Wild Ginger Control

To control Ginger use our Cut’n’Paste MetGel on the cut stumps of the Wild Ginger Rhizomes.  Very easy and simple approach.  Simply work from the bottom of a slope upwards as you cut and paste the stumps, throwing the debris behind you.  Do be aware that metsulfuron will travel through wet soil particularly downhill and can easily kill Tree Ferns this way.  If you are worried about ground residual effects use our glyphosate gels.

You can also smear Bamboo Buster  or Glimax, two of our Glyphosate products like on the underside of some leaves and see it die off over a couple of weeks.  This works well when you only have an isolated plant to deal with.  If you have a huge patch of ginger, start at the bottom of the slope and work upwards, throwing the slash behind you as you go.  Ginger has become an enormous problem in many areas of NZ bush steadily spreading downhill and excluding native vegetation.  Pulling it up is fairly ineffective as it can regrow from small pieces of rhizome left in the ground.

Wild Ginger is not a problem when you have the right weapons like our MetGel.  With a minimum of 10g/L of metsulfuron methyl at 12 months, it packs a punch.  It’s ideal for all plants with rhizomes and bulbs where you cut off at the stump and apply the gel.  Arum Lillies pale at the sight of it.

Why is it a pest?

• Wild ginger grows to form extensive dense stands which exclude other vegetation.
• It grows in the shade in native forest and prevents new seedlings establishing.
• Kahili Ginger seeds are spread widely by birds

Where is it found?

• Forests, regenerating forest, streamside forest and gullies.
• Prefers moderate to high fertility, not found in very dry or rocky areas.
• Found mostly in forests in the North Island of NZ around Auckland and northwards, in coastal Bay of Plenty and around some of the Rotorua lakes.

• What does it look like?

  Two species:
  Kahili ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum) and
  Yellow ginger (Hedychium flavescens).

  Roots:
  Both species have large bulbous roots that can form a dense layer or mound. Pieces of wild ginger roots can spread in illegally dumped garden rubbish.

  Stems and leaves:
  Both have stems up to 2m with large shiny leaves.

  Flowers:
  Kahili ginger produces large pleasant-smelling yellow flowers (summer–autumn) with long red stamens.
  Yellow ginger flower clusters are creamy yellow and flower in late autumn.

  Fruit:
  Kahili ginger – a capsule opens to reveal an orange inside with bright berries that turn brown, hairy, oval and are up to 8cm long.
  Yellow ginger does not produce seed.