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TOPIC: A tree limb dug up one of my roots.

A tree limb dug up one of my roots. 8 years 9 months ago #35624

While observing my plants yesterday I discovered a large tree limb fell out and drove itself in the ground behind one of my plants. Apparently, it then tipped backwards and nearly pulled this 5 year old root out of the ground. The top began to wilt already so I brought it home and weighed it,5/8 ounce is what it came to. What is yalls opinion on how they are coming along?

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Re:A tree limb dug up one of my roots. 8 years 9 months ago #35625

Not ideal shape (short and stubby is better).

It might get tossed as woodsgrown because of the number of smaller feeder roots. Did you add anything to the ground its growing in?

Other than that, I think it looks pretty good for a 5yo root. The wild character is there, not excessively, but there and I think it will accentuate with drying.

I'd be very interested in how this root looks once it is dry.

Over all, I think its a pretty good root for five years old. Assume that this is one that will be a little less desirable than some of the others.

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Re:A tree limb dug up one of my roots. 8 years 9 months ago #35627

Hill,

The root has a nice color and good defined rings. Overall I think it looks great.
Over time with age your roots will keep looking better.
You sure have done a wonderful job with all your endeavors on your plantings.

Good Luck.

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Re:A tree limb dug up one of my roots. 8 years 9 months ago #35629

I think it looks a lot like the wild I get around my place. We have fairly rich soil so we also have a good deal of the feeder roots on truly wild. That bigger one on the left if left a few more years would be the size of the largest part and the largest part would be twice that size or maybe a bit more.

I know if I took in wild roots that look identicle to that and the buyer downgraded it for any reason that would be my last visit to that buyer and I would leave with my roots. Seems everyone from fur buyers, to seng buyers, to oil companies try to screw over the initial source person. If it weren't for the initial source they couldn't make their profit. But it's been going on since the gold rush in America so the middle man always looks for the pettiest reason to screw over the one who brings the product to market. That's why a lot of folks look down on businessmen and companies. Because of the ones that can never be happy with the person bringing the product to market making the most profit, but in my opinion that is who should make the most since without us they make nothing.

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Re:A tree limb dug up one of my roots. 8 years 9 months ago #35636

jimsenger66 wrote:

I think it looks a lot like the wild I get around my place. We have fairly rich soil so we also have a good deal of the feeder roots on truly wild. That bigger one on the left if left a few more years would be the size of the largest part and the largest part would be twice that size or maybe a bit more.

I know if I took in wild roots that look identicle to that and the buyer downgraded it for any reason that would be my last visit to that buyer and I would leave with my roots. Seems everyone from fur buyers, to seng buyers, to oil companies try to screw over the initial source person. If it weren't for the initial source they couldn't make their profit. But it's been going on since the gold rush in America so the middle man always looks for the pettiest reason to screw over the one who brings the product to market. That's why a lot of folks look down on businessmen and companies. Because of the ones that can never be happy with the person bringing the product to market making the most profit, but in my opinion that is who should make the most since without us they make nothing.



Jimsenger,

I agree that this root will look much better in a few years. I did not say it would be downgraded in a few years. I was asked for my opinion specifically on this particular root based on my experience as a buyer in this market.

It really astonishes me that more and more people just jump to the conclusion that someone is being dishonest or petty with the overarching intention of taking advantage of someone. As we have seen here in recent weeks, buying or selling doesn't matter. As we have seen nationwide of late, it isn't reserved for the ginseng business either. It seems that more and more people believe they get what they personally think is fair (whatever the hell that is...life isn't fair and never will be) or a favorable exchange in business or legal process or they throw childish fits. Of course, when adults throw these fits they cause harm to others, destroy things, burn things, and loot whatever they want from whomever they want in order to fulfill their sense of entitlement.

It really is basic economics. Your product is worth whatever someone else is willing to pay for it at that moment in time. Not a dime more. This is why huge amounts of money are spent on market research. Any producer needs to produce what the market wants to get highest prices or more sales. You cannot simply produce a product regardless of market needs/desires and demand whatever price you wish. It just doesn't work that way.

Don't forget the rash of people on here last fall who were calling any dealer who did not pay $2000/lb a dishonest cheat. At the end, I paid as high as $765 and made about $25/lb. The grade was the toughest I've ever seen. But, they have never posted here what they got for their roots last fall. The fact is that many dealers lost money last year because they bowed to the pressure from diggers who thought they controlled the market. Why would anyone pay more for something than they could sell it for?

My buyers downgrade roots with excessive roots because that turns into fiber in shipping. Fiber only sells for about $100/lb. The average wild lot has about 7% fiber, whereas the average woodsgrown has double that. That means they lose twice as much on woodsgrown (or roots that resemble it because they have excessive hair roots). As a result, they downgrade the lot if much of it has excessive small roots.

The shape is becoming more and more important in the ginseng trade as we move forward. Remember, ginseng does not all get ground up and used as additives and powders. The market I deal in pays the best and seeks high quality which can be given as gifts. Would you give an apple as a gift if it had a chunk missing or a bruise...or was grown long and thin or in some other odd shape? Short and stubby roots are higher in quality. Just as darker skin (because of soil and other conditions), wild character, age, and other factors such as density figure into whether the root is higher or lower quality.

Hillhopper specifically asked my opinion as a buyer. This is indeed a nice looking average root for his part of the country. If I were paying $700/lb in Ohio for the best root, I would not pay more than about $450-$500/lb for roots like that in the picture. In a few years, it might be worth more. Right now, this specific root is a good average commercial quality root. It might well bring near top price in his region of the country, however.

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Re:A tree limb dug up one of my roots. 8 years 9 months ago #35643

Where I live we have some of the best soil as far crop growth goes in the US. Deep, rich, black soil. Does growing ginseng in soil like this create a less desirable root if it leads to more feeder roots?

Also, when you say wild characteristics, how would a 5 year old wild root differ from this root?

Sorry to hijack the thread Hill, I obviously don't know enough to offer much of an opinion on your ginseng but for what its worth id be ecstatic to have a bunch of 5 year olds looking like that.

Thanks in advance for any response.

John B

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Re:A tree limb dug up one of my roots. 8 years 9 months ago #35644

Thanks Brad, Rootman,Jim and John for the comments.No offense taken and appreciative of any's opinion. This one was growing shallow and spread out due to a rock underneath it and I guess that's how it became uprooted so easily. Alot of the others are chunkier but they cant all be grade A's...That's just nature in general. I have come to discover that with age the numerous feeder roots seem to get fewer and fewer. Two to three years ago when I dug them up they had little fine roots shooting out all over the place but they have since started reducing, it seems. Every batch of root has different grades all mixed in, if that is one the worst I have to bring my average down, I should be alright :)

Hillhopper

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Re:A tree limb dug up one of my roots. 8 years 9 months ago #35645

Here is a pic from last year of two random roots in the same patch. That would have made them 4 years old.There are some with girth as well.

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Re:A tree limb dug up one of my roots. 8 years 9 months ago #35646

Hill..

I think you have some good looking root there.

All they need, in my opinion, to really stat looking better is long necks.

Would be nice if you could fast forward those and see what they look like in 8 10 years.

One thing is for sure you are going to have some size and weight to em.

TNhunter

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Re:A tree limb dug up one of my roots. 8 years 9 months ago #35653

Thanks Tn, right now its looking to be 70-80 roots per pound. I'm gonna try to not let the majority go past 8 years i dont think but we'll see. It just seems to long to care for them.

This is for y'all dealers....1st picture is 5 year old and the second is of 4 year olds. If something of a mixture shown here were brought to you at 6 or 7 year old and the market was around 700.....what would these be worth for you to pay? I would really like to dig some of the larger plants next year, that would make those 6 year roots.its about time for this venture to at least pay its own way.

You can be truthful, I won't hold it against you if its negative lol

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