Turmeric Rhizomes - Plai, 8 oz
$29.95
Zingiber cassumunar aka. Zingiber montanum
An important medicinal plant known as “Plai” in Thailand, “Bangle” in Indonesia, and “Bulei” in China. Plai has been very productive, with high yielding, chunky rhizomes. The rhizomes are orange, lighter in color and a bit more juicy than turmeric. It smells like an essential oil, bright lemon, with juniper herbal undertones and some floral nectar notes. While we’re still working out the culinary side of plai, online reports show plenty of culinary applications and a history in massage oils. It has a numbing quality like Szechuan peppercorn that could be good in a curry or to soothe muscles as a rub. Let us know how you use it! NOTE: this is not a true turmeric.
SMALL FARM GROWN by the Utopian Seed Project in Asheville, NC.
Our Printable Growing Guide for Turmeric can be found by clicking here.
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- How to Grow
Turmeric can grow entirely outdoors as a perennial in USDA zones 8-11, but in cooler zones, it should be sprouted indoors in late winter to early spring and grown as an annual. Rhizomes can be cut apart into multiple seed pieces, as long as you’re careful to leave at least two “nubs” (growth points) per piece. Make sure to let the pieces sit out for a few days before planting so that a skin forms over the cuts.
To sprout turmeric indoors, you’ll need a seedling tray and heat mat to keep the soil at 75 to 80 degrees until the rhizomes sprout. The soil should be kept moist, but not saturated. Once the sprouts come up, the rhizomes can be removed from the heat mats and transplanted into the ground after all danger of frost has passed, or potted up into containers. Growing in containers that can be moved indoors during cold weather is a good idea for those living in zone 7 and higher, to help extend your growing season later into the fall. The longer the plants grow, the larger the rhizomes you’ll get to harvest in the fall.
The plants will need plenty of space (10 or more inches between plants), and loose, well draining soil with lots of organic matter. Feeding several times during the season with a high-nitrogen fertilizer like kelp meal or foliar fish fertilizer is a good idea. Harvest 8 to 10 months after planting (older roots will be tougher, but have more flavor), or for cool-climate growers, whenever the leaves turn yellow.