Care and Growing Guide.
Botanical Name: Asarum maximum
USDA Zones: 7-9
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Panda Face Ginger Plant Profile
The Panda Face Ginger that grows naturally can be found in China, specifically in Hubei and Sichuan. Even though it’s not related to the ginger we use in cooking, this wild ginger’s root still smells a bit spicy and can be used in Asian cooking if you want to, though it is not recommended to dig it up.
Panda Face ginger got its name because of its special flowers that show up in the middle to end of spring. Most wild ginger flowers are hard to see among the leaves, but not the Panda Face ginger flowers. They’re white and shaped like trumpets, with black edges that look like a panda bear. These flowers grow among clusters of shiny, heart-shaped leaves that are dark green and have silver lines on them, kind of like Cyclamen leaves.
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How to Propagate Panda Face Ginger Plant
1. Planting from Seeds:
- If you want to grow wild ginger from seeds, you can do it.
- Before the seeds can grow, they must experience cold temperatures for about 3 weeks. This process is called cold stratification.
- If you’re planting the seeds directly in the garden, do it in the late winter months. You can plant them up until around one month before the last frost is expected.
2. Preparing Seeds Indoors:
- Another way to grow wild ginger is by planting seeds indoors.
- To help the seeds grow better, put them in a bag of moist moss.
- Then, place this bag of seeds in the freezer for about 3 weeks.
After that, you can plant the seeds in trays or pots.
3. Providing the Right Conditions for Growth:
- For the seeds to germinate well, it’s important to keep the place warm where they’re growing.
- The temperature of the soil should be kept between 65-70 degrees F (18-21 degrees C).
- This temperature is needed for about 2-4 weeks.
4. Transplanting Seedlings:
- Once the young plants are big enough to handle, you can move them into pots.
- These pots should be kept in a cold frame during the first year.
- A cold frame is a kind of shelter that protects young plants and helps them get used to outdoor conditions.
Note: The easiest way to grow this plant is by using its rhizomes in the spring. You can also grow it from seeds, but that takes a lot more time and effort.
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Growing Panda Face Ginger Plant in Pots
For growing a Panda Face Ginger Plant, an ideal pot size would be around 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 centimeters) in diameter and depth. This pot size should provide enough space for the plant’s roots to grow comfortably while allowing for good drainage. As the plant grows, you can consider repotting it into a slightly larger container to accommodate its increasing size.
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Ideal Growing Conditions for Panda Face Ginger Plant
Light
The Panda Face Ginger plant thrives in partial sunlight. However, it’s important to avoid intense, direct sunlight, as it can harm the delicate leaves and flowers of the plant.
Soil
The Panda Face Ginger Plant prefers humus, rich, a bit acidic soil. This is similar to what many other shade-loving plants prefer. To improve the soil, you can mix in compost and well-aged cow or chicken manure.
Water
Water the plant when the soil on top starts to feel a bit dry. Be careful not to water too much, leading to root rot. Also, remember to cut back on watering during the winter months.
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Panda Face Ginger Plant Care
Fertilizer
The only food Panda Face Ginger plant requires is a little bit of top dressing in the spring. Just make sure to grow this plant in slightly acidic, well-draining soil blended with compost.
Tip: To promote growth, you can use a balanced liquid fertilizer. Just dilute it to half its normal strength and feed the plant with it every 6 to 8 weeks.
Pests & Diseases
Slugs and snails might bother this plant, so be watchful, especially if you’re growing it in pots. To keep these pests away, you can use something called diatomaceous earth around the plants.
Also, try not to give the plant too much water or get its leaves wet. This helps prevent possible diseases.
