Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
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Produced by Koko Siga (Fiji) Ltd. & Jan Hintze – Jungle Plant and Flower Service with funding assistance provided by
Crawford Fund http://www.crawfordfund.org/ Contacts for authors: Kyle Stice – kylestice@hotmail.com Jan Hintze - hintze@ozemail.com.au For more pictures and information on Gingers and Heliconias check out the following websites www.heliconia.org www.heliconiasocietypr.org www.gingersrus.com
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© Copyright 2009
Contents 5
Pictorial ............................................................
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Getting ready for Planting ..................................
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On the Farm........................................................
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Are your flowers ready to pick? ...........................
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Unsuitable flowers ..............................................
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Harvesting..........................................................
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Marketing ..........................................................
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Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
Introduction .....................................................
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Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
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IntroduCtIon
‘Bu Seni’
Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
The Pacific Islands are rich with ginger and heliconia varieties and ideal growing conditions. Some of the most important ginger and heliconia cut flower varieties are included in the following guide with their international names.
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Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
PICtorIal
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Common name: Bucky Scientific name: Heliconia stricta Common name: Scientific name: Heliconia collinsiana
Common name: Nappi Scientific name: Heliconia bihai
Common name: Princess Scientific name: Alpinia purpurata
Common name: Eden Pink Scientific name: Heliconia orthotricha
Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
Common name: Red Ginger Scientific name: Alpinia purpurata
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Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
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Common name: Rostrata Scientific name: Heliconia rostrata Common name: Tropica Scientific name: Heliconia hybrid
Common name: Sassy Scientific name: Heliconia psittacorum
Common name: Claw 2 Scientific name: Heliconia bihai
Common name: Indian Head Scientific name: Costus spicatus
Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
Common name: Hot Rio Nites Scientific name: Heliconia hybrid
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Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
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Common name: Red Torch Adrian Scientific name: Heliconia hybrid
Common name: Daintree Red Scientific name: Heliconia hybrid
Common name: Tagami Scientific name: Heliconia stricta
Common name: Red Banana Scientific name: Musa coccinea
Common name: Pearl (torch ginger) Scientific name: Etlingera elatior
Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
Common name: Almost White (torch ginger) Scientific name: Etlingera elatior
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Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
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Common name: Frilly pink (torch ginger) Scientific name: Etlingera elatior
Common name: Daisy (torch ginger) Scientific name: Etlingera elatior
GettInG ready for PlantInG Planting Material
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Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
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Below are the steps in propagating and planting a heliconia from division of rhizomes
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Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
Below are the steps in propagating and planting a ginger from offshoots
1 The first step is to identify the variety you want to plant and then locate the most recent growths
2 Dig the soil around the offshoot cutting the rhizome as you go. Often several shoots will be connected in one clump.
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3 Remove from soil and divide clump into shoots, wash away excess soil.
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4 Offshoot is ready to be planted at the desired spacing. Stem should be cut to remove leaves and shoot should be planted with a stake to hold it up. Shoots can either be planted directly into the field or into a bag first.
on the farm
Looking after your plants Heliconia will spread wildly if it is not controlled. This type of overcrowding will decrease the number of high quality flowers produced and encourage pest and disease infestation.
Digging and cutting plants that spread outside of the beds is an important management technique. The clear strip between the beds below allows for easy access for maintenance and harvesting.
Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
Gingers and Heliconias should be planted in lines. The lines should be spaced 3 meters apart, which allows for the plants to spread 1 meter on each side making, eventually, a bed 2 meters wide with a walkway of 1 meter between each bed, for ease of harvesting.
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Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
are your flowers ready to PICk?
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Sassy – Heliconia psittacorum
Shampoo ginger – Zingiber spectabile
Harvest with only one bract open
Harvest when first dayflower appears from bract (this flower should be removed before sale).
Lobster claw – Heliconia bihai
Red and pink ginger – Alpinia purpurata
Harvested with two or three bracts open
Harvest with about 50 % of bracts fluffed out
unsuItable flowers This red ginger has day flowers already open which will turn black and start to smell by the time the customer gets it.
This claw heliconia has been left on the farm too long and the sun has taken away the nice red colour
This costus already has day flowers which have died leaving the flower unsuitable for sale.
This torch ginger is fully open and has already developed day flowers, not suitable for selling.
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harvestInG
“Flowers should be harvested as close to the ground as possible to help thin out your planting
Flowers should be tied in bundles and placed in a bucket of water left in a cool shady place.
Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
Flowers must be harvested earlier than at present. No one wants to buy old flowers because they do not last long. Heliconias and Gingers with the dayflowers showing are a sign that the flower is old and should not be sold.�
Flowers within a bunch should be the same length, usually the same variety, and the same maturity
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Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
marketInG
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There are lots of places to sell gingers and heliconia flowers
Roadside stalls
al Municip s mark et
Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
sts i Flor e
Hote l resta s and uran ts
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Growing and marketing gingers and heliconias in the pacific - A pictorial guide
notes
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