# How to Grow Awapuhi
Zingiber zerumbet, also known as awapuhi kauhiwi or shampoo ginger, is a tropical, perennial, ginger plant that is winter hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 11. Awapuhi boasts green, pinecone-like, bracts that deepen to an attractive red color before opening creamy, yellow blossoms in mid to late summer. Also called pinecone ginger, awapuhi is a low-maintenance addition to tropical gardens and home landscapes.
Things You'll Need
- Shovel
- Peat moss
- Leaf mold
- Perlite
- Garden hose
- Water-soluble ginger fertilizer
Instructions
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Grow awapuhi in a full sun location with fertile, moist and well-draining soil. Select a planting site that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight per day to ensure vigorous growth.
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Work 3 inches peat moss, 2 inches loam, 2 inches leaf mold and 1 inch perlite into the soil to a depth of 6 inches. Plant awapuhi plants at the same depth they grew in their nursery containers; plant awapuhi rhizomes under 4 inches of soil.
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Irrigate awapuhi regularly while it is actively growing. Provide up to 2 inches of supplemental irrigation each week. Maintain evenly-moistened soil, but allow the surface to dry slightly between each irrigation.
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Fertilize awapuhi two times per year with a water-soluble fertilizer that's specially-formulated for use with ginger plants. Apply the first application in the early spring, when the plant is coming out of its dormancy; apply the second application six to eight weeks after the first. Consult the application and rate instructions listed on the fertilizer packaging.
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