Plus, growing Roscoea from seeds

October ended with a nice surprise. Roscoea schneideriana has flowered beautifully this year and in all honesty I didn’t expect any seeds; it was enough to see it thriving in the garden. Then, one day I noticed that one capsule had burst open and the seeds spilled on the ground.

Roscoea schneideriana with split capsule and seeds in late October

It is always very rewarding when a plant started from seeds reaches the point of flowering well and produces seeds! And Roscoea schneideriana is a special one, with characters a bit unique in its genus (to mention just the leaves arrangement, the length of the staminodes and the round anther appendages). It grows wild in Western China (Sichuan and Yunnan), in mixed forests, open limestone slopes, among rocks and ledges of mountains between 2600-3350 m alt. (from The Genus Roscoea, Jill Cowley).

Roscoea schneideriana flowering in early September; notice the round anther appendages, a good ID character for this species

I know that most people in our climate avoid growing hardy gingers, but in fact they are not difficult to start from seeds and many species are cold hardy.

Most species are warm germinators, or will germinate after a short period of cold/moist stratification (1 month). So, you can sow and start them under lights indoors in February/March, or directly outdoors in April/May (depending on the region).

In the first year after sowing, the seedlings will grow only for a few months and then become dormant! For this reason, try to grow them well watering and applying a light fertilizer once in a while. Do not prick out the seedlings! If necessary you will transplant them in a larger pot after they become dormant.

When the leaves start yellowing, reduce the watering and try to not overwater the pots when they are complet dormant; only keep them slightly moist.
The seedlings should be grown in the same pot (the sowing pot) for 2(3) years at least until the little tubers can be handled more easily. 

As noticed, the seedlings form fleshy, elongated tubers (various forms depending on the species). They need a bit of extra attention for a couple of years (in most cases I overwinter them in pots in the garage). Again, transplanting of the tubers in bigger pots should be done only when dormant, in very late fall or better in early summer (Roscoea always they start growing very late in the season).
After approx. 3 years you can plant them in the garden (in a part-shaded, well drained location – this is very important) and you’re done!

Roscoea tibetica young tubers

Growing from seeds you always get to play with a few seedlings not just one plant. The advantage is that we can experiment with planting young plants in various locations in the hope to finding the best one.

Roscoea are much easier to establish in the garden when planting young (3 years old) tubers in the summer just before they start growing. During the season the tubers can lower themselves to the soil depth of their liking (which can be quite low) and thus survive better our harsh winters.

One more thing: don’t wait for them to emerge at spring time. They sit underground chit chatting with various Arisaemas and both forget it is time to show up. And then they all do it in a big hurry in mid-summer!

You can also read about R. auriculata below (Earth octopus).