The magnificent flowers and the usability as a dye and spice are reasons for many hobby gardeners to take a turmeric plant in a pot from the garden trade home with them. If the above-ground parts of the plant finally die off at some point, this is sometimes mistakenly attributed to incorrect care.
The roots of the turmeric plant can be dug up for the winter
The life cycle of the saffron root
There are different ways to grow turmeric yourself:
- as a houseplant in the conservatory or by the window
- as a seasonal potted plant on the patio
- planted in the garden bed
When growing outdoors, however, it should always be noted that this is a plant from tropical latitudes that is not frost-resistant. For cultivation in pots or in the garden bed, the rhizomes are pushed indoors in spring and planted outside from May at the earliest. If potted specimens are purchased as houseplants during the fall or winter months, they too will have reached the end of their seasonal cycle at some point. The flowers and leaves then wither and the plant retreats into its perennial organ in the form of a bulbous rhizome.
Overwinter turmeric properly
Similar to caring for dahlias, the turmeric rhizomes can be dug up and overwintered dry and dark at around 15 degrees Celsius. Potted specimens can also be overwintered in the ground if it is dry enough. However, the tubers should still be repotted in the spring and sometimes divided on this occasion.
tips
In order to activate new growth of the rhizomes in spring, they are moved to a room with a room temperature of around 22 to 24 degrees Celsius. Only when a new shoot is visible should the plants be watered more heavily again and fertilized a little later.