Weekly Field Checklist — The Ginger Grower's Compendium

Data table

The phases this checklist covers
Phase	Weeks relative to planting
Pre-plant	-8 to 0
Establishment	1 to 4
Vegetative build-up	5 to 8
Rhizome initiation	9 to 17
Bulk filling	18 to 34
Maturation & harvest	35 to 40

The season as this checklist divides it. Generated from the phase headings below, so the strip and the sheet always agree.

Planting date

0 of 0 done

Work top to bottom: each phase lists the operations for those weeks, keyed to the same DAP stages as the Crop Calendar (Ch. 07). Ticks are saved in this browser automatically. Set your planting date and the sheet highlights the current week. Print it, clip it to the shed wall, and re-print each season.

0 Pre-plant weeks −8 to 0 · before DAP 0

Soil test — sample top 20 cm of the bed area (10–15 cores, composited): pH, organic carbon, P, K. Order seed rhizome lot from your multiplication plot or trusted source. Week −8
Liming decision — pH below 5.5: apply dolomitic lime 1–3 t/ha now so it reacts before planting. Week −8
Green manure in — sow a quick legume (cowpea/sunhemp) on the plot if season allows. Week −7
Seed storage check — rhizomes resting in shade under sand/dry leaves; inspect for rot and scale; turn and re-dress. Week −6
Incorporate green manure at flowering; add 10–15 t/ha FYM/compost (Trichoderma-enriched if available). Week −4
Primary tillage — dig/till 25–30 cm; break clods; let weather. Week −3
Form beds/ridges (1–1.5 m × 15–25 cm high) and cut main drainage channels to the field's true low point. Flood-test the drains. Week −2
Solarization out — if solarizing, clear plastic this week and apply Trichoderma after. Week −2
Seed cutting & treatment — split to 20–30 g pieces with 2–3+ sound buds; fungicide dip, dry, then Trichoderma slurry. Disinfect knives. Base fertilizers staged: full P, ½ K, ⅓–½ N. Week −1

1 Establishment weeks 1–4 · DAP 0–30

Plant — on the onset of reliable rains: seed 4–6 cm deep, buds up, 20–25 cm spacing; base dose into bed (not touching seed); mulch immediately 10–15 t/ha. Week 1
First-week rot watch — walk beds after every rain; no ponding >24 h anywhere; open breaches into walkway drains if needed. Weeks 1–2
Emergence check — sprouts should be breaking by ~10–15 DAP; keep mulch even; light irrigation in dry spells. Week 2
Gap-fill misses with reserve treated seed — dig first to confirm the set is dead, not dormant. Week 3
Emergence complete — uneven pattern? Note it: it flags seed quality for next season. Week 4

2 Vegetative build-up weeks 5–8 · DAP 30–60

Hand-weed round one; begin earthing-up with the first topdress. Week 5
1st N topdress — before rain or irrigate in; keep fertilizer 5 cm off the crown. Weeks 5–6
Borer scouting starts (~45 DAP) — fixed weekly transect; count dead hearts per 10 plants; log it. Week 6
Second mulch — 5–10 t/ha topped into beds. Weeks 6–7
2nd N topdress; Trichogramma releases where part of the program. Week 7
Rogue first rot patches — lift clump + soil ball, destroy off-field, lime the hole. Weeks 6–8

3 Rhizome initiation weeks 9–17 · DAP 60–120

Weekly borer counts continue — act at ~5–10% dead-heart incidence; spot-treat beds, not the field. Weeks 9–17
Drain patrol after every heavy rain — recut slumped channels; this is the make-or-break habit of the season. Weeks 9–17
K applications running — split MOP doses per schedule; earthing-up with each round. Weeks 10–16
Final N topdress by ~120 DAP — after this, no more nitrogen. Weeks 15–17
Micronutrient check — interveinal yellow on young leaves: 0.5% ZnSO₄ foliar spray. Weeks 13–16
Moisture consistency — 25–40 mm/week equivalent; probe beds; drip/furrow discipline tightens (deficits now cost finger number). Weeks 13–17

4 Bulk filling weeks 18–34 · DAP 120–240

Protect the canopy — every leaf lost is yield lost; continue weekly borer + disease walk. Weeks 18–30
Leaf-spot watch — white oval spots with brown borders spreading? One registered protective round, then reassess. Weeks 20–28
Final K in — complete the season's potash. Week 20
Mulch top-up if thin — exposed rhizomes green and crack. Weeks 18–22
Green-ginger decision (~180 DAP) — prices, moisture and crop condition: lift early for fresh market or hold for dry. Week 26
Boom-bust patrol — no long dry spells between irrigations; cracked fingers come from irregular water. Weeks 18–34
Book harvest labor and plan curing capacity (floor space, mats/dryer, bags) — crews and dryers get scarce at peak. Weeks 30–34

5 Maturation & harvest weeks 35–40 · DAP 240–270

Stop irrigation — dry-down hardens skin and lifts dry recovery. Week 35
Mark seed clumps — walk the field and flag the healthiest clumps before any bulk lifting. Week 35
Prepare curing line — wash tanks, peeling tools, drying mats/dryer, polisher, graded storage, rodent-proofing. Week 36
Lift in a dry spell — fork beside the clump, lever whole, hand-break fingers; out of sun within hours. Weeks 37–38
Seed lot to store — selected clumps to shade/sand storage the same week; inspect monthly hereafter. Weeks 37–38
Wash → peel → dry — peel without gouging; dry to ≤10–12% moisture (clean snap test); daily weight checks until stable. Weeks 38–40
Grade & store — garbled/bold/splits; pack dry, off-floor, ventilated. Week 40
Season review — yields per bed, rot incidence, rain totals, what the numbers say to change next planting. Week 40

Standing weekly habits — every week, all season

Walk the beds after every significant rain: drains flowing, no ponding, collars dry.
Scout the same transect: dead hearts, leaf lesions, yellowing patches — write the numbers down.
Probe soil moisture by hand at 10 cm; act before the plant shows stress.
Log operations and observations per bed — the record is next season's fertilizer and variety advice.