My Ginger Flower

I was introduced to Ginger Flower or Bunga Kantan in Malay in 1998 when I moved to West Malaysia. Bunga Kantan was used to add good flavor to Laksa Penang or Laksa Johor. Till 1990’s it’s hard to find Bunga Kantan in my home town but now it’s become popular herbs in the market. I think it is because there are a lot of West Malaysian who resides in my home town now. I never got a chance to plant Bunga Kantan before, according to my mum; this herb is very difficult to grow. Its need watery grown and take two years to flower. Well, since I am a fan of Bunga Kantan, I guess it’s worth waiting. My husband told me one of his staff, Wak Isa is a successful Bunga Kantan supplier. So I ask Wak Isa, how to grow them. Wak Isa told me a few tips and supplies me with 8 suckers of Bunga Kantan. Thank you very much to Wak Isa then with Bismillahirahmannirrahim I plant the suckers by the stream of my little farm. Not enough with that, I stop by the road and plucked two dry flowers of wild Bunga Kantan to get some seeds. According to my reading on the internet, Bunga Kantan from the seeds take more time to grow and to flower than Bunga Kantan which grow from the sucker. Whatever... It's ok with me, better be late than never and no harm trying. So I also try to grow Bunga Kantan from the seeds. I have been four months since I grow them, just take a look of them.

This is the seedling.. Thanks to my maid green fingers, it took 40 days to germinate

We transferred them to the poly bags

This is the wild ginger flower 

The dry ginger flower that I took

This is the ginger flower bud

We brought the poly bags to Wak Nan house

I don't know that Wak Nan chicken likes ginger flower leaves, So Wak Nan covers it with some net

This is the ginger flower that I grow from the sucker

This is another healthy young Bunga Kantan

Another young Bunga Kantan