TOPIC: My first big planting of seng - Hankins Method used

Jacquo,

The pic is actually posted under the forum \"A Possible Planting Idea\"at the end of my posting.
Thanks,
Latt

Hey Latt,

Welcome aboard.

Look forward to seeing some pics of your plantings.

PS - before you can include a image in a post here the image file has to meet some file size requirements first including:

\"the picture must be under 5 megabyte in file size and under 800 pixels in width by 800 pixels in height\".

Most digital cameras will be setup to take images that are too big to post here unless you either change the settings in your camera to a smaller size, or after you save the images to your computer you can then resize them down small enough for posting here.

PS - On the size of your planting beds.

If you want to be able to harvest seed from your ginseng plant beds, you really need to keep the bed width down around 5' or so. That way from the edge you can reach over to the middle and pick berries.

Much wider than that and you will not be able to harvest berries without tromping on the seng that is growing.

In Scott Persons book he recommends planting beds that are 5' x 50' for a total of 250 sq ft per bed.

He also recommends a 3' wide spacing between beds - so that if you do have disease problems it is not as likely to spread from one bed to another.

Look forward to seeing your pics and talking growing or hunting seng with you.

TNhunter

TNhunter,
I agree two 5 foot wide beds with 3 feet in between is better that one 10 foot wide bed for the reasons you mentioned. This area was just a bit smaller and crowded and I had to maximize the space.
I would love to hunt some sang in TN someday. My spots here in Ohio are limited and many have been wiped out by developments where I used to find a bunch back in the day. This sounds like a big fish story but when I was 17 years old I dug all four prongs and replanted at least 30 or more seeds per plant in an area no bigger than 3 acres. I sold 10 pounds dry at $220 per pound that winter all from that area. I left the 3 prongs and smaller. The guy that owned the property and gave me permission to dig sold the property to a guy that went in and built a house and my patch was ruined. He would not let me in there to rescue the ones left and it made me sick. I remember crawling through the woods digging seldom standing up to spot another one. Never found a wild patch like that since and probably never will again. So I am hoping to create some new patches like that with the \"wild Simulated\" seed method that I am planting.
Thanks for the info on posting pics too.

TNhunter, I enjoyed your photos and story very much. The photos are inspiring and I hope more people make a regular habit of planting beds of sang.

Tnhunter, I have heard news today that my 15lb of seed is on the way.... can't wait to get a scratchin. Iv planted smaller amounts before but have decided to go bigger. Maybe one day instead of us poolin our wild dug Seng to sell together we'll be heading our Tennessee Ginseng Growers Cooperative & Sales lol. Never hurts to think big....

Here is a pic of a small ginseng seed bearing root bed I planted last fall 2009. They came up decent but I let the slugs get to them and it inhibited my seed output. These were all 15 to 20 year old roots. I will not let the slugs get to them this coming spring.
Latt

Looks like that soil is really worked up well and loose, they should really put out the seed if you can keep those little devils off of em

wow now i know what to do thank u

Latt,

That is a nice looking seed producing bed you got started there.

Looks like around 24 nice big roots going in there.

I made one of those this fall - my bed was worked up with a grubbing hoe and raised so the soil is loose up to about 6\" deep.

I made my bed 4' x 14' and ended up with 44 real nice roots (good 3 and 4 prongs) in it. I even got 5 real nice roots from south eastern KY (from Billy) to go into my bed.

I added 30 gallons of (good ginseng soil) that nice rocky stuff from where we find really good seng, and also bone meal and gypsum. The PH is 5.7 so think that is close enough.

I have never noticed a problem with slugs (in my garden or around the house/yard here) but not I never looked for them around ginseng plants.

I read on a website a month or two ago where a guy said that he thought slugs were the #1 reason that some seng roots do not have a top in some years. He thinks the slugs catch the top as it is first emerging and eat it when it is young/tender, or if they can get to the bud they will eat it and then there is no top that year.

Our seng is usually up here between April 15-20.

I will sure have to keep an eye out for slugs and I will be watching for tops to come up every day.

What do you plan to do to take care of the slugs this year ?

Thanks

TNhunter

TNhunter

By far the best stuff for killing slugs is Deadline M-Ps and also recommended by Scott Persons. I have used this slug bait for several years now and have knocked down the slug population from thousands down to a minor problem.I do know that the slug population I had before could have easily wipe out a whole bed of seng. They are the worst in the spring but where I live, there is plenty of moisture year around (33\" of rain a year)to support a slug population.

I know in the spring, they can attack the seeds that are left on top of the soil by eating the white interior of the seed as they begin to open up and kill the seed, also emerging seedligs and adult plants by eating a part of the stalk and cause the plant to fall over.

Its also good to apply deadline in the fall even when you don't see much evidense of them. the fall is when slugs will lay their eggs which will hatch in the spring.

Deadline is the best slug bait on th market and can withstand up to 6\" of rain without falling apart like the cheap slug baits do. This is the cheapest place to buy deadline in bulk.


rosecare1.stores.yahoo.net/deadlinemps1.html

After using this stuff, I now know why Scott recommends it.

I would'nt waste my time or money on any other brand. 10 lbs lasted me almost three seasons. For me, slugs are the biggest danger I have to my plants.

classicfur