TOPIC: New seedlings doing good

Thanks for posting Poached. I've been trying to get some seng started here, I'm new to it and the
way I planted it was to scatter it all over to see where it might grow well at. Finding it has been a
problem not being familiar with it. I have seen plants as you have posted. So I feel lots better that
its coming up now.. Thanks..

I broke some small dead branches into about 6 to 8 inch lengths and stuck them into the ground to mark near where I planted each on the first four dozen or so since I intended to re-covered the planting area with the original leaf layer to protect from freeze and predation by birds. Good thing I did cover because we had a couple of hard freezes with temperatures into the teens. The rest were planted unmarked, after the risk of freeze had passed. I did wait until the stratified seeds were germinated with 1/4\" or longer root tails before planting to give them a better chance of coming up quicker. I have hundreds of seed in germination trays that are nearly ready to plant.

I was much deeper in the woods on my property today, scouting for more good sites to plant germinated seed. I happened upon several dozen small patches of younger plants. Nothing found that was as old as those that were poached last year, but there were plenty of them. Lots of single prong with 5 leaflets, fewer 2 prongs and just a few 3 prongs. It was raining lightly so I did not bring my phone to get pics. I did not see any 3 leaflet seedlings near them so I'm guessing that these were from seeds spread a few years ago by critters that dropped them after grazing the older plants. They were much further up the holler from where the older plants were poached, and growing in clusters of plants in close proximity to one another. They were on both the eastern and western slopes of the north facing holler with predominantly maple and poplar.

Glad to hear your's is doing good. I checked mine two weeks ago and nothing was up checked it last week and I'm a lot happier now . Seem to have about a 90% success rate of seeds and rootlets. This is my first attempt at planting seng so I'm a little excited. Already looking for more ground to plant this fall.

Joe, good to hear that yours are coming up. It sure feels good to see something grow that you've planted.

My seedlings started early since I planted them already well germinated. The existing plants here must have been delayed due to the colder temperatures at my elevation. We have been having overnight/early AM temperatures in the mid to upper 30s with daytime highs in the 40s and 50s. The hardwoods have leaved in well enough now to protect the tender plants beneath the canopy from full sun. Out of the 12 acres here, over 8 acres was last logged in the 1930s and about 3 acres that was logged in 1997 to prepare for my homesite. Research into the property history showed that this entire area used to be part of the Cherokee National Forest and it was privatized/sold off a long time ago. I have to refrain from planting too close to the lower end because I'm still digging and breaking out rock from there and moving it to fill in part of the valley below my house for a homesite for my sisters cabin. The lower end has more pine than hardwoods anyways.