TOPIC: Three prongs are up and coming!

I know I'm probably making you fellas up north sick with my picks but the three prongs in a bed I planted a few years back are pushin through!



Hillhopper

Hillhopper,

I never get tired of seeing pics like that. I am a little green with envy, but I just keep reminding myself I'll be where you are in a few weeks.

Hillhopper

Wow!!! Nice!!!

Is everything early down there?

Are those wild roots transplanted to a bed?

Thats ok that everyones roots will be up before mine. When mine do come up, I will have over 50,000 one to seven yr old roots. I can't wait!!! Every year it's like a dream come true!

Keep the pics coming.

classicfur

Wow allright guys, it's -17 today, got a few inches of snow and ice left on the ground and the Ford slid down the drive this morning.
Late May around here.

We sould have a contest for last up!

Guy

Hillhopper,

That's great.

I checked Saturday morning and none of the tops on those big roots in my seed bed were showing up yet and I also have a spot near by where there are 10 smaller roots (2 & 3 prongs) and none of them were showing yet.

I will have to check again today.

If yours are up, bet mine will be up soon too.

Thanks for sharing the pic's.

PS - I just finished making a irrigation system (drip hose) for my seed producing bed. I am going to put it in place today - wanted to get it down before those tops come up so they can just grown up around it. I think drip irrigation will be the way to go. Any plant that is succeptable to foliar diseases you should drip irrigate, rather than just spray on top of the leaves. Wetting the leaves will actually encourage foliar diseases.

I don't plan to irrigate my seed bed much, but if we do have 4-6 weeks with no rain (like happened a couple times last year) I will give them some water to help them thru that and hope that will help with seed production.

I will send in a pic of my soaker hose system once I get it put in place today.

TNhunter

TNhunter


Drip irrigation system sounds good, especially for dry times during hot summers like you have. Actually first year seedlings usually are the first to wilt in very dry weather, because the root is not as deep as older roots.

Our summers are usually in the mid to upper 70's and the soil never dries out to the point of wilting the plants. But if they did start to wilt I would start to water them by hand. That would be a huge job!

Is your water source coming from your yard?

classicfur

classicfur,
yes, these roots are native TN roots I have planted and have also planted native seed in this plot as well.

TNhunter,
sounds like a great idea for your seed bed. We should swap out a few roots this year, we aren't that far apart to make a big difference but it would definately add a little extra genetic diversity to our seed beds.

TNhunter

I noticed a few thing that in persons book about drought. pg. 132

\"Although I lost very few plants, I did find growth and berry production greatly reduced that year. The best root growth and seed production are obtained where there is ample soil moisture without wetness.\"

He goes on to say
\"Consider irrigation only if your layout makes it convenient and cheap, and be careful not to completely saturate the soil.\"

Here is some from Kim Pritts Ginseng book:

\"Heat and drought injury may mimic a fungal disease. Ginseng plants can become stressed during hot, dry weather and exhibit light brown, papery lesions on the leaf tips and edges. The lesions can eventually cover half the leaf but rarely the whole leaf. Mature plants will survive heat and drought injury with reduced yields; seedling however, may die. Irrigation has been used to arrest drought injury.\"

It sounds like drought could cause seed harvest to be low. Also first year plants could die. It would probably help to have a plan for watering seedling if needed.

classicfur

Classicfur,

From where my seed producing bed is located a 50' hose will easily reach the edge of the yard (just up the hill).

Then from my house I can roll out a 100' hose and reach the edge of the yard and connect to the other that runs down to my seed bed.

It will be real easy to water when I need to. I can just roll out that hose to the edge of the yard, make a quick connect there and then turn on the hose for 20-30 minutes and let it slow drip to soak that bed good.

I do my garden beds the same way.

I can reach them with a 100' hose from the garage side of the house and when I plant my tomatoes I run a soaker hose right down the row right beside the plant stems. After the ground warms up good (mid-late may) I also mulch them with 6\" of straw.

Then when it gets hot and dry I can just roll that hose out and hook it up and in 30 minutes they are watered good.

I do my corn, squqash, cukes, melons, etc the same way.

Works great.

The mulch takes care of the weeds (no more hoe'n the rest of the year) and helps to conserve water too (water less).

TNhunter

TNhunter

That's cool that your seed bed is close to your house and can be watered with out too much work.

I guess around here it's alot different. Most people don't even need to water their veggie gardens. They just wait for Mother Nature to water it. I usually water my garden just a few times around July if its dry. Farmers around here have no way of watering their crops. They must rely on the rain and thunderstorms to do the watering.

You and I live in two completey different climates. And yet Ginseng grows in both those climates. An amazing plant!

classicfur