PlantFiles: Blue Ginger
Dichorisandra thyrsiflora

I bought a cane about 12 yrs ago, at the boston flower show. It has reached as high as 6 ft. and flowered a few times for me. I winter it indoors,, under flo. lites. Upon repotting, i found tht it had grown potato or dahlia-like tubers, which I've since re-potted, and it regenerates well. Also, I've given away many canes (just sections of a stem), which will form new plants, It also will form roots when cut and put in water w/ rooting hormone. It is a very worthwhile plant from any angle.


Delcape

Mine has been outdoors year round, in a container, for the past 5 years. It starts blooming in late September and continues through December for me. It has never been a particularily thirsty plant for me. Like most Tradescantias, it seems to thrive in almost any conditions.

I have started many cuttings and it seems to root fastest for me in damp vermiculite.

This is an excellent houseplant. It flowers indoors in the early winter.

It will grow well in an east exposure. It is tall and statuesque and gives a palm like effect because the big thick stems are somewhat bare.

It is tolerant of neglect and develops big thick tubers in the soil which make it tolerant of drought.

Erect, clump-forming, rhizomatous, soft-stemmed, evergreen perennial - prefers fertile well-drained soil. It is not a fast grower. It is actually a relative of the wandering jew plant.

This plant grows very well in the wild in Hawaii. Does not require any care that I can see. I live in the rainy area of the Big Island where it is not unusual to get rain measured in feet rather than inches.

Apparently the plant does better in shade than sun...the leaves are greener and the blooms are brighter when not growing in full sunlight.

Since they are just there, in the yard under the wider, taller canopies, we don't do much to them except for trimming off once in a while so no idea as to what kind of fertilizer would be best. They do well in humid conditions.

They do root easily. Just cut pieces of the cane and stick in the ground. We've never had to try rooting them in water or use any kind of rooting powder.

I bought a shoot of this plant in Hawaii about 6 years ago without knowing anything about the plant. It has grown to 5 feet tall but has only bloomed once. I am not much of a gardener so haven't know how to care for it. I live near Washington DC so I bring the plant in the house during the winter months. I wonder if I should just leave it indoors year round since it is hard to move given the size. I grow it in a pot year round. I wondered if I had trimmed it, would it be fuller. Should I trim it now? The leaves often brown on the tips and the edges....what causes this and how can I prevent it? What type of fertilizer should I use? What type of soil should it be in? How often should it be watered?

I bought a shoot of blue ginger in Hawaii and brought it back to Nebraska. It has been under flourescents since planted. Something of a slow starter, it is really taking off after 5 months. Tallest stock is about 3 feet tall, with several others rising rapidly. When one stalk got broken off, I was able to successfully root it in distilled water, and it has rejoined the pot. Don't know if it will ever flower in these conditions, but the foliage alone is gorgeous.

I´ve seen this plant in wilderness. The contrast of the white-blue flowers with the surrounding green foliage was awesome. I never tried this plant myself, though, but I´ve seen many of them used in gardens and public places here in Rio de Janeiro