TOPIC: Very Green

Ginseng doesn't come up every year. That's why I scoff at the \"experts\" that say it is becoming extinct. I ginseng in an area that has been ginsenged by relatives for nearly 80 years. It still comes up. Strip mining is the only thing that totally kills it out of an area. Even logging doesn't destroy it. It takes about 10 years after an area has been logged for it to come back. When it does, there is some big seng. Some rough dang woods to get through, but it's worth it. That being said, we still need to follow all the laws and do everything we can to ensure it remains for future generations.

I read on a website I found online (a seed supplier best I remember) and they were suggesting that snails often account for what we often call (being dormant) a year.

Evidently snails often get to the bud just as it is emerging and eat it up, then there just is no top that year.

And of course deer and other critters also munch on the tops in early spring, or before we get to them when scouting or hunting.

I suppose it is possible that a drought or some other type of stress may also account for no top showing up but I bet a lot of the time something just munched it early before we got there.

TNhunter

Dormancy or snails eating them, which ever it may be, I can account for dozens of times I have experieced this. The older the plant the more often they seem to go dormant for 1 year to possibly as long as 4 years. Young plants those between 1-10 years I havent seen this happen with, or havent noticed it. I visited a spot 2 days ago and several of the 4 prongs where already red berried and yellowing, and will be down within a week or so. Planted over 200 seeds in the surrounding area, and there where many more monsters with a couple of red berries and lots of big fat green ones. Nothing makes me much happier than planting those seeds off those old old plants.

in the early spring,turkey scratch the ground lookin for shoots of anything eatable so don't count them out. Tasty breast meat and ya save some shoots.

guy

I also agree on all of these guys..

5prong wrote:

Hillhopper wrote:

I notice this on certain patches as well. I can't make my mind up if they are dormant or fall to predation early in the season. I have noticed this year that some fours went backwards to threes and threes went to twos. I guess maybe It's due to last year's dry season is the only thing I can come up with.

Hillhopper

Hillhopper, I think you may be right on all these points. I believe plants are dormant some years, and also that many get munched on by critters. I also have seen plants regress. I think that a drought could definately cause this, but other changes in environment could also have this effect.

May aint that something it is realy neat.

maya wrote:

I checked an area last week and there has been 3 pretty good ones under a blow down that I have been watching and all three are dormant. Makes you wonder just how old some of these roots really are.

Great Thread guys....Thanks;)

Billy,

Not sure if you noticed it but I can see \"yellow spots\" on most of the seng leaves that you posted on this thread.

Probably a bit of \"alternaria blight\" going on there.

I had some of that show up on my seedlings this year (first saw it around first of June) and have also found some wild plants while scouting that had the yellow spots.

Looks like I am not the only one seeing that showing up on some seng this year.

I have pics of some nice old wild seng that I took last year that also has the yellow spots. It seems like they do survive and grow and mature even though the leaves do get spotted at times.

TNhunter

TNhunter you are quite rite,i noticed some in the wild seng as you said,it has never seemed to bother the wild seng here,all these pictures are wild seng here,very interesting indeed.

TNhunter wrote:

Billy,

Not sure if you noticed it but I can see \"yellow spots\" on most of the seng leaves that you posted on this thread.

Probably a bit of \"alternaria blight\" going on there.

I had some of that show up on my seedlings this year (first saw it around first of June) and have also found some wild plants while scouting that had the yellow spots.

Looks like I am not the only one seeing that showing up on some seng this year.

I have pics of some nice old wild seng that I took last year that also has the yellow spots. It seems like they do survive and grow and mature even though the leaves do get spotted at times.

TNhunter

It kind of leaves me to believe that Wild Seng has the ability to withstand the onset of alternaria blight to some degree. I wonder how plants derived from cultivated ginseng seeds would do in the same environment under the same circumstances?
Latt