Viewing post #805815 by Esperanza

Shadegardener said:I've had one of these in a pot for a couple of years. Because I've seen pics of them growing in full sun, I placed my pot on the patio in 6-8 hours of sun and it looked miserable and leaves curled badly even though I gave it water every other day. I did repot it last year before it went outdoors so I wouldn't think that would be the problem. The leaves remained curled even after being indoors now for 4 or 5 months. It does have new leaves coming and as they get bigger, I prune off the permanently curled leaves. I did mix compost with ProMix when I repotted it. Do you think a top-dressing of peat with mushroom compost would help it get through the summer in better shape?

I have never worked with mushroom compost. I would use a rich moisture holding compost, maybe some sphagnum, rather than peat. The only reason I do not use peat is because when it does dry out it is very difficult to re- moisturize without submerging the pot. Keeping other pots by the base of a deep pot with your ginger might help keep the roots a bit more protected in the full sun.. It does much better in the ground in full sun than it does in pots. In pots it is better in the shade unless it is kept really well watered. I have one in a huge waist height pot in full sun and have been unable to keep it from looking rather curled in the heat of the summer. This year I will put it in the ground. It is easy to dig up if you need to in the winter. It also depends on the maturity of the plant. Older ones with bigger root systems are more forgiving in the sun.