TOPIC: first time diggin seng!!

this is my first year ever diggin ginseng in my life. I am 16 and i was wondering if anybody has any suggestions about a frist timer i would appreciate it. Thanks!

I use the same approach as one would use to still hunt a deer. Walk fast when things aren't looking good and slow down when they do. Just like looking for bits and pieces of a deer like a piece of hide thru the brush, an ear or an antler, trying scanning the woods for parts of the plant. It maybe the configuration of the five leaves that catches your eye, the posture of the plant how it hangs different than other plants, or maybe the color (darker or lighter) then other plants or the red berries.

It may not come easy at first but if you keep at it, it will eventually get easier. Good luck!

That's about the same advice I would give. Don't get in too much of a hurry. Not while hunting, digging, drying, and even selling. It seems like you can't rush anything with this plant. Also, don't get too greedy. Always leave some mature seed bearing plants in a good area. Pinch the tops off so that nobody else is digging them this year, but always leave some roots in the ground to seed the area in the future. Do this and you will have good spots to go back to in the future. Good luck to you.

p.s. - This advice is for future years. Get out in the spring about the time yellow morrels are popping up or just after, and scout for ginseng then. A lot of the other plants aren't that big then, and it is much easier to spot than it is in mid summer, but not as easy as when the plants are yellowing in the fall with pods of crimson berries hanging on them.