Hi you could offer free ginger plants to anyone that might like them, kind of Dig your own plant offer to the locals around you, or you could ask a Landscaper if He needs any and tell him he can have as many as you want to get rid of. What type of ginger is it? I have a few potted white butterfly gingers, but would like to find a red or bi-colored one (Orange and red type) I would pay the postage for a nice Rhizome or two if it wasn't to much. please email me if you have any rhizomes, I'm also looking for some of the smaller dwarf gingers also. Thanks
George W.

I didn't realize that there was a follow up till today. Sorry.
Thank you for the good advice. I have only begun to cut them down, but they just restart. I haven't even been able to get to the roots yet.The problem is so bad that I have had three landscaping companies come by and no one will take the job and I am so desperate that I will pay anything!
I do not know what type of Ginger it is. My father claims that it is white ginger, but I found a few flowers that were an orangish, rustish color.
The roots seems to have a bright red/purple exterior, and the inside is white.
It is eleven feet tall and as hardy as anything has ever been.
Let me know if this sounds like a plant that you would like to have a few rhizomes for, and I would be happy to mail them to you, if I ever get down to them.

If the bloom is a pendant type bloom, then it's probably alpinia zerumbet, aka, shell ginger and you've got a big chore on your hands. This is a ginger that is commonly found in the southern parts of Louisiana. The rhizomes are some of the toughest I've ever experienced. Your description of them being able to move a fence is very accurate. Your best bet is to try to find a few high school boys that want some extra money. You will need to buy a couple of pick axes as shovels will not get it done. The more you cut them down, the more offshoots you'll get. The planting will just get bigger and bigger.

Steve

Where are you in Louisiana? I could come dig up a bunch of it. And I agree with Steve, it is probably shell ginger.

southlatropical,

Is that your name on the bananas.org forum also? If so, I'm Steve L in Lake Charles and you can come dig as much as you want from my house.

Steve

Hi louisianalimbs,

What city do you live in?

Carol

Is all of Bananas.org on this forum?? this is xysx from there..though I'm up in Seattle, If you can get some strappin' guy or gal to get to the rhizomes, I'd be happy to buy some from you!

And the moral is, "Be careful what you plant in ground in Louisiana."

In some cases, a backhoe is the gardening tool of choice.

Louisianalimbs, I realize you didn't plant in ground -- just dealing with a previous owner's gardening.

I am very glad to find this thread. I want some shell ginger. I just didn't realize it would get out of hand like that. If I ever make a trade for some, I will know to plant in containers.

I live in Metairie LA and am dealing with the same issue. UGGH!!!! We bought this house last summer and there are two large patches of 12'+ Ginger in the back yard. If there is anyway I can do something other than dig this stuff out please let me know.

I think digging is the only way to go, I've tried heavy duty herbicide on Hedychium and it doesn't have much effect.

We are having the same problem and live in Metairie LA also. Please tell me if digging it up is the only solution, unless someone else wants it they can have it for free.

Hello.. I would love some.. glad to pay postage to California.
Hope you are still here.
Warm Regards,
Tina .. a ginger newbie.

I live in a different climate, but something has always worked for me.
Cover the area such that light will not get trough, for over a year. and rarely 2 or 3 years until the roots will die as well.
I noticed that it's better to let the plant grow under the cover - as it'll pump the plants resources faster and make them more vulnerable to insects and mice.

I'v covered areas with stones, cement, carpets and black nylon. My preferred method is two layers of old carpets and one layer of black nylon. (and some salt), like this side view:

[stone] [stone]

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww upper carpet s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s a little salt wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww lower carpet PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP plants the salt (really a little, should be invisible on the carpet) will keep the carpets wet, thus limit gaseous exchanges (may do some burns to the plants), and combined with the black nylon, it's a real oven during the summer. Put something heavy (Like stones) on top and around it. Top view: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X are stones or whatever. Make the best effort to prevent light inside. When I need it to look good, I use synthetic grass on top, in this case use only one layer of salted carpets, then put the black nylon layer, and then the synthetic grass on top. I hope it can help in your case