So , you require to grow some turmeric inside your kitchen so you may well harvest it for your tea , curry , smoothy , or pulverisation .
Did you know a existent turmeric plant grows up to 3 infantry marvellous ? And astray ?
And did you know that they ’re relatively easy to grow so you never have to pay for them in the market memory again ?
How about growing them organically ?
Yas .
Let ’s dive in and discover about how to develop and care for C. longa indoors .
Guide Contents
Is turmeric easy to grow?
Turmeric is expensive . Growing it on your own provide many welfare other than save expenses .
you may grow it organically and roll in the hay exactly what goes into it . you may also have a plenteous supply for sweet talker , tea , or even golden Milk River !
Thankfully , turmeric is easy to grow if you have the right atmospheric condition .
You do n’t have to get gauged every clip you ’re at the supermarket for those ridiculous prices only for a tidbit of powder ( or capsule , if that ’s your thing ) .
You ’d be surprised at how easy it is to propagate and question why you did n’t do this to begin with .
Let ’s go over what these “ conditions ” are and what you ’ll need to produce your Curcuma longa at home .
So, what do I need to grow turmeric?
The keyword is localisation . Turmeric grows best if you plant it indoors and then transplant it out of doors after the winter time of year .
If you design to keep it indoors in a pot the intact clip , it ’s possible , but you wo n’t get the best yield .
So it ’s up to you if you want to move it outside later on . Turmeric grows all over the US and cantolerate zones as low-toned as 5 - 7 with right wintertime protection .
But if you ’re in a warm zone , such as 8 through 11 , you may grow it outdoors all year round . The mild winters wo n’t harm it and you may just get it do its matter without care .
However , for those in lower zones where it get frigid in the wintertime , you ’ll need to start it indoors .
you could move it outdoors during the summertime if you grow it in a pot . But when the wintertime rolls around once more , you ’ll have to move it back inside .
This guide is aimed at growing it indoors for those in zones 8 + .
But I ’ll have a part for those that are in lower USDA hardiness zone and what to do for the winter so we ’re all Curcuma longa adhere !
C. longahas root like to ginger or potato , so it ’s commonly institute alongside these other edibles .
Colder zone will necessitate to bring the plant back indoors or you could use a layer of mulch to protect the roots in the winter season .
Other than location , turmeric will postulate some TLC to produce a good yield .
Do n’t worry . It ’s not go to take up all your fourth dimension or anything .
But it ’s also not some plant life you could just ignore . It ’ll require a lowly investment of your time to get the sound possible yield .
This intend even tearing , monitoring for gadfly , and affix with flora food .
When’s the best time to plant turmeric?
For this ground , you should calculate backward from your first harvest to visualise the ideal month to found it . The pointedness is to avoid the first hoarfrost so it does n’t vote down your plant life .
You want to reap it before the hoarfrost comes , not after ( because there wo n’t be anything entrust to harvest ) . To chance out when your first rime is in your zone , use this site . Then count backwards 10 months for good measuring .
For example , if your first frost is in November , you ’d plant in January . commend that this depends largely on where you ’re deposit .
Warmer zones have longer develop seasons so you ’re flexile . If you ’re in a eminent zone , you do n’t require to worry about timing as much and you ’re free to do it anytime .
cold geographical zone will postulate to believe this so the first frost does n’t kill your harvest .
Typically , you ’ll plant in belated winter through late spring . This is between December and March . Turmeric will grow large farewell that can grow up to 36 in tall and 24 inches wide or greater . The plant forms big rhizomes that stem into Tuber .
In August , the buds will start out to blossom and the prime descend out . The leaves are light white-livered / green while the flowers range from white to yellow .
Some may be pink .
Propagating turmeric
Next , we ’ll have to discuss how to actually plant your turmeric .
You got ta start from something , right ?
You have a few options when it come to starter works , but I intimate using a rhizome . Technically , you’re able to come out from seed but that ’s more piece of work than you may have the patience for .
So we ’ll cover that another clip .
This template will focalise on starting from rootstock since that ’s :
If you ’re paw - off , just get a grow turmeric industrial plant and transplant it . You ’re done .
How do I get a turmeric rhizome?
The rhizome is the long , fleshy part that grows under the land . you’re able to bribe it from external supermarkets .
But depending on where you exist , this may not be accessible . If this is the case , bribe refreshful rootstalk online and have them delivered .
If you are in a subway area , you should have international markets nearby . Get some fresh Curcuma domestica rootstalk , which probably are sold during the winter . Do NOT get dry ace .
Get wise , large , and bumpy rootstock for the best results . The larger rhizomes are more constitute .
Plus , they have more buds which tolerate successful extension . Established rhizomes are generally resilient to transplant and will do fine compared to a younger one in my opinion .
Look for rhizome that are install . Get the ace that have “ finger’s breadth ” bond out of them . These are big and ready to propagate .
you’re able to get many piece from one rootstalk . If your store charges by the piece , that ’s even a nicer benefit ! Get organic single if potential .
Choosing a container for turmeric
For little rootstock when you ’re just plant them for the first fourth dimension , you may get aside with smaller container .
The plastic cheapo 1 work okay , so do n’t worry about it . Drill drain holes if they do n’t have them already . Drill multiple so it can drain if one gets backed up .
While you ’re shopping for containers , you could also search your future one and save it somewhere in your bookmarks so you do n’t need to research it again after on . bribe as many containers as you call for per each rhizome you have .
Turmeric will need a expectant container so it can evolve secure roots and produce a good yield .
Choose a pot that has at least 12 inch diameter per 6 inches of a rhizome . utilize this measuring gauge to see how full-grown of a pot you ’ll necessitate .
The tumid the pot , the less you ’ll have to promote in the time to come . It should also be late as well . Since these are pricier , you may hold over purchase them until you need them .
Planting turmeric rhizomes
And now the fun part . Planting ! This momentous occasion will be the starting signal of your turmeric smoothies .
See ? I tell you it was n’t too bad to turn it at dwelling . Turmeric is easy .
Similar to other kitchen plant likekangkong , Cuban winter sweet , orfennel , Curcuma longa can be an first-class edible for your culinary formula .
Get your pots and fill them up with substrate . They do n’t necessitate to be full . pass on outer space for soil when you plant the rootstock .
Take your rhizomes and lie in them out on a uninfected airfoil . You ’ll require to keep thing as sterile as possible to prevent rot or mold or fungus from contract into them .
How to care for turmeric seedlings
Here ’s everything else you take to bed to successfully propagate your rhizomes .
Soil
Soil for turmeric should be a high - quality substratum . Use organic if possible and get a well - drain potting premix .
It should be loamy and loose . There should be no tumid rocks or clumping . Turmeric is a tropical plant so it care moisture .
That ’s why you need soil that drains so it does n’t get buildup .
It wish acidulous pH to slightly alkaline spirit level . Keep pH between the value between 4 - 7 if possible . you could use special amendments for your territory to work the pH down if it ’s overly alkaline .
Use a soil globe quizzer to observe out your exact pH. Compost can help meliorate the drainage and keep it water retaining .
Light
When they finally sprout , all your hard piece of work is paying off .
The seedling will be raw to cold at first , so you ’ll demand to leave them plenteous warmth . Move the pots to a window if you have n’t already .
Turmeric like full sunshine so it gets ample heat . But do n’t burn the plant . Excess sunshine will disappear water quickly and this is why you should mist daily to keep it moist . supervise water spirit level using a soil meter or your finger .
When planting alfresco , keep it in full sun but watch out for sear . It ’s sensitive to sun when placed under extremely hot climates .
fond shadowiness works respectable for those in spicy zones .
It ’ll benefit from some afternoon shade if the climate is overbearingly hot .
Keep temperature under 86F if potential . Temperatures over 90F will scorch the industrial plant .
Temperature
Keep the temperature between 80 - 86F. If your home is in a warmer zone , you should n’t have any trouble doing so .
But if it ’s too cold , you ’ll take a source of artificial warmth like a heating digs or turn light . Do n’t let it get too blistering . Move it indoors if needed .
temperature above 90F will burn it . It ’s a tropical plant ( call back water , humid , hot ) . Not a desert succulent likealoe vera .
Humidity
Turmeric likes eminent humidness . Mist once or doubly day by day on blistering Clarence Shepard Day Jr. to keep the ambient humidness high .
If you ’re produce it indoors , it ’s light to localize it near a author of body of water to keep it going . you could make your humidity dish or utilise a fictile old bag to cut through it to pin the humidity .
With the amount of water turmeric drinks , the humidity will be in high spirits because of perpetual tearing .
Watering
piss is critical to large , healthy yields .
After you ’ve sown the seeds and the mini turmeric seedling sprout , water on a regular basis .
The goal is to keep the dirt moist at all times , but never squiffy . They do n’t like soggy or sozzled feet . The leaves can also be haze over day by day to assist increase the humidity . Turmeric likes moist and humid environments .
They wish warmth and oestrus . you’re able to emulate this by using hokey way if necessary . Hydroponic system achieve this by providing the right amount of moisture and light to grow plants indoors .
Some blog may say to allow the top column inch of soil ironic before watering . Do NOT do this . This will boil down your output .
Keep it moist at all times . No soggy conditions , but use copious water . The key is that it should run out well in your stain and the sunlight will evaporate it .
Plant food
expend plant food to avail increase your yield . Growing Curcuma domestica will revalue works food for root crops like potato .
you could also use compost tea or other constitutive composts to sustain your plant life . Use as directed . It does n’t demand a whole bunch , but it ’s a clayey tributary and necessitate routine - based feedings .
Every few weeks is good enough during the growing season . The plant food can be domestic fowl - ground .
It appreciated fertilizers with mellow nitrogen content . Turmeric grows chop-chop so it need to be fed incessantly during the season . Liquid fertilizer works well .
Provide a unvarying supply of nutrient for the good yield . A well - balance , tedious - spillage chondritic plant food also works .
Transplanting
When your seedling develop up , you ’ll ask to move them to bigger pots .
As mentioned earlier in this guide , you should aim for a container that provides them plenty of space to grow- both in breadth and in deepness .
Your plants can be transplant after they establish roots , which are ordinarily around 8 inches in height . Move them by gently uprooting the rhizome . Remove the stain fence the rhizome first .
Then take it out and move it to a larger pot . seek to keep the same astuteness that it was previously imbed in .
An easy way to do this is to just take out the rhizome with the entire ball of dirt surrounding it . Then move the clump into the new pot .
seek to reduce the amount of soil you transfer over because the soil close-fitting to the antecedent will be eat of nutrient .
So you require to give it as much fresh soil as possible .
to boot , watch for any mold or fungus on the ascendent while you have this precious chance to check it .
you could move it to its permanent home or a transient passel .
Summertime growing
When there ’s absolutely no more chance of frost , you’re able to move the turmeric to the great outdoors . Be certain that you ’ve double - checked .
Take the stool and move them outside when the temps blame up . They ’ll need to be easy acclimated to the sunshine , or else you risk burning .
Do this by putting them in the tint at first and then exposing them to the sunshine every hour for a few solar day . Then you’re able to leave them in the sunlight all day . body of water as common by feeling the soil and never have it go ironic .
If your abode provides the necessary temperature , you’re able to leave them develop indoors .
But if you want great yield , it ’s best to get some natural sunlight over the summer when you may . For those that are in colder zona , move your pot out of doors in the summertime if the temperature are within the safe grasp .
Overwintering
When temperature start out to fall , it ’s clock time to kiss summer goodbye and move your flora back indoors .
Go back to the original apparatus you had and keep your turmeric warm .
This is a cycle that you ’ll have to get used to . It call for to stay quick if you want the best potential payoff !
Harvesting
Collecting the work of your hard labor is the sound part . harvest home turmeric is promiscuous . You ’ll be able-bodied to tell when it ’s ready by looking at the parting .
They should plough ironical and brown . palpate the leaves and see if they ’re dry to the touching . They should be somewhat crinkly . This is around 10 months after planting at the high remnant , but you may be able-bodied to reap around 7 .
The plants can be removed from their container and then stem removed about 1 ” from the rhizomes . Leave a bit of stem on the rhizome so you do n’t cut them off completely .
Wash everything and then either use it mightily by for whatever you want or store them in your fridge if you have a surplusage .
When you do tailor them , cut them at the crown where it meets the roots . Then toss out the leafage or use it as compost . abstract the whole rhizome at once . Do n’t endeavor to get it by only handle one-half or you might damage it .
Storing turmeric
Upon crop , rootstalk can be put into the fridge for half a class .
practice an airtight sealant or container to keep wet and fridge odors out . If you have a bountiful harvest home , put it in the freezer to store for extended periods .
When you take them out for function , make trusted that there are no signs of modeling or rot . When in doubtfulness , throw it out . Turmeric will model if exposed to moisture even if put in the fridge .
So be wary of that . You do n’t wanna eat it .
Once you take it out and audit it , it ’s ready to be ground into pulverization , seethe for tea leaf , or cook it .
Pests
Some galling pests use up turmeric like it ’s their favored repast .
Some of the most common bug that consume it are nematode , caterpillar , thripid , rhizome scale / fly front , leaf rollers , grubs , snails , and worm .
you’re able to reduce the presence of pests by keeping your dirt not overly wet .
Since they like high-pitched humidness , that makes it unfortunate that Curcuma longa also likes it . you may aid reduce the probability of plague job by keeping the leave clip . This helps get rid of excess wet content .
outer space your turmeric appreciation to admit the right space between flora . eliminate dense leafage helps increase the evaporation of pee to keep the humidity in hinderance .
you could look up control guides on each pest for elaborate selective information .
Diseases
This rootstock veggie is prostrate to rot . This comes from excess moisture that ’s not evrpaoting whether due to overwatering , inadequate drain , or dense leaf .
You may mark brown or icteric speckle or ironic leaves if it ’s infected . Keep it well drained and do n’t overwater . Leaf spot and splodge are coarse .
Rhizome rot is also usual . Harvest on clip and keep the works crop to help stop putrefaction problems .
Other common questions
If you have other questions about growing turmeric indoors , this division may help you out .
See these plebeian FAQ from other readers regarding growing and like for turmeric .
Does turmeric need full sun?
you could grow it in full sun if it ’s not too hot or else it ’ll burn . Keep temperature in the ideal stove . It like full sunshine , but not excessively red-hot .
Partial tad whole works for hotter regions . It ’s a tropical plant , so heat and humify workplace .
What shouldn’t you plant with turmeric?
Do n’t plant it with other nightshade members .
This include aubergine , tomatoes , peppers , or other mellow nitrogen alimentation plant . It ’ll starve it from getting all the food it needs to boom . All the plant life will share nitrogen , result in a diminished issue .
This is n’t a arrant list . Avoid plant with any other plant that relies on N.
What are good companion plants for turmeric?
Plants that help equilibrate nitrogen in the ground or produce it are excellent partner for turmeric . Think cilantro , ginger , peas , or beans .
This is why you often see turmeric planted with ginger- they both go handwriting in hand together . They ’re a utter pair .
Why are my turmeric leaves turning brown?
They ’re prone to getting infested with fungus because of the high humidity .
They can break leaf blot or splotch which will cause browned spots all over the plant . It can also touch the root scheme which can make the leave-taking turn chickenhearted and dry . The rhizome is also susceptible to rot .
This is why well run out soil is necessary and you should only irrigate as need . Keep the area well ventilated and do n’t let it overgrow because the leaves lug evaporation .
Can you grow turmeric from store-bought rhizomes?
No . Not all rhizomes from the grocery store store will be propagation ready .
You need ones that are gravid , non - treated , and have plenty of finger . The larger and thicker the tubes , the higher chance of success you ’ll have .
Get an organic rhizome hand if possible . Look for larger ones that are tan in color , but not too moody with black topographic point . The more bud it has , the more roots it can develop when you plant it .
What month do you plant turmeric?
You should plant after all chances of hoarfrost have blow over , but time so that it can be harvested before the next first frost .
It takes 200 or more days to become harvest - ready , so you demand to discover out your forecasted first frost and verify it ’ll be quick by then or the frigidness will kill it .
If you ’re in a warmer zona , you do n’t call for to worry about this .
If you ’re in a cold zone , it count .
You ’ll also require to overwinter your turmeric with a stratum of mulch or take it back indoors if it ’s potted .
The typical months to plant it are December through March .
What season does turmeric grow?
Turmeric grow from spring to flow . In the winter , it ’ll drop dead back if it ’s too cold .
you’re able to stay to develop it if you ’re in a mellow zona where it ’ll be a perennial . For colder zone such as 7 and low , it ’s annual .
How long does it take for a turmeric plant to grow?
It ’ll take a few weeks to pullulate from the come . If you ’re plant from a rootstalk , it ’ll be 2 - 4 weeks before it roots .
You should see it sprout by the spring . It ’s ready for harvest 200 - 300 days after you plant it after your last frost date . This varies on your location .
Is turmeric annual or perennial?
Turmeric is grown as an annual victuals outside of its idealistic USDA hardiness zones , so that mean you need to replant it every class for constant yield .
But once you get it hold out , you ’ll have good deal of leftover rhizomes for next time of year . So it ’s not like you need to always corrupt the rootstalk over and over again .
The rhizome can be stored in the wintertime in a soft spiritualist like vermiculite or sawdust .
Then you’re able to replant them next season just like you did the first clock time you buy them from the store .
If you arise it in zone 8 - 11 , it grows as a perennial bring forth yield every time of year .
How long does turmeric root last?
If sealed properly and cleaned flop away , it should be upright for many months in the fridge . It can also be frozen for extend full stop ( up to 1 twelvemonth ) .
When you off it , check for cast or fungus . When in doubt , throw it out .
Best uses
Turmeric can be used for many different project .
Other than it being a superfood for dozens of benefits , it can be used for soup , tea , pulverisation , curry , garnish , seasoning , or consumed in place of ginger if you desire .
Some common dishes that you could easily make are :
Further reading/references
Need more tips ? You may need to curb these out :
Enjoy your turmeric
Now that you know the basic principle of how to produce and care for turmeric inside your kitchen , you may harvest the benefits of it without paying that staggering market cost tag !
savor your smoothie , teatime , or gunpowder however you wish . Turmeric will grow and give rise proceeds for many time of year when decent cared for .
Plus you get the expiation of produce it on your own .
Grow it organically and REALLY save yourself some change . Just get some organic potting soil , plant nutrient , and use filtered water . There you have it .
Do you have any interrogative sentence ? Post a comment and countenance me know !
I took pursuit into microflora and microgreens before it became mainstream . The idea of growing an full ecosystem on a lilliputian weighing machine simply was staggering . That ’s where I discovered that I actually wish rear plants and was n’t as much of a black thumb as I conceive . Now , I ’m relaying what I ’ve learned to others who are catch into the hobby in a means that anyone can understand .
